Research%20Paper:%20Utilizing%20Technology%20for%20%20Students%20with%20Learning%20Disabilities

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Research PaperUtilizing Technology for
Students with Learning Disabilities

• Alissa Swartz
• EDUC 504, Computers and Technology in Education
• June 19, 2006
• www.angelfire.com/poetry/aswartz

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Introduction

• Technologies, from low tech to high tech, can
  play a significant role in both a student and
  teachers success in promoting physical,
  emotional, and academic growth in students with
  learning disabilities.
• There are countless technological tools available
  in our growing world today that may be supportive
  in helping students with learning disabilities in
  areas such as basic movement (supports for
  mobility and growth), communication (animated
  speech projectors, receptive and expressive
  tools), and participation in a daily educational
  setting with assistive software (programs found
  on the computer, from Microsoft Office to
  classroom webquests).

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Research Findings

• Learning Disability Challenges in the Classroom
• Learning Support or Special Education classrooms
  may look very different depending on district
  numbers/needs of special education students.
• In my Learning Support classroom, there are two
  types of technology that I make available to the
  students technological software and assistive
  technology. Both types of technology may be
  utilized in a special education classroom,
  depending on the overriding needs of the
  students.

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Technological Software Microsoft Office
Programs

• Microsoft Word Word Processing
• Microsoft Outlook E-mail access
• Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation Creation
• Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets and Graphing
• Microsoft Publisher Banners, Cards, Brochures,
  etc.

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Technological Software Internet

• Webquests provide an authentic, technology-rich
  environment for problem solving, information
  processing, and collaboration. (http//annettelamb
  .com/tap/topic4.htm)
• Progress Monitoring - Internet-based programs,
  such as AIMSweb, teachers are able to chart and
  graph student progress in areas like reading
  accuracy and fluency and math computation speed
• Teacher websites - Parents of students with
  learning disabilities need to be involved in
  their childs education in order to provide
  maximum success for these children
• Inspiration and Kidspiration -software programs
  to create graphic organizers, outlines, and
  present information in an organized fashion

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Inspiration Sample
This is a sample of work taken from the
Inspiration home page
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Scanned Kidspiration SampleGraphic Organizer
Using the Kidspiration program, students have the
ability to draft ideas using a web or graphic
organizer, like the one to the right.
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Scanned Kidspiration SampleOutline Version

• Kidspiration also offers an outline version of
  the students original graphic organizer
• With a click on the programs outline icon, the
  graphic organizer bubbles are put into an outline
  form
• The sample provided is an OCR scanned outline of
  the original graphic organizer
• Click here to view the sample outline

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Assistive Technology

• Speech Impairments - Speech Conditions include
  problems with the way words are pronounced, voice
  quality, rate of speech, and esophageal speech.
• Hearing Impairments Conditions include deaf,
  hard of hearing, and deaf-blind.
• Visual Impairments It is important to consider
  what training or strategies the child has come to
  the classroom with before finding appropriate
  devices

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Assistive Technology for Speech Impairments

• electronic "speaking" machines, activated by
  punching a keyboard with a head pointer or mouth
  wand
• spelling board that has the alphabet and a few
  common words/phrases to which a speech impaired
  person points and an assistant may speak out loud
  
• "ticker tape" printout or display the message on
  a calculator-like screen across which the
  characters move
• computer with a voice synthesizer
• Launching Literacy with Timo - animated Speech's
  software, designed to give speech pathologists,
  educators and parents who work with these
  children an important new tool to build
  comprehension and vocabulary skills

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Assistive Technology for Hearing Impairments

• preferential seating and always sit near a
  speaker and have good lighting to take advantage
  of visual access.
• audiologist should be consulted prior to any
  purchases. They will match the hearing aid to the
  type and level of hearing loss.
• sound field system - a microphone (transmitter),
  an amplifier, and speakers
• cochlear implant is a medically implanted device
  which translates sound from the environment to
  the acoustic nerve
• Closed Caption (CC) device projects text on a
  television screen to read when speech may not be
  understandable through hearing alone.
• Sometimes speech is so difficult to understand
  that an augmentative communication device might
  be needed

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Assistive Technology for Visual Impairments

• Computer screen enlargement software
• People who are blind access computer output with
  speech and/or Braille output systems. Speech
  output is the most popular form of access.
• Screen reader software uses pre-defined key
  combinations for review and navigation of the
  computer
• Refreshable Braille displays are devices that
  echo information from the screen to a panel with
  Braille cells.

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Conclusions

• Teachers and parents need to be aware of what
  tools and devices are available and appropriate
  for these students to use both in the classroom
  and at home in order to make learning and
  succeeding in this world more fun, feasible, and
  motivating

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For additional informationclick on the links
below

• Listen to an audio message from the presenter by
  clicking here
• Research Paper
• Internet Address Book
• Personal Website
• Scanned OCR Text
• Scanned Picture

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