Journal Five

Journal 5:
Overcoming Obstacles: Ohio’s Lawrence School uses tablet PCs to aid students with learning disabilities.

Wong, Wylie (Aug/Sept 2008). Overcoming Obstacles: Ohio’s Lawrence School uses tablet PCs to aid students with learning disabilities. EDTECH: Focus on K-12, Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://www.edtechmag.com/k12/issues/august-september-2008/overcoming-obstacles.html

This article explains how “the Lawrence School, and independent school in Ohio that educates students in grades 1 through 12 with dyslexia, attention deficit disorder and other learning differences, is using tablet PCs and software that helps the students overcome their learning disabilities.” (Wong, 2008) There are several software programs that help students by converting text into speech and vice versa, electronic binders to help keep students organized, and digital organization mapping tools, such as the program Inspiration. Originally this began as a pilot program involving only a few students, but had such great success that now every student has a tablet PC and are even taught mandatory computer skills classes as ninth graders.

1. How can this useful technology be integrated into public school systems?
It seems as though it really can’t be integrated into public school systems because there is not enough money to cover the costs of all of the computers needed for all students with learning disabilities.
2. Would the use of this technology benefit more than just those students with learning disabilities?
I would imagine that all students could benefit from using these types of technology in the classroom, because even if one doesn’t have a learning disability they may learn in a different way, making this kind of technology useful for them as well.