This link above will direct you to a very interesting video. The lecturer is a very knowledgable professional that talks about students she had with cerebral palsy. She talks about how the Ipad helped the students do things they normally wouldn't have done regularly and opened up a new world to them. The idea behind the lecture was to show the importance of the technology of Ipads and how effective they can be with special needs children. I had the pleasure of student teaching in a sever multiple disabilities classroom this summer where Ipads were used daily among other things, like texturized puzzles and matching games, but the Ipads made a huge difference and made learning more fun for the children. This was especially true for the nonverbal students in the class.
The lecture goes to talk about important apps that the speaker found very useful. Among the many she mentioned, a few that I thought I'd add to this blog were
- Grover's restaurant to enhance coordination.
- Doodle Buddy is used to practice writing letters
- Matching Apps to match items and pictures and focus on brain retention and memory
She also mentioned different types of books available for download. She concluded by stating the importance in narrowing in on the skills needed for individual students and making sure the apps are suitable for them, because they aren't suitable for everyone. I agree with her that these can work as motivators and rewards for students.
In my school the older students have the Ipads and we just got them for 3rd and 4th grades now, but I really wish the younger grades could have access to them. I know the wealth of information that is available with one quick swipe and I know my students would benefit tremendously from using them just like the students in this lecture and my student teaching class did.
It's also important to remember that there is more to Ipad's than just apps!
What are you thoughts on the lecture and Ipads in the classroom?
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