Article Assesment #2

Nick Leiser E-Mail: asnal2@uaa.alaska.edu 6-18-2008

Article Title: Assistive Technologies for Reading

Author: Ted Hasselbring and Margaret Bausch

Article Overview: This article points out the increasing number of students needing special education services that are in the general education classroom and may not be getting proper assistance. It also discusses several kinds of assistive learning technology that would be beneficial to those students with special needs. Assistive technologies have made a dramatic difference for students with severe impairments; however research suggests that its potential remains untapped for the larger group of students.

Reference Points:
1. More students with special needs are being educated in inclusive classrooms where they are expected to perform grade-level work but not always given specialized support. Teachers are searching for ways to educate students with disabilities more effectively.
2. Although assistive technologies have made a dramatic difference for students with severe impairments, research suggests that its potential remains untapped for the larger group of students.
3. Read & Write Gold is an example of software that can assist students with special needs. This program is customizable to fit the learner’s needs. It provides text-to-speech output, word prediction and several other beneficial features.
4. One of the greatest problems that poor readers face is a deficit in background knowledge. We have all read text books that made no sense to us even though we could read all the words. READ 180 remedies that problem by providing a video that gives the background knowledge needed to make sense of the text.
5. Improved learning for all students depends on the quality of the instruction. “Instructional technologies are mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our nutrition.” (Richard Clark, 1983).
6. Although assistive technologies make it possible for students with disabilities to profit from good instruction, technology is not magic; it is simply a tool, when used skillfully, it can help achieve spectacular results.

Significance: Teachers need to become more informed about the different typed of assistive technology available and start taking advantage of it.