The Arkansa - ADE Special Education
The Arkansa - ADE Special Education
The Arkansa - ADE Special Education
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program. One of our Autistic students has this<br />
to say about PAWS, “It’s better than the Sponge<br />
Bob typing program because it is not timed, it<br />
has more games, you don’t have to type as<br />
many letters to move onto higher levels.” He<br />
says his typing is getting better, and he would<br />
prefer to type than to write. He is a fourthgrader.<br />
<strong>The</strong> school psychology specialist<br />
reports that two Autistic fourth-graders express<br />
themselves better when they don’t have to<br />
write. One started on PAWS last year and is<br />
already on level 7 and is much more fluent<br />
when writing a Word document. His regular<br />
education teacher is bragging on how well he is<br />
expressing himself.<br />
One second-grade teacher, who is fortunate to<br />
have the computers in her classroom for everyone,<br />
describes some of the advantages her<br />
students enjoy. She starts by saying how<br />
delighted she is to share how the marvelous<br />
little black machines open up the intriguing<br />
world of learning experiences! Some of the<br />
most frequently used programs are the United<br />
Streaming video library and the Compass<br />
program. She says that it is so fabulous to be<br />
able to instantly access visual support presentations<br />
immediately in the classroom. <strong>The</strong><br />
available subject choices are so vast that all<br />
information or pictures about a subject can be<br />
found right away. <strong>The</strong> Golden Book<br />
Encyclopedia, in Compass, is one of her<br />
favorite learning places because the children<br />
hear poetry, see pictures, read works, meet<br />
authors and illustrators and experience actual<br />
video clips of many different things, for<br />
example, video clips of Hurricane Katrina. She<br />
says that every student is enthralled and the<br />
learning has never been so much fun and so<br />
effective! Children use headphones to allow<br />
them to move at their own pace without<br />
interruption. Math Virtual Manipulative<br />
Library website is a frequent place for this<br />
T.A.S.E. Winter - 29<br />
class to visit, where they can practice and<br />
experiment with math principles and move<br />
virtual manipulatives around with the click of a<br />
mouse. As she concludes, she says that one of<br />
the best advantages of Compass programs is<br />
that students can have assignments individualized<br />
to meet their ability level.<br />
Computer programs may be individualized for<br />
any student for enrichment or enhancement.<br />
Programs may be chosen on the student’s level<br />
for success. One teacher states that this process<br />
is most effective when the special education<br />
teacher and the regular education teacher<br />
collaborate to choose the correct levels.<br />
<strong>The</strong> two elementary schools, with numerous<br />
computers, continue to intrigue us. We are<br />
closely monitoring the effectiveness of this<br />
wonderful invention. <strong>The</strong> whole concept of<br />
making a vast difference in the ability of some<br />
of our Autistic students to communicate and<br />
express themselves is a gold mine.<br />
So, while the Fayetteville Public School<br />
District may not have magical technology or be<br />
doing anything different than anyone else, we<br />
are certainly proud of what we have<br />
accomplished and proud of the positive<br />
benefits that come from all the varied devices.<br />
We continue to try to stay abreast of the latest /<br />
greatest information available concerning<br />
technology. Our concern is always for the<br />
students and how to make their educational<br />
environment more enriching.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Fayetteville School Board voted to supply<br />
each teacher with his/her own laptop with<br />
wireless internet cards. <strong>The</strong> teachers are<br />
encouraged to take them home and use them to<br />
their advantage. While this purchase alone<br />
may not have been directly for students, they<br />
are certainly indirectly affected. Hopefully,