Technology in the Special Education Classroom
Technology is changing daily. Teachers
can use programs and tools to help design lesson plans, to keep track of
records, and to communicate with parents.
They are also finding ways to use technology to reach and teach children
in all classrooms, from word processing, to online math games, to teaching
children how to use the internet for research.
The Special Education classroom has especially benefitted from advances
in technology. Handheld devices, such as
tablet computers and iPads, have made it easier and cheaper to get technology
into the hands of special education students.
There are dozens of applications available for iPads, tablets and smart
phones, many of which are very inexpensive or even free. A child who has communication problems can
use speech synthesis software to “talk.”
Students with autism, who usually learn better visually, can use apps
that teach colors or numbers, or any number of other skills. Teachers can easily create videos or custom
books and lessons for students.
One website, http://techinspecialed.com/appy/iep.php,
has listed available applications sorted by the IEP goals that they help
address. This is especially helpful for
a teacher looking for suggestions on how to reach a particular child and help
them improve in their areas where they need improvement. It also highlights applications and programs
that are on sale, which can be very helpful.
In the past, the talking technology was expensive, but now with
relatively affordable tablets and software, it is easier to get tools to our
students.
A great development
with the internet is groups devoted to teaching topics. There are groups out there, like http://www.classroom20.com/group/technologyinspecialeducation, where
teachers can share resources, reviews, and strategies that have worked or not
worked for them. This to me is a very
useful resource on the web. Who better
to get advice from than other teachers about what works and what doesn’t? As a new teacher, I will be using groups like
this to get advice from more experienced teachers.
To summarize, advances in technology have
been very beneficial to teachers in general and special education teachers
especially. The prices and availability
of assistive technology directly benefits our students. Teachers have more resources than ever before
to plan and execute their lesson plans, to communicate with each other and with
parents, and to develop tools to use in the classroom. I plan to use technology as much and as often
as possible to help my students get the best education they can.
Bibliography
Education World, Inc. (n.d.). Special Education -
Assistive Technology. Retrieved September 10, 2012, from Education World:
http://www.educationworld.com/special_ed/assistive/index.shtml
Southard, C. (n.d.). The
Inclusion Revolution - Technology in Special Education. Retrieved
September 10, 2012, from Classroom 2.0:
http://www.classroom20.com/group/technologyinspecialeducation
Technology in (SPL)
Education. (n.d.). Recommended Apps by IEP Goal/Skill. Retrieved
September 10, 2012, from Technology in (SPL) Education:
http://techinspecialed.com/appy/index.php
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI love your layout and color scheme as well. Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful websites which help inclusion teachers, such as myself, meet the needs of our special education students. Frequently these students are looked over because teachers are frustrated because of the lack of programs which target this student population. Personally, I have shared two of these websites with my co-workers and they were just as excited as me and have begun to utilize them in our lesson planning. Thanks again!