BLACKSBURG - A Blacksburg mother is using advanced technology to help her special needs daughter and her peers.
We met up with Margaret Ellis as she picked up her daughter, Mary, from Kipps Elementary School on Tuesday. The first thing they did was get out their iPod Touch.
"I could see all the ways they could help a child with their development, with their frustration, just with the quality of life,” Ellis said about the iPods.
Ellis has an advanced computer science degree from Virginia Tech. She developed software applications to help those who need it most in the classroom.
"I start by sketching it, and then I have an illustrator actually design it. Then we take those pieces and build the logic into it,” she said.
The applications focus on math, literacy, and even sign language. Ellis wants the technology to be something other students use as well.
"The intention is not to make it one more thing that [Mary] has to do, but her whole class has access to using them at all their different ability levels,” Ellis said.
Special education teachers say it’s easier to engage everybody in the learning process so nobody feels left out.
"You bring them into the classroom and it's not targeting a specific group. The kids with special needs want to use them because all their peers are using them, and they’re not being set aside as something different,” said Heather Oberg, a special education teacher.
These applications teach students with different learning styles.
"They're using their eyes, their ears. They're using their fingers to touch and move objects around, so it kind of touches into all the senses,” Oberg said.
It helps Mary inside and outside the classroom.
"It promotes independence and allows her to become part of her community,” Ellis said.
You can even download the applications yourself online at the iPod "App. Store."
Ellis also entered in the Pepsi Refresh Project. It’s a competition where people explain the ideas and plans they’ve put into action to help their surrounding communities. Winners are determined by the number of votes they receive online. Winners will receive funding that would help Ellis continue to put her plans into action.
To vote, click here.
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