Students with special needs include both those who have disabilities and those who are gifted. Technology can provide solutions to help meet the unique needs of both groups. However, schools typically have limited budgets for technology. Considering that the needs of all students should be met, what do you think the best allocation of limited technology dollars should be to meet these students’ needs? Give examples to support your views.
First and foremost, students need the most equal footing they can be provided with. My thought here is that if a student cannot communicate with teachers or peers that student should be first in line to receive some type of assistive technology. After that, technology that can solve dual purposes should be considered. For example, the book discussed word processing programs and concept mapping software under the heading of helping those with special needs. But, these types of software can help all students. When this is the case, that should be one of the first considerations in what to fund. The text also pointed out that there is a wealth of free info online for gifted students. This is great because that is something that can be used for those students’ needs without cost to the school.
Perhaps one of the most overlooked problems is that teachers need to be properly trained in using the software. I have seen many good programs underused because no one knows what to do with them. With the wealth of information and resources online it can be overwhelming for a teacher to know which program will best serve the students. As for the funding question, it is not a decision I am comfortable making. I do strongly feel that those students who truly need technology for basic functioning should be the first consideration. Gifted students could be served with free online resources. But, unless some funding is spent on teacher training I don’t know how effective any of that will be.
I did want to mention one other thing that was not specifically mentioned in the chapter, but it stuck out to me. While there are a lot of different types of technology that can help students, we should be cautious not to disempower them. The text mentioned those with motor control problems. I think it is great to assist them with technology that can help, but it should not cause the motor problems to be set aside. My fear is that these students will become overly dependent on technology because it makes the teacher’s job easier, and what happens when the technology is suddenly unavailable or not functioning? These students still need assistance in basic skills.
Chapter 5 Question 3
What is the most significant opportunity presented by technology integration? What role does training play in effectively integrating computers in the classroom?
Technology provides teachers with many advances to improve instruction. Technology can help a teacher individualize instruction for specific students’ needs. It can also help to improve that instruction by providing a wealth of resources that would not otherwise be available. In my practice, I have always put this to full use. I use technology from everything to attention getting video clips before a lesson, to helping students find unique resources for their projects. The sky really is the limit if appropriate training is implemented.
The text had a great line about technology only being as useful as the user. In other words, if the instructor does not realize the full potential of the technology, the students will never receive the full benefit of that technology. I think many educators from my generation are a little more risk-taking when it comes to using technology. We don’t mind digging in and teaching ourselves as much as we can. However, it seems almost like administrators are relying fully on that, and they are not providing needed training. I know that I have limits to what I can do alone. I know that there is a lot to be gained from learning what others are doing with technology. This really has to be a central focus with the amount of limited funding being put toward bringing more technology into the school.
Chapter Six, Question One
After considering the various types of digital technologies presented in this chapter, what three pieces of equipment do you think you would most want for your future or current classroom? Explain why you selected these three and how you would use them for teaching and learning.
There are numerous pieces of equipment I would like for my classroom, but those that follow are my top three. The first is something that I have plans to purchase already. The other two are meant more for student production. One consideration that is unique to me is that everything I purchase for the library is for use for the entire school. It makes my decisions that much tougher and more critical that I put a lot of thought into them.
The first thing I would like to have is a document camera. This would be for my personal use in teaching. I would have to purchase an additional one if teachers wanted one they could check out. The reason I would purchase this is that I do a lot of instruction on the use of types of sources. I go into the different text features in books such as encyclopedias. That is a very tough thing to show the entire class. If I had a document camera, I could place these sources under the camera and show all of the students at once. Also, since I have a SmartBoard, I could make marks on the document to point out specific things I wanted them to focus on.
The next thing I would like to purchase more of are digital cameras. I have a vision of allowing students to showcase their work by taking pictures or even short video clips. When I was taking the National Board certification one example they gave was to have students show their understanding of a concept by going out and taking pictures of things that met certain requirements. I think this is a great way for students to show their understanding. It would be an interesting way to present facts gained from a research project as well.
Finally, I would like to get a graphics tablet as well. A graphics tablet is an input device that allows the user to input writing, artwork, or drawings. I would probably use this as part of a makerspace in the library. A makerspace is an extra-curricular activity station that allows students to make or do something new. Using a graphics tablet to create a piece of digital art would be a great way to meet both requirements. Once again, this allows students to use their knowledge to produce something new. To me, it is very important to expose my students to this type of learning because they will be expected to do these types of things in the workplace.