002+iPads+in+Sped

** iPads in Special Education ** Zelie Mae Collison Mary Ahalt Tech Lab I   __ Part I: iPads Apps __

iPads are very beneficial, not only to the general education sphere, but the iPad can support the special education classroom and students in many amazing ways. The iPad can be used in the special education classroom to help with children with social or behavioral problems, students with a learning disability, students with different learning styles and students who need that extra push. The iPad has thousand upon thousand applications to help students with special needs.

The iPad can be used in the special education classroom to help with children with social or behavioral problems. This application is just the start. ABC Data is an application that is for data collection for a student that might have behavioral problems. Instead of having a behavior chart, ABC Data counts behaviors by simple tallies or percent, records duration and sends emails. First Then is an app that a student could use to moniter their daily behavior and put it into a simple audio-visual tool for the daily tasks and step by step instructions. The two applications, iReward and iRewardChart are awesome apps that allow for portable rewards and praise that either the teacher or student can do. They assign tasks or keep track of daily behaviors along with a motivational chart. The app TimeTimer is great for students who are self-monitoring their behavior. It can either vibrate or make sound periodically to keep tabs on behavior. Moving to the social aspect of the iPad and how it helps students with Autism or other similar disabilities that interferes with their communication skills there are many apps to cater to this. "One of the most popular, and most expensive at $189.99, applications is Proloquo2Go, which is available for the iPhone or iPad. This application is used for augmentative and alternative communication and provides natural sounding text-to-speech voices. The application list for communication, social skills, math, behavioral skills, and language arts is long—and growing" (Herbert, 2010). Others include iConverse, which is a tool used for more severe disabilities to express food, drink, bathroom, help, help, and sick, iCommunicate which helps with language comprehension, Voice4U with 130 audio recordings, SentenceBuilder to help build sentences, ArtikPix to help with articulation, and DAF Assistant which helps with stuttering and many, many more.

Students learn in all different ways. The iPad can help with all learning styles, especially in the special education classroom. "Students are entering a world of virtual kinesthetics in which they can now manipulate information by touch and control spatial design. The manipulation, rotation, mirroring, flipping all available within the device will allow the child to demonstrate the learning of this concept in a whole new way" (Dawson, 2010). There are so many interactive apps that allow the student to experience learning while at their desks when they cannot get up and move. There are reading apps, writing apps, math apps, music apps, song apps, art apps, game apps, and accessibility apps, all centered around special education. There are reading applications such as ABC Animals, ICDL Books for Children, See Read Say, StoryKit, and many more. Writing apps include iWriteWords, Word Magic, Chicktionary and additional writing apps to help. Math apps such as Pop math and Cute Math help with basic skills along with other math topics. Students who may need music or art to assist them in the learning process may use apps such as Bloom, Pandora Radio, Vocal Zoo, Doodle Buddy, Doodle Kids, and iColoringBook. Of course there are thousands of game apps that are interactive and fun for students to engage in when the might need a break or have some free time or a new interactive way of learning such as Preschool Adventure, The Oregon Trail, and others. The iPad can help in the special education classroom with children who have issues and can help individually. For example, an issue might be physical handicaps or fine motor problems. A special education teacher has personal experience with this. "We do reading, writing, spelling and creating; we also do counting, math etc....and what was extraordinary, within the first week kids who had reputations as kids who roamed the classroom, refused to work, struggled with handwriting, were sitting at their tables completely engrossed in the various applications and learning at the same time" (Barley, 2011). The accessibility applications are amazing in that they help with all sorts of learning and physical disabilities and handicaps. Some are iBraille, soundAMP R, and Web Talk, among others.

These applications among thousands more can assist the teachers and the students in the special education classroom in more ways than one. They allow for new ease of access, accessibility, help with behavior problems, those with learning disabilities and handicaps, across the scale.

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=Works Cited= Barley, K. (2011, March 30). //iPads In Education//. Retrieved September 2011, fromiPads In Special Education: []

Dawson, C. (2010, April 14). //Why the iPad Absolutely Matters//. Retrieved September 2011, from Apple iPad Forum: [] Herbert, M. (2010, November). //The iPad—Breaking New Ground in Special Education//. Retrieved September 2011, from []

Photo by skriley

=== While the iPad is beneficial for many different special need learners, one group in particular takes to the iPad. The iPad has been described as a miracle device for children with autism. Autism is a “range of disorders that is characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior.” Research and observations have found that children with autism instantly take to the iPad. Some speculate that this phenomenon is because, unlike human expressions and reactions, autistic children know what to expect when they use the iPad (Kate, 2010). Unlike computers, the iPad gives autistic children direct control of what they are doing. Children with autism can use the device to communicate, play games, share ideas and even make puzzles. The screen size of the iPad in comparison to iPod Touches or iPhones is perfect for allowing quality applications. ===

===Despite the initial costs, the iPad is worth the money and in the end, a cheaper alternative to many of the technologies used by individuals with autism. Many autistic students are non-verbal and use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. This is an often large, bulking device that individuals with autism often must carry with them. The device allows the user to push buttons, each often with accompanying pictures to form a sentence. The device them will speak the sentence for the individual. The app Prologuo2Go allows the individual to free themselves of the bulky AAC. The app may be expensive, but the cost of the iPad and the app is considerably less than the AAC. The iPad is easier to carry and a “cooler” device. Best of all, the user can download other helpful apps for autism. (Brandon, 2011) === ===The possibilities for applications for autism are endless. While some applications are made specifically for children with autism, others were not but are still as effective. iMean is an app designed specifically for autism. It turns the screen into a large button keyboard with text display and word prediction. Children with autism often have trouble with simple human interactions and communications. The apps Look in My Eyes and Smile at Me helps autistic children practice their social cues. Other apps such as Fizz Brain, an app for educational games, helps autistic children learn. It presents information in a way that is appealing to autistic children. (Autism Apps) ===

media type="custom" key="11636738" =Bibliography= //Autism Apps//. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2011, from Autism Speaks: http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/resource-library/autism-apps Brandon, J. (2011, March 9). //Is the iPad a 'Miracle Device' for Autism?// Retrieved October 28, 2011, from Fox News.com: http://foxnews.comscitech/2011/03/09/can-apple-ipad-cure-autism/print Kate. (2010 йил 20-August). //How the iPad Can Help Kids with Autism//. Retrieved 2011 йил 8-Naovember from Parenting.com: http://www.parenting.com/blogs/show-and-tell/kate-parentingcom/how-ipad-can-help-kids-autism