5 Ways to Use Technology in the Special Education Classroom

Educational Technology-October 2, 2012
http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/tech-ed/5-ways-to-use-technology-in-the-special-education-classroom/

The author of this article discussed five of the many ways in which special educators could bring technology to their students with special needs in order to provide a 21st century classroom experience.

The first idea is to utilize the features found on the classroom computer's operating systems. My iMac houses these features in the Accessibility section in the System Preferences tab. At school, I use the slow keys function in which my students have to touch the keys each time they want to type a letter. This helps to eliminate the pretty rows of one letter that my students like to create when we type. There are other features found within the section that allow adaptations for many types of disabilities.

The second idea is Braille Displays. This function is able to read text that is sent to a machine that activates pins. Other versions read text either line by line or the entire documents depending upon their cost. There are versions that work with smartphones and tablets.

The third idea is Word Prediction Software, which works great for students with severe disabilities because they are able to create written documents without worrying about the spelling of their choice of words but creates laziness with students like mine.

The fourth idea is the use of tablets in the classroom, and the fifth is apps. I believe that these ideas go hand-in-hand. I can also speak from personal experience that my classroom iPads have been a lifesaver on many fronts. My students enjoy working for extra time, which is spent on apps used to improve sight word knowledge, hand-eye coordination, and math drill skills just to name a few. I also keep visual timers and clam down devices on the iPad, which the students respond to much better than the egg timers I use at times. Since many students with special needs are visual learners, tablets and apps are used to engage the students in activities that would seem difficult before.

Overall, technology in special education classrooms have allowed these students to expand their knowledge and demonstrate mastery in ways that teachers only imagined ten years ago. I have seen real gains with my own students since integrating technology into my daily lessons.