My current job is the lead teacher in a More at Four classroom. I have been in this position for two years. In those two years of teaching, I have had very little experience with assistive technology. Until taking this course I did not really know much about it other than it was devices that help modify classroom instruction for children with disabilities. The course competencies we completed helped me understand there is more than just electronic devices that can be used with children. Strategies as simple as ways of communicating or breaking a difficult task down into simple steps are also examples of assistive technology.
As for assistive technology and my future profession, I believe my use with it is going to depend on the students I have. In the area I work in we do not have many if any children that currently have a disability. All the strategies and the resources I have learned about through others in this class will be added and kept in my professional knowledge, so I can pull from it if the need arises.
Yes, the point about breaking tasks down into simple steps is "assistive" for children who are four years old and have had little experience with the particular task, such as shoe tying. The child doesn't necessarily have to have an IEP to take advantage of assistive technology. I was glad to have learned about it, too, it will be useful to us in our classrooms!
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