A pre-school teacher in Pikeside Learning Center at Martinsburg, West Virginia is using iPad Minis to revolutionize the way she teaches children with special needs. This is after her class received an iPad grant from a non-profit organization.
Your4State.com reports that pre-school teacher Kelly Miller received an iPad grant worth $1,400 from the West Virginia Community Foundation. Miller, who teaches young children with special needs, used the fund to purchase six units of iPad Mini for learning purposes.
Miller said that she is utilizing the iPad Minis to let her students relax in the classroom. She explained that using the iPad Minis will allow children with special needs to learn and have fun at the same time. The pre-school teacher also added that it will exercise the students' motor skills and teach them the value of sharing.
Aside from purchasing six iPad Minis, Miller also used a portion of the iPad grant to buy an $80-iTunes gift card, which will be used for the class activities of children with special needs. All learning devices contained alphabet games, Dr. Seuss stories, and other games and apps that can aid student learning.
Several experts have suggested in the past to use devices like iPad Minis to empower children with special needs. Luis Perez, author of Mobile Learning for All: Supporting Accessibility with the iPad, along with speech language pathologist Betsy Furler and Bridging Apps co-founder Cristen Carson Reat, wrote on Education World that an iPad is very helpful to special needs students because of its apps and accessibility features.
Perez, Furler and Reat said children with special needs, especially those who are non-verbal, could use an iPad to express their needs in a classroom. They also added that the device could aid in developing the writing and reading skills of a special needs child.
According to WonderBaby.org, there are various nonprofit organizations and local charities that offer iPad grant for children with special needs. These include iTaalk, HollyRod Foundation, Autism Care and Treatment, Special Kids Therapy and Small Steps in Speech.
