Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative

     The Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative (or WATI) is "a volunteer network of assistive (AT) consultants from across the state who continue the work of providing AT training and support within Wisconsin educational settings." (WATI website) There are numerous Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative consultants who have all contributed to write the manual, so it is difficult to credit them all. They are all referred to collectively as WATI consultants. The WATI consultants primarily help develop assistive technology to aid students with special needs, and to implement this technology throughout Wisconsin. One of the chapters in the 5th edition of the ASNAT (Assessing Students' Needs for Assistive Technology) Manual discusses the use of assistive technology when teaching Mathematics to students both with and without special needs. A PowerPoint of this chapter can be found here, a Microsoft Word document about this chapter can be found here, and a PDF version of this chapter can be found here.
     The WATI consultants set up steps to help teachers assess the need for and implement assistive technology when teaching students Mathematics. The PowerPoint places importance on "matching the Student, the Environment, and the Task with the best Tool." (WATI Chapter 8 PowerPoint) In other words, the emphasis should not be on the technology; the technology should be used simply to assist the instruction. The PowerPoint goes in depth and discusses what kinds of technology can be used, from the most basics such as work sheets and physical models and calculators, to the more advanced technologies such as voice recognition software and software which helps students build equations. These technologies can be used in a variety of different ways to help all students, not just students with disabilities, learn Mathematics more effectively.
     Assistive technologies, as proven by Chapter 8 of the ASNAT manual, can be very helpful in K-12 classrooms both for students with disabilities and for students without. The PowerPoint associated with Chapter 8 deals specifically with how assistive technologies can be implemented in order to deepen a students' understanding of Mathematics. These technologies range from the simple, such as adapted worksheets, to the more complex, such as Mathematical software. It is important that students are given the best chance possible in order to succeed in math, because so much of everyday life is intertwined in math. "Very few special education students advance into upper level mathematics." (WATI Chapter 8 Microsoft Word Document) This fact alone should be enough to encourage schools and teachers to implement assistive technologies in both special education as well as typical classrooms.
     The WATI consultants have done a wonderful job at outlining very helpful assistive technologies. They have given examples on what technologies are helpful with which material, which will allow teachers to know what to do and how to do it. These examples are important in order to give teachers something to go off of, instead of just assuming they know what they are doing and letting them figure it out. The Chapter 8 PowerPoint discusses many different technologies and how to use them, but places the most importance on the student. Teachers should not lose site of the student when dealing with technology, instead they should focus on the student and allow the technology to supplement their teaching. Chapter 8 of the ASNAT Manual helps teachers do this in a very effective manner.

Resources: http://wati.org/?pageLoad=content/supports/free/index.php
                   http://wati.org/content/supports/free/pdf/Ch8-Math.ppt
                   http://wati.org/content/supports/free/pdf/Ch8-Math.doc
                  http://wati.org/content/supports/free/pdf/Ch8-Mathematics.pdf