Can you imagine being hindered by the language and communication deficits typical of a deaf or hard of hearing student in a public middle or high school today? How about add limited opportunity to access technology to this hindrance? This is the scenario facing most of my students.
My students need an iPad to access Internet sites for research, games, and visual stimulation to assist them in being successful in the classroom.
Most of my students come from homes without access to technology and limited opportunities for research and the chance to learn from guided instruction using technology, even at school.
Their hearing losses range from moderate to profound. Their language deficits not only impede their ability to meet the academic requirements of a public middle or high school, but also restrict their awareness of the outside world. Most of their parents lack the skills to communicate effectively with them, let alone, help them with their schoolwork. This places an enormous responsibility on me to give my students the academic and emotional support they need to succeed not only in school, but in the real world. My students' language and vocabulary deficits inhibit their success socially and academically. The limited technological access and lack of availability of the Internet and working computers, typical of an itinerant teacher's work setting, restrict the students' chances to receive meaningful instruction.
My Project
Without access to modern technology, meaningful instruction and support are substantially limited. Research indicates that visual and hands-on methods of instruction are best practice for students with hearing impairments. An iPad would be most helpful in this area, offering both visual and kinesthetic stimulation during my instruction with my students.
Most of the workspaces provided where I meet with the students have no available computers, and if one is available, it is archaic and slow. Having an iPad available would allow for Internet research, usage of educational applications and games, and would offer a compact, portable solution conducive to the all too often restricted work sites for a traveling teacher in a public school. This would allow a stepping stone for my students out of the isolation arising from being deficient in both receptive and expressive communication. This would make a profound difference in the effectiveness of our time together .
Donations to this cause would positively impact my instruction with these deaf and hard of hearing students.
An iPad would greatly improve my ability to present visuals for my students' learning. The acquisition of language for the hearing impaired rests largely on the ability to see examples and visual representations of content. Without access to technology, visual stimulation is limited to drawings, and printed hardcopies. An iPad would be a stepping stone on the rugged path to their success.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Mahaffey and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.