Week 11: English Languge Learners

I’ve had zero experience in teaching English Language Leaners, other than my classroom sits next to the ELL room at school. I always assumed that assistive technologies were merely geared towards special education realm. However, after reading a few of the articles that were posted, that is far from the truth. Technologies can also benefit ELL students in many ways. For instance, teachers for ELL students utilize online software such as Read Naturally and Rosetta Stone to help student grasp the language and focus on writing skills.

Both of these websites offer a variety of different activities to the students that help them build confidence while learning English. Students build fluency through the use and increase their vocabularies while building sentence structures.

In addition to the use of software technologies discussed in this week’s readings, I found this approach to be very helpful and observing in passing and talking to the ELL teacher next door. Assistive technology is considered any device that is used to improve the functional capabilities of a student.  Therefore, I feel that using these types of teaching strategies can technically be considered a form of assistive technology for ESL students.    I think any type of engaging, visual teaching will not only help ESL students, but will benefit all the students in the class.  Other examples of technologies that will help ESL students include word processing spelling and grammar check, translation devices/websites, and computer programs that allow students to listen to speech or emails.      

Also, since I’m on an iPad kick after last week, I came across this interesting article that was published by the Tamapa Bay Times. The article goes into how the school received a grant and bought iPads to help benefit ELL students.

Week 10: Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

This week’s blog offering has to deal with Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (EBD). Before moving to my current 12:1:4 classroom for students with severe and multiple disabilities, I was in a 6:1:1 classroom for students with emotional/behavioral disorders. In this classroom I saw a number of disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Bipolar Disorder. In other words, EBD is a very comprehensive disorder and encompasses a number of different diagnoses. The Gallaudet article does a nice job outlining a number of different ailments.

 In my classroom, I had the luxury of incorporating an iPad about half way through the school year. Fortunately, now I can look back and reflect what kind of an impact the iPad had in my classroom. Students in my classroom were all over the place on the EBD scale, as the slideshow points out students behaviors can differ. I had a handful of students who would externalize their behavior, while I had a few students that would internalize their behavior. However, the implementation of technology into the classroom did not care what kind of behavior you had.

The implementation of an iPad, a piece of assistive technology in some cases was huge. The iPad can act as a way of communication for students who struggle to communicate. I had a student ask for the iPad as a way to write his morning journal. This was an effective way for this particular student convey his thoughts. As a result of his success, other students wanted to try. They were also successful. However, this brought up a problem, 6 students and only 1 iPad. Thankfully, my classroom had enough computers for students to use, and use the iPad on a rotational basis.

Another way the iPad benefited my students with EBD was a way for students to be rewarded for good behavior.  Before the iPad was implemented students had very little to work for in terms of a reward. Previously, students had the reward for puzzles, games and computer time. However, the iPad was fun and exciting and very motivating. The iPad made these students work harder in class, focus on their work and not be disruptive.

Week 8: Funding

Working in a classroom that has a lot of assistive technology, I found this week’s topic of funding interesting and informative. Time is not our best friend here as technology advances at a rapid pace, It is essential to have funding in place in order to have our students technology up to date. The benefits of having up to date technology are critical in order to build confidence and mastering the technology for the student.  As the article, Assistive and Universally Designed Technology, discusses "technology making things possible." For some students technology plays a critical role in their education and in their daily form of communication. Without this technology, school and life would be near impossible. The use of technology allows these students to focus on the “possible” instead of focusing on the ‘impossible.” Without funding none of this is possible.

I have seen in my classroom DynaVoxes become quickly out of date or in need of repair. Getting a new AAC device or the device updated is a time consuming process. With these pieces of equipment being extremely expensive, as the article Funding Assistive Technology points out the difficulty with funding is finding appropriate funding and ensuring that their is no cost to the parents. Funding can be difficult to come by because not all funding sources will approve the technology or approve the newest technology.

           

It is essential to have a paper trail when developing a plan to incorporate technology into a student’s life. The article, Building an Initial Information Base, goes into detail talking about developing an appropriate educational plan for a student. Perhaps the most critical element to building a paper trail is getting the assistive technology onto the students IEP, that way it would fall under IDEA. From the IEP’s I’ve read and written the assistive technology needs to improve “functional levels” for the student with a disability.

No matter the amount of work that it takes to get approval for a piece of assistive technology, it’s definitely worth it. As an educator we owe it to our selves to make our students way of life easier and more effective.