Technology and Special Education Based Upon an Interview with Ms. Caroline Wagner

Programs that She Uses… WriteOutLoud Write: OutLoud is a talking word processor program which provides supports for the user to enhance and improve their writing skills. 

PixWriter PixWriter It motivates students to write by providing a picture for most words that they enter. The student may also select picture/word buttons from templates to write. Built-in speech gives students immediate feedback on the selections they make or lets teachers create talking documents for early reading experiences.

Kidspiration Kidspiration is the visual way for young learners (K-5 and upper level special needs learners) to think, write and comprehend. The users can create graphic organizers by combining pictures, text audio, and spoken words. Visual learning gives the students more opportunties to build important early literacy skills, while more advanced users are able to better understand information and communicate ideas

Generation Differences & Technology Ms. Wagner went on to talk about how we are lucky to have such programs and advanced technology today, because before there was even a computer, it was a lot more difficult to meet the needs of special needs students. Children today are technology savvy, so they can use technology as a tool to help them rather than hurt them. As teachers, we need to be familiar with the technology just as much at the students so they we can use it as a tool as well so it does not impede with instruction or learning. We need to stay up to date and be knowledgeable of what is available to use and provide to students with special needs; we can’t use technology if we don’t even know it exists!

One Last Question… Learning about all this new technology and how it benefits students, I was wondering if there was anything that should not be used with special needs students. Ms. Wagner was very confident in saying, “There are no limits with technology, because it can be used in so many different ways and provide so many things to all students. I think that some things would be more appropriate than others, but there is nothing that special needs students can’t use.”