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In my 15 years as a speech/language therapist, there has always been screen-based augmentative/alternative communication (AAC) for kids. From the outset, these touch-devices were heavy, and clunky for sure. You didn’t want a student to get upset and toss it. If you happened to be in the trajectory of the device, you were likely going to miss work for a couple of days.
Like we could expect, the devices got thinner, smaller, and added more features. A $300 iPad with $200 software does more than a $7000 device from when I first started.
What happens when screens are a thing of the past?
The advent of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) changed the landscape for a number of technological fronts: gaming, communication, and of course, education.
In the article “The End of Screens?,” technology writer and computer science professor Cal Newport talks about emerging technology that would leverage AR to give more options for a computer user. Instead of a monitor taking up space, the AR interface would allow you to use glasses/goggles and see your screen in front or you or around you.
My mind drifts to the special needs student who uses AAC. Imagine how their world could open up? Also, how could it be restricted? Of course, opening up the available space might allow for accommodations for vision or…
