Technology in special education

Describe issues related to training special education teachers to use technology.

Give examples of no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech solutions for special students.

Special education teachers have a full plate in their profession of providing creative solutions for their students, be it no tech or high tech. The greatest barrier I see is just the shear investigative time they have to spend just to find ideas that will benefit their student. I am currently taking another class called Accomodating Diverse Populations. I have been shown some incredible ideas of how to use technology to assist a student. My favorite is the use of an Ipod to teach deaf students and their families sign language in additions to being able to have stories that are "read" to the students on the ipod that they can carry home. This idea was presented to us by video of a teacher who is doing this. The amount of time and planning she put into this project is outstanding as are the results. The fact that she teaches deaf students means she can use these same resources for them all, and that one preparation can be used multiple times. The challenge for a special education teacher who has multiple different students with multiple needs would make this difficult.

My favorite example of a low tech technology solution that started out for the blind student only is books on tape. I distinctly remember an episode of Seinfeld where George was posing as a visually challenged individual so that the books on tape would be available to him. Controversial then, but I know the pleasure of being able to do what needs to be done and being able to listen to a great story at the same time. Obviously I get a different benefit than a blind person would as I have a choice about this - but it is awesome that by more people demanding this technology that it makes it more accessible for all.

For the mid-tech idea, I like the ease of allowing a student with dysgraphia to use a keyboard (computer/alphasmart) to complete lessons. This is such a beautiful, non attention getting solutions that allows students to blend so much more easily with their classmates and remain in the regular classroom as much as possible.

My favorite high tech use of technology would have to be some of the incredible robotics use for amputees. While this may not seem to fall into the educational technology realm, I believe it does. Any technology used that enables a learner to more fully participate in a lesson is a benefit. A student with a prosthesis may need no other modification to not only learn, but physically participate.

What are the "history wars," and what are their implications for technology use in history?

With students' ready access to information on the Internet, what might be the concerns of
social studies teachers?

The "history wars" have come about as a debate over the role of social studies and its curriculum for our students. Yhe two schools of thought include those who think the broader role of social studies should remain and those who feel that social studies should focus specifically on history and civics. The implicatons of tehnology on these viewpoints is interesting. The websites I found most useful no matter what the curriculum would begin with teaching responsible integration of information from the internet into school curriculum. Ideally, teaching students to find primary sources of information and studying the world at large in an accurate and responsible way. This is the focus of what we need for students to be preparing themselves for being responsible citizens - to be proactive, researching and curious citizens and to not take others word as if they were being fed what to think. Rather, they will be prepared to become participating, thinking citizens.