Respond to this discussion. Two apa citation. In considering the specific program you are developing, how might you adapt the design for special needs students and those who use assistive or adapti

Respond to this discussion. Two apa citation.  

In considering the specific program you are developing, how might you adapt the design for special needs students and those who use assistive or adaptive technologies?

When thinking about how I might adapt the design of my program for students with special needs I would consult with my Exceptional Student Education (ESE) resource teacher.  I would share my program with her to determine ways I might need to alter the design or have her assist me with ensuring that I meet the need of all students in the classroom.  I currently only have one ESE student and he does not require assistive or adaptive technologies.  One way I could support him is to have the ESE resource teacher front load some of the Science vocabulary that he will need to understand in order to complete this unit.  When this is done he will not become confused by so many new and unknown words.

2. Describe and give examples of ways to include technology in your program and in your student assessments.

The school district where I currently work has a teaching and learning hub called Schoology (Schoology, n. d.).  It is similar in a way to Blackboard but has more features for student assessments and additional ways to bring technology into the classroom.  Through Schoology we have access to a program called Nearpod which provides lessons in just about every subject area that you can think of and they are interactive for the students (Nearpod, n. d.).  They can be done together as a whole class or can be assigned individually as a formative assessment.  In this day and age, elementary students tend to be more engaged in the lessons that use technology, so by adding this element to my unit it could increase the level of student engagement. There have also been times when I have seen the use of technology improve student achievement.

3. What are some specific strategies you might use to adapt your program, or specific parts of it to work with English Language Learners?

In the content area of Science one of the most beneficial strategies you can use for English Language Learners (ELL) is to explicitly teach vocabulary.  Teachers must give ELL students a simple and clearly understood definition and provide a visual of some sort if possible (Penn State College of Education, n. d.).  It is also crucial that the vocabulary is taught in context and the ELL students should be involved in using the vocabulary in their conversations (Penn State College of Education, n. d.).  A specific strategy I could use is to modify  or adapt their text into shorter segments using simple sentences or short step by step instructions for activities (Penn State College of Education).

References

Nearpod. (n. d.). Using technology in the classroom with Nearpod.  Retrieved from https://nearpod.com/how-it-works/.

Penn State College of Education. (n. d.). How can I support ELLs in my classroom? Retrieved from https://ed.psu.edu/pds/elementary/intern-resources/esl-handbook/supporting-ells.

Schoology. (n. d.). Advance what’s possible. Retrieved fromhttps://www.schoology.com/.