When is Assistive Technology a Barrier to Learning?

The 1:1 classroom is full of assistive technology (AT) devices, both personal and school provided. Since students spend the majority of their school days online; at what point is the device a barrier to learning? Focus groups, interviews, and surveys of key stakeholders, faculty, and students at two 1:1 schools in the Mid-Atlantic region with learning-difference (LD) populations utilizing AT were analyzed. Several categories of student device usage were discussed: Skills, Apps, Duration, Efficacy, Assessment, and Fatigue. Students are aware of the amount of time they spend online, and they spend the time wisely. However, the systems those students use daily are the biggest issue because of incompatibility and lead to device abandonment. All teachers, including art teachers, should consider how to use AT in their classrooms to help bridge content and technology. While we have figured out the 21st Century Classroom, we must now consider the 21st Century Schoolhouse.

Author

• Herrity, Jeffery Paul

Language

• en

Keyword

• LD
• 21st Century Classroom
• 1
• Learning Disabled
• 1 classroom
• assistive technology

Date created

• 2013

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Art Education

Degree

• M.A.T.

Advisor

• Aragona, John

Committee Member(s)

• D'Angelo, Adrienne
• Honig, Selila
• Lawton, Pamela

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/2z10wq34r