Meeting the Needs of Special Needs Students Virtually

We know that technology is becoming increasingly popular in elementary classrooms. Technology has been proven to benefit students, but does it do the same for Special Needs students? I’m going into the field of Early Childhood Special Education and decided to do a little research about this topic. I found a great article in thejournal.com called Meeting the Needs of Special Needs Students Virtually by Denise Harrison. The article points out many uses and benefits for technology pertaining to special needs students.

One idea the article talked about is using computers for video conferences with experts for more information about the child’s special needs. In the article it explains about a student who is a selective mute and the teachers and special education staff were having a hard time teaching this student. Well, the technology expert and the teacher thought of videoconferencing with a professional that has taught a child with this special need. It was a success and both teacher and student benefited from the conference.

Technology is allowing special need students to have access to personalized learning programs, while also having peer interaction. The students are also receiving distance education through web quest and videoconferencing. Videoconferencing can also be used for those students who have to be out of the classroom for long periods of time, such as; hospitalizations, recovery time at home, sickness, mobility issues. These students can still be educated and feel like part of the classroom.

Talented and gifted students can also benefit from videoconferencing, they work with other talented and gifted students from all over the world and collaborate together on projects.

This article is a must read for anyone going into special education.

Image used with permission from www.freedigitalphotos.net and jscreationzs

Laptops and iPods in the classroom

When I was a child in elementary school (a long time ago) computers were just coming into classrooms. Of course there were only a handful of computers in the whole school, and they were used to teach typing. Well fast forward 25 years, now schools are beginning to have laptops and iPods in every classroom. As a future educator I need to be prepared to teach my students to use laptops and iPods, while also knowing when to use them in my curriculum.
I came across an excellent video on youtube that discussed just this issue. The video "Laptops and iPods in the Classroom" is showing a Des Moines, Iowa classroom that has six laptops and several iPods for educational purposes. From the interviews with the teacher and several students it seems like the technology is a big hit. Mr. Starr a 4th grade teacher at Stowe Elementary says he really likes using the technology and it has gotten the students motivated and excited to do their work. Mr. Stowe also makes the point that using technology in the classroom can be a lot of work for the teacher. The teacher needs to be familiar with the tools and able to teach the children about them.
The children in the class are using the laptops by working in groups, recently they worked on Iowa projects, using the laptops. Then they created pod casts to present their projects to the rest of the class. The students also used the technology to work on reading theatre projects. They are practicing their reading and are able to add in sounds. The students are making digital, audio, and video files right in their classroom.


Click on the video below to watch, it is really worth watching if you are going to be in the field of education.




Classroom image used with permission from www.pics4learning.com

Smart Boards in the Classroom

Teachers are always looking for ways to increase student learning, can the Smart Board do just that? As upcoming teachers we hear a lot about Smart Boards and how in the near future most classrooms will have them. So we need to be prepared to use this new technology and now when to use it. I recently read an article called Studies That Support Using SMART Boards in the Classroom, by Anne Moore. The article talked about how their is evidence that Smart Boards really increase student learning. Smart Boards get the students excited about learning which in turn motivates the students to learn. The Smart Board technology allows teachers to be creative with their lesson's. The Smart Board also addresses different learning styles and promotes learning to different styles of learners including: tactile, audio, visual, and students with learning disablities. This is great news for teachers, we can use one form of technology to reach many different types of students. The article states that all age groups of students enjoy and benifit from the Smart Board. The younger students enjoy using their hands and fingers on the board, the older students like the interesting lessons that come from using the Smart Board. From this article it sounds like the Smart Board is a very benificial tool to have in the classroom, and I'm looking forward to using one in my own classroom someday.

Image courtesy of smarttech.com

Technology for Early Childhood Educators

I'm going into the field of Early Childhood Education and I never really thought much about technology in my future classrooms, until recently. Technology is all around us and there are so many uses for it in education. Young children and their educators can benefit from using technology too. In the article, Technology Literate Early Childhood Educators, they talk about the many uses of technology for early childhood educators. One of the things I found interesting was the use of digital camera's in the classroom. Take for instance a parent has dropped off a crying three year old, the parent leaves and like all parents, worries about their child. As a teacher using technology we could take a digital picture of the child smiling and playing with other children and send it to the parent. How relieving and comforting for that parent, to know their child is enjoying themselves.

Think about the many artwork pieces early childhood students have. As teachers we could scan and create electronic portfolio's for each student. This would be ideal; great for assessments and conferences. Teachers can also use technology to access classrooms around the nation and even around the world, go on virtual field trips and create student books. There are endless opportunities when it comes to technology and education.

I think technology and early childhood education go hand in hand. I will be using technology in my future classroom, however I am aware of how careful educators have to be when selecting which technology to use.

Image courtesy of Clare Bloomfield and FreeDigitalPhotos.net