ASL ASL Technology & Assistive Tools in Instruction 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which assistive technology supports Deaf-Blind individuals and combines tactile communication with ASL?
- TTY/TDD devices
- ProTactile (PT) communication (Correct answer)
- FM amplification systems
- Speech-to-text apps
Correct answer: ProTactile (PT) communication
ProTactile (PT) communication is a tactile method used with Deaf-Blind individuals that adapts ASL into a hands-on format, and ASL instructors should be aware of this emerging language form.
Question 2: A TTY (Teletypewriter) is primarily used by:
- Hearing instructors to type lesson plans
- Deaf individuals to communicate over telephone lines via typed text (Correct answer)
- ASL interpreters to transcribe conversations in real time
- Schools to send report cards to parents
Correct answer: Deaf individuals to communicate over telephone lines via typed text
A TTY allows Deaf users to type messages over a phone line, though it has largely been replaced by VRS and text messaging, ASL instructors should understand its historical and continued use.
Question 3: When using digital ASL dictionaries (e.g., Handspeak, ASL-LEX) as instructional tools, instructors should caution students that these resources:
- Are the only authoritative source of ASL signs
- May show regional or individual variation and should be verified with Deaf community members (Correct answer)
- Replace the need for interaction with native Deaf signers
- Contain only formal academic ASL, not conversational signing
Correct answer: May show regional or individual variation and should be verified with Deaf community members
Digital ASL dictionaries can show regional variation and may not capture all dialectal differences, so students should cross-reference with Deaf community members for authentic usage.
Question 4: Automatic Sign Language Recognition (ASLR) technology in educational settings is best used as:
- The sole method of evaluating student signing proficiency
- A supplementary practice tool, not a replacement for instructor feedback (Correct answer)
- A grading system that eliminates the need for human assessment
- A tool to translate written English directly into perfect ASL grammar
Correct answer: A supplementary practice tool, not a replacement for instructor feedback
Current ASLR technology has limitations in accuracy and context sensitivity, making it suitable as a practice supplement but not a replacement for qualified human instructor evaluation.
Question 5: Which feature of video annotation software makes it particularly valuable for ASL instructor feedback?
- The ability to add time-stamped comments directly to specific moments in a student's signing video (Correct answer)
- Auto-generating written transcripts of signed content
- Converting signed video to spoken audio
- Limiting video length to under one minute
Correct answer: The ability to add time-stamped comments directly to specific moments in a student's signing video
Time-stamped video annotation allows ASL instructors to pinpoint exact moments in a student's recorded signing to provide precise, contextualized feedback on handshape, movement, or facial grammar.
Question 6: Screen recording tools used for ASL student submissions should meet which standard to protect student privacy?
- Store recordings publicly on social media platforms
- Comply with FERPA by storing recordings on secure, institution-controlled platforms (Correct answer)
- Allow peer access to all recordings by default
- Require students to use personal YouTube accounts
Correct answer: Comply with FERPA by storing recordings on secure, institution-controlled platforms
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) requires that student video submissions be stored on secure, institution-controlled systems to protect the privacy of educational records.
ASL ASL Technology & Assistive Tools in Instruction 2
Which assistive technology supports Deaf-Blind individuals and combines tactile communication with ASL?