Technology has been a huge help towards getting Zack to work independently. His algebra lessons are on a CD that he plays back on his laptop computer. The CD consists of video lectures that correspond to his textbook. He watches the lesson, takes notes, and then works the problems in his book. If he needs help, he can refer back to the CD.
Prentice Hall science has some great interactive graphics on-line. The textbook provides a code, which Zack types into their website, and an animation related to the lesson will display. He can interact with the lesson by clicking on elements and initializing the animation. For example, this week he had a lesson about the rock cycle. He called up the animation, and then clicked on each arrow of the cycle and read the corresponding captions. Animated rocks would crumble, compress, or melt according to what part of the cycle they're part of. After the lesson, a short quiz was provided. If something was missed, he could return to the animation and look for the correct answer. Another resource he is using is a DVD that has more animations and slide shows to accompany most of the lessons in the textbook.
To assist in essay writing, Zack is experimenting with Dragon Naturally Speaking. It's a computer program that allows Zack to read into a microphone and it types his words. Then, Zack can go back through the text, and edit grammar and content. He's having a little trouble with it right now because the program isn't typing his words accurately. We're still in "training" mode for Zack and the program, so I'm hoping this problem will resolve itself. My purpose for having Zack use this program is two-fold. One, I'm hoping he will learn to enunciate more clearly; and two, I think it will be helpful in encouraging Zack to include more information in his essays.
Zack's reading fluency is still very low, so he used a CD for his novel studies. He followed along in the book, while listening to the audio. He would not have been able to get through the book in the allotted four weeks if he hadn't used this approach. To help with vocabulary, he uses an electronic dictionary that speaks the word as well as the definition.
For spelling, he is using a program called Sequential Spelling which is designed for dyslexics. The DVD reads the word, reads the word in a sentence, repeats the word, then allows time for him to write the word on his paper. Then, the spelling of the word is read and also shown on the screen. Zack receives the information auditorily as well as visually.
With all these technological resources, Zack can work independently for much of his day. If I have an appointment, I can trust that he is able to get through his work without me. It helps him generalize to other teachers and teaching methods, and I can see that it makes him a more confident student. Plus, I think it helps break up the day and makes it more interesting. If I were in his shoes, I would get tired of hearing just my voice all day! But not only that, it gives Zack a variety of ways to learn: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. They all overlap and help clarify lessons for him.
These are just a very few of the resources available. More and more are becoming available as educational experts take into account the different learning styles of students. It's exciting to see some of the websites that are being developed to help all kids learn. Not only is it more interesting for the students, and often more effective, but it's also getting them prepared for the digital working environment.
