AIM For Digital Equity

Bowser, G. & Zabala, J.S. (May, 2012). AIM for digital equity. Learning & Leading with Technology, 16-19. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/store/my-virtual-products

This article is based on another future perspective in education. The possibility of little to no paper being used in the classroom. The authors outline the different resources such as Bookshare which is used as a resource in special education. It is based on the principles of AIM or accessible instructional material. It is a resource that allows school to abide by the laws of the IDEA act of 2004 which states that all schools must provide free and appropriate public education. The first example the authors give is a student whom used a form of technology to allow him to bridge his literacy gap in order to understand the test of his math problems. This has far reaching implications. The authors acknowledge that in implementing AIM for all students whom need it it is a much harder task. Materials to implement this are very expensive. the authors suggest that teachers become aware of both free online sources and audio and visual components that are given with a textbook set to help bridge this gap. Both authors have an interest in AIM as one works for the national institute of AIM and the other is a retired special education teacher and administrator. The responses in this article reflect those of a special education teacher as there are many references to IDEA 2004.

So what about AIM? AIM is a very good concept that will help those struggling with literacy. It is being implemented in special education programs accross California. I like how the authors acknowledge that implementing AIM on a large scale will take a lot of work for the teachers. I also like how they give many ideas on what to look for, knowing that most textbooks come with an audio component or CD. They also suggest that teachers take professional development courses on technologies like these so they are able to use them themselves and become more aware of them. Recording lectures is one way to help bridge this gap because recorded lectures can be replayed. Finally, collaboration is key to implementing AIM because it will take a network of personnel to implement AIM and will aide you as a teacher.

The article is correct in stating that classrooms are becoming more paperless, however it still depends on the school district and their budget on how much AIM can be implemented. It will take money out of the teacher's pocket to implement this strategy. The good news is that some classes are devoted to this idea and have many digital resources to implement AIM. I think as a teacher I will explore these ideas and try to work with my IT department to make AIM a part of my classroom.