Obviously my students use A LOT of assistive technology. Many of my favorites are fairly low tech but I feel like the possibilities to use them are endless! Here are a few that I use on a regular basis and some ideas I've used or have seen other teachers use in the classroom.
Probably the most common, we use our Big Mac buttons daily and in almost every activity. They are super easy to use/record on. I love the newer ones that have the removable plastic top to put pictures or icons under the top to display. We use them for offering choices, greeting peers in the halls, requesting "more" snack, and I also like to use velcro to attach objects to them to make them more engaging and accessible for my students. I have also seen a teacher who had each student take one home every night and had parents record what they did that night and how their morning went so each student can share their "news" during morning group!
A "step" up (pun intended ; ) from the Big Mac is the Step-by-Step which I love! It is a little trickier to record on but once you get the hang of it, not too bad! The Step-by-Step can record multiple messages that can be activate in sequences. We use them during reading group where I have recorded each page (of a SHORT book) so the students can "read" the book aloud taking turns activating the switch to read their page. I think this is great for literacy awareness and engaging the kids in a story rather than just reading it. I have also used these to record knock knock jokes on for social interaction with nondisabled peers. (You just have to be sure to start with "knock, knock" and only record every other line on your device so that the other person can respond) Another idea is to record the steps to a recipe and have students read the directions out loud as you cook.
I recently mentioned the All-Turn-It spinner in my previous post but the possibilities with it are endless. A switch can plug into the side and the students can hit the switch to spin the spinner. The face with the dice on it in this picture can come off and you can trace it, cut a template out of cardstock and laminate it, and then literally whatever you can think of to spin; sensory objects, picking students for jobs, colors to play candyland, numbers for games, pretty much anything!
The Power Link (gray box next to radio) my students really like using for leisure time and cause and effect. This student is using it to listen to the radio. The power supply goes to the radio and he has to activate the switch to listen to the music. When he takes pressure off of the switch, the music turns off. You can also use it for activating fans, using electric mixers for cooking, anything that needs electricity to work.
These are just a few of the devices we use on a daily basis. They aren't anything new or fancy but they work well for our students. Let me know if you come up with any ideas for how to use these and other assistive tech. devices!
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