UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY .
add to the library and the floor, that allows each teacher to create unique content in the level and ability for all students.
Assistive technology encompasses a wide range of tools, software and devices designed to enhance the educational ex- perience and level the playing field for all learners. From screen readers and speech recognition software to adaptive learning platforms and specialized hardware, assistive technology em- powers students with disabilities or learning differences by ad- dressing their unique needs, enabling them to access education- al content, participate in classroom activities, and demonstrate their knowledge effectively. By removing barriers and providing personalized support, assistive technology reinforces inclusivity in educational environments. ActiveFloor is an interactive universe that provides sensory integration and learning games for students of all ages and abil- ities. Students navigate various activities and education games by using their feet and in some cases their wheelchairs. Incorpo- rating movement and play into learning helps memory, collabo- ration, focus, motor development and social skills while creating an exciting educational environment. An ActiveFloor solutions does in practice consists of a ceiling mounted box, containing a projector and a tracking camera, that projects the games and content on a white vinyl floor (or wall), with the tracking camera allowing the games being assisted and played by the feet, hands, balls, robots, or wheelchairs.
Regardless of age or abilities, ActiveFloor offers content and games for everyone. Even students with multiple disabilities can sit and play in the leaves, watch the fish swim around the floor and splash along with them, or watch bubbles move around the floor.
BEST PRACTICE OF CUSTOMIZING ADAPTIVE PLAY. The combination of interactive learning and assistive tech- nology can be very powerful! By creating interactive learning environments that are adaptive to the abilities of the user, the learning experience will become very inclusive and dynamic. For example, in ActiveFloor interactive educational games can be de- signed with built-in accessibility features, allowing students with visual or hearing impairments to participate in learning activities alongside their peers. Each class at Brookhaven Learning Center has scheduled times throughout the week to use the ActiveFloor and extra times are available for all students because of all the floor offers “What we love most about ActiveFloor, is the ability to customize the games to meet all the needs of our students. Differentiation is key for our population of students.” – Colleen Kennedy-Dietrich, Special Education Teacher, Eastern Suffolk BOCES, Brookhaven Learning Center
Assembly an online platform (MyFloor) is connected to each floor. In MyFloor you will find a game library of more than 10,000 different games. The games, with content for math, language arts, science and more provide teachers with opportunities to integrate movement and fun into all subjects and lessons. Also, every teacher has the option to create unique learning games to
18
www.closingthegap.com/membership | October / November, 2023 Closing The Gap © 2023 Closing The Gap, Inc. All rights reserved.
BACK TO CONTENTS
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator