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= **Special Tools to Assist Students with Special Needs**  =

We believe that all students deserve to have the best education possible regardless of their disabilities. Therefore, we have provided information regarding the following technology tools that can assist students with special needs to achieve success.

=**IntelliKeys USB** =

What is an IntelliKeys?
===IntelliKeys is a tool that can be great when working with physically disabled children. This device is basically a keyboard that can be changed around and customized based on the needs of each student. ===

How can this device be used in a classroom to benefit disabled students?
===Regular keyboards can be challenging for disabled children considering the location of the keys. Therefore, IntelliKeys allows the teacher to customize the keyboard to meet the child's needs. For example, there are different overlays that can be applied to make this touch screen device easier to use for students. The keys are larger, more spaced out, and easier to read. It allows disabled children to become familiar with working on the computer. Teachers can introduce students to typing documents and can also set up fun curricular activities for them to explore. ===

[|Awards this device received]
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How is it used?
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===This video provides a brief tutorial of how to use the IntelliKeys. It provides you with information about different settings you can change on the keyboard as well as additional tools that can be applied to this device to meet the students' needs. IntelliKeys Tutorial Step by Step===

Other Features!

 * ===Several different overlays ===
 * ===Mouse access, math access, QWERTY access, basic writing, and alphabet ===
 * ===Create your own overlays! Overlay-maker ===
 * ===IntelliBraille that is compatible with IntelliKeys IntelliBraille ===
 * ===Personalize the touch control of the keyboard ===
 * ===Macintosh and Windows compatible ===

=**What is a Smart board?** = ==Smart boards are interactive white boards with the capabilities of various educating tools all in one. With its touch-screen advantage, teachers and students are able to quickly and easily gather and share information, play interactive games, view real-life images and videos, and much more. Smart boards are a new technology that allows students to engage in their education and allows teachers to bring their concepts alive and make them exciting. This video link will explain what a Smart board is and why it is so beneficial, especially in the classroom. == = [|Brief summary of a Smart board] =



=How can a Smart board be beneficial to Special needs students? = ==Students with special needs can benefit from the Smart board in various ways. Often times, special needs students are a very diverse classroom with many different learning styles, sometimes completely different from another. The Smart board is capable of meeting the needs of each student. Whether a student has Autism or Down Syndrome, he or she can use and benefit from the Smart board in some way. The Smart board can offer increased independence and participation in classroom activities (Lever-Duffy). "It can also enable students who have disabilities that interfere with prerequisite skills, such as writing, to demonstrate their understanding of subject matter. It can provide a voice for students who cannot speak" (Lever-Duffy). The Smart board can be adjusted into any tool useful for those with special needs. Additionally, the Smart board comes with a list of links and websites useful for various types of learners ranging from very simple to more complex for each type of learner in your class. For example, I have posted a link below to a site I use everyday for my students who have different types of special needs. This site helps students who cannot write with the ability to spell, form sentences, and learn to read in a fun, new way. For those students who struggle in math, this site provides fun games ranging from easy to difficult depending on that student's abilities. Furthermore, the Smart board provides group participation, encouragement, and teamwork when working or "playing" on this site. ==

= [|A "Smart" website for a diverse classroom] =

=<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Why choose a Smart board? =

Simply because the Smart board is easy, big, flexible, and, most importantly, fun!
===<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Easy!** <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> -The convenience of having a large technological screen that can incorporate academic subjects and allied arts into the classroom with one simple touch is astounding. Considering those who are immobile and those who prefer to stay in one classroom throughout the day, such as the case with Autism, the Smart board becomes a necessity when creating a fun, stress-free, productive environment. === ===<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Big!** <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Because the Smart board is so big, it has the capabilities of encouraging participation, maintaining student focus, and motivating student learning. Having such a large screen in the classroom also benefits those who have difficulties seeing small print and those who do not obtain good visual motor skills. In addition, kids with special needs love visual aids, and they respond very well to images, videos, and color. === ===<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Flexible! -<span style="color: #000080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> From personal experience in a special needs classroom, I can inform you that a special needs classroom changes every day. Whether it's a change in schedule or stress that accompanies a student's behavior and physical health, teachers must always accommodate their schedules to fit the needs and best interests of the students. A Smart board allows teachers to be flexible in their plans when deciding whether to make the lesson more fitting and simple or to have the lesson be a bit more complex and challenging. A special needs teacher knows that flexibility is a must-have in the classroom, and the Smart board provides that. === ===<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Fun! -<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Every student wants the classroom to be fun, and special needs children are no different. Students with special needs require even more attention and laughter because their focus and attention is very short. Furthermore, academic subjects are more difficult to grasp for these children. Therefore, providing a fun, enjoyable learning experience is crucial to their development in order to keep them interested. With its fun activities and games and its animated visual aids, the Smart board is fun! ===

Additional links to learn more about the Smart board and what it can provide: [] [] []



<span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">iPad for all. <span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">iPad comes with a screen reader, support for playback of closed-captioned content, <span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">and other innovative universal access features — right out of the box. <span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">There’s no additional software to buy or install. These features make iPad <span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">easier to use for students who have a vision impairment, are deaf or hard of hearing, <span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">or have a physical or learning disability. <span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">[|Learn More About Accessibility on iPad]

<span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 230%; text-align: center;">iPad in Education

<span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">iPad inspires creativity and hands-on learning with features you won’t find in any other <span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">educational tool — on a device that students really want to use. Powerful built-in apps <span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">and apps from the App Store let students engage with content in interactive ways, <span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">find information in an instant, and access an entire library wherever they go. And now, <span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">with the introduction of Multi-Touch textbooks, iPad takes learning to a whole new level. <span style="color: #008080; display: block; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">[|Learn More About iPad's Educational Uses]

See How iPad Helps Autistic Children Communicate media type="youtube" key="dxN7xxrKuGc" height="315" width="420" align="center"

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