Special Education Classroom

Recently, I observed a speical education classroom. This was a requirement for my Exceptional Child psychology class. It was very interesing, I had never been in an environment like this before. The students were in second, third, and fourth grade and what really stood out to me was the use of computers in this classroom. When I arrived there the students were creating books about the Solar System. They were to write a page about each planet, have it proofread by an adult in the classroom and then type it in Microsoft Word and print it. I was only really introduced to computers in fifth grade, I felt that it was great for them to be introduced to the use of computers earlier in their life. The teacher explained to me that typing on the computers is a daily activity that the children participate in becuase it helps work on their fine motor skills. Many of these children had problems with their fine motor skills and their behavior. Working on the computers allowed them to work on their motor skills while being intrigued by the screen and very focused. Also later in the class, during "math time" the students used a program called Math Blaster to work on their addition, subtraction and multilipcation skills. Each level required higher knowledge of math to pass. The children really enjoyed this game and were learning a lot from it. I feel that the use of computers in elementary and special education classrooms is very beneficial in more ways than one. It helps the students focus, it helps them work on their motor skills and also other skills such as math. In this world of technology it is very valuable to be introduced to computers at such a young age. It will definatley help these children out in the long run.