edtech » Special Education and Learning Differences

By Jill Haney – Author of the PCI Reading Program and Chief Product Evangelist

As the mother of two children, including one with autism who is nonverbal, I am intrigued by the possibilities that new technologies present for engaging all learners. I’ve watched my seven-year-old daughter learn to master her Wii and DSi game consoles far more quickly than I seem to be able to learn the ins and outs of Excel. My five-year-old son was interacting with electronics intended for three-year-olds before he turned one. He may be nonverbal, but I’ve learned to see the patterns of which electronic toys and which musical tunes he chooses to settle down for bed, calm down when frustrated, or start his “get-ready-in-the-morning” routine.

The first time I got a close look at the iPad, I started thinking about its usefulness as a communication device. iPad users can download applications that show survival signs, teach letter-sound correspondence, and make counting money fun. For my son, I can see the iPad becoming a digital communication book he can use to indicate what he needs or the destination he would like to go simply by touching an image on the screen.

So it doesn’t surprise me that schools like Wood Lane School in Bowling Green, Ohio, are using iPads in their classrooms for students with special needs. As the teacher in the article states, the iPad has the potential to replace much more costly assistive technology devices and be more versatile in its uses.

What are some of the new technologies you are using to reach students with special needs in your school or district? What applications would you like to see become available?

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Jill Haney

Jill’s responsibilities include managing the development of proprietary reading curriculums, training customers on PCI’s reading curriculums and other proprietary products, conceptualizing new products, writing sales and marketing literature related to the reading curriculums, staying current on reading and other educational research, overseeing the research conducted on PCI’s products, and staying current on federal and state legislation related to education.

Prior to her career with PCI Education, she was a national reading consultant and a seventh grade reading teacher. In 1999, she was named Teacher of the Year for San Antonio ISD and won the Trinity Prize for Teaching. Haney earned a BA with honors and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Trinity University in San Antonio. She has additional graduate reading hours from University of Texas San Antonio.

by Erin Kinard

As educators, our task is to push students to move past the boundaries of what they are currently able to do—to expand their abilities, stretch their knowledge, test their understandings, and apply skills in new and unfamiliar contexts. We do this in an effort to help students achieve their fullest potential—to be their best academic, social, emotional, and professional selves. For most students, taking risks in a learning environment is not an easy or comfortable process. For students who have experienced repeated failures in school, the prospect of taking risks can be paralyzing.

At the recent Games, Learning & Society (GLS) conference , Beth King, a PhD. candidate at the University of Washington at Madison, presented on the process of “creating possibility spaces” for students within the virtual world of Sims2. King described her research with adolescent boys who were disaffiliated with school and had low academic self-esteem. The boys also had a strong affiliation with video games and gaming culture. “The project goal was to encourage each participant to consider the future not in terms of current academic performance but instead based upon their unique hopes, dreams and passion using potential self (Markus & Nurius, 1986) strategies.”

King situated herself as an advocate for the boys by creating safe places for them to practice their “authentic” selves and explore “possible” selves. Within the virtual world of Sims2, she had the boys explore who they thought they could become, who they were afraid to become, and who they were likely to become. King then conducted a series of career development interventions that included a blend of self-explorations within the virtual world sandbox as well as visits to actual worksites and college campuses. After the project, the boys who participated reported an increased ability to visualize their “hoped-for” futures. They also spoke about their individual futures with language that indicated much more agency and ownership.

As educators of students with special needs, the “possibility space” opened up within the sandbox of the virtual world is something we should be fully exploring. If we can give students the opportunity to safely “try on” a number of different occupations and explore various futures and identities, they may surprise us in ways we could never imagine.

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Erin Kinard
Vice President, Product Development/Publisher

Erin Kinard joined PCI as the Vice President, Product Development/Publisher in December, 2009. Kinard oversees product development for the company. Prior to joining PCI, Kinard served as Editorial Director, Reading and ESL for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Supplemental Publishers in Austin. During her eight years at Harcourt, Kinard held a variety of positions including Editorial Director of Steck-Vaughn, and Editorial Director of Reading for Harcourt Achieve. In addition to her educational publishing experience at other companies including Brown Publishing Network and Scholastic, Inc.,

Special Education and Learning Differences

Using iPads to Help Students with Special Needs

Possibility Spaces: Using Interactive Technology for Career Development with Students with Special Needs