July 2008 — News
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Teachers & Technology: June Weston
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Teachers & Technology is a regular column featuring teachers who share specific technologies or strategies that have made positive differences in their students.
It's one thing--a difficult thing, at that--to teach a class of high school students one particular subject. But what about teaching a class of special education students a variety of subjects at a variety of teaching levels? That was the responsibility of June Weston, and she accomplished it with good software and exceptional pedagogy.
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Vital Stats: June Weston
School: Westside Alternative School, Midwest City, OK
Grades: 9 to 12
Subjects: Math, science, language arts, social studies, electives, etc.
Started teaching: 1975
Formal technology training: Using assistive technology for special needs students; using computers.
What I use: During the summer of 2000, I was given the opportunity to assist in the development and implementation of a program designed to meet the special education needs of those students who are experiencing difficulty within their current special education placement. This program would target specific skill development in the areas of conflict resolution, social skill development, behavior management, and academic achievement.
In order to make a program such as this work, I had to find a way to teach all grade and ability levels in the same room. I needed a modern one-room school. The only way to accomplish that was to institute the use of technology--computers instead of books. With the help of many different individuals and many hours of research, I found a company that could provide my students with the needed curriculum in a computerized format. The American Education Corporation's A+nywhere Learning System not only provided curriculum at all grade and ability levels, it also provided a pre-post testing option that allowed for accelerated student movement.
