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1.For writing in class I have used - Google voice that helps translate voice to text-2.For Reading- I have used RAZ kids that allows for the child to listen to the text first and then read the text again with a record button that will send this voice note to the teacher to listen to during remote learning during this time of COVID. This program has remained helpful for students to self monitor progress while reading in school during classroom time. 

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1.For writing in class I have used - Google voice that helps translate voice to text-2.For Reading- I have used RAZ kids that allows for the child to listen to the text first and then read the text again with a record button that will send this voice note to the teacher to listen to during remote learning during this time of COVID. This program has remained helpful for students to self monitor progress while reading in school during classroom time. 

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-3.Math- I have seen first hand how helpful IXL and Khan Academy has been in the school I work at. I also like Numicons which makes Math visible to the learner and I am a big fan.-

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IXL | Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and Spanish

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IXL is the world's most popular subscription-based learning site for K-12. Used by over 12 million students, IXL provides personalized learning in more than 8,500 topics, covering math, language arts, science, social studies, and Spanish. Interactive questions, awards, and certificates keep kids motivated as they master skills.

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My mentor showed me some reading assistive tools that I would like to include here that have helped my students read. These are coloured overlays and transparency guides. These are simple devices that help that I have not had the exposure to see. I made them out of transparent plastic file folder pages for the students that I am working with.

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What does Assistive technology look like, the possibilities?

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What does Assistive technology look like, the possibilities?

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https://elearningindustry.com/use-of-technology-in-special-education

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Feasible AT for students on a budget with the school and outside of school.

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Feasible AT for students on a budget with the school and outside of school.

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Audio books like Audible are really great. I have seen it but not used it.

-EAL readers- Scanmarker Air Pen Scanner This translates the words into the mother tongue of the child.

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VisionVoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android) narrate your kid's commands, providing auditory feedback for the actions he or she is performing on the device.Braille devices (both platforms) can be connected via Bluetooth.Invert colors (iOS) improves screen clarity with higher contrast.Zoom (iOS) and Magnification Gestures (Android) magnify anything on the screen.

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VisionVoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android) narrate your kid's commands, providing auditory feedback for the actions he or she is performing on the device.Braille devices (both platforms) can be connected via Bluetooth.Invert colors (iOS) improves screen clarity with higher contrast.Zoom (iOS) and Magnification Gestures (Android) magnify anything on the screen.

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Hearing

iOS and Android devices connect to hearing aids via Bluetooth.

Auditory Processing, Reading Comprehension, and Dyslexia

Speak Selection (iOS) lets you change the rate of speech and highlights words.

Dictation (iOS) translates speech to text and is a great tool for kids with dyslexia or other expressive language issues. The feature has auto-correct and auto-capitalization.

Captions (Android) offers closed captioning in different modes (speech, text, and style) to suit your needs.

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-iTrace - handwriting for kids

iWriteWords (Handwriting Game)

LetterSchool

Prompts

SuperKeys Assistive Keyboard

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30/30

Choiceworks Calendar

Chore Pad

My Video Schedule

Time Timer

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Kidspiration Maps

Learn With Homer

Noodle Words HD - Action Set 1

SentenceBuilder for iPad

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Index Card Board

Notability

VoiceNote

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The central purpose of technology in special education is to enable students to learn in a way that accommodates their individual learning styles and limitations. Equally important is helping them experience:

Greater independence

Less anxiety

Improved connection with their classmates

Natural, more comfortable and effective communication

Increased academic performance

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The University of Texas Permian Basin | UTPB

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Technology use has become as standard in today's classrooms as it has throughout every other aspect of our lives: jobs, family life, personal finances, etc. While students used to carry a stack of textbooks to school, now they're carrying laptops-even at the elementary level. The paper notebook, in many cases, has been supplanted by the computer notebook.

Technology has always been designed to make the user's tasks easier to complete, whether it's an assignment for a class, a time-sensitive project for an employer, or annual tax documents. For students with developmental and learning disabilities, the need for technological assistance in education is even greater.

Special education is geared toward students living with a broad range of conditions, including blindness, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Down syndrome, motor impairments, and autism. Estimates show that more than 7 million students living with disabilities are attending public schools in the United States, and individuals with specific learning disabilities or speech or language impairments make up the majority of these students. Technology in special education can help these disabled students keep up with their peers to the extent possible and prepare for future success.

Types of Technology Used in Special Education

Various assistive technologies are being used for special education students today. These include:

Virtual reality environments can help autistic students in stressful situations where they deal with crowds, such as hallways, school assemblies, and the cafeteria. By encountering these scenarios in a nonthreatening virtual environment, these students can gradually become accustomed to them and will be better prepared to respond calmly and appropriately in real-life situations. Virtual reality also gives students with motor disabilities the ability to manipulate objects that they are unable to manipulate in the real world.

Tablets/Handheld Touchscreen Computers

These devices are useful for visual learning, reading, drawing, and watching videos. They can help students with motor impairments improve their coordination and those with reading disabilities comprehend written information via text-to-speech apps. Further, students with autism respond very well to using these devices to learn. Numerous apps have been created specifically for autistic students.

NOVA Chat is a dedicated speech generation device that, in conjunction with text-to-speech programs, provides assistance to students who have reading disabilities. It reads text aloud and also converts speech into text on the screen.

This software is designed for students who have reading disabilities. It enables users to customize a learning program for each individual student, giving those students fluency goals and tracking their progress as they continue to learn through the program.

Known as a handheld augmentative communication device, DynaVox xPress helps students develop greater reading fluency and natural speech patterns and pronunciation. The device uses a combination of text and images to express language to and increase the vocabulary of the user.

This software offers interactive lessons in reading and math that provide students with individualized attention and tailored education plans. In addition, it gives the parents of the students the ability to view their child's learning progress.

How Technology Helps

The central purpose of technology in special education is to enable students to learn in a way that accommodates their individual learning styles and limitations. Equally important is helping them experience:

Greater independence

Less anxiety

Improved connection with their classmates

Natural, more comfortable and effective communication

Increased academic performance

Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, a Columbus, Indiana public school district with approximately 12,000 students, provides one example of how technology in the classroom can help students with special needs excel. According to a U.S. Department of Education report, students in that district who were hesitant to communicate face-to-face became engaged in class discussions in the online setting. After the school district implemented universal design for learning (UDL), an approach that incorporates digital books, specialized software and websites, screen readers with a text-to-speech feature, and other technology tools, graduation rates increased 22% for special education students.

Potential Limitations of Technology in Special Education

While much of the technology mentioned here is user friendly, these innovations aren't always easily implemented in the classroom. Tools and applications may have a learning curve for the teachers who will be tasked with using them and demonstrating their use to special education students. With internet-enabled devices, there's also a risk that students' attention will be drawn away by websites or other functions of the technology that aren't germane to their coursework.

Our Online Special Education Programs

The University of Texas Permian Basin offers online master's-level programs in special education that can prepare students to take on the challenges of technology and other aspects of special education as teachers. In their roles as educators, they'll be able to use technology to improve their students' learning abilities and, consequently, their lives. Each of these CAEP-accredited degree programs explores the use of technology and innovation in the classroom:

Master of Arts in Special Education

Master of Arts in Special Education with a track in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Master of Arts in Special Education with Educational Diagnostician track

Technology and School Change-a required course in these programs-was created to help students acquire a deeper understanding of the impact technology has on education, especially as it relates to students with disabilities. Course objectives are to understand that impact as it currently exists and what it may be in the future, as well as to examine how educators can use technology across all educational settings to positively influence the learning environment for all students, disabled or not.

Students in any UT Permian Basin special education program can complete Technology and School Change and all their other required courses in a 100% online classroom that allows self-paced learning from any location. The core degree program and autism track can be completed in as little as 12 months, and the educational diagnostician track can be completed in as little as 24 months.

Learn more about UT Permian Basin's online Master of Arts in Special Education now.

Sources:
https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgg.asp https://tech.ed.gov/files/2017/01/NETP17.pdf https://www.iste.org/explore/Innovator-solutions/How-special-education-technology-improves-learning https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/12/05/five-top-technology-trends-in-special-education.html https://www.bluerangetech.com/blog/use-tablets-special-education/#:~:text=Overcoming%20Motor%20Impairments&text=The%20tablets%20operate%20as%20a,seem%20to%20resonate%20exceptionally%20well

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The Use of Technology in Special Education | UT Permian Basin Online

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Technology use has become as standard in today's classrooms as it has throughout every other aspect of our lives: jobs, family life, personal finances, etc. While students used to carry a stack of textbooks to school, now they're carrying laptops-even at the elementary level.

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Getting AT right for the individual child.

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Getting AT right for the individual child.

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Choosing an AT for a child with certain impairments it is important to evaluate its benefits as well as determine the possible barriers and help a child to overcome them. Most of the assistive devices have the following benefits: (JODIE COPLEY, 2004)

·       Children feel more self-confident.

·       It is easier and faster for a kid to realize his or her potential.

·       AT gives a sense of independence.

·       It makes children with disabilities be and feel equal to healthy classmates.

·       It helps in daily living.

·       Technology is a good encouragement for young learners.

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Dikusar, A. (2018, August 9). The Use Of Technology In Special Education. Retrieved from eLearning Industry: https://elearningindustry.com/use-of-technology-in-special-education

common sense media. (n.d.). Retrieved from Special Needs and Learning Difficulties : https://www.commonsensemedia.org/special-needs/are-there-apps-to-help-my-kid-at-homework-time

The Use of Technology in Special education. (n.d.). Retrieved from The university of Texas Permian Basin: https://online.utpb.edu/about-us/articles/education/the-use-of-technology-in-special-education/

JODIE COPLEY, J. Z. (2004). barriers to the use of assistive technologies. Retrieved from online library wiley: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/oti.213