Technology Integration in Classrooms

One of the most recent experiences I've had with seeing technology in the classrom was in a lower elementary special ed (LD) classroom in Lansing. There are 13 children in this class, all functioning on very different levels. I was so impresse with how computers brought out skills in the children that I had not seen in the classroom, only in the computer lab. One of the main websites they used was a PBS kids website that had all kinds of games which enhanced skills ranging from colors, to shapes, to math problems. In the classroom, the children were sometimes not engaged, were bored with the lesson, didn't want to sit still, but in the computer lab they were completely focused on their computers. The educational games that they were using seemed to be working very well, because the teacher said she saw a difference in the skills they learned and applied in the classroom after playing the educational games for a couple of weeks. I have only been in special education placements, but from what I have seen it has been a great tool for children with special needs, in particular one with motor skill development difficulties. This particular child could not write/draw easily so he was not always capable of completing the work, even though it was just because he couldn't put down his ideas. Using the computer with a large mouse attached allowed him to play the games and type in a way that suited him best, so that he could still get the content from the lesson, and could focus on improving his motor skills in therapy sessions and other practice times. I have yet to see a bad example of technology used in any placement that I have been in. From SmartBoards to picture slide shows, I have seen students react very positively to all technology used.