Technology Tools for Special
Learners
Tammi Gearhart
EdTech 541, Spring ‘11
Tools for Students with
Cognitive Disabilities
Boardmaker
• http://www.mayer-johnson.com/category/boardmakerfamily-1
• Boardmaker and Boardmaker Plus! are software
programs that are intended to be used for non-verbal
students and students who are learning English as
another language. It allows the user to create
communication boards, sequencing charts, reading and
writing activities, worksheets, and schedules. Boardmaker
Plus! allows you to create onscreen activities with sound
and animation. Because Boardmaker Plus! Can be
accessed through a variety of input devices, it allows the
program to be used by students with a wide-range of
disabilities.
Benefits
• Images can be helpful for children who respond
better to visual prompts during transition times.
• Images can be used for ELL students to work on
literacy skills.
• Images can be used to help students express
how they are feeling or choose appropriate
behavior.
Whizkids
• http://www.whizkidgames.com/ or
http://www.autismgames.com.au/
• Whizkids is a collection of social stories that were
developed for mild to severely autistic children.
The interactive stories are narrated by a gentle
and positive voice, demonstrating examples of
how to greet people, how to wait patiently in line,
how to cope with change, and many other daily
activities.
Benefits
• Children can practice daily situations virtually
without it being frightening or intimidating, and
they can see behavior in routine situations
modeled appropriately.
Tools for Students with
Physical Disabilities
Intellikeys
• http://www.intellitools.com/demo/control.asp?site
=itc
• Intellikeys is an alternative keyboard that has
overlays that can be used for various purposes
(word processing, math, etc.) Overlays can also
be created and customized for students or for
specific pieces of software. In addition to having
key guards that can be used to prevent
accidental key strokes, it has larger keys, and the
ability to put letters in alphabetical order and with
fewer options on the keyboard than on a
standard keyboard.
Benefits
• According to the web site, Intellikeys is useful
for students with motion issues, problems
with fine motor skills, low vision, or learning
disabilities.
etype
• http://www.etype.com/
• etype is a word completion software package.
As students begin words, a list of potential
matches appears. Rather than having the
student finish typing the word, the student is
able to click on the correct words.
Benefits
• This program would be helpful for students
with motor control (such as muscular
sclerosis), fine motor problems, and literacy
disabilities by reducing the amount of
keyboarding necessary, allowing document
production to be easier and with a higher
level of accuracy.
Tools for Students with
Sensory Disabilities
Bookshare
• http://www.bookshare.org/
• Bookshare is a web site that has over 90,000
books, magazines, and periodicals that are
available for downloading to a computer,
reader, or iPad. Membership for students with
IEPs is free. Once downloaded, the book can
be read aloud through various tools: software
that can be downloaded from the Bookshare
site or by using the text reader found on a
Mac. Books can also be printed in Braille if an
embosser is available.
Benefits
• This site would be helpful to a wide range of
students, but by offering downloads that can
be printed in Braille, it is especially useful for
producing materials for students who are
visually impaired.
Accessibar
• http://accessibar.mozdev.org/
• An issue that faces many people who are
visually impaired is using the Internet. The
Accessibar is a toolbar extension for Firefox
that provides a number of accessibility of
options. When installed, Firefox has a new
toolbar that allows full-page zoom, the ability
to change fonts, the ability to hide graphics,
change line spacing, define shortcut keys,
and use text-to-speech options.
Benefits
• Accessibar provides ease in navigating the
Internet for visually impaired students.
• There is a wide range of modifications to the
screen so that it can be customized to the
student’s needs.
Tools for At-Risk Student
Boysread
• http://www.schoolinfo.ca/boysreading/
• Boysread.com is a web site that promotes
reading for boys grades 7 – 12, but who have
low reading levels (as low as 2nd grade). All
books have been evaluated and chosen by
reluctant male readers. In addition to having
recommendations for books for males who
are reluctant to read, they have tips for
parents, links to other web sites that promote
reading, and the ability to listen to podcasts of
first chapters of many books.
Benefits
• Boysread helps by introducing students to
books that may be potentially interesting by
providing first chapters in podcast form, and
reviews of different books in podcast format.
• The podcast format can help reduce the
cognitive load for students who struggle with
reading.
Gamedesk
• http://www.gamedesk.org/
• GameDesk is an organization that matches
core curriculum with software that allows
students to create and use games. Their
target population is low-income and minority
students in some of the low-performing
schools in Los Angeles.
Gamedesk continued
• According to the web site, it “embeds STEM
content into game-centered projects with a
strong focus on creating purpose, ownership,
and personal/professional value to STEM
related fields of study.”
• The success of the program has led to the
Los Angeles School District receiving a grant
from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
to open a game and media-based charter
school.
Benefits
• Gamedesk approaches learning from a
different perspective, using today’s
technology tools to engage and motivate atrisk students while they are learning core
subject matter.
Tools for Gifted and Talented
Students
The Why Files
• http://whyfiles.org/
• The Why Files is a web site that covers the
science, math, and technology that can help
students understand current events. Students
can experiment with science through virtual
exercises.
Benefits
• This web site engages students through
questions for debate, offering opportunities
for hypothesizing, and providing information
that will challenge students’ higher-level
thinking skills.
Kids Tate
• http://kids.tate.org.uk
• Tate Kids is sponsored by the Tate Art
Collection in Great Britain. This web site has
videos of interactive videos, students creating
art, games, and opportunities to create, all
using higher-level thinking skills.
Benefits
• This site challenges artistically talented
children to analyze, interpret, compare, and
use information that may not be encountered
in the every day classroom. This also
provides an opportunity to experience art that
otherwise wouldn’t be able to be experienced
by many children that are not geographically
close to the Tate Collections.