My students are three to five year old children with special needs. They all have cognitive developmental delays and some of them also have delays in speech, fine motor, gross motor, and/or social skills. Some of my sweet children have diagnoses such as Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Cleft Palette, Deafness, Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and other orthopedic disabilities to name a few. They come from a variety of backgrounds however the majority are from low income disadvantaged families.
Seeing my students achieve something they were unable to do previously is the most rewarding part of my job.
I have the most rewarding job that I can imagine. It is such a joy to be a part of these special children's lives!
My Project
Technology is an ever evolving thing....except for my students. I currently have only 1 iPad for use during small group instruction. Although I'm fortunate to have an iPad at all, it's an iPad 2 and no longer receives updates. What that means for my students is that my most used and most beneficial apps for them no longer are able to receive updates or stop working all together since they are now incompatible with the version I have. There are also many apps that I am unable to download because they aren't supported by iPad 2.
With a new iPad, my students will be able to participate in fun learning activities to enhance their overall developmental skills.
In addition to improving cognitive skills, the use of an iPad also improves fine motor skills as well as communication. When used as a part of small group instruction, students must learn the important skills of sharing and waiting their turn.
An iPad is such a useful instructional tool to have for all learners and the apps available address unlimited skills and interests. Ipads offer assistive technology options such as communication apps, low vision supports, videos, social stories, and touch screen which allows access for even my most disabled students.
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