When a growing diverse population in many
When it comes to learning in school, students havediverse physical and mental abilities as well as different diverse culturalbackgrounds. It is also possible that a student in the class may have alearning disability. It could be very difficult for a teacher who must meet theneeds of students who have different backgrounds and/or academic skill levels.Along with a growing diverse population in many classrooms, teachers must beprepared to accommodate any differences in individuals learning ability and tailorthese accommodations to the students’ strengths and knowledge(Wahl). This issueis prevalent in many classrooms around the world, however there are tools thatcould help teachers meet these needs.
One of these tools is technology.Learning technology is a way to increase the quality of education that thesediverse students are given. It is capable of personalizing learning for the studentswhich in turn could help the student’s ability to learn (Arizona K12 Center).
There are different types of technology that teachers can use. It is theteacher’s job to assess and evaluate the situation as well as purposefullyintegrate the technology as needed in the classroom. Regarding technology andits effect on students, the primary focus of this paper is to show thebeneficial effects that technology can have on students with learningdisabilities.As stated above, technology can helpstudents in a variety of ways.
For students with learning disabilities,technology seems to have an immense impact in the way that they learn. It canenable students to demonstrate their understanding of the subject. This is veryimportant as it is necessary to evaluate the standing of the student when itcomes to learning. Technology can also help provide a way for students tocommunicate. Communication between a student and his/her teacher is essentialas it provides a positive and stimulating environment where the teacher and thestudent can learn, grow, and mature together. Furthermore, technology can helpstudents with specific learning disabilities. It can help diminish the barrierfor learning as well as help provide a more inclusive setting for the studentto learn.
Technology also can inspire students. It not only inspires them tolearn with the class, but it inspires and gives the student opportunities tolearn by themselves. As a result, it is important for the teacher to know theappropriate technology to incorporate in their classroom setting, as this maybe the key for the student’s ability to learn.Learningstyles can vary greatly from student to student.
It should be the instructor’sobjective to sit back and think on how they can reach and impact the student’slearning. Integration of technology can help educators design resources inmultiple formats and allow students to use their strengths to demonstrate whatthey have learned (Creegan). This is achievable by using the principles foruniversal design and implementing those principles in the use of theirtechnology in the classroom.Thereare many different types of technology that can help achieve what the teacher’sdesired plan for the technology is.
One technological category is augmentativecommunication. It is reported that students with learning disabilities make upabout 42 % of all students with disabilities in a general education environment(Kaczorowski). Characteristics of students with learning disabilities includedifficulties with memory, information processing, attention, and metacognitivestrategy (National Association of Special Education Teachers, 2007). This iswhere augmentative and alternative communication technology can help a teacheraccommodate these specific needs.
Augmentativecommunication is used to help supplement or replace speech or writing forstudents with impairments in the comprehension of language, both spoken andwritten (Turnbull). One piece of technology that encompasses this result is asimple version of a pencil and paper for a person who cannot speak. There arealso word processing software’s that can produce text and synthesized speechthrough a variety of input options. Another form of this type of technology istext to speech software which allows a student the ability to hear what theywrote. This may seem like a piece of technology that is not essential and maybe pointless. However, for students with learning disabilities, this may be onesignificant way that they can learn. This piece of technology can be very lowcost and in many cases free. It can assist in helping those who are deal with difficultiesin reading comprehension and in the case of students with speech impediments,it can help them communicate.
For example, it can be used to relay what astudent has typed or can just help in enhancing the student’s ability to read adesired sentence. This is done by altering the size and color of the words orsimply adding more space between lines.Anotherpiece of technology that can help students with learning disabilities is ahearing aid or a voice amplifier. This can be used to help students who have ahearing impairment or who simply can’t focus on an intended task in aneducational setting. The most commonly used hearing aid is an FM listeningsystem. This system allows a teacher to wear a microphone into which he/she canspeak into, then is relayed into the student’s hearing aid. This may seem likea waste of money and use, however is very beneficial to the students who needit.
It can make all difference in the student’s belief that he/she is includedand valued. It can also encourage assistance for self-learning and helpstudents feel less isolated as it is like someone is in their ear talking tothem. This can be used to keep students on task and help a teacher achieve thediverse students’ needs in the classroom. One more tool that has the sameeffect as technology but can be very low cost is a graphic organizer. Theseorganizers can be effective in helping students organize their thoughts as wellas process information given to them by the teacher. As an assistivetechnology, graphic organizers can be a strong choice for students withdysgraphia or disorders of written expressions — particularly the conceptualaspects of writing (Neese).
The way this works is that it helps a student mapout a course of action and it can prompt a writer to describe an object orperform a task. These organizers don’t need to be advanced as they may be givenout in the form of a handout. This allows students with learning disabilitiesthe chance to focus on a specific action therefore increasing the student’sproduction in the class. Low tech and low-cost products like this can make allthe difference for teachers trying to maximize student’s efforts and acquiredknowledge in all types of classes.
In conclusion, technology can be auseful resource that can help students overcome learning challenges in aneducational setting. More specifically, students with learning disabilitieswill be able to benefit from these devices as it can ease anger, increasemotivation, or simply improve productivity. It is also a way to help studentsfrom diverse cultural backgrounds and accommodate any differences in the individualslearning ability. Technology can personalize learning and improving the qualityof education that is given. As a result, it is the teacher’s job to assess andevaluate the situation as well as purposefully integrate the technology asneeded in the classroom. If used in an appropriate manner, the teacher has anopportunity to not only inspire his/her students, but to also diminish thebarrier for learning as well as help provide a more inclusive setting for thestudent to learn.
