Every student has his or her own interests and talents. With special education services on the rise today, there are so many new laws and technologies that are directed towards those students. Technology has come so far that people with special needs can be educated in the general education classroom. It is the role of the teacher to provide the many adaption’s students need.
My Philosophy of education states, “My philosophy of education is to create a fun and interactive environment that promotes equality, communication, and respect. In a classroom filled with excitement and enthusiasm, children will want to learn. I am dedicated to providing a safe, fun learning environment where students will learn and teach each other. Parental involvement in a students life is crucial to their learning. I believe that to ensure the success of each child, a direct connection between home and school, by way of phone or email, must be maintained on a regular basis.” In other words, I want my classroom to be a place for a child to learn and grow. I will provide a happy and positive environment for every one of my students.
As a teacher, I will need to help students with disabilities, disorders, and disadvantages. Some examples of disabilities are Autism, Down Syndrome, and Traumatic Brain Injury. A disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities. Theses disabilities impact a students life by making it hard for them to excel. Disorders include Bipolar, Depression, Anorexia, and ADHD. A disorder is a disturbance that limits the physical or mental ability of a student. Disadvantages include socioeconomic status, race, and gender. A disadvantage is something that weakens the performance level and limits someone from achieving their fullest potential.
There are many pieces of technology a teacher can use in a classroom to help students with special needs. Most of the current technology addresses concerns with vision, hearing, and mobility. To help students with vision problems, many computer have installed a magnifier that makes the computer screen more readable by people with have low vision by creating a separate window that displays a magnified portion of the screen. Another tool beneficial for visual learners is the Apple iSight. You can hook it up to your computer and can communicate with anyone all over the world. The next tool is called Dragon Naturally Speaking. This tool is helpful with any disability. It allows the student to speak into a microphone and have it appear in a word document on the computer screen. A piece of technology a teacher can use in a classroom to help a student with mobility issues is called iGesture Pad. The iGesture Pad uses MultiTouch technology to record the gestures of a student’s hands and fingers and then interprets them onto the computer screen. This will eliminate any limitation a child with a physical disability may have when using the computer.
There are many resources around the state and community that help people with disabilities, disorders, and disadvantages. The Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) mission is to promote educational equity and excellence for students with disabilities. They aim to ensure the rights and protection individuals with disabilities are entitled to. Wayne County ARC offers a variety of services to meet the needs of people with disabilities and their families. This organization advocates for and serves persons of all ages with or without special needs. The New York State Commission on Quality of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities (CQCAPD) promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of community life; ensures programmatic and fiscal accountability in the State’s mental hygiene system; provides individual and systemic investigative and advocacy services; advances the availability and use of assistive technology for persons with disabilities; and offers impartial and informed advice, training, and recommendations on disability issues. Another resource I found was called Families Together in New York State. Families Together is a non-profit, family-run organization that strives to establish a unified voice for children and youth with emotional, behavioral, and social challenges. They collaborate with families, schools, policymakers, and service providers to ensure families receive the services needed for their children.
While many adaptive technologies currently exist, many teachers are unaware of their benefits or schools simply do not have the resources available for classroom use. During my Spring 2008 fieldwork, I did not see much technology being used within the classroom. Occasionally, the teacher would use an Overhead Projector. This would magnify the text so the students who were sitting in the back of the classroom could see what the teacher was writing on the projector. The teacher could have brought more excitement into the classroom by using videos and other forms of media. The classroom had three computers but the students weren’t allowed to use them. As important as technology is today, students need to learn this essential tool at a young age to keep up with this fast pace world.