So the other day in Special Needs in Education, Dr. Kress brought in a boy who was born deaf and when he was 3 had a cochlear implant placed in his head/on his ear. When we met him in class he was 13 year old, I believe, and was present with him mom, dad, and an old teacher. It was interesting to hear about the kinds of technology that he used in class to aid in his learning.
Not only is the cochlear implant an incredible piece of technology, but so is the speaker and microphone that he has in class. I suppose the mic and speaker aren't THAT interesting, but still. So his teacher wears a mic that rests around his/her neck, like a necklace. The sound is the transmitted to a speaker that is placed by the boy's desk and faced in his direction. Essentially, it simply amplifies the sound and creates more opportunity for the implant to pick up the sounds that are more difficult to understand ("b", "th", "sh", etc.).
So What?:
Well, that got me thinking about what other types of technology can be used to aid those students who have learning, physical, or behavioral disabilities. I feel that the physically disabled have a more apparent disability and are therefore, easier to take care of in this regard. But what about the behaviorally challenged? Is there technology that can help them focus and learn? Or the learning disabled? I know that almost all technology (when used correctly) creates a better learning environment, but is there specific things that can aid specific disabilities.
I don't have any answers to these questions - they're just questions. Things to get the thought process going.
Now What?:
Now, I want to research these questions. I want to find the answers. And I think we all should. The whole point of teaching is getting the individual to learn - and if there's a piece of technology that can improve a disabled child's chances to soak up knowledge, then I want to find it.
Until next time.
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