Technology within a Unit Lesson Plan

Technology within a Unit Lesson Plan

Hello everyone! Today I am going to share with you how I incorporate technology into unit lesson plans. Below you will find some examples of technology that I use on a regular basis, how it helps engage students, how I manage the technology, and how technology promotes global awareness and diverse cultural perspectives.

Communication Devices:

Many of my students use communication devices. These are iPads that have communication apps on them. Students use their devices to interact with the lessons, answer questions, and express their wants and needs. These devices are personalized so they show people in their family, skin color is changed to match their own in the visuals, their likes and favorites are available, and more.

These devices are their voices so we do not take them away unless they are physically harming the device, and even then it is moved out of the way for a few minutes for the student to calm down. When students are playing around with their devices by continuing to click different buttons during instruction I:

  •  First see if any of the words are related to the lesson
  •  Then I will comment about something they said using the device
  • Finally, I will remind them that our voices are quiet (if it is a time where students are typically expected to be quiet).

Boom Cards

A class favorite is Boom Cards. Boom Cards are interactive cards that teachers can design themselves or buy already made for any subject, topic or skill imaginable. We use the multiple choice and drag and drop features the most. This allows my students with motor skill, vision, and communication deficits to interact with the lesson, gets students up and moving, and makes the learning feel more like a game. Boom Cards have been a great help with it comes to teaching lessons, collecting data, and practicing the same skills but with different themed cards. This helps my students who are often working on the same skills for weeks, months, and sometimes years engaged and keeps activities fresh and less repetitive. These are also customizable so that you can include clipart, pictures, and stories that promote and expose students to different cultures.

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