Technology for Students with ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a growing problem in classrooms.  ADHD is a disorder that inhibits the executive functioning in individuals; in other words, it affects how people are able to self regulate their emotions and behaviors.  Little is known about the causes of ADHD but studies have lead to several possible explanations.  In one study that researches the relationship between ADHD and family environment and parenting practices discovered a higher amount of ADHD cases in students who come from families with lower levels of organization and higher levels of conflict (Schroeder & Kelley, 2008).  Children learn the ability to control themselves, first, in their most familiar environment.  Schroeder and Kelley firmly present findings that environment and genetics is a huge factor in students with ADHD. 

The affects of ADHD in children are many.  One of the biggest affects on students is academic performance and social relationships.  Students with attention problems are limited in their opportunities to acquire social skills through observational learning. Students with ADHD also miss out on learning opportunities in the classroom whether is be because they are disruption and are removed or because of inattention and missing the experience (Kawabata, Tseng, & Shur-Fen Gau, 2011).  Teachers, myself included, can be guilty of removing a distracting child from the classroom if it becomes so big that it is taking from more than just the child's educational experiences.  As an educator, it is hard to find the correct response to a child who can not control his/her ability to pay attention.

One possible solution to this issue in education is the multiple intelligence approach.  Students with ADHD are often underserved in an education system (Schiduan, Case, & Faryniarz, 2002).  Each and every student is smart in some way, even those with ADHD.  It is hard for those students with ADHD to shine because they are typically smart in ways that aren't noticed in a traditional classroom (Schiduan, Case, & Faryniarz, 2002).

The multiple intelligence approach to ADHD would be easy to do using technology.  However, because of the diverse nature of the approach and of each student with ADHD, there is not one program that would suffice for everyone.  Luanne Eris Fose, Ph.D has outlined several technology resources that can aide in students with various intelligences. In my classroom, I have a student who is not diagnosed but exhibits many of the symptoms that I have read about.  This student makes very obnoxious noises a great deal of the school day and has a very hard time controlling his body, he's always wiggling.  He also has a hard time making and maintaining relationships with other students and he has frequent angry outbursts about very minor incidents.  I have noticed that he works his hardest with complex math and focuses the most with this subject.  He also pays a great deal of attention to detail and likes games like Pokemon and Ninjago which deal with logic and skill.  I'm going to label him as a Logical-Mathematical Learner.  These learners are very good with numbers, math, and logic to understand patterns (Fose, 3).  Something like PuzzleMaker might be helpful with a student like mine.  It gives him the time and to dissect and create a problem to solve using the logical skills he possesses but does not often get to use in class every day.  Something else that may help this student, although it is more related to the Verbal/Linguistic form of intelligence is Shadow Poetry.  There are several forms of technology that can be used to support each intelligence, which can in turn help students with ADHD, if teachers are willing to find out more about their students in order to help them.

Citations:

Kawabata, Y., Tseng, W. L., & Shur-Fen Gau, S. (2011). Symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and social and school adjustment: The moderating rules of age and parenting. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 40(2), 177-188. 

 Schirduan, V., Case, K., & Faryniarz, J. (2002). How adhd students are smart. The Educational Forum, 66(4), 324-328.

Schroeder, V. M., & Kelley, M. L. (2008). Associations between family environment, parenting practices, and executive functioning of children with and without adhd. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 18(2), 227-235. 

Why Are We Stupid?

According to James Paul Gee, it would seem that humans have countless opportunities to be smart but many times they simply pass us by.  I gathered that some things were not our own doing, such as our minds being shaped for conditions that differ greatly from the modern world that we live in (Gee, 11).  Other things are completely our doing, such as treating minds like bank accounts in our schools; depositing endless information an expecting to withdraw whenever we feel the need.  I think our education system is a large factor when it comes to the limitations that face for solving complex problems.  We don’t provide, or having not been providing prior experiences for our students but many times we just expect them to have relevant ones.  We expect our students to have clear goals…how?  We also wait for them to act when they have not been readily prepared to do so.  How can we expect to mold problem solving minds, when the tools they need to do so aren’t given to them?

In schools, students are not given enough prior experiences.  Until recently, school has not been based on problem solving.  This was, in itself, a problem.  Students were not given enough experiences with the concepts that they were being asked to learn.  Memorization was simply expected and assessed.  How can we expect any person, especially a child, to learn something that is not connected to them in some way.  If we want our students to learn to be problem solvers, we need to provide them with experience to solve problems related to the concepts they should learn to master.  Only through experience, will situations be meaningful.  This is where teachers must really step up as mentors.

Having a clear goal is another limitation.  In school, students either want to get a good grade or they are too wrapped up in things going on at home that they don’t quite care about what they’re learning.  The grade, after reading, now seems meaningless. I work myself to the bone every year trying to teach concepts to kids so that they can pass on the district assessment.  I’m nervous, they’re stressed out, we get the results and we move on only to realize that they teacher the next year has to reteach the concepts I worked so hard to teach them the previous year.  Why does this happen?  The concept was only meaningful or connected enough to achieve the goal of a passing grade.  A passing grade is a short term goal.  This goes back to the idea of treating the human memory being treated like a bank account (Gee, 27).  Information is deposited and can be withdrawn without being altered.  It is hard to remember, when worried about tests, that human memory is affected by needs, feelings, and purpose (Gee, 27).

Due to a lack of prior experiences, or a false expectation of those experiences, and weak goals humans cannot be expected to act in a way that will create a good response from the world.  Because of these shortcomings we act and make mistakes, or repeat mistakes.  We work to make quick fixes that are convenient and we don’t seem to think things through.  We don’t seem to weigh out options and choose the best scenario.  We work short term and fast which hinders us in the long run.

This being said, I posted in angel, shortly after I had begun reading about how the circuit of reflective action echoes the common core standards that have emerged in the U.S.  Although not perfect, I feel that it follows the process and is a good start for schools to begin to build meaning with what they are learning.  CCSS gives teachers a better opportunity to be mentors.  It creates long term goals, as concepts are carried over year after year.  It also gives students countless opportunities to act and solve problems.

CEP 812 Screencast

I created a screencast that explains a problem I was having with fact fluency within my classroom.  It was hard for me to motivate students to practice their basic math facts at home.  Because so many students weren't practicing, many of them were below grade level.  A solution to my problem came with a wonderful website called Xtramath.  It uses games and personalized challenges to help kids make growth with their fact fluency.  I have found in my classroom that it really does work and many of my students are now making appropriate growth.

Course Reflection

I feel that this class and the work that I have done, have taught me a lot about what I can do with technology in my classroom.  I have learned to pay extra attention to ease of use when creating tech based lessons for my students.  I have learned to allow myself time to create quality resources that my students can learn from and I have learned to really search for new things that I can use.

I was forced to think a lot about what my students can handle when it comes to technology.  My students are  very young and I get nervous for them and their skills with technology.  I want the material they use to be appropriate and thought provoking and I don't want anything to get in the way of their learning.

I feel that several of my professional goals were met or that I came close to meeting them.  I am very excited that I was able to create resources for my students that I will without a doubt incorporate into my teaching.  I think that the thinking I did and the resources I created were well put together and I feel that they are things that my students will benefit greatly from.

My new goals are to continue to use this program as well as resources and my own time to explore technology on a deeper level in order to bring better educational experiences for my students.

Online Experience

I think my students would benefit most from an online experience in the form of a WebQuest or a Wiki.  I feel that since they are younger (second graders), the teacher involvement piece is critical in developing their online personality as a student.

Either of these online experiences could help me teach any subject.  WebQuests are great for Math or Science as the task section of a WebQuest is a great way to enforce and develop problem solving skills.  I've used the WebQuest experience for a math review task already and I can't wait for my students to try it out.

Wikis are excellent online experiences for reading and writing.  I have used wikis for book clubs and opinion writing in 5th grade and I can see using it for reading comprehension and typing skills for the younger grade that I am currently teaching.

I think that a lot of the simulations and blogging online experiences would be difficult for my students to be successful with as the are so young and inexperienced with educational technology experiences.  I think that with lower elementary students you have to keep them reigned in to ensure their safety online and to ensure their success.

STAIR Project

I created a stand alone resource for my students and others that promotes achievement in fact fluency.  It is meant to work on students' understanding of units of time, goal setting skills, and addition and subtraction facts. 

This resource has been updated to MERLOT you can find it here:

Beat The Clock  

Wiki Lab

I did not have a page for my school on Wikipedia so I went to the page for my district and created a link out of my school's name to my school's website, I made the link for Waterford Village Elementary School.  I was not comfortable adding information to my district's page.

I'm still working on my knowledge of widgets but the wiki I created for this lab is called Second Grade Delights