The
article, “AIM for Digital Equity” of the May 2012 issue of Learning and
Leading, explains how schools need to ensure that instructional materials are
universally designed to be flexible, accessible and usable for students with
and without disabilities. The article
states that it will only be a matter of time before digital content will largely
replace the printed textbooks and lesson plans in education through mobile and
other electronic devices. Students with
disabilities could see benefits from the use of digital materials by being able
to get the text read aloud to them or being able to change the size or color of
the font. The excerpt explains that in
order to increase the equity for students with disabilities, it is important
that educators know the options for getting instructional materials in a
variety of formats. These formats are
referred to as accessible instructional materials (AIM). Lastly, the article is summarized by saying
that teachers should integrate digital text and other accessible formats into
the classroom and instructional practices so that students with disabilities
can benefit from a technology rich educational environment.
I do agree that digital items are so accessible and available now and that print formats will eventually be a thing in the past. I think it is a great idea to bring technology into the classroom because students can definitely benefit from it. However, a draw back from having so many accessible technology resources in the classroom is that it can also deter students from working hard to find out what something means and they will probably be less likely to retain and understand the concepts. I do like the idea of accessible instructional materials (AIM) to help students with disabilities keep up with the work and with fellow classmates. For example, if a student has problems with reading, they will be able to use the text book that their classmates are using, but they will also be able to go online or on a mobile device to have the text read aloud to them. As a future teacher, I will definitely integrate digital text and other accessible instructional materials into the classroom.
This article is related to the ISTE NETS performance indicator number six, "Technology Operations and Concepts". This performance indicator highlights that students should understand and use technology systems, as well as using applications effectively and productively. Students using accessible instructional materials (AIM) would need to know how to use the technology application along with the instructional material successfully.
Bowser, G. & Zabala, J. (2012). AIM for digital equity. Leading and Learning with Technology, 39(2), 16-17.
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