Students with mild disabilities may or may not need assistive technologies, but options should be available to these students to help in weak areas. Reading below grade level can be considered a mild disability and can be enhanced by the use of The Kurzweil 3000, a text reader that is designed to assist students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 407) Websites such as Jump Start for Reading offer reading games that enhance learning while making it fun.
Students with moderate to severe disabilities may need more assistance and may need help not only in classroom learning, but also in basic skills for daily living. There are a variety of songs available that that help teach students with special needs. These songs can be played or sung by the teacher and students and remind students to perform daily tasks. A great tool to use in a music classroom is a Skoog. This tool was designed to help students with learning disabilities play an instrument. You can watch how it works here:
In a music classroom, there may be physical disabilities that prohibit students from participating in classroom activities. In my experiences I have used wheelchair adaptable instrument mounts to allow students with severe physical disabilities to play instruments with the rest of the class. Because these mounts aid in and increase learning they fall under the category of assistive technology. For more moderate physical disabilities I might use a lowered microphone stand to allow students to sing a solo in class, or a color-coded sound system to allow students to listen to music on an iPod. Magical Music offers great suggestions for music students with physical disabilities.
Students with sensory disabilities typically have a heightened sensitivity to musical activities. I remember a particular blind student named Clay who absolutely loved music. Every time Clay came to my class he begged to sing and he would listen more intently in music than in any other part of his school day. For a child like Clay, I recommend listening to music with the use of an iPod and headphones as a part of his learning plan. I also recommend the use of Blind Tunes, a Windows based program that allows a child like Clay to run iTunes.
I am particularly interested in assistive technology for at-risk students due to the fact that I parent a child with AD/HD. An app that I found in this week's Twitter post is called Moody Me. This app is used for children to track their moods and help them to learn what triggers their happy times and difficult times. I plan to introduce this app to my daughter and believe it would be a helpful behavioral tool in the classroom as well. Monitoring seating arrangements, temperature and lighting in the classroom and overall classroom behavior can help the at-risk student perform to the best of their ability. The use of the iPad with apps such as Moody Me and others offer positive ways for students with at-risk behaviors to express themselves.
As is reflective of my classroom diversity, I also parent a child who is gifted and talented. She participated in the Duke TIP program this year and found a variety of helpful resources on their website. Although this site is typically recommended by school counselors and only with required test scores, it is also a helpful site for educators as they seek to understand specific challenges the gifted student faces. In a music classroom, the gifted and talented student should have the opportunity to explore high-end music notation software programs such as Sibelius or Finale. These programs synthesize music skills and offer the advanced student to compose and notate their own music. The use of a keyboard lab such as the one pictured below is also a great way to offer students piano skills as well as advanced theory skills.
The main reason educators must explore the use of assistive technology is to make curriculum accessible to all students. (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 406) I have found that in the area of assistive technology, the students sometimes teach the teachers. The students I have taught with disabilities are usually eager to learn and help me discover what works best for them. I look forward to exploring the new apps I found in this week's Twitter post so that I may continue to help all of my students succeed.
I am particularly interested in assistive technology for at-risk students due to the fact that I parent a child with AD/HD. An app that I found in this week's Twitter post is called Moody Me. This app is used for children to track their moods and help them to learn what triggers their happy times and difficult times. I plan to introduce this app to my daughter and believe it would be a helpful behavioral tool in the classroom as well. Monitoring seating arrangements, temperature and lighting in the classroom and overall classroom behavior can help the at-risk student perform to the best of their ability. The use of the iPad with apps such as Moody Me and others offer positive ways for students with at-risk behaviors to express themselves.
As is reflective of my classroom diversity, I also parent a child who is gifted and talented. She participated in the Duke TIP program this year and found a variety of helpful resources on their website. Although this site is typically recommended by school counselors and only with required test scores, it is also a helpful site for educators as they seek to understand specific challenges the gifted student faces. In a music classroom, the gifted and talented student should have the opportunity to explore high-end music notation software programs such as Sibelius or Finale. These programs synthesize music skills and offer the advanced student to compose and notate their own music. The use of a keyboard lab such as the one pictured below is also a great way to offer students piano skills as well as advanced theory skills.
The main reason educators must explore the use of assistive technology is to make curriculum accessible to all students. (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 406) I have found that in the area of assistive technology, the students sometimes teach the teachers. The students I have taught with disabilities are usually eager to learn and help me discover what works best for them. I look forward to exploring the new apps I found in this week's Twitter post so that I may continue to help all of my students succeed.
— Lisa Latham (@LathamlLisa) July 14, 2013
References
Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, A.H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into education. (Sixth ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
The Skoog is quite neat. Students will learning disabilities will really like this technology because it allows them to play an instrument. Now, they truly benefit from this technology.
ReplyDeleteThe video on the Skoog is great what a fun product. You pointed several great products with your blog, it sounds like the music industry has did a great job of focusing on assistive technology and helping students with special needs to make sure they get the opportunity to participate in music.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog!! Im happy you tied this week's assignment into the music world. I like your first sentence too! Sometimes the students may not even know what kind of assistance they need and it's our jobs as teachers to be able to know and provide with accommodations to the best of our abilities. I think the Skoog is just amazing! It also pleases me that someone thought enough to make apps like Blind Tunes and Moody Me!
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