PollEverywhere+and+Speech+Impairments

=**Poll Everywhere and Speech Impairments**=
 * Becky Anderson Summer Term 2, 2012**

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, students that have “a communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance,” are considered speech or language impaired. These students struggle in the classroom because they are not able to articulate their thoughts in a manner that does require a large amount of time, effort, or embarrassment. The traditional classroom generally does much in terms of asking students questions, gaining feedback orally, and providing time for students to ask questions. The students that have a speech impairment are at a disadvantage in these situations throughout their educational careers. They often are hesitant to participate in classroom discussions or to ask for help because of their impairment. One option to help engage all students in the classroom is by using PollEverywhere.com. This free site (for up to 40 users) allows users to text, twitter, and use the web to receive information. Instructors can pose a question to the class, and all students can respond. Not only does this web 2. 0 tool increase student interaction during the lesson, those that struggle with speech do not have to orally response. Instructors can post open ended questions or multiple choice questions to their students. This feedback system does not put the students on the spot when information needs to be clarified and the teacher has a much better understanding of her classroom’s grasping of the concept. This type of tool integrates technology into the classroom in such a way that the original purpose of assisting a student with a speech impairment will not be revealed.

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