Thursday, February 24, 2011

Universal Design and Learning

I think a review of the basics of universal design is in order, since I've already put the cart before the horse by talking about iPads in the Classroom.

The concepts of universal design will seem obvious once you know them.  The origin of universal design lies in physical architectures - how can we design structures to be used by anyone?  Well-known examples are curb cuts and wheelchair ramps: designed to enable people in wheelchairs to navigate streets and buildings, they also greatly help parents with strollers, delivery people with carts, or people who otherwise have trouble with stairs and steps.

Monday, February 21, 2011

iPads in the Classroom

The iPad is a great example of the kind of accessible technology that's going to change the world - a mainstream, multi-purpose device that's customizable, has built-in accessibility features, and incorporates the principles of universal design.  In this post, I'll cover some of the ways educators are experimenting with the iPad in the classroom.

I've been following with interest how some school districts and colleges have purchased iPads for their students.  See Apps in the Classroom,  iPads at Reed College, and Schools Embrace the iPad.  I thought each of those articles did a good job highlighting the pros and cons of technology in the classroom, and how both primary and secondary schools found the iPad a more flexible, cost-saving, and multi-purpose device  than other new technology (such as the Kindle).  I'd point to the iPad's embrace of universal design principles as the reason why that tablet is proving more appealing to kids and schools.  Of course, there's also the story of the school district that purchase iPads for its school board so that...they could take more efficient notes during meetings??  I will decline to pass judgment on that one).

Educational publishers are on board with adopting new technology, too.  According to some estimates, the market for educational technology now tops $8 billion each year.  Publishers can't afford to see that money go elsewhere (to, say, Apple and its hordes of app developers).  The Houghton Mifflin Harcourts and Pearsons of the world need to partner with schools to create the textbooks and classroom materials of the future.  And in that scenario, everyone wins: publishers retain their market share, schools obtain educational materials in an efficient channel that makes the most of limited budgets, and students develop technological skills, and access to cool ways of learning educational materials that traditional textbooks can only hope to rival.

I'm excited by the risk that these schools are taking - they are definitely ahead of the curve when it comes to integrating technology into the classroom.  But I do have more questions than answers.  What is the breakage rate of the iPads?  (Seriously - I've heard this as one of the reasons that we should buy a traditional AAC for our daughter vs. an iPad with Proloque2Go).  Who is providing training for the teachers on how to use the iPads effectively?  Are they integrating the iPad into the special education services for kids on IEPs?  Are school districts with disadvantaged students as willing to take this leap over the digital divide?

For one school's answers to some of these questions, check out the Bronx Middle School blog at Bronx Middle School iPad Blog

Friday, February 18, 2011

Cloud Computing and Disabilities, Part One

Over the next few days/weeks, I will be posting my thoughts about a fabulous conference I attended last fall sponsored by the Silicon Flatirons in Boulder, CO.  It was co-sponsored by the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities, also based at CU Boulder.  I had just come off from an intense period of study about special ed law because we were about to enter the IEP process with Siobhan.  I was looking around for relevant licensing and contract related work, and I found this conference that was perfectly situated between IT, disability law, and law. It was astonishing that I heard about this conference just days before it started, and located just minutes away from where we live and work.  I went to the conference as a smart if uneducated observer in the field of disability law.

I was amazed by what I learned.  The world of assistive technology, accessibility issues, universal design, and the range of legal issues surrounding all of the foregoing astonished me.  It's certainly a world I never saw in law school, or since then.  And I imagine that many people never have cause to enter the world.  Why would you, if you never had to go through a cognitive or motor planning evaluation of your child?  Or an IEP meeting?  Or a medical evaluation of your child's EEG scan?

I will be sharing what I learned at the conference over a series of posts on the blog, in an effort to both solidify my thoughts as well as disseminate some of these cool ideas to a wider audience.  Many thanks to the organizers and presenters at the conference, and I hope that I can do justice to the work they shared.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Take One

I was inspired to start this blog to record thoughts and knowledge gained while advocating and learning on behalf of my daughter Siobhan.  Siobhan is a happy, smart, loving 3 year old who happens to have special needs.  It's a continuing journey that we all are on, and I have to say that I don't see the end in sight.  However, if the knowledge I've gained along the way, as a parent and an attorney, can help others in their journey, so much the better.