For those of us who remember spending hours practicing our cursive handwriting and organizing note cards of information to compose a research paper, it is truly amazing how much the technology has changed the curricula for today’s students. Not only has typing has replaced penmanship, but written language has been simplified into e-mails and text messages that we can access instantly and from anywhere on our smart phones and tablets. Given the benefits and challenges that advances in technology have bestowed on contemporary students, Stacy Williams, Ph.D., CCC-SLP and Leigha Jansen, M.A., CCC-A explored digital literacy and it’s role in education and communication. Specifically, this course revealed ways to meaningfully integrate technology and digital media into the classroom and clinic (for us speech-language pathologists) to promote functional outcomes. Nowadays, we use our smart phones for an endless array of tasks. Since these devices are portable and easily accessible, digital tools and applications are very functional for today’s teens. Applications and digital tools to promote educational success were highlighted throughout this presentation, including those listed below. I recommend exploring these tools with your student to identify the most appropriate for his or her needs. Adding a twist to teaching through use of new technology may engage your student and improve his or her academic success for the upcoming school year.
- Tools for Planning and Organization
- Dropbox: digital storage system for storing, accessing, and modifying files online
- Remember the Milk: efficient to-do list application
- Evernote: note-taking and organization system
- myHomework: digital planner to track homework assignments
- iStudiez: an app that creates study schedules and alerts
- Tools for Reading and Writing
- Instapaper
- PenUltimate
- Flashcards
- Speak it! Text to Speech app
- Audible.com
- Goodreads
- MiniMod Reading for Details Lite
- Tools for General Knowledge and Academics
- Wolfram Alpha (search engine)
- TED talks (seminars)
- DevBooks (educational math apps)
- TeachingTable (for math concepts)
- The Elements (interactive periodic table)