Assistive Technology
Today, we had an in depth discussion about the uses of assistive technology. I learned that

• Everyone of us needs or uses assistive technology regardless of whether or not we have special needs.
• Assistive technology can be individualized to the individual (since people with special needs are so unique).

I thought back to a lot of my experiences. I've seen students use assistive technologies for something as simple as writing properly (using a grip) or for something as complex as electronically communicating (due to speech and language disabilities).
It's important to remember that just because something is not electronic does not mean that is a technology. For example, I know a student who has severe ocular issues that affect his vision and focus, so anything that he does that involves his eyes will be hindered. During writing, his letters are so scrambled and inconsistent-sometimes they're pressed together or spaced too far apart; So, his occupational therapist gave him a spacing tool that looks like a hand held ruler with a piece pointing out that acts as a tool that physically reminded him when and there to space.

Chapter 7 & 8

Many of us have experienced the struggle as a teacher: how do I make this (insert boring topic) come alive?
It's becoming more and more of a reality that catching a student's attention even for a brief second can be incredibly demanding, especially if you are in the field of special education, where attention deficits and uncontrolled impulses are very prevalent.
Since the introduction of technology into education, so much has changed in terms of attaining resources and information. Now, students can even "Dial-A-Teacher" or use online tutoring softwares to help with their homework. This is especially helpful for those students who may come from working class or immigrant families who simply cannot get the help from home-This is only one of the many changing facts of society now; We are faced with more immigrants and working class families. When you look at it from a small scale, these changes can affect family and school life; so i think we are lucky to have these technologies.
A really interesting thing I have learned as a special educator and use of the Apple products is that there are so many Apps out there now that can aid students with special needs! Regardless of whether your child needs early intervention, has autism, speech and language impairments, there is an app of anything and everything out there! I have recently discovered that there is even an app for dyslexia!

In conclusion, I do stand behind the integration of technology in education. Of course, it has to be implemented properly and correctly. In addition, we also have to consider factors such as unique learning styles. It is great that we have so many options of which educational apps and software to use, but one size doesn't fit all and therefore, not every app and software will be useful for every child.