Braille is a tactile, symbol-based imprinted language. In grade one Braille, the symbols are made up of an a systematic arrangement of six dots arranged in various cells. These dots are imprinted on paper for the blind or visually impaired individual to read. Braille was created nearly 200 years ago and it was a revolutionary invention changing the lives of the blind and visually impaired forever.
The power of technology is evident all around us. It permeates every aspect of our life. It has revolutionized many parts of our daily lives, for instance, nearly instantaneous communication with family members and loved ones half a world away. From my perspective, in the realm of public education, while the benefits of technology are ever evident, acquisition of technology has occurred at a snail's pace.
Computers and email have greatly benefited the transmission of information between the internal and external stakeholders. Teachers are notified in real-time when changes to daily schedules are necessary. State and federally required paperwork creation and transmission has been streamlined thanks to state-mandated, monitored, and regulated databases. All of which helps make educating children with multiple disabilities a little easier.
In the classroom, SmartBoards, closed circuit televisions, and table-side computerized magnifiers are beneficial for students with blindness and visual impairments. Additional computer software that read and magnify the visual output of computers are available. Also, available are computerized note takers that utilize braille-like input and output. All are great technological developments.
The problem is the cost of these technological advancements. Because these items benefit only a small group of individuals, the cost of these devices and software is astronomical. For public schools relying on limited public-generated revenues, this a very big problem and the biggest reason why the implementation of technology for students with visual impairments has moved at a snail's pace.
To keep the imprint of technology available for everyone, there must be a way to remedy this problem? Maybe technology holds the answer?
I agree. I was checking the Dept of Ed's website, and https://rsa.ed.gov/programs.cfm?pc=sgat&sub=awards lists awards made to each state for assistive technology. Alabama got a little over $400K each of the last three years. But probably way under what is required.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do love living in the South, I hate the lack of importance this region places on public education. If we believed in educating our children as much as we did our college football teams or religion then we would be much better off.
DeleteExcellent topic to bring in this week!
ReplyDeleteI was fascinated with open-source technology and its benefits and I think this holds part of the answer to your question. The Friedman book, The World is Flat, states the business world HAS to change in order to survive. I think this is true. What I would like to see is that as we have more people touched by individuals with hearing/visual or other challenges (and we will because we are becoming more connected), we will demand its availability. If it is not available, we will create it and open-source the material. Then, wirearchy will take place, once this is out and available in a group, it will become available to another group, etc., etc.
You may be on to something there. However, I still think the fact it is a relatively small niche means it will be a challenge even for open-source technologies.
DeleteThanks so much for your reply.
Robert
The fact that this is a small niche is a definite weakness and challenge in a SWOT/C. Of course, the pressure when one of our major technologies offers it for free, therefore pressuring other technologies to offer similar services for free. Perhaps Bill Gates can add his philanthropy there?
DeleteSuch a relevant and important topic and one that is hard to answer. At my institution, we are in early talks to create an online campus and one of the incentives is the belief that it will "cost less and bring in more revenue" which is interesting because I do not think that it will by any means "cost less" to develop an online campus. I am in the minority, however, as my institution's top leaders and self-proclaimed 'idea people' are convinced that they know all about this - of course, none of them have ANY experience in technology or in the actual process of creating and delivering education; but I digress.
ReplyDeleteThe notion that MOOCs and other online courses will reduce the costs of providing higher education and the price students pay for it is a key part of the presumed “promise” of online learning. A tally of the often-hidden costs of producing high-quality MOOCs and other online courses suggests that these courses are not actually cheaper for colleges and universities either. In fact, if done well, they can even cost more to produce than traditional face-to-face classes.
While the “business model” or the “how” of profit-making from MOOCs is still a work in progress, the general trajectory is clear.
MOOCs are free now just as many educational TV shows and books from the public library are free; if you just want an “educational experience,” you can watch a documentary, read a book, or take a MOOC. But if you want a degree or a certificate or anything from the MOOC that carries real value in the “marketplace,” you will have to pay.
So how do we get past the 'business' of education?
How do we get legislators and lawmakers to truly understand what is required in REALLY providing adequate accommodation for students who are blind or visually-impaired?
My 12 year old niece was recently diagnosed with an eye condition that will degenerate over time with no current hope of cure or arrest and the school district (in CT) has really made no significant effort in trying to provide accommodation for her condition. Luckily, her parents have some means to draw upon and so they are providing her with whatever tools they can to help her get through her educational materials.
There is no use in creating and having amazing assistive or educational technology if the students that it was created for have no way to access the technology.
The population that Robert describes also has to be included in the equation before true 'flattening' of the landscape can occur. Since it has only been since the early 20th century when blind students were even allowed to be enrolled in their neighborhood schools; we are still in the infancy stages of truly addressing the needs of blind and visually-impaired students and learners.
References:
http://futureofhighered.org/promises-online-higher-education-reducing-costs/
Patrick,
DeleteGreat reply to my post! As I mentioned to Ivette above, I still believe technology for the blind and visually impaired lags behind because it is not economically viable. The profit margin for creating a note-taker for a blind child is so small that the cost of it makes it ridiculously high. As a consumer (in a poor Southern state) it is just not a reasonable purchase without some sort of public assistance. In the current economic and political climate public assistance is harder and harder to come by.
Thanks for the reply my friend.
Robert