I choose the term UDL technology because we need a new word to describe technology for special education students and other learners with challenges. The term assistive technology is too broad of a term that means to many things and provokes the wrong image compared to what we need. UDL technology is modern technology that is less intrusive and for students with a wide spectrum is learning issues. The days of a clunky device that sticks out are over, and that is why we have a new term. The term includes modern technology that is used for academic and non-academic reasons.
Definition: UDL Technology
Modern technology that is used to help individuals with disabilities and other challenges to function, succeed, perform tasks in various settings.
What is Universal Design for Learning?
Universal Design for Learning is the idea that a diverse group of students can meet different standards through different means. What the students are learning is presented in many ways. This could mean, a picture, video, article, lecture, real-life examples, software, interactive website other representation. With UDL, a student is given multiple means to express their ideas and take actions to meet classroom goals. It also should mean the implementation of technology. UDL is backed with brain research. It considers how we learn with various parts of our brain. Goals should be designed for all students learning. Each student can meet the same goal or standard with a different representation that shows they have learned the standard. Teachers should represent information in different ways. To truly understand UDL I recommend that you go to CAST’s website and read about UDL.
This video explains UDL in less than five minutes:
There are also many books about the UDL you need more details or examples.
With the movement of special education students getting more and more of his or her instruction in the regular classroom UDL is a way to help regular education teachers reach everyone. It also helps teachers find ways to reach many other populations that present various challenges. The technologies that I recommend are very UDL. Universal Design for Learning might be a way to reach special needs students in the regular classroom, but it is not special education. When students with special needs are successful, they get services in regular education. It is important to include regular educators and parents in the discussion. The technology I write about is not just for special education. It is for everyone with different learning styles. If you want to get all students engaged, then you should use UDL with technology.
What is assistive technology?
Assistive technology is any device that someone with a disability uses to complete a task or improve their ability to function. High-tech assistive technology is computers, software or another electronic device that a person with a disability uses to improve function or to perform a task. There are legal definitions of assistive technology. If you were to read a textbook the definition, they would be slightly different and have a lot more words. I think most people know that a person with a disability using a pencil is not using assistive technology. The exact definition can be debated. The concept holds true.
The new generation of assistive technology does not look like assistive technology. If a student uses an iPad to perform a task they otherwise could not perform should that be considered assistive technology? If I play a game on my iPad, it is not assistive technology. When people use a word prediction feature on an app on a smartphone, they don’t call it assistive technology. Yet, I could show you a number of programs that use word prediction that are assistive technology. I have two points. There is some nice real estate between the definition of some assistive technology and some UDL technology. Assistive technology has gone mainstream. Microsoft and Apple are making assistive technology for operating systems. Google documents and the Google search apps on your phone both have a speech to text feature. You can talk to your smartphone, and it talks back. The people doing this don’t have a disability. It is not marketed in many cases as assistive technology. Other times, it is called assistive technology. It is very subjective when you decide is this assistive technology.