Digital Video and Assistive Technology

I have worked with iMovie for most of my digital video, though my iMovie work often involves creating a slideshow from still photos.  For every Arts Night at my elementary school I put together a movie showing our students at work in art and music.  Now I realize my background tracks were breaking copyright and will have to brainstorm ways to work around the legal issue!  Upon arriving at Case, a professor suggested that I videotape my choir rehearsal and gave me a Flip camera to do so.  Although the video footage is not stellar, the simplicity of use with this camera cannot be beat.  Often our students record their teaching with mini-tapes and I am skeptical about their review of these tapes due to the extra steps needed to put the footage on their computers.  Flip cameras resolve the issue.  I hope to use these more in my future research, especially for transcription purposes.

The assistive technology article provided clear definitions of assistive technology and the rights students have to this technology.  Throughout the article, I found myself thinking "they receive this for all other classes besides 'specials'."  I worked with many students with disabilities that required the use of a Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and/or adaptive instruments.  However, I received no training on the technology or about the disabilities in general.  Paraeducators worked to include music words on their 'talkers', but the technology was inconsistent.  Also, if I wanted to purchase adaptive instruments, which I tried to do each year, it came from my general budget.  As in most areas of education, the use of materials comes down to available funds.  These adaptive instruments are often extremely expensive, taking at least one quarter of my funds for one purchase.  This was a difficult situation because (a) the ratio of funds did not equal the ratio of students using the instruments and (b) the price allowed me to buy one, allowing only the child with disabilities to use the instrument.  In the Universal Design Instruction approach, I would have prefered for many students to use the adaptation, rather than singling out the student with a disability.  A separate account from the administration should be set aside and used for these students, especially in schools with specialized programs.