iPads Especially Helpful for Special-Needs Students
By Williams, Mari-Jane; Washington Post,Publication Date: April 18, 2012
Article uses the advantages of using iPads for the instruction of elementary and secondary school students with special needs. Examples are given of teachers and administrators at schools in the greater Washington, D.C., area using iPads as a communication aid for students with autism, as a tool for consolidating calendars and notes for disorganized students, and as a platform for individualized instruction in mathematics, science, and literature studies. According to teachers interviewed, the iPad touch screen is easier to use for students with fine motor disabilities than pen and paper, its use is intuitive, and it engages students because they consider the iPad a stylish piece of technology. The iPad also “levels the playing field” for students of varying intellectual and learning abilities in that the tablets allow them to work at their own pace and with a level of privacy formerly unheard of in the classroom. As an example, the use of the application eClicker allows students in a classroom setting to answer questions posted by teachers on the tablet at their own pace. The teacher alone then sees individual students’ responses as they are transmitted in real time. This informs the teacher which students need more help without everyone in the class knowing. Teachers interviewed caution, however, that even with this new technology, progress for special needs students requires hard work with an experienced teacher or therapist and committed parents leading the way.
Published by: Washington Post Company (Website:http://www.washpostco.com)
Link to text: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/advice/ipads-especially-helpful-for-special-needs-students/2012/04/17/
