Journal 4

Courduff, J. (2011). One size never fits all. Learning And Leading with Technology, 38(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2011.aspx


Journal 4 NETS-T 1

“One Size Never Fits All,” is about integrating technology into the special education classroom. It talks about how Etiwanda School district in California is implementing technology into its schools. They are doing this by having the teachers trained in technology and giving them support and guidance once the teachers are back in their classroom. This article also gives steps on how to make technology reach more special education classrooms with tips, ideas, and examples.

In “One Size Never Fits All,” it gives specific examples of how to incorporate technology into the classroom. It says that teachers must be trained for at least three years in technology and what it can do for the classroom. From there the teacher will still need help once in the classroom to get it started, because of time constraint, student needs, and IEP goals among others. Thus, teachers need group mentoring, collaboration, and support to get technology off the ground in their classrooms. The article then discusses how its three tiers will help with this. Teachers will take part in hands on workshops to learn how to use Fusion Writers. The next tier talks about e-portfolios, which are then student lead conferences. Tier three explores teachers getting help face to face and digitally. It is time consuming, but the end result is worth it. Some of the technology tools one can use in a special education classroom is speech-to-text, which is a program that allows the student to talk to the computer and the computer writes what the student says. This can help with a student who needs help with writing, spelling, and grammar, making them comfortable and feel empowered. It then can go text-to-speech, which is where the student types and as their typing the computer says the word that is being typed.

In this article it sounds like special education doesn’t always receive the perks that other students receive. This article is trying to make this known and to get the perks into the special education classrooms. If I were to become a special education teacher I would definitely use speech-to-text with students who have a hard time in writing. I agree that it can be difficult to initially get technology started in the class, when one hasn’t been using it, but I also agree that it is possible and that collaboration and support will help it go a long way.

What can speech-to-text do in a special education classroom?

In a special education classroom, speech-to-text can help the students who struggle with writing, spelling, and grammar. It does this by allowing the student to speak into the computer and then the computer typing out the word that is being said. This will then boost the child’s confidents and hopefully give them the strength to do it on their own.

What kinds of things can special education teachers do to gain more knowledge of technology for their classroom?

The teachers can take a three year training course. This is followed up by group mentoring, collaboration, and support. Time must also be flexible, so the teachers should create short term and long-term goals to meet their technology goals.