Equal Access to the Digital World

According to Williams and McClintic (2005), our public schools serve millions of children with special needs. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 mandate that students with disabilities have access to the general education curriculum.  In order for this student population to successfully access the general education curriculum they must receive supplemental aids and services, or Assistive Technology (Dyal, Carpenter & Wright 2009).

Assistive Technology, or AT, is defined as any piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities (Assistive Technology Act 1998) as noted by Katsioloudis & Jones (2013).  In other words, AT devices help to remove the barriers that once prevented disabled students from accessing the general education curriculum.

Currently, AT is available to help most students and it doesn’t necessarily have to cost a lot of money.  According to McDonald-Peltier (Anonymous 2011), schools should not overlook the technology they already own.  Most school computers have basic AT already built in.   For example, Apple operating systems offer Universal Access, designed to help users with visual, auditory or motor-skill limitations.  Microsoft Word and PowerPoint are also inexpensive programs that allow teachers to modify curriculum materials.

According to Williams and McClintic (2005), digital textbooks allow teachers more flexibility in delivering the curriculum.  Digital materials can be read aloud with a screen reader, listened to with a portable player, converted to electronic Braille format or modified to meet the needs of the individual learner.  Digital readers also improve access to those students who are unable to physically handle a textbook.

The selection of AT is immense, and the possibilities are endless.  According to Newton and Dell (2011) there are opportunities for almost everyone, in almost every subject area.  There are inexpensive Apps designed to help students in content specific areas, math, world languages, literacy, note taking, executive functioning as well as Apps for students with severe disabilities, just to name a few.

Although it is becoming easier and more affordable to access new technology, school budgets continue to shrink, and the funding is not always available to purchase new technology.  Therefore educators need to work collaboratively, researching and sharing ideas in order to capitalize on all the benefits AT (which may be already owned) can offer our students.      

Newton, D. A. & Dell, A. G.  (2011). Assistive Technology.  Journal of Special Education Technology,

            26.2, 55-60.

Katsioloudis, P. J. & Jones, M. (2013).  Assistive Technology: Fixing Humans. Technology and

            Engineering Teacher, 72.7, 26-31.

Anonymous, (2011)  Assistive Technology Broadens Its Range.  Education Week, 31.1, 5.

Williams, J. M. & McClintic, H. (2005) Digital Technology Offers New Opportunities to People with

            Disabilities. The Exceptional Parent.  35.12, 34, 36-40.

Dyal, A., Bowden Carpenter, L. & Wright, J.V. (2009). Assistive Technology: What Every School

                Leader Should Know.  Education, 129, 3, 556-560.

 

 

 

What Exactly is the Role of Social Media in the Classroom?

Right off the bat you are probably wondering how on earth social media could possibly play an important part in the classroom.  I understand, for I was skeptical at first myself.  However, according to The Nielson Company (2010), as noted by Gayton (2013) the amount of time spent by students on social networks and blogs has experienced a 43% increase, occupying 13.5 minutes out of one hour of Internet usage time.  The time has come for educators to incorporate social media into the curriculum. 

In order to catch up to our already technology savvy students, educators are exploring different avenues for technology integration.  Heatley and Lattimer (2013) write about a teacher who is incorporating Twitter into her English class.  Using twitter helps those students who may be shy or hesitant to speak out in class.  Allowing students to answer her via a tweet gives this teacher a whole new perspective on what her students are thinking. 

Although the students using twitter in English class are well beyond elementary age, we can still use social media to enhance learning in the elementary classroom.  One social media site that I use quite often is YouTube.  According to Heatly and Lattimer (2013) the use of YouTube is an effective way to keep lessons interesting and unique, which will in turn increase student interest.  Teachers can also upload lessons or events onto YouTube for students to watch at home.

Facebook is a popular site that has potential for educational purposes.  As noted by Scott, (Prensky, 2010) states that Facebook provides the ability for people to connect with particular groups, view their frequent comments and reply to them as well.  A class may choose to follow a particular group related to what the class is learning about.  Such groups might be the astronauts at NASA, mountain climbers or explorers in the rainforest.  Facebook would allow students to get an up-to-date perspective on daily life, as well as ask questions or comments.

According to Scott, (2012) social media sites such as Twitter provide many benefits including: aiding in classroom management by allowing the teacher to post homework, send out reminders for up-coming events, post student work, create a library of uploads, share photos and provide a place for parent feedback just to name a few.  It is because of these reasons that I have decided to make Twitter part of my classroom.  All the schools in our district now have Twitter accounts, and I am sure that parents will quickly become accustomed to looking to Twitter feeds for the latest news and information.

Follow my class on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Mrshilarywalter

Gayton, Jorge (2013). Integrating Social Media into the Learning Environment of the Class-Room:

            Following Social Constructivism Principles.  Journal of Applied Research

            For Business Instruction, 11, 1

Scott, Shantel Marie (2012). Go Ahead…Be Social: Using Social Media to Enhance the Twenty-

            First Century Classroom.  Distance Learning, 9, 54-59.

Heatley, Elizabeth R., & Lattimer, Talana R. (2013).  Using Social Media to Enhance Student

            Learning.  Techniques, 88, 1, 8-9.