Technology-Enhanced StrategiesThis page will specifically target assistive/adaptive technologies that may help learners with special needs. As teachers it is our responsibility to make sure we assist each and every student learn and grow with the supports and differentiation they may need, this is what equity in education is all about. The technologies on this page will specifically relate to the elementary English Language Arts or Spanish Language Arts classroom.
STUDENTS WITH COGNITIVE DIFFICULTIESKurzweil 3000-firefly
This software allows students access to grade-level reading and writing content. It assists students as they read and write content by providing scaffolding through reading assistance or writing assistance. This offers supports to students with cognitive disabilities as it provides confidence as students are able to access the content independently through needed digital assistance. This works well for both the ELA and SLA classroom as students will have the support they need in both reading and writing tasks. Read & Write - by TextHelp
This software works across platforms as it opens students to a world of text to speech assistance. You can use it with Microsoft products, websites, PDFs, and Google Drive. Students can use this software to help with both reading and writing. It has built in picture dictionary, word prediction during writing and highlighting features to name a few tools. This would help support students with mild cognitive disabilities as they worked independently even with possible reading and writing gaps. |
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Students with Physical Difficulties
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Camera Mouse
Camera Mouse is a free download developed out of Boston College to help students and learners with physical difficulties as they utilize a computer. This software allows the user to control a computer using their head. The computer's camera tracks their head movements which replaces the need and use of a mouse traditional controlled by hand. All scrolling, movement and clicking can be controlled by the head with Camera Mouse. This enables students with physical difficulties to independently access a computer for all reading and writing assignments. |
Midas Touch
Midas Touch goes hand-in-hand with the above tool, Camera Mouse. This on screen keyboard allows users to type letter by letter using on screen keyboard. There are green squares to rest the camera pointer, delete keys, and space keys. The program will read aloud the message as needed and as each word is added the message automatically is copied to the clipboard for easy transfer to another application. This software would aide students as they respond to reading and writing prompts in the elementary ELA classroom. |
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Students with Sensory DifficultiesFrequency-Modulated (FM) System
This system allow students with hearing difficulties access the speakers voice without amplifying background noises of a classroom as some hearing aides might. This device has two components that which is worn by the speaker and then also the listener. This is perfect for the ELA and SLA classroom because for anyone to become a fluent reading or writer they must first hear and access the speaking of a fluent individual, of which the classroom teacher is model of this for the learner. |
Magic Screen Magnification Software
This screen magnification software allows for screen magnification for a learner with visual impairments. This allows the learner access to digital content that would have been impossible to view without magnification. This opens up digital reading and writing to a student with visual difficulties. Computer screen magnification enables all students to access resources for research and word processing to name a few. |
At Risk Students
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ThinkLink
ThinkLink is perfect for at risk students as it supplies the need motivation to involve the at risk learner in reading and writing that they would have previously avoided due to their very real literacy growth areas. Teachers can create all types of assignments that students can be creative with through ThinkLink. Students can create a digital story or experience while practicing all literacy domains. They can research a topic while reading and writing about it, but also work with a partner and present their final link after listening and speaking endlessly. This is a perfect motivational edtech tool! |
Edmodo
Edmodo is a learning management system that will be ideal as a motivational tool for at risk students. At risk students will be engaged with the monitored social aspects of the platform. Students can earn badges, participate in polls, provide responses and take snapshot assignments all within the platform. Engagement will increase as students receive teacher and peer feedback almost immediately. Edmodo lends itself well to ELA, teachers can give annotated feedback to students writing assignments right inside of the program itself. This allows students access to feedback and a place to make corrections. |
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Gifted And talented students
SMART Notebook Express
The SMART Notebook Express is the web based SMART software. It is free and easy to use to create or display SMART notebook files. This online software can be used by students as they create their own presentations. They can work at home or at school on this software that doesn't need to be downloaded. Gifted and talented students will feel empowered as they create and teach content that they are studying. They can few files that are already made by the teacher, from SMART Express or from other classmates. This will work well with ELA and SLA as students work on their listening and speaking skills throughout presentations of content. This software will allow students to creative make presentations that work hand-in-hand with the interactive whiteboard in their own classroom. |
PowToon
PowToon is perfect for gifted and talented students as it allows an opportunity and challenge to learn a new software while creating, sharing and displaying a creation of their making. Students can create a plan or narrative and then display their writing with PowToon. The added motivation comes in when students can share their creation with the class, parents and others by publishing! |
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