Auditory

media type="youtube" key="DmDVEvJYQV4" height="344" width="425"This assistive technology benefits people with hearing impairments. It is able to convert speech to text or video sign language. It can be used with cochlear implants. This technology is able to perform in real time. All conversations and lectures may be saved and played back at any time. This helps students to remain independent.
 * This assistive technology device is similar to one of my videos I posted about the 'Kurzweil Reading Machine' because the reading machine reads documents for the blind out loud, whereas this device does the same thing but opposite, it takes the reading out loud and converts it to hearing aids or sign language.
 * I like the idea of this device helping those with hearing impairments have some independence. This would be so much better than having an actually person signing through every lesson at school. I don't know how practical it really would be to use this device in the community but it looks like it can be done. I'm sure this technology exists in some more advanced form today that would be much smaller, this video looks a little dated (in technological terms).

media type="custom" key="4737347" This technology allows a teacher or other classroom aid to speak into a microphone that wirelessly transmits the sound directly into the student's hearing aids. It amplifies the voice of the instructor so that the student can hear. I've actually seen this technology used with a student in a Kindergarten class. It really works well assuming the teacher is trained to use it properly.
 * It was nice to see a video of this type of assistive technology because I have herad of it being used in the classroom before but had never seen it. I think that if I was a teacher, I might have problems remembering to turn it off when I am talking about something the child does not need to hear. It's great that the microphone is connected to the hearing aid and that there are no strings or wires attached with this device.
 * **I've seen this assistive technology in action. My Mom is a Special Education teacher, and she has a hearing impaired student. It truly is an awesome tool that allows students to hear without being the "deaf" kid in class. It's more of a subtle assistor.

media type="youtube" key="nl2OFsLmc30" height="344" width="425" This video is about the 7 Level Communication Builder. This device allows the user to record and play up to sixteen different recordings. I think this would be a great device for students that have hearing loss, ESL students and students that have speech disabilities. This assistive technology is great because it does not just record sounds but is also a visual tool as well. By pressing on the picture displayed on the 7 Level Communication Builider, on can not only look at it but also hear the word as well. The only downfall to this device is that the user is limited in the amount of choices. The maximum recordings for this device is only sixteen which in a world with millions of words, that really is not that much.

-I've seen something like this used in a multiple disabilities classroom. It wasn't used for students with hearing loss, but for students with limited speech capabilities. The teachers and aids would record phrases like, "I want" and then give the student multiple choices depending on the activity they were doing. Even though the max recordings is limited, on the one I saw you could erase and record over and over again which was helpful.

media type="youtube" key="GT2pJrArbWs" height="344" width="425" This video is of a special education teacher who uses various assistive technologies in her classroom. Most of the tools are used for children who have a hard time voicing what they need. One of the most helpful tools I found was a DVD that was in sign language. I didn't even think about how extremely helpful that could be.