Technology is becoming more and more important to have in classrooms. Many teachers are starting to use technology on a day to day basis for learning skills, fine motor skills and attention skills. Before this semester I had no idea how important technology is to some teachers and how many materials they have to work with. Technology in itself is going to keep growing tremendously even before I get my first teaching job. Now that I know so much about technology in the classroom it is important to me to keep up with new developments to I can be the best teacher to my students.
I can most definitely tie in technology by following Universal Design for Learning standards. UDL is a great program that lets all students with different learning abilities learn the same material. With technology, some students can have materials read to them on the computer. This would be a great way for students that have trouble with reading comprehension. On the other hand, some students may be fine with reading comprehension and read the same material in a book on their own. With technology such as the computer, there are many ways for students to learn different materials. Maybe a student is very hands on, so I would give them manipulative's to work with to learn a math. At the same time, I could be doing a lesson on a smart board for those of the students who are visual learners. UDL is a great program for teachers to use with technology and diverse learners.
Section 508 is such a good requirement to have. This is what assistive technology bases around. Section 508 says that all learners, even ones with disabilities should have technology accessible to them. Even if a child is blind, they should still be able to use a computer using a braille keyboard, or if a child has no hand, they can use the LOMAC that has a laser to type things into a word processor. There are ways around disabilities, to make students feel like they are getting an equal chance at using technology. I am interested in finding out the option for disabled students for most every piece of technology that is used in a classroom.
There are tons of things in the Kalikow Center that can help students not just with disabilities but who have need an extra push during their learning. The first material I found very interesting was for very young kids. They were the groove blocks. These are very good for students to work on numbers, the ones, tens and hundreds place. Simply putting together numbers is hard for some students and the groove blocks were a very hands on activity for them to use. The second object I played with was the stationary scissors for students. This again would be geared towards younger kids who are having a hard time with fine motor skills. There are students who are very bright but just have a really hard time with their motor skills. These scissors would be a great item to have in a kindergarten or first grade class, possibly even second grade. The last thing I looked at in the Kalikow Center was the LOMAC. This was such a cool invention. I loved the fact that this was totally hands off. For a child with no hands, or severe arthritis this is a great system for them to type papers or emails. They would still feel like they were getting a chance to use the computer only a different way. These are all things that I had no idea about until I went to the Kalikow center. I can't wait to keep checking in and seeing the new materials they get for assistive technology. The object that I found online that would help a student with technology is the Functionally Speaking communication board. This is much like the Flash that we have in the Kalikow Center but looked a lot more interactive than Flash. This Functionally Speaking Communication Board has a picture of a house on it so kids can point to what room they want to go into or where they want to objects to talk about. It has over 500 already programmed sayings about school, home and the community. This device looks very easy to use and fun for kids too. This product could help a student tremendously in my classroom. If a student is autistic for example, they could communicate with me through this device if they don't feel like talking or are physically not talking. I could also communicate back to them with this device so they don't feel so different by using this.
Overall, technology is booming in education and a lot of people are trying to play catch-up because of the growing industry. I feel like I am in school at a great time for technology and can't wait to see what I can get my hands on for my own classroom. As far as assistive technology goes, I will do whatever I can to make my students with disabilities feel like they are getting an equal chance in the classroom. With the great technology that is out right now, I am sure that this goal will be able to be achieved.
Section 508 information accessed 3/24/08- http://www.section508.gov/
Functionally Speaking Communication Board information accessed 3/24/08- http://www.assistivetech.com/p-functionallyspeaking.htm
1 comment:
Casee, a nicely done post, you have some great ideas about how to make your classroom inclusive. As you write and think about working with students continue to consider that these will benefit all students. Some students with disabilities might not want to think about "working around" a disability, but rather working with it. It sounds like you will try to make your classroom a place for all learners to be sucessful!
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