Most elementary school teachers are familiar, at least to some extent, with assistive technology and how it can help provide equal learning opportunities for all of their students.  If you are not familiar with assistive technology, it can be anything that makes a task easier for a student.  This may include getting dressed, eating, writing, seeing, moving, communicating, and much more.

Students with disabilities given the chance to learn and communicate with their peers in a typical classroom setting often develop superior social and learning skills compared to those who are separated from their peers.  Assistive technology, along with more aggressive legislation, has allowed an increasing number of students with special needs to interact within classrooms amongst their peers; almost 100% of 6-11 year olds with disabilities receive an education in typical classrooms. 

The inclusion of computers in classroom learning activities has greatly increased the effectiveness of assistive technology.  More than ¾ of U.S. students use computers as a learning tool at school.  As the use of computers became more prevalent in elementary and secondary classrooms, so did the use of assistive technology.  Software is continually developed to help equalize learning opportunities for all students by allowing users to enlarge text, speak to type text, hear the text read allowed, and countless other operations to manipulate learning materials for better understanding.

In general, assistive technology can be broken down into two main areas, access and adaptive applications.  Access refers to the ability of a student to access learning and communication materials and these applications aim to make all classroom environments and activities available to all students.  Adaptive applications are meant to help bridge the communication gap between students with disabilities and students without.  Both kinds of tools are typical in a modern classroom and should be accessible to any children that need them.

 When students with disabilities are members of your classroom, incorporating computer technology and interactive learning devices into your all students’ learning will help facilitate an equal learning environment.  You can do this by adding assistive software to computers already equipped with learning materials.  Also, track balls, larger keyboards, and magnified or touch screens can be added to a computer to ensure all students have access to the general curriculum.  Continue to think of new, exciting ways to incorporate your students’ assistive technologies into the rest of the classroom’s learning.  If you have any suggestions or ideas to do this, please leave a comment below!

An ergonomic environment is meant to be created around an individual to facilitate a healthy work space.  Ergonomic work spaces focus on five specific areas to reduce repetitive stress injuries in the legs, back, arms, and wrists/hands; these five areas are: Safety, Comfort, Ease of Use, Productivity, and Aesthetics.  The combination of these features in an ergonomic chair can help provide you with a stress free work area while your students are taking tests, doing projects, or playing during recess. 

Ergonomic chairs are the most important step in creating an ergonomic environment.  Manufacturers of these chairs have conducted extensive research on skeletal stress and proper posture to provide the user with the maximum amount of comfort and convenience.  Ergonomic chairs are the easiest way to provide customizable ergonomics to most individuals without recreating an entire work environment.

  The advantages of ergonomic chairs over a typical office chair are countless.  Sitting at your desk for extended periods of time can cause back pain, as well as lead to stress in the neck, arms and wrists, and legs.  The proper posture created by sitting in an ergonomic chair will help reduce fatigue and muscle stress, increase blood flow, and increase your overall productivity in the classroom!  

Don’t let the time you spend sitting at your computer control your energy level and comfort for the rest of the day; pick up a new chair at iShopErgonomics!  There are a variety of ergonomic chairs available to accommodate any body size and an array of colors to match every classroom.  You will see and feel the benefits immediately, and as a user of an ergonomic chair myself, I can say those benefits far outweigh the cost of purchasing a new desk chair.  Consider purchasing a backrest for your current chair to reduce sitting stress if buying a whole new chair isn’t feasible!

Looking for a way to celebrate the end of the school year? Try a slide show you can share with your students.


We like to capture classroom activities on our Argus DC-2185 Digital Camera (an inexpensive option) or the HP Photosmart R937 digital cameras (for the semi-pro photographer). Both simplify photo editing, printing and sharing and are durable enough for the little hands that want to help take shots of field day, the school play, graduation or any number of events!


Once you’ve gathered the best and brightest shots, burn them to a CD set to music and play it for your students on the last day of class.  We suggest your memories are best shown on units like the InFocus A1100 Multimedia Projector and the Bretford Series 500 Wall Projection Screen. As an end of the year gift, send along a copy of the slideshow so students can share their memories at home or to have as a keepsake of your class.