Key Questions that should be considered when Selecting Educational Applications

As I had mentioned in my previous blog, I will now be turning my focus to Assistive Technology and Math. Mathematics is a very important skill that ALL students need and should acquire at a very young age. Students with disabilities, however, have difficulty acquiring such a skill mainly due to its complexity. Thankfully, there are devices out there specifically designed to accommodate those students who would greatly benefit from the use of them. Although there are an abundance of devices to choose from, there are certain questions a teacher and/or school administrator must consider when selecting the appropriate one for the student(s) goals and objectives to be met. 

Certain Key questions to include are:

1.) What is the intended outcome of the use of the educational application? Meaning, asking yourself questions such as "Is it meant to strengthen math skills in problem solving or is it meant to build speed and accuracy with basic math facts?"

2.) Is the educational applications likely to fulfill its stated purpose? Meaning, if the stated purpose is to help build problem-solving skills, does it provide the explanatory feedback needed to do so or simply access whether or not problems are solved correctly?

3.) Can the educational applications be used as an alternative to traditional classroom activities to enhance student participation? Meaning, will students learn as effectively using online math manipulatives as they would using traditional manipulatives?