compensate" (Shah). The iPad can be formatted to help kids with disabilities because modalities like sound and touch can be changed to fit their needs. iPads can help students with disabilities in many ways because it allows for application to be set up specifically for special needs. "Special needs educators, too, are finding that iPads can be a vital tool to support independence" (Palmer). Many teachers look for applications that students responds to well, how it could be the most useful to the students, and how does it go along with the curriculum or what they have to learn. For students who have trouble with social skills, apps like Sosh help them to work out their problems through cognitive and behavioral therapy. This can guide students to "relax and recognize" their issues in hopes of resolving them. Through the iPad, apps are available for teachers to …show more content…
Other apps help translate words and sentences into pictures or symbols for students who have a difficult time reading or sounding out words. This helps students form connections between the word and the picture to know that they mean the same thing. Books can be downloaded onto the iPad that can fit the needs of any child with disabilities by allowing the instructor to alter the size, color, or font. Some apps even allow the teacher to have text-to-speech which reads the book or passage to the student aloud. This can help students to learn new words so they can recognize them in the future. For disabilities involving speech, apps allow students to practice "interactive conversations and record their spoken responses"(Palmer). This allows the student to hear themselves speak and helps them to create better speaking skills to use with other individuals. In similar terms, there are apps for students who cannot speak at all, and this allows them to communicate with others. This app speaks for them and enables them to talk when they otherwise could
This will benefit Billy and his peer helper. The device would be considered low tech. Since Billy wears glasses he can use a computer with a screen reading software. Which will allow him to see the text displayed and hear what is being said while looking at the word. Screen reading software would be considered high tech. Both devices can be used to assist Billy in a regular classroom. Billy can use the classroom devices at desk to have a better understanding of what’s being taught. During choice or computer time Billy can use the screen reading to review what he didn’t understand during teaching instructions. I think both devices will interest and encourage Billy to want to
Furthermore, this documentary changed several ideas in my mind about these people who cannot communicate and speak. Before I see this video, I did not think that they can communicate as normal people. I thought that they can only speak and answer easy questions. However, this documentary showed me that these individuals with AAC devices can live, work, and communicate normally. They have the chance to achieve many goals in their lives better than normal individuals. The AAC systems do not just allow them to speak and meet their basic needs. However, these AAC systems affect their educations, financial, and professions. I also realized that they have an important role in their societies as normal people. Furthermore, I believe that the professionals such as Bruce Baker, Katya Hill and Barry Romich who contributed in making the AAC systems are genius. They created something for individuals who have communication disabilities to allow them to function as normal people. They gave them the way to communicate and live the normal
3.2 Proloquo2Go – is an augmentative alternative communication application that is used with portable devices such as a tablets and iPad. Proloquo2Go is a symbol supported application that is designed to promote growth of communication and language development by generating speech. (AssistiveWare, 2015). It caters for a range of abilities from beginner to advance as it promotes visual, cognitive and fine motor skills. Assistive technologies have increasingly been used with people who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) due to their obstacles in learning and behavioural characteristics. (Lang, Ramdoss, Raulston, Carnet, Sigafoos, Didden, Moore & O’Reilly, 2014). Individuals with ASD display impairments in social interactions, communications,
Students with learning disabilities in the regular classroom may have challenges that require special attention. If the teacher is able to identify the disabilities and the features associated with them then the teacher can tailor the lessons to meet the needs of the students. These may include differentiated instruction and facilitating an inclusive classroom which will see inclusive strategies employed that will cater to the needs of students with learning disabilities. These inclusive strategies can range from individualized learning programs to team and co-teaching. In some cases, the teacher can arrange for a special education teacher or arrange for a pull out program to assist students who have learning disabilities. Strategies that will also cater to learning disabilities may also include the use of technology. According to Ford 2013 ‘In some situations it may be best for students with LD to be taught in separate pull out classrooms with a teacher who can provide targeted skill instruction in areas where a student is struggling.’ ‘When provided appropriate support within this setting, many of these students can achieve academically and develop positive self-esteem and social skills. (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association 1991). They also recommend that schools should ‘require in-service programs for all school personnel to give them the knowledge and skills necessary to provide education for students with learning disabilities in the regular education classroom.’ Schools should include activities to help participants learn strategies to meet individual needs of students, foster attitudes conductive to educating students with learning disabilities in the regular education classroom, and promote
There have always been implications in the way a teacher can teach a student. You have your perfect students who seem to know more than you, the bad student who doesn’t want to learn, and then you have your student with a disability. These students try hard to succeed, but without the proper equipment, are unable to do so. This comes into play especially with students who are unable to speak. There were many ways in the past to help people who couldn’t talk by either writing the words down all the way, to using sign language. Using these methods to convey a message to a person or group of people can take a long time. This could be, and is, very discouraging for someone who just wants to tell you the answer, or ask a question; however there isn’t an easy way to get it out. Luckily a company over in Europe developed a system that enables teaching and learning to come easier to a person with a disability. This system is called DynaVox.
...speaker and the listener. The student can store often used responses, and prepare anticipated answers prior to situations where he will be meeting with those less familiar with his speech capabilities. By implementing this type of device, the student has become more confident and can communicate appropriately for a student his age. In this instance, the integration of technology into the learning environment may make a difference as to whether the student is employable or overlooked due to the inability to communicate well on the job.
In conclusion, iPads are detrimental to young children's social skills; cause harm to balance, posture, muscle development and fine motor skills; are liable to cause an addiction in younger children; and slow down the ability to process words and sounds as well as limiting vocabulary. These reasons are concrete proof that children up to the age of seven should not be using devices in a one-on-one environment for the six hours daily that they are at school. As a country, do we want to have our younger generation being dependent on their smartphones, tablets, and internet; or do we want strong leaders who can think for themselves? The choice is yours New Zealand.
Assistive technology is often used by individuals with a learning disability. A learning disability “describes a neurobiological disorder in which a person’s brain works or is structured differently” (Lee1). A person’s abilities can be severely affected from a learning disability. They may listen differently, talk differently, write, spell, organize, and work with school subjects in a different way. Learning disabilities also affect people’s individual and personal lives to a great extent. According to the National Institutes of Health, one in seven children has a learning disability. The disability manifests itself when the child shows difficulty in reading, writing, spelling, and conversing with others. The added time they need to process information may make them seem less intelligent then others around them, but this is not the case. Individuals with learning disabilities are just as smart as anyone else; they just need to learn in a different way. The earlier a learning disability is noticed and detected, the earlier a child may be able to learn how to deal with or compensate for it (Lee 1). This is where assistive technology comes into play.
The purpose of technology is to help make us better. The way technology is to make us learn new things like graphing calculators, emails. Computers help our education to makes us better because it builds or modifies our personal skill with vast amounts of talents or skills. Today’s teachers uses computers to help teach the class nor do they give too much attention to computers. Schools won’t probably be called schools no more because of the vast amount of computers that it will become a learning institution. The technology can be a way of communication like the “way of communicating with other classmates or teachers” (Hill). Students no longer need to carry books, notebooks, pens and pencils. The computer has online books, Microsoft Word, and other software. Without technology there would be no smart homes, smart phones, smart cars, and smart TVs. How will the students with disabilities learn if technology was not a good teaching tool if they have a hard time focusing or has hearing loss or has a learning disability and the students are very slow learners? Students with Disabilities have the need to use a computer do homework or taking notes. Some problems that teachers have are students with disabilities of various types. The students with disabilities require more attention like my older brother Derrick because he has a learning disability so he gets a lot of attention. My brother Derrick also has a hard time walking, so my brother Derrick uses a walker to help him walk and he uses technology when he is in class. The second example of students with disabilities is me because I have ADHD which stands for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. I have a hard time focusing and sitting still and very often I forget things or I get very confused and I usually get bored very quick; therefore I get a lot of attention from
Assistive Technology or “AT” is a term used in this context to describe an item or technique used to make the navigation of a home, school or play environment more accessible for a child with special needs (Lowenthal & Egan, 2003). This paper is written to explore some of the assistive technology (AT) options available to serve two children with special needs in separate circumstances. Low, mid and high tech options will be addressed with regards to the specific needs and intentions of the parents and teachers in each child’s life. Attached is a table offering options for assistive technology in the classroom to support the educational goals of each child.The first case study addressed in this paper is Savannah, a three-year old student who is wheelchair bound. She has a seizure disorder and has been diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy. She has limited vision but seems to be able to recognize items presented to her such as shapes and colors. Savannah participates in “social” language. She loves music and cause/effect activities. She knows all of her colors and shapes, is able to recite the alphabet by rote. In written word, Savannah recognizes both her name and those of her classmates. Savannah’s parents have expressed a desire to have her placed in a more restrictive classroom, and her teacher is interested in working more to support Savannah in the areas of writing and organizational skills. Some assistive technology suggestions for use in supporting Savannah are discussed below. Because Savannah’s teacher is working on encouraging Savannah in the area of writing, assistive technology options to support this area of development will be discussed herein. A low-tech ...
Some of them may want to get it Read Aloud using Text-To-Speech software, or read it on Refreshable Braille Devices while others may want to magnify the text and change the foreground and background colour to suit their visual disability. Some of your readers may be using the keyboard to navigate through your documents while others
Assistive technology plays an important role in the learning process for individuals with disabilities. Assistive technology is defined as "any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities." (Maushak, Kelley & Blodgett, 2001, p. 419) Assistive technology is very beneficial to individuals that have disabilities. For example, students with mental retardation benefit from extremely organized learning situations because of their limited cognitive abilities. Students who are hearing impaired, blind, or visually impaired may need differentiated pedagogical materials. More emphasis should be placed on visual materials for students with hearing impairments than for other students. Modifying instruction for all students, especially exceptional students, requires strong dependence on media, materials and technology and the right choice of these components to fit particular ends. Moreover, research has indicated that technology not only can be adapted for use with students with disabilities, but when used can enhance students' educational achievement and self-image. (Duhaney & Duhaney, 2000, p. 393) With this knowledge, there have been many new products that have been developed to help individualize programs to fit the criteria for specific disabilities. Through out this paper we will be disusing three different pieces of assistive technologies. We will be looking at Dynawrite, AlphaSmart, and Texthelp and the benefits of each program.
The twenty-first century has arrived, and it has brought some of the most advanced computing technologies into the classroom; this leaves us with a very important question, do we really need technology, such as iPads or computers, implemented in our learning plans? As a student that has taken entire courses on iPads or computers, I can tell you that the former is not the case. There are plenty of reasons to teach about technological advances in each individual field of learning, but, more often than not, technology is unreliable and distracting for students. Not to mention that methods of maintenance rehearsal, like taking notes by hand, are more effective for recollection of information than staring into a screen. The bottom line is, using technology as a tool for education in the classroom is not necessary because it can inhibit the way students learn material.
“The use of these technologies facilitates communication, collaboration, sharing, and learning in informal settings with their peers, friends, and family unbounded by time and location” (Looi, 2). “Examples of personal mobile device use show that learners are actively using their cell phones, smart phones, PDAs and mp3 players to create, collect and access useful resources, to communicate inventively in a variety of ways with other individuals and communities, and to make best use of time wherever they happen to be” (Kukulska-Hulme, 8). “New tools include the CapturaTalk (2010) software for the mobile phones, designed for people who struggle to read, by enabling them to have text read out on their phone. Its users are typically people with disabilities such as dyslexia, but also include those learning English. They can capture text from books, signs, leaflets and so on, using the camera on the phone, and immediately check words in the online dictionary as well as listening to text” (Kukulska,
How can ICT support the learning of children with special educational needs? ICT can support the learning of children with special educational needs [SEN]. It enables children with SEN to overcome barriers to learning by providing alternative or additional methods of communicating within the learning process. Moreover, it also helps teachers to create a supportive framework, which can enable autonomous learning. When used creatively, ICT can enrich and enhance teaching, motivating pupils and engaging them in active learning.