Special Education Classroom in Need of Technology

Funded Oct 11, 2022

Thank you for your wonderful donation. I am a special education teacher and my classroom has students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. It is important to provide students with an effective learning environment that provides them with multiple opportunities to learn. All my students have different needs and need differentiation when it comes to learning. My students are now able to access multiple sources that require them to use headphones. For example, they can either listen to a video or listen to a book that is connected with our lesson. They are able to access Renaissance Learning that reads them a book, they can record themselves reading a book, and take quizzes that reads the question to them. The headphones give my students the ability to use their Chromebooks in a small group setting and access resources that are assigned to the student.

During district and state test the students accommodations of text to speech and speech to text gives them the opportunity to demonstrate their academic performance. The headphones have a microphone and they are allowed to speak to the computer. This soothes my students levels of frustrations because of their headphones. Each student has their own headphones assigned to them, which avoids conflict. When teaching whole group instruction it was hard for my students to hear the sound coming from my computer speakers. The speakers allowed my students to fully stay engaged and use their auditory learning. Students get excited when they have the opportunity to use their accessories. The headphones are also a part of reinforcement, students use them as a reward when they have earned computer time. My students also have behaviors and as needed are allowed breaks and can use their headphones during this time to deescalate if needed.

Social emotional learning allows students to regulate their emotions and learn coping skills that will help with their level of frustrations. They can use their headphones to listen to soothing music or watch videos that pertain to the Zones of regulations. They have a calming tool box and this is a skill that we are teaching the students to use when they are in the red zone. Instead of lashing out they can calm their body with the use of technology. Some of the students respond well and some of the student are still working on identifying their emotions and use a coping strategy. Thank you once again!”

With gratitude,

Ms. Lara