Bridging the digital divide: Cal U donates iPads to special education classroom
Dana Connors, a special education teacher at Intermediate Unit 1's Colonial Campus, talks about the new iPads her students will use to improve their learning.
Lakelyn Sheldon, a California University of Pennsylvania student majoring in special and early childhood education, helps Austin Kennedy, a second-grade student, learn how to use apps on new iPads his class received.
Kelly Tunney | Herald-Standard
Jalissa McLaurin (from back to front), a student teacher from California University of Pennsylvania, helps Natiley Nicholson, a third-grade sudent, learn new apps, while Junior Franks, also a third-grade student, plays a game app with teacher’s aide Cindy Murphy. Cal U partnered with Intermediate Unit 1, the Colonial campus in Grindstone, to provide a cart of 10 iPads to a special education classroom at the school. Students tried out the new technology for the first time last week.
The excitement in the classroom was palpable.
Students’ eyes lit up as they explored their new iPads for the first time.
“I’m very grateful, and I’m excited to see the outcome,” said Dana Connors, special education teacher for Intermediate Unit 1.
California University of Pennsylvania has partnered with IU 1, the Colonial campus in Grindstone, to provide a cart of 10 iPads to a special education classroom at the school.
The iPads are pre-loaded with a variety of educational apps that Cal U’s special education department has found effective in working with special needs students.
“Everyone thinks everyone has access to technology, but it’s not always the case, and it’s not always the case for special education classrooms,” said Dr. Katherine Mitchem, professor in Cal U’s Special Education Department.
Mitchem spearheaded the partnership with the IU, building off of efforts she initiated over the last few years with other area schools and the Edith L. Trees Foundation, which supplied the funds for the latest iPad cart.
“They’ve been very gracious,” Mitchem said. “They found it as a great way to serve multiple people at the same time.”
The IU’s classroom hosts teachers-in-training from Cal U, especially those in the school’s new Applied Behavioral Analysis program. The iPads — and the educational programming that accompanies them — will allow IU1 teachers, Cal U student-teachers and students with disabilities to benefit from instructional technologies that support academic, social and functional skills.
“The university wants to derive maximum benefit from the generosity of the Trees Foundation, and this model of placing a mobile teaching lab in the school where our teacher trainees are placed seems to meet that goal,” said Chris Kindl, spokeswoman for Cal U.
Mitchem agreed.
“It’s a win-win situation,” Mitchem said. “Everyone really wins with this. It helps to save schools money in a time of limited resources, and still provides the best services and training possible. Our teachers in training are using them with kids instead of in an artificial situation.”
Mitchem is widely recognized for incorporating technology into both teaching and behavior management for special needs students. She said technology is her area of research interest, and believes students with disabilities can benefit in many ways from having access to technology like iPads.
“We know there are some really good evidence-based practices that audio, and video feedback can increase the rate of acquisition for a special needs student,” she said. “It helps them learn more quickly, fit in in the classroom and be included more easily. Our students with disabilities no longer stand out because everyone uses them (technology).”
She said a student, for example, who is learning a new task, can watch a video of that task, two, three or four times, to see how it’s done, and then self-monitor.
“They could watch it, carry it with them and check off the steps to see how well they’ve done,” Mitchem said. “Before, that would have required a coach be with them, and prompt them all the way through the tasks. With the iPads, they have something that gives the modeling, and auditory prompting they need.”
She wants to see students with disabilities participating independently.
“When you think about the possibilities, it allows people to become productive members of society without another person glued to their side,” Mitchem said.
According to Mitchem, her students are exploring educational apps and identifying the ones that work well for certain skills.
“This allows students with disabilities to reach their potential in a way that we’ve been missing out on a little bit,” Mitchem said.
In addition to the classroom in Grindstone, the Edith L. Trees Foundation has assisted the university in providing iPads to several other classrooms, including Dunbar Township Elementary in the Connellsville Area School District.
Mitchem said she plans to continue Cal U’s partnership with the foundation for years to come.
Looking ahead, Mitchem said her next step is to pursue funding to replace an iPad cart, which will be five years old next year, at Washington Park Elementary School.