Source: flickr.com
The modern world has a lot to offer, but to compensate for this, there is a slow but devastating elimination of borders. This situation has not only caused anxiety and frustration to the political and business world but the rest of the medical, social, and educational services across the globe as well.
According to the educational standards, students with disabilities must be given opportunities to be able to reach their potential and achieve their dreams. Like every normal student, they should be allowed to join in training and workshops and should not be subject to discrimination. With the success of the IT field, digital tools are available everywhere, allowing teachers in the school to use these tools to make teaching easier to special education students.
IT Helping Students With Special Needs
The National Center For Education Statistics reported in 2016 that there were a total of $6.7 million students that were serviced under the Individuals with Disabilities Act. That is about 13% of the entire public school students in America. This report shows us that there isn’t one universal technological gadget that will solve the problems of all students with special needs at the same time. And because of this, the best solution was to create tailored-made solutions according to the needs of a specific group of students.
Edmentum, a company that is known for being masters in designing eLearning tools, states that IT tremendously helps a classroom or students develop individual learning by first allowing their teachers to have more versatility and variation in teaching. They can use digital technology to provide a range of learning opportunities and strategies that encourage, support, and guide special needs students and help them become effective learners.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Additionally, another eLearning solutions master called PowerSchool, states that by using the appropriate technology, educators can better handle and administer excellent special education documents through guidelines and rules that are in line with IDEA and other state and federal laws.
Applying IT In Special Education
Undeniably, there have been a lot of technological tools that have proven to help special needs students. For instance, because of their disabilities, some of these students can’t use handwritten text for traditional classroom scenarios. However, by using digital tools that aim to recognize and synthesize human speech, one can avoid using pen and paper during his classroom lessons. Also, students with visual disorders can benefit from these tools.
Some of these technological tools that have been used effectively in special education include:
- Adaptive Computing Technology. This allows utilizing digital gadgets to dodge the challenging assignments. Reader apps like the JAWS, combined with special Braille keyboards, enable the blind and the visually challenged to the school computers.
- Augmentative Communication Systems. This technology has been helping students with speech issues by making use of books, image charts, and special computers that provide word-prediction functions.
Digital Services For Online Learning
Some mentally and physically challenged students are not able to travel to school to learn. With the help of these web-based learning services, they can be provided with educational services according to their interests and skills. They can choose and buy online courses and other tools that can track their academic progress. Parents and the students as well are free from the stress and anxiety of having to move through long distances just to learn.
Source: flickr.com
Digital Application To Assess Academic Performance
This special education IT software assists the teachers by simplifying their lessons for students that have learning disabilities caused by brain injuries, mental disabilities, and developmental delays. It also helps monitor their learning progress easier through picture charts. An example of this is the Online Staff Performance Management System, a user-friendly digital performance tool used by educators. It allows them to monitor their students’ progress and track their educational plan for them so they can get a better perspective of the changes that they need to make learning more accessible. They can create specific lesson plans for their students through this software.
Takeaway
The addition and utilization of IT in special education effectively helps break the walls for individuals with disabilities and gives them an opportunity to acquire high-quality educational programs. Software and hardware that are introduced to these students allow them to attain any kind of information through the web. With modern technology, educators can acclimate themselves to the possibility of a student with special needs to exert little effort and get the best education through the available learning tools and strategies ready for them to use.