EDEL 20003 Global Learning Futures: Increases accessibility for learners with special education needs

Mobile devices are regarded by many teachers as easier for learners to access than desktop devices (Cline, 2012). These same features (portability and intuitive user interface) also make them highly useful for supporting students with special needs or in special circumstances (Duncan, 2011). Mobile devices can also be customised, through accessibility functions and applications, to create a suite of tools housed within one device that is available to students in their academic social and home lives. One of the major advantages of using mobile devices in this way is that because they are so pervasive there is no stigma attached to their use.

There are a plethora of documents developed by educational institutions for supporting teachers to choose applications that meet the specific needs of particular students (Queensland, Northern Territory, Victoria ). Any discussion of these is only meaningful when viewed with a particular student and very specific context in mind.

The following is a brief discussion of two of the accessibility functions of iPads and a brief example of how they might be used to support students who struggle with classroom literacy tasks.

Dictation is a cloud based function, accessed through a microphone icon on the keyboard, that allows the user to dictate text in any application where the keyboard is available.

I have been pleasantly surprised at the accuracy of this function of the iPad. After reading more about exactly how it works ( iPad Speech Recognition, 2013), I am even more surprised at its speed. One limitation is that this function is only available with internet connection.

Speak Selection is accessed through the general settings under the accessibility tab. Users are able to select any text that is displayed on the iPad (whether it is online or as part of another program iBook etc.) and choose “Speak” . The text will be read. The speed at which the text is read can be adjusted to suit the needs of the particular learner.

There is also the option for the Speak Selection function to highlight each word as it is read. This has the potential to assist readers – as long as the reading speed is kept quite low. If it is set to a fast reading pace this function could easily become confusing and/ or frustrating. This function is not reliant an internet connection.

Learning Activity : Students write a piece of realistic dialogue. The following activity may be used to support reluctant writers and students with low literacy levels.

Apps / Native functions: Puppet Pals 2 App, dictation (function of keyboard), Speak Selection function, Notes

After whole class discussion and brainstorming, students work in pairs using Puppet Pals 2 App to practice role playing dialogue around a specific topic or situation (Gleeson, 2012). They listen back and rerecord until happy with their dialogue. Students then use Notes and the dictation function of the iPad to convert their spoken words to text. By swiping between applications they are able to listen to their recording in Puppet Pals 2, pausing at each line of dialogue, and then dictate their dialogue in Notes. The example below is my first read through of the dialogue. There are some errors in the dictation; however these can be corrected through editing. To edit students would select all text and choose the speak function. Each word is highlighted as the text is read, focusing students attention on this aspect of the text. Students may go back and type corrections or use dictation to rerecord specific words. The text in Note would be saved or a screen image taken to preserve the work.

In a later lesson, this initial dialogue could be used as a basis for writing direct speech with correct punctuation ( speech marks, punctuation inside the speech marks, saying verb, name of the person speaking) or to create a cartoon with speech bubbles.