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 Last year, Integrity Data donated twelve iPads to the LCHS
Special Education Department for the developmentally disabled
students to use.
Keith said she installed a number of useful apps on to the iPads.
One example that she said proves particularly useful for some of the
students has been an app that translates speech to text on the
screen.
In addition, some of the teachers have found that the iPads are more
useful for editing videos and images that are relevant to lesson
plans, whereas laptops remain more relevant for typing papers.
“The iPad is a little more graphic-oriented,” said Keith.
[See video on
iPad use for special needs at LCHS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLsKO6sSIhQ]
Keith also said that last year was the first year that the school
allowed students to bring their own tablets and laptops into the
classrooms. “Some students are more comfortable using their own,”
said Keith.
 Teachers who may not be the most familiar with iPads and apps are
encouraged to attend optional meetings that Keith provides, usually
during early dismissal days. “I’m really trying to not overwhelm
[the teachers], because that can really shut them down,” said Keith.
“Last year, I taught several teachers how to use one little app, and
throughout the year they were excited, and the kids were excited.”
Keith said that she would rather show the teachers one or two apps
at a time rather than overload faculty members with the amount of
information available on the Web today.
One of the more popular apps used by some of the teachers is called
Poll Everywhere. This app allows teachers to post a question online
that students can reply to anonymously. For example, if a math
teacher asks the class which problem in the homework was too
difficult and a majority of the students provide the same response,
the teacher can gauge the class’ overall progress in learning the
material.
“Kids don’t feel so embarrassed if they don’t get something,” said
Keith. Some students are reluctant to admit confusion to homework
assignments, and the anonymous nature of such apps helps them avoid
that embarrassment.
Currently, there are six students at the school in the Special
Education program that use the iPads. Pamela Parmenter, a teacher
that works with those students said that the iPads have become a
tremendous asset for the class.
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Mrs. Parmenter
and Mrs. Keith demonstrate how the iPads are programmed for
use in the classroom. The use of the iPads by progressive
and caring teachers has opened a whole new world in learning
and social opportunities for special needs students. |
Parmenter said that one of the most helpful tools on the iPads
has been the ability to provide text in the form of audio. She
refers to the audible behavioral lessons as “social stories” and
provided an example of a lesson for taking a field trip to a
baseball game.
Specifically, the students could listen to recordings while seeing
images, such as various players on the baseball teams. The social
stories also help them become aware of safety, as they learn that
standing still in the parking lot waiting for the bus would keep
them safe and let the teacher know they are listening to her.
Parmenter said the students listened to these lessons for about a
week beforehand, which prepared them for what to expect and how to
behave. It reduced anxieties and created a more productive, secure
and positive learning adventure.
 The iPads also come with protective carrying cases, dependent upon
each individual student’s needs. This way, the iPads stay safe and
secure while continuing to provide a vital tool for the students’
communication efforts.
[to top of second column] |
Parmenter also said that for two of the students, the iPad
has provided a way for them to communicate using the same
text-to-sound application, as some students lack the ability to
speak well. “They get to feel a greater degree of independence,”
said Parmenter. “The best part is that all of the students
understand the iPad,” said Parmenter. She said that the students
learned to use the iPads and the apps very easily, and that the
parents have been overjoyed by the progress these students have made
using the iPads.
“The students are very proud of them [the iPads]…the iPads have
given them a voice,” both Keith and Parmenter said.
One student in particular made a lot of progress in a forty-five
day window towards communicating with other students because of the
iPads. This student has proven capable of holding an appropriate
conversation with only the help of the text-to-speech app on his
iPad. Parmenter said that such an application has helped the student
to communicate appropriately through non-verbal cues, whereas prior
to the experience he could not.
A number of the special education students are non-verbal, which can
lead to frustration and diminishing interest for the students. With
the iPad use, “Social interaction is enough of a reward [for them],”
said Parmenter. She said some of these students have never been able
to effectively communicate with others.
The student noted above was seen to stop and be understood
talking via his iPad with students outside of his class, a
previously unattainable social interaction. The new social contact
is lending increased self-confidence and the drive to learn more in
the classroom.
[See in this 27
second video how happy this student was to now be able to talk and
be understood by his peers.
https://www.you tube.com/watchv=Jg7gUS1 gwpY&feature=youtu.be]
This technology has led to a stunning revelation that these students
have “lots of thoughts. Thoughts that nobody ever knew,” she said.
And, now the students now have a more practical means to communicate
those thoughts.
As there are six students currently in the department, six of the
iPads go home with each of those students during the summer. “It
wouldn’t make sense to leave them here when the student leaves,”
said Parmenter. This way, the students can continue to show others
what they have learned using the machines. “I want this to benefit
them in their life,” said Parmenter. One student graduated last May
and took her iPad with her for use in her adult life.
Keith said the school Tech Committee will be working towards
acquiring another laptop cart or a set of iPads in the near future.
“Ideally, I’d want every kid to have access to this technology,
whether it is here or from home,” said Keith.
[Derek Hurley]
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