TET1 Task 4: Special Populations
Assistive and adaptive technologies or modifications can enable and empower learners with diverse backgrounds and ability levels. All learners can benefit from a variety of accommodations, particularly special populations such as learners with disabilities, advanced learners, and bilingual learners.

Instructional Setting, Audience, and Content Area
Smith Elementary School is a Department of Defense Dependent School (DoDDS) located on Smith Barracks Army Post in Baumholder, Germany. It is one of one hundred sixty-six schools run by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). The school serves American military dependent children in grades Pre-K through fifth grade and currently has a student population of four hundred-seventy students, however this is a highly transient community with student population fluctuating on a weekly basis. There are currently fifty-five fifth grade students at Smith Elementary School split between two classroom teachers. Students take a variety of classes each day covering both standard fifth grade content, as well as more diverse specials such as: US History, Mathematics, English Language Arts, and Host Nation (German language and culture).
The adaptive
An assistive technology such as "speech to text" can benefit these students. Instead of students writing their thoughts on paper, or even typing on a key board, they are able to speak directly into a microphone and have their words dictated on the screen. Many devices have built in dictation software built into their systems and their are also various apps such as Dragon Dictation that can be downloaded for student use. Classrooms utilizing Google for Education or the Google Chrome browser should check out the Google extension Read & Write for Google Chrome. The free extension can provide support for all students in reading, writing, listening, and speaking