Professional Presentation

Assistive Technology

I completed my professional presentation at Ashley River Creative Arts Elementary School where I work as a Special Education resource teacher. This presentation took place during a faculty meeting at the start of the school year in September 2024. The purpose of this presentation was to provide an introduction to the first year teachers and a refresher for the returning general education teachers on use of assistive technology (AT) in the classroom to support students with special needs. The following slides used during this presentation were created using Canva.

The first lesson I learned after being asked to provide this presentation at a faculty was the importance of making sure all teachers who served students with IEPs were aware of the AT available to meet those students' individual needs. It came to my attention that many general education teachers lacked knowledge about AT tools available due to limited training opportunities and a lack of understanding the needs of diverse learners. Another lesson I learned was the importance of incorporating activities into a presentation to increase engagement even for adults. As a teacher, I am used to looking for ways to improve engagement for students, but I realized during this presentation how important that was for adults, as well. My slide presentation was very simple and straight to the point. It was also at the end of a school day so my audience was tired and ready to go home. If I were to re-do this presentation, I would have incorporated activities with turn-and-talks and discussing real-life scenarios. Lastly, I realized how many teachers were motivated to learn this information. Being that it was at the end of a long school day, I felt as if no body wanted to sit and listen. However, there were several who did, and I wish I had offered resources at the end of my presentation to further support those individuals who truly wanted to understand how they can utilize assistive technology in their classrooms.