Go to the Technology & Learning website to read about the latest software and hardware that can aid educators in both classroom instruction and assessment for any sort of learning challenge http://www.techlearning.com/showArticle.php?articleID=196605474 . This article will be helpful when integrating adaptive and assistive technology tools into planning for instruction in inclusive classrooms. What tools do you think you would use and how would you integrate them into your lesson plans and unit plans?
229 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 229 of 229I enjoyed how this article broke down the difference disabilities that a child may have. It also provided a number of group tools that children with different disabilities can use in the classroom. These told are there to help these students succeed in general education classroom. Working in a self contained classroom right now, I see a number of these electrical devices being used. One student in particular has great difficulty writing but is above grade level in reading. He therefore uses a NEO to type. These amazing tools provide students with an aid that years ago they wild have never been given
Theresa F.
I found this article to be very useful. I honestly never knew there were so many different assistive technologies for students with disabilities. These technologies can be utilized within the classroom so students become familiar with their uses. I think every child can benefit from these forms of technology. It addresses the needs of students who have those disabilities and our job as educators, is to make learning possible for every student.
I found this article to be very useful. I honestly never knew there were so many different assistive technologies for students with disabilities. These technologies can be utilized within the classroom so students become familiar with their uses. I think every child can benefit from these forms of technology. It addresses the needs of students who have those disabilities and our job as educators, is to make learning possible for every student.
Khem R.
After reading these articles, it is clear that there are a vast amount of technologies that can assist teachers in education. This article just includes a short list of current technologies that have recently become available. Just like Leslie and other students have written in prior posts, many of these technologies are new to me, and I can definitely see how they can be valuable tools for education.
It is important for teachers to constantly keep up to date with the current technologies available. I can see teachers becoming overwhelmed by the seemingly endless amount of new tech devices, but continuing to participate in seminars and classes on education should keep them up to date and in the loop. One way of utilizing technology to its full potential, is to constantly look for new technologies that can assist specific students in your classroom. If a student in your classroom does have an IEP or a weakness in a specific area, keep your eye out for a technology that may help this student succeed.
Nick M.
I have used Boardmaker Plus in many of my special education classes at Cortland. I have created lessons using Boardmaker Plus and I have also implemented the lessons with students at BOCES. I like using the program to create signs or schedules for my students because it uses pictures. I have also worked with a student at BOCES who was nonverbal and used a Dynavox. He showed me how to use it and I thought it was very helpful with nonverbal students. It also interested him because he had videos of monster trucks (one of his interests) and pictures of his father who is in the military and was in Iraq at the time. One tool I would love to have in my classroom is the Text-to-speech/speech recognition. Many of my students are reading at very low levels and it impedes our ability to use certain websites because they cannot read the information. I would also like to use a portable word processor for my student with multiple disabilities. He has a hard time writing and he loves the computer so I feel that he would enjoy using the portable word processor and would complete more work since he is doing his work on a computer.
I am with you Clorinda, I was taken back by the amount of technology that the article mentioned. Technology can have a positive impact on all students, not just students with disabilities. It is important that the students and teachers are properly educated in how to function the technology correctly. Although technology is beneficial, it is also costly. This is a big issue today in our economy. School districts are looking to save money anywhere they can. When it comes down to it, students must have the best opportunity to succeed. Having access to these technologies can assist in this.
This was a very resourceful article. It is very important for teachers to be up on the latest technology for all students, classified or not. Like many others on here, I am amazed with the resources available.
Even with a specail education background, I am amazed over the number of assisstive technology tools that are available today for students. I think all of the tolls listed in the article are great and will encourage student learing as well as a more equal social setting in the classroom. LB
I agree with Weiser, this article is very helpful giving teachers and parents an idea about different software and tools they can use to help level the playing field for their students. I am a special education teacher and I have a few students who use the Neoboard2 and three students who use the naturally speaking dragon software. Before they got these tools they were failing many of their subjects and now with the help of them they are typical seventy-five eighty average students. This would be a great article for parents as well. So they can read about and look up more information about the tools their child is using.
This was a very informative article that I enjoyed very much for a few reasons. Not only did it go over many different technology tools that teachers and educators can use today but explained what they can do for the classroom and the students. On a personal note I love the idea of technology being used in the classroom, I believe it will open doors for students that who without it would have the chance to achieve what they are truly capable of. It is these types of technology that had helped me and I am sure that they will continue to help other students with disabilities. I believe it is very important for educators to stay on top of the new types of technologies that are coming out today in order to help their students as much as possible.
AMonk
Integrating assistive technology is a necessity in the mainstream and inclusive classrooms today. This article is a great resource for information on assistive technology and specific types and brands. I found this article very helpful and useful. An assistive technological tool I would use in my class lessons would be the Innovator Classroom Audio System, which includes four microphones for four educators keeping their voices at optimal levels, with other features such as the mute option. I think this tool would be great for a collaborative classroom so that all students will hear the two two teachers while co-teaching. It is also useful for students with hearing impairment so that they may hear the teachers clearly no matter where they are seated or working in the classroom. I also found the Board Making Plus symbol and board maker to be a great tool for students with special needs. This tool helps students to communicate more effectively, to create schedules, and to understand class expectations. This article is great for reference and ideas for the classroom.
In today's world, the number of students with disabilites in classrooms is increasing rapidly. In order to reach these students, adaptive technology must be introduced into classrooms. This link serves as a great resource for teachers who want to find technology that will be beneficial for students with disabilites. After reading this article, I will start playing peaceful music while my students are working to improve literacy skills.
There is a vast amount devices and tools that can assist students according to their needs, that may help improve their expression, impairment, and learning ability. With so much technology to choose from truly don't know what I would choose to use but, if I knew ahead of time what specific needs my students need I can implement such devices into my lesson plan for such individuals. M. Worthy
I think ePortfolios is one good tool to have because then one can better keep track of all their students work. The innovator Classroom Audio System is good too to help teachers stay at optimal levels of speaking when teaching. It can help students who may be hard of hearing and teachers who may not have the best speaking voices. I think most of these tools can help students who may have slight learning disabilities or students with severe disabilities in the classroom. The important thing is to incorporate them into lessons and unit plans where they aren't overused and can help students learning rather than inhibit it.
I think this article provided a lot of great ideas for special education teachers. Assistive technology is so important to help these students learn. I think it is great that technology is so advanced that students who need help can still use technology like their other classmates. For example, keyboards with larger keys will allow students who cannot function with a regular keyboard use the computer like their classmates. Moreover, integrating technology in the classroom is so important to and beneficial to helping these students learn.
This guide to tech special needs students, I believe every educator should be aware of. This is a very to have access to these materials for the best of the student. A teacher needs to be aware of any disabilities a student has, and have proper lessons as well as access to different technology for these students. I was unaware of some of tools until reading this blog. And as an educator, I will now make more of a habit to research this topic and learn more about different strategists and techniques.
I really liked this link because like John said more students with disabilities are entering schools and I think it is important to give them enough materials to really thrive. I think every teacher should be familiar with this website as well as some of the products that will help the students so they will know how to help a certain disabled student effectively.
As a future special education teacher, this article was extremely insightful. I believe technology that will allow these students to learn in a more meaningful way is so important. Text-to-teach is a really useful program that I believe will help students with special needs learn in a way that correlates with their specific needs.
A very useful resource of technology which can be utilized into the classroom to help students who are struggling. It pains me to see students who can not form their letters correctly while writing, since I am an English teacher. I do encourage those students to print or better yet, type their work. Technology has so many resources we as educators need to have access to in order to do our job effectively. The text to speech recognition, read aloud and auto desk are just a few.
I agree to someone's quote earlier "If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn. K. Palmer
This is an excellent website because special education teachers have it harder than regular teachers. Programs that help aid in providing students with assignments to allow them to understand are a wonderful method. I would definitely use the sound systems to allow my students to fully hear what I am saying. I would also use the Read and Write Gold so students can clearly hear the text they are reading which will allow them to understand it more. These programs make the educational system a lot more effective than in the past for students that have special needs. I agree with Nicole D. in that the special education system is constantly changing making it crucial for educators to have the most up to date equipment to provide optimal teaching. Furthermore, it would be unfortunate if a teacher wasn’t aware about a certain program which will probably cause students with the same special needs to obtain more knowledge than their student.
I am completely agreeing with Clorinda! I am in awe and grateful that such technology is available to educators. Special Education needs increase every year within the classroom and personnel and schools are becoming smaller. This makes our job as teachers more challenging everyday. How is one person supposed to reach so many students with contradicting needs? The technologies I found most helpful within the classroom were Boardmaker, ITalk2 and LEO. Not only will we be able to capture the attention and address the needs of students who have special needs, but our average students will better focus on lessons presented. Any technology that talks back to me, has voice or sounds and portable have always captured my attention...imagine what it will do for our students.
I really liked this website and thought this article offered many resources for when I teach in an inclusive classroom someday. It is amazing to me the amount of assistive and adaptive technology tools that are out there that can be extremely beneficial in an inclusive setting. I know that when I have a classroom of my own, whether a general education classroom or a special education classroom, I will teach students with disabilities. Every child in my classroom will have an equal learning opportunity, no matter their disability. The technology tools that were discussed in this article play a big part in making equal learning opportunities possible for students with disabilities. As I set forth to teach children in grades 1-6, I may find myself in a first grade classroom where the students are learning to read. As was stated in the article, every child benefits from an audio-rich environment; audio-rich classrooms help to capture attention of ALL students. For students who are learning to read, I might integrate the Read Outloud tool into my lessons to help increase their literacy skills. Another tool that could be helpful for children who have reading or writing challenges might be the Read and Write GOLD tool; which allows students to select any text on screen to be read aloud. I like the idea of this tool because some students might have trouble with thought processing, where they read the text but are incapable of understanding what they are reading. This tool could be beneficial to them because they better understand the text when they hear it aloud.
I also really liked the idea of iTalk2, which is a tool used for students who have trouble communicating. I might use this in my classroom for the students who have trouble verbally communicating his or her thoughts.
Since today, many schools and educators use technology to communicate with parents, I thought that the idea of developing, assessing and reviewing IEPs via technology tools like e-portfolios, RIT process, and iTunes is very smart. These tools allow teachers to easily track student progress through a click of a button; as opposed to a 30 page IEP. iTunes allows teachers to record students reading throughout the year. and RIT process allows teachers to target students' needs, measure progress and inform teachers where adjustments need to be made.
I think that all of these tools are beneficial for both students and teachers.
This article definitely helped me understand more about special education. Technology is a great way to increase student involvement during the lesson especially if it helps them comprehend more. I am interested in the text-to-speech devices. I thought they may be extremely since they can read websites as well. Additional IEP requirements like an ePortfolio and using iTunes can motivate students to use the computer in ways they didn't know of. Comprehensive courseware is a great idea since it tracks progress and shows improvements.
What I like about this article is that the technology that they say can be used for special education students can be used for any kind of students. Even if a students isn't consider special education, they still might have terrible handwriting, so that program will help them also. So this article was very interesting to read.
Tierney C
This article was very useful and helpful especially in my classroom today. I am a TA in an inclusion classroom and we could utilize many of the technologies for both the special education students as well as the typical education students. There are so many students in the classroom that can not sit still, are not paying attention, having vision issues, or are just bored and I think that the use of technology and different variations of it will be the "hook" that is necessary for an effective lesson. I think that all students can benefit from varying types of educational tools. As the world advances, teachers should not stop at paper and pencil but should be diving into the waves of the future. This will not only help students in the classroom setting but will prepare for their careers in the future.
Very helpful website and article. I was happy to read it.
I am going to take John's approach and start to play peaceful music when it is time for independent work to enhance literacy skills but also to help the students calm down. I feel that some of the students in my class get very anxious when asked to do independent work- this might help them.
I also like Tom's response about ePortfolios. It will definitely make it easier to keep track of everyone's work.
I think that this is a great website for all educators, even regular ed teachers. The number of special education children in regular education classrooms is on the rise, and teachers who do not have a background in special ed may find themselves lost when dealing with these children. Using technology to help these children learn can be a great was to differentiate their lessons.
I also agree with Jessica, that these technologies can help all students, not just students with special needs. They can be an engaging way to do small group lessons.
This article was very interesting. I think that the growing availability of technology in classrooms is such a great thing for all students, especially those with special needs. Technology will allow students with disorders such as Autism to remain as close to their comfort zone as possible while still being able to interact. The website is also an incredible resource for teachers. I hope that in my future teaching career I will be able to have access to such resources in order to give all of my students the best education I possibly can.
The article Assistive Technology/Special Education Software for Schools, Kids and Adults with Special Needs was very informative and sparked my interest in finding other programs and devices to work with special needs students. I currently teach a Grade 1/2 self-contained class, and last year I taught a K/1 class and in both years I have had the pleasure of being exposed to new and creative ideas for teaching students with special needs. The Dynavox software is one that I am very familiar with. I had the unfortunate pleasure of spending almost 8 months struggling with it and witnessing my student, an Autistic 6 year old with a sever speech disability become more and more frustrated and discouraged with every passing day. Fortunately, through speech therapy he was able to become independent of his Dynavox and no longer uses it to speak, but to witness the frustration he had trying to fully express himself was heart breaking and to witness and deescalate the many tantrums was exasperating.
Other programs that I found of interest were the Click ‘n’ Colour because not only does it allow students to have fun coloring but it gives them the sensory inputs they desire. In addition, the Special Needs Data Tracking Software seems like it would be a God send in a self-contained classroom such as mine. As is, I have 3 behavioral charts, 2 ABC Analysis charts and about two token systems all running for different students. With a program like the Special Needs Data Tracking Software tracking and analyzing data would be much easier and will allow time for other things outside of charting data. Lastly, the Time 4 Learning and Special Needs software seems like it could possibly be a great help in self-contained and inclusive classrooms. Its interactive characteristic will keep students engaged and because it is student paced they will not become discouraged if they do not complete a task to mastery.
Overall, all of the software listed seemed like they can truly transform the education of students with special needs and help teachers keep special needs students engaged and excited to learn.
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