Jennifer Courduff discussed the benefits of incorporating technology into Special Education programs. She said that at first teachers were placed on a 3 year goal plan to learn new technology and apply it in their lessons. After observation, the district found that it takes longer than 3 years to actually apply what teachers have learned into their curriculum. This system was then replaced with tiers that do not have fixed time limits. Tier 1 is a beginning level of training, Tier 2 is intermediate and Tier 3 is advanced. Courduff said that many students are now meeting IEP goals faster than in the past. She credits the speech to text and text to speech features on computers as being essential for students who have difficulties writing stories. She also discusses one student who recorded his voice onto his PowerPoint presentation so he didn't have to speak in front of the class, but was still able to meet the requirement.
Question 1: Why are teachers so hesitant to incorporate technology into their classrooms?
I think the main issue is confidence. If teachers don't understand the basic technological functions of a program, how can they explain how it works to their students? As we have discussed in class, there are many online tutorials for free on YouTube and the sites that design the technology. You can also use your students as a resource, as younger generations are often more computer savvy.
Question 2: Why does one size not fit all, technologically speaking?
The spectrum of students physiological, social and emotional is too broad. The author emphasized that teachers must match specific tasks with technology tools that engage students. For example, some students benefit more from the use of headphones.
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