Technologies for Mainstream and PowerPoint

There are several methods of instruction used in my Special Day Class that would benefit mainstream children, especially English Language Learners. I would gladly collaborate with my general education colleagues to implement these practices.  For example I use Writing With Symbols, Mayer Johnson's software that provides pictures for words as you type, for my students' spelling words. In addition I have numerous story picture books with companion musical CDs. The texts of these books are lyrics that are professionally performed. My class enjoys listening to the CD while they look at the pictures in the book. There are also musical CDs for which I have made corresponding and supporting pictures on five by eight cards. These visual supports highlight the lyrics and the language concepts taught in the songs. My students love helping with the five by eight cards by putting them in a standard pocket chart.

In the area of math, specifically teaching place value (one, tens, hundreds and thousands), I could help mainstream children by loaning their teacher our number column sliding board (NCSB). The NCSB is a large contraption, 21 by 45 inches, that has four number columns made from pine cap molding. Numbers on Masonite are slid down into the columns. Wooden plugs at the bottom of the columns stop the numbers. Students put numbers in the columns and then read the numbers. After all of the columns are filled and all of the numbers have been read, the plugs at the bottom are removed and the numbers fall into a basket. This aid adds an interesting mechanical aspect to the task of learning to read and understand four-digit numbers.

PowerPoint is the most powerful tool available for teaching language delayed students. Using it in my classroom for the past several years has been more beneficial to my students than the sum total of all of the other schemes or ideas used. PowerPoint has been used to teach many math concepts (addition, number sense, equalities and inequalities, fractions, geometry, bar graphs, rounding, story problems, subtraction, symmetry, tally marks, and telling time). In addition PPT is used to teach composition, geography, reading, science, and spelling. Language development, vocabulary and grammar, are also improved through the use of PPT slides.

PowerPoint is especially powerful in teaching math. By using PPT animations mathematical concepts can be explained or taught wordlessly. Math is a language in and of itself. Thinking about mathematical concepts often requires no words. The concepts exist without language. Children having average cognition are perfectly capable of understanding and enjoying basic math concepts such as addition, subtraction and fractions. However when there are language delays, it is impossible for them to learn these concepts through teacher explanations, even when supported with hand drawn pictures on a white board or chalkboard. Children with autism simply cannot attend to such presentations. However, with clean, well thought out PPT slides, these types of concepts can be learned quickly and easily. My students even demonstrate great interest and satisfaction when learning math through PowerPoint slides.

More Technology

It would be great to use some of the tools in my classroom that were taught in my EDSE 241 class the last time we met . In particular it would be good to have my students respond to a questionnaire handled by Word. Using the check box form field, drop down form field and the text form field would all foster language development. With carefully chosen questions this could be a very beneficial activity.

But what about software? My husband and I purchased nearly all of the computers that are in my classroom. This made it possible to be fast, to have control and to get what we wanted. My classroom aides purchased a used iMac for the children too. They are very generous with the children. In many ways they are fantastic.

We have six used iMacs, an HP windows machine, an old district windows machine and a macMini used to run PowerPoint Shows. The macMini is strictly off limits for the children, however they have free reign over all of the other computers.

Word isn't on any of the computers that the children use in the classroom. Putting it on one of the old iMacs wouldn't work for two reasons. The iMacs are pretty old and the children wouldn't understand why they suddenly have to do as instructed when using one of their computers.

A language rich questionnaire for the children could be put on one of the computers in the library, which is adjacent to our classroom. The children use the library computers only with adult supervision and only for specific assignments.

Maybe it is time to buy another computer for my classroom, a new iMac, with a flat screen. I have been told many times that grants are available from the Santa Clara School Foundation. They meet monthly. Maybe it would be wise to write a grant proposal for a computer that would handle current Word software.

It is difficult to keep up with technology's demands. We have a great deal of technology for my students already (6 iMacs, 1 HP tower, the macMin, an iPod, and the MacBook Pro which I use for everything I need to do) yet every year we need more. It is an interesting pressure. In a big way I enjoy the technology.

New Tools

Wednesday in my San Jose State University class, EDSE 241 Computers and Special Education, we learned about several new tools that I can envision using. Some of the tools would be good for professional development, others as teacher tools, and still others as a device to use with parents and children.

The text to speech feature would make proof reading research papers, done as part of my professional development, easier and more effectual. Sometimes it is difficult to see where a word has been omitted or where some other mistake has been made. If the computer were to read aloud my paper, such errors would be easy to catch.

Many teacher-made work sheets are used in my classroom so that the format of assignments can be controlled. For these assignments it would be good to put a picture in a header as a visual cue. This picture would serve as a signal to the students. To prevent any confusion over authorship a water mark could also be used.

For up to date input from parents I could make computer questionnaires that use check boxes and drop menus. Many of the parents of my students exchange email with me and would be comfortable taking a questionnaire like this. They are already computer literate and are comfortable using computers for a variety of purposes.

The Future

Blog #2

Blog Topic #2: Knowing that my students’ futures are going to be incredibly intertwined and linked with a variety of technological needs I plan to help my students use technology to communicate and to function better. With the right education they will be able to use technology to meet some of their needs.

My students, nine boys in grades three through five, all have autism. While they have never been given any instruction in school on how to use computers, the internet, or computer games, they are very computer savvy and they all very much enjoy using computers. By watching each other, contemplating how the adults in the classroom use computers and by experimenting on their own they have learned how to Google, download games and images and use many fun web sites. They are completely comfortable and quite bright where computers are concerned.

The areas in which they need help are communication and interpersonal relationships. And like everyone else, they of course need an education.

Technology is being used to give them an education. PowerPoint animations are used to teach them math concepts, vocabulary, spelling, plus much more.

The fact that technology is going to play a major role in people’s lives weighs heavily in their favor. They will be able to obtain much of what they need through the internet. Online they can purchase air line tickets, books, music, clothes and movie tickets. It will be easiest for them to negotiate on line. It is both quick and efficient and it allows them to sidestep awkward or confusing social situations. They will even be able to make friends on line or have a second life if that is what they want.

Instead of technology being an obstacle, my students may be able to use computers to their advantage. Currently I have a student who keys unfamiliar words he hears or sees into a hand held spelling device which he then takes to a computer where he can Google the word in question.

There may even be employment opportunities in the technological world of the future for some of my students. When I was the same age as my students no one had ever heard of computer programming. Yet as a young adult I worked at Lockheed as an entry level programmer. Are there going to be jobs in the future, technological jobs, that will be a good fit for some of my students?

The kids in my classroom are intelligent and energetic. They simply have a unique mode of operation and different perspectives. If they receive a sound education along with the basics of communication and people skills, the technological world of the future might be a reasonable place for them.