News-2-You

 

    The piece of educational technology that I will be reviewing is called News-2-You. News-2-You is a website dedicated to providing current events to students with special needs. News-2-You modifies articles with easy to read texts and corresponding pictures using “PEC” cards. PEC cards (Picture Exchange Communication) are symbols commonly used in classrooms with students who have special needs. When a young special needs child starts school, they are most likely exposed to these symbols. News-2-You incorporates PEC’s which makes it easier for students to read with their class.

    A lot of special needs students have devices that help speak for them. Tools such as Proloquo2Go, GoTalk, dynavox, and iPads give students a voice. Students can share with you what they learned in their issue of News2You by finding PEC’s in their devices that match the issue they’re working with. They can also discover new words in addition to learning about current events. News-2-You has a text to speech option which can make a student who is nonverbal feel like they are reading. For example, if a non-verbal student came up to a Smart Board and clicked the text, it would vocalize the text allowing the student to have the technology speak for them. 

    News to you is great because it gives students with special needs the opportunity to discuss current events, and read local and global news. It also lets the teacher decide what level is appropriate for their class. For example if you have severely cognitively and physically impaired students, you can choose the simplest version of the issue. If you have students who are verbal and higher functioning, you could set it at a more difficult level. 

    Each news issue comes with activities that you can do together as a class on a Smart Board, or you can opt for the printouts that come with the lesson. The issues released every week can vary in material from the last. One week you might be talking about the NFL, and the following you can be talking about the wildfires out West. The biggest downside to News2You is once an issue is released, it expires in a week. This can be a set back if you are lesson planning around an issue, because it unfortunately disappears. There is other content on the website, which are smaller articles with short quizzes at the end. These are nice if you don’t have a lot of time, but want to include some sort of ELA and Social Studies in your day.