Technology for Learners with Special Needs
Whether students bring learning challenges, at risk dynamics or gifted capacities, students with special needs are present in practically every classroom. Strategies to differentiate instruction are necessary tools for every teacher to ensure that all students have access to an effective and rich learning experience. Advancements in hardware, software and mobility have resulted in an explosion of adaptive and assistive technologies to meet many challenges in the classroom and give more students the freedom and choice to work independently. Students can interface with devices, materials and each other in a wide variety of input and output formats, expanding access to both content and social interactions for skill and knowledge development and increased engagement. Below is a collection of technology tools that may assist particular groups of students with special education needs.
Students with Cognitive Disabilities
Students with cognitive disabilities often have learning disabilities that make acquiring, processing, retaining, or expressing information a daily challenge. Beneficial technologies assist with reading, writing, math, and memory so students can work with higher thinking problem (Robler & Doering, 2012).
Kurzweil 3000 Firefly - if money is no object, then a comprehensive software solution for struggling readers that “enables struggling readers in grades 3 and above to learn from the same content as their peers as it provides access to virtually any text or curriculum, including print, electronic, and Web-based documents.”
Students with cognitive disabilities often have learning disabilities that make acquiring, processing, retaining, or expressing information a daily challenge. Beneficial technologies assist with reading, writing, math, and memory so students can work with higher thinking problem (Robler & Doering, 2012).
Kurzweil 3000 Firefly - if money is no object, then a comprehensive software solution for struggling readers that “enables struggling readers in grades 3 and above to learn from the same content as their peers as it provides access to virtually any text or curriculum, including print, electronic, and Web-based documents.”
InspireData is a visually interactive program that allows students to actively explore and manipulate data in multiple formats. Students with cognitive disabilities need dynamic visual and concrete opportunities to work with data, numbers and graphing to observe and connect patterns in data analysis. Students can easily see the effects of changing data on outcomes to develop predictive skills and cause-and-effect knowledge.
Flashcards Deluxe (in iTunes App Store or Google Play Store) is flashcard app that allows users to create and share multimedia flashcard decks. Science vocabulary is challenging for all students and flashcards for reference and memory skills can support students with language processing issues. |
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Students with Sensory Disabilities
Students with sensory disabilities typically have issues with tasks that require specific sensory input/output. Adaptive and assistive technologies usually convert materials from one mode to another, such as closed captioning for the hearing impaired or screen reading for those with visual impairments (Robler & Doering, 2012).
Students with sensory disabilities typically have issues with tasks that require specific sensory input/output. Adaptive and assistive technologies usually convert materials from one mode to another, such as closed captioning for the hearing impaired or screen reading for those with visual impairments (Robler & Doering, 2012).
Talking Scientific Calculator (in iTunes store) Designed for a wide range of users, this calculator has large colorful buttons, optional high contrast, full VoiceOver support, and unique to this calculator; the option to use speech for answers, buttons names and formulas!
Verbally ( in the iTunes App Store) is a free Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app for the iPad that enables individuals with speaking disabilities to converse through a type to speech interface. Verbally allows these students to participate more fully in socially driven collaborative classrooms by giving them an independent voice. Many mobile devices have the ability to pair hearing aids with devices for easier control and remote listening. For example, Live Listen is an Apple setting that allows a person to place their iPhone or iPod where they want to pick up sound, such as a classroom podium and the microphone transmits to their ear piece. Too often students with hearing aids are not able to fully engage with presenters because they are unable to hear all of the spoken content, especially other students who struggle to speak up. |
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Students with Physical
Disabilities
Students with physical impairments have issues with tasks that require fine and/or gross motor skills (Robler & Doering, 2012). Adaptive and assistive technologies usually provide easier interfaces for students to operate technology and interact with content or other people with lower physical demands.
Students with physical impairments have issues with tasks that require fine and/or gross motor skills (Robler & Doering, 2012). Adaptive and assistive technologies usually provide easier interfaces for students to operate technology and interact with content or other people with lower physical demands.
Abilipad is a customizable
keyboard and adaptive notepad with word prediction and text-to-speech for iPad.
Educators and students can create intuitive and user-friendly keyboards with
large colorful buttons with text, images or sounds to support students with
physical (or cognitive) disabilities increase access to the course materials,
the internet and an individualized, adaptive writing space.
Dragon Dictation ( iTunes App Store) or Dragon NaturallySpeaking are voice recognition programs that allow users to instantly convert spoken words to text. Adding MathTalk Scientific Notebook enables Dragon to accept and read math equations, vocabulary and notations. These adaptive technologies are useful for individuals with physical impairments, but also for those with visual or cognitive disabilities that make writing and typing difficult by increasing their access to effective communication and collaboration. Students can instantly compose and review short or long messages with some corrections or alternative words provided. Students with visual impairments can have captured text read back to them as well. After recording students can manipulate text, integrate it into other products or share with others. |
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At Risk Students
At Risk do not have federally defined physical or learning disabilities, but they do show similar low achievement patterns and academic deficits. Consequently, they benefit from similar interventions, but also engagement strategies (Robler & Doering, 2012).
Behavior Tracker Pro is a tool to help manage classroom behavior. From simple avoidance to inappropriate reactions, at risk students often battle behaviors that are detrimental to their learning. This app allows students, parents and educators to track behavior and establish supports to reinforce positive behaviors and reduce negative behaviors.
At Risk do not have federally defined physical or learning disabilities, but they do show similar low achievement patterns and academic deficits. Consequently, they benefit from similar interventions, but also engagement strategies (Robler & Doering, 2012).
Behavior Tracker Pro is a tool to help manage classroom behavior. From simple avoidance to inappropriate reactions, at risk students often battle behaviors that are detrimental to their learning. This app allows students, parents and educators to track behavior and establish supports to reinforce positive behaviors and reduce negative behaviors.
BrainPOP Science is a highly motivating science site with games and animated activities covering many basic concepts. Low engagement is a significant issue with at risk student. They need access to resources and experiences that raise their interest and focus in order to strengthen background knowledge and skills.
Smart pens are mini-recorders that sync spoken words with notes and drawings written on special paper, on mobile device. Captured information can then be converted to text for further manipulation. These tools are great for supporting note-taking skills from oral presentations, or to record own thoughts while taking notes from other sources. Smart pens may also be paired with calendar notebook to create an audio calendar, helping students stay organized and remember tasks independently. |
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Gifted and Talented Students
Gifted students tend to need additional learning opportunities to ensure their personal potential is developed. Students who are gifted and talented may benefit from an accelerated pace, more creative or higher level problems, more freedom to pursue interests independently, wider scope of knowledge demonstration, and supportive social network. (Robler & Doering, 2012).
SimBio Virtual Labs K-12 and BioInteractive Virtual Labs are developed for college students, but are also ideal for advanced high school students ready for deeper content and higher level problems. Gifted and talented students may be able to use these labs to replace or in addition to other age-appropriate labs in an effort to better match pace and process.
Web-based social interaction sites like Skype , Google plus, Diigo, ScienceBlogs.com, etc. that allow students to connect their interests and learning with the rest of the world. Gifted and talented students often feel the confines of the classroom more than any other type of student. Gifted and talented students also need more freedom and choice in their classroom. Their thirst for knowledge, experiences and actions may exceed their peers, teachers and geography. Gifted and talented students benefit from global learning communities that foster social and scholarship interactions with experts and peers of similar aptitudes and passions.
The Factory Deluxe is a game that challenges student’s spatial and logical reasoning and My Mathematical Life puts students into a first-job-after college simulation requiring applied math. Sometimes gifted and talented students need a few minutes of fun, engaging challenges or games that simply exercise their creative thinking skills because they are easily bored during class downtime (such as waiting for a short reaction to occur).
Resources
Apple - Accessibility - iOS. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ios/
n.a. (2006). OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from http://www.oatsoft.org/
Research Center - Center for Implementing Technology in Education. (2007). Using Multimedia Tools to Help Students Learn Science. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=148.
Roblyer, M., & Doering, A. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
Virginia Department of Education's Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC). (2014). The Assistive Technology Blog - Virginia Commonwealth University. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from http://www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu/
Gifted students tend to need additional learning opportunities to ensure their personal potential is developed. Students who are gifted and talented may benefit from an accelerated pace, more creative or higher level problems, more freedom to pursue interests independently, wider scope of knowledge demonstration, and supportive social network. (Robler & Doering, 2012).
SimBio Virtual Labs K-12 and BioInteractive Virtual Labs are developed for college students, but are also ideal for advanced high school students ready for deeper content and higher level problems. Gifted and talented students may be able to use these labs to replace or in addition to other age-appropriate labs in an effort to better match pace and process.
Web-based social interaction sites like Skype , Google plus, Diigo, ScienceBlogs.com, etc. that allow students to connect their interests and learning with the rest of the world. Gifted and talented students often feel the confines of the classroom more than any other type of student. Gifted and talented students also need more freedom and choice in their classroom. Their thirst for knowledge, experiences and actions may exceed their peers, teachers and geography. Gifted and talented students benefit from global learning communities that foster social and scholarship interactions with experts and peers of similar aptitudes and passions.
The Factory Deluxe is a game that challenges student’s spatial and logical reasoning and My Mathematical Life puts students into a first-job-after college simulation requiring applied math. Sometimes gifted and talented students need a few minutes of fun, engaging challenges or games that simply exercise their creative thinking skills because they are easily bored during class downtime (such as waiting for a short reaction to occur).
Resources
Apple - Accessibility - iOS. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from https://www.apple.com/accessibility/ios/
n.a. (2006). OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from http://www.oatsoft.org/
Research Center - Center for Implementing Technology in Education. (2007). Using Multimedia Tools to Help Students Learn Science. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=148.
Roblyer, M., & Doering, A. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
Virginia Department of Education's Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC). (2014). The Assistive Technology Blog - Virginia Commonwealth University. Retrieved July 30, 2014, from http://www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu/