Special education computer program

For some students, organization is a challenge. Since they have to keep track of all of their materials and work, as well as plan their project step by step, the project gives them the tools they need to practice organization.

This project is a long-term assignment, so I give my students about half of the school year to complete their work. The students excel at these projects. I had a student draft an entire graphic novel on paper, scan it to her Google Drive, and then use the PDF annotation extension Kami to add text to the thought and speech bubbles.

Technology enabled her to create a professional-looking manuscript that she can add to her portfolio as she pursues art in high school. Other students completed their experience by sharing their projects with their peers through Google Slides, video recordings, and other presentation software. Though there were challenges, my students enjoyed the opportunity to work on these passion projects and were able to use problem-solving skills to overcome obstacles.

The concept of problem solving is tough for special education students to grasp, but having them work on their own choice of project helps unlock their ability to work through challenges. Because of the nature of some of their disabilities, my students struggle with communication.

Group work is difficult, and discussions are often one-sided. I knew my quiet students had insightful comments to share but were reluctant to speak up in class, and my outgoing students needed to take more time to craft their responses. Again, technology helped all these students work through their challenges.

The students access a question-based page associated with the presentation and can post questions, which the presenter can refer back to at the end of the presentation.

Criteria, whether formal or informal, are necessary at this stage in the process. Reviewing guidelines developed by others is a good way to determine what questions to ask. Existing guidelines range from one-page checklists developed by teachers to validated evaluation forms developed by a product evaluation center like the Educational Products Information Exchange EPIE. Attention to both instructional and technical features of software are common to most evaluation processes.

Decisions about computer-based learning for handicapped children should take into account the academic, physical, and computer-use demands placed on the learner. These demands may be weighted differently for different students. The academic demands of a program such as reading or vocabulary level may be crucial in selecting software for students with learning disabilities, while physical demands such as keyboarding may be the deciding factor with physically handicapped students.

Instructional features generally include characteristics such as curriculum match, learner objectives, soundness, accuracy and clarity of content, factual and grammatical correctness, academic and physical appropriateness for target learners, and support or supplemental activities. The goal in assessing these features is to determine how well a product meets the instructional needs of students.

When evaluating drill and practice, tutorial, or problem-solving courseware, content features are of primary concern. Technical features are generally those that relate to the computer as medium of instruction.

The physical and computer-use demands placed on the learner are of primary concern. Programs should be easy to use, reliable, and free of programming errors. The presentation of information should be well placed and the instructions clear.

Feedback should be informational rather than judgmental. Other characteristics to consider are technical quality, user control, and the use of the computer's graphics and audio capabilities.

The goal in assessing technical features is to determine how well the program uses the capabilities of the computer to present instruction. For most instructional courseware, satisfaction with technical features is secondary to content considerations.

However, with tool programs like word processors, technical features usually take precedence. Selecting software for special education instruction is a complex but important task. The software selection process should consider both program and product decisions.

Bennett, R. Bialo, E. Blaschke, C. Taber, F. Box , Water Mill, NY Library Reference Search. Please note that this site is privately owned and is in no way related to any Federal agency or ERIC unit.

Further, this site is using a privately owned and located server. In the program, Big Calc is the name of the big, quirky, and very entertaining calculator that the learners use to do math work. Rather than always typing though, students can choose to speak their math into the fun program. Another great benefit of the program is its customizable layout. From screen and calculator layout, to learning style and speed, the entire program curtails itself to the needs of each individual learner that uses it.

In addition, external, play-and-learn toys can be connected to the system, bringing learning through physical interaction to the forefront of the game. Learning disabilities come in countless shapes and sizes. Accordingly, the responsive educational approach might include any number of diverse tools and plans.

These five, assistive programs are just a few examples of the many helpful tools designed for and used by this important niche in modern education.

For more authoritative information on assistive software for special education, we highly recommend you visit Reading Rockets. Purdue University Request Info.

Capella University Request Info. George Mason University Request Info. Winthrop University Request Info. Ed In Special Education Intervention. Saint Joseph's University Request Info.