Assistive Technologies for Literacy (Quantum Leap)

Being around children I am constantly hearing 'buzz' about "leapfrogs." Kids play with any/everything (in general) so prior to discovering the technology of a "leapfrog" I had just assumed a "leapfrog" was what one may find in a pool. One day I can recall a child at my retail job encouraging his mom to try stuff on because he wanted to play with his "leapfrog;" I remember getting goosebumps thinking about how fun and chaotic it would be to chase this kid's pet leapfrog around, but then, I see this child pull out a book which not only is he reading himself, but he is comprehending to and interacting with the text!!! I immediately thought "WIN WIN" mom tries things on, child is entertaing himself, the boy is being quiet, and in addition he is acquiring some academic skills.

Now when teachers and students buzz about "leapfrogs" or "leappads" I totally have a concept of what these terms mean. Although I am in tune with what a leapfrog is, I had still yet to see one in action (from a user perspective). Are these leappad/frogs good for children?

Now as we were asked to explore various mediums of assistive technologies specifically for literacy, what a perfect time to deeper explore the leappad. The specific device I more deeply examined is something known as the Quantum Leap. The Quantum Leap is an interactive learning tool which allows for independent exploration of text and includes interactive text comprehension/vocabulary questions and games along the way to not only make sure students are comprehending what they read (which ultimately instills excellent reading habits related to deciding whether or not information is critical) but also to encourage that reading altogether by turning reading into a game that students want to excel and participate in. In addition, some other key benefits of the quantum leap mentioned by the website are that the Q.L.keeps students on task, provides auditory feedback" and "guides student learning" in a clear, consistent manner; the Q.L. also ensures one-to-one technology in the classroom, while facilitating a school-to-home connection with simplicity and portability. So in addition to learning being fun it is also accessible and guaranteed to provide immediate feedback.

How the Quantum Leap works is by using "tag" technology, each word has a "tag" which an interactive pen will respond to when contact between the two is made. Students can change the book and the cartridge (which correspond) to experience different texts from non-fiction exporation of animals to diving into a classic Disney story for recreational reading. This would work well if the student had some visual impairments I imagine, although, I do not think that the student could be entirely blind as it is important to hit the work right on, because I practiced, and if a word is missed even slightly by the pen (above, below, left, right), it may read another word. For reading disabilities this would be an excellent scaffold toward student success because it effectively provides that one on one instruction to the student. Lastly, if the student is practicing speech this would be a good tool to hear clear, consistent pronunciation of the words so student could really hone in on how specific words/ sight words are pronounced. One major drawback of this technology is that there is no alternative to the pen so for instance if I had a student with cerebral palsy in my classroom with diplegia of the arms, and if he/she/ze had some slight mental retardation and would most likely benefit from the practice that the quantum leap provides, it would be something that to use hygienically (basically no mouth to toy contact) could not be done independently without assistance of the para-professional or instructor.

As an instructor, there is the guaranteed chance that either some of the students in your classroom are going to have specialized needs. Assistive technology is an important asset to the classroom, as well as a mandate of universal design, which ensures that all students' academic needs are attended to. In the case of a Quantum Leap, I would highly recommend this tool and I can see it being exceptionally put to use in either a developmental pre-school or in a resource room for elementary/middle school students or a life skills room in high school, or in any general education classroom as an insurance that students are receiving one-on-one instruction (just to name a few practical places).