A.T. Reflection: Paying it Forward!

I have learned a great deal this past year while completing my M.Ed in Leadership. Assistive Technology was a elective for me, but it turned out to be one of the most valuable classes. Whether I am teaching or part of an administrative team, the knowledge gained during these six classes can only help me to support both my students and staff.

Although I was off work this year, I have made trips in to my school for various reasons. While there, I have taken many opportunities to share my A.T. knowledge with the resource teacher and some classroom teachers. It is FUN to share new ideas, especially ones that are easy to use and have high impact!

Next school year, I will be back teaching grade 7 ELA and Social Studies. I will also be completing a mandatory administrative course through the HRSB before being able to apply for vice principal positions. Part of this course, I believe, will require me to run PD sessions for my staff. I am hoping that one of these sessions can be on the various types of A.T. I have learned about. And for full impact, I will be pushing to share this with my staff very early on in the year. I think sharing my blog with my staff will also be beneficial. It is a great resource for one-stop shopping. As I find new links, videos and articles on A.T., I will continue to house them here.

There are some key take-aways from this course that I know can be applied to any part of the teaching and learning process. One is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. We know all students learn differently due to their varying strengths and challenges. Many staff start the year doing multiple intelligences activities to see how their students learn best. The same is true for the types of A.T. needed. Although STT seems fairly easy to use, we know that not all students will be successful with it. Proper assessments and monitoring are needed. Additionally, the success of schools cannot only be based on the success of our students. A key piece is the education of our staff. If staff are not aware of A.T. and how to use and implement them correctly, students will not have the education they deserve.

In my Mentoring class this year, we learned that one of the benefits of being a mentor is also being a steward of the teaching profession. I think we, after completing this A.T. class, owe it to our colleagues and school community to share what we have learned. This sharing can be done in PLCs, staff meetings and during PD days. The far-reaching effects of paying our knowledge forward can change the lives of many!