Article Critique
#1
Behrmann,
M.,
Jerome, M.K. (2002). Assistive Technology for Students with Mild
Disabilities. Retrieved
February
03, 2003, from ERIC database.
Many
educators
are knowledgeable about technology and understand that it should be
taught and
used in the classroom. However, many educators are not aware of all the
options
available, and how they can help those students with mild disabilities.
This
journal article informs the reader of assistive technology that can be
use to
help students succeed. The new technology affects the way one teaches and
the
way students learn. This is a great concept because it helps those
students
with mild disabilities have a balance between weak areas and strong
areas. It gives those students a higher
self-esteem, which in turns gives them higher grades, because they know
they
can complete the task.
I use
technology
in my classroom everyday and realize how much of a help it is to my
students. I
never really thought of the impact that it would have for students with
mild
disabilities until I read this article. I then realized that I have
already
assisted students without even trying. In the past, I had a student that
had
limited movements of his hands.
Computers made his life and mine so much easier, because he could
type
his papers and homework. Therefore, he didn’t get frustrated doing
his
work and I didn’t get frustrated grading it. I also had a legally
blind
student. She used many types of technology to help her including
computers, e-mates,
and talking Braille machines. I guess I always knew that students benefit
from
using different types of technology to help them, but I never really
processed
the information. One example from the article I really liked was the idea
of
video taping your self doing a lesson and then permitting a student that
learns
visually to watch the tape over and over again. For someone like myself,
who
teaches everyday, this is a great article. It promotes thinking and
motivates
you as a teacher.