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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Article Review: Technologies for Reading


Technologies for Reading: Assistive Technologies for Literacy
Taken from the Association for supervision and Curriculum Development

by Ted Hasselbring and Margaret Bausch

In reading this article, I was surprised to learn that as many as 8 of 10 students are faced with reading problems so intense that they cannot read grade level material. The writer suggests that an ideal situation is not only using assistive technology to help with the day to day reading but rather the student could continue to improve their reading skills. The Kentucky Department of Education used a software program in 95% of their schools called Read & Write Gold which assists students with both reading and writing. Since students can use the software independently in most cases, this allows the students to listen to a specific passage several times without having to ask questions or for it to be read to them again by a teacher.

Schools are also addressing increasing a students reading skills with technologies because some of the assistive technology won't be available to them outside of the schools walls. One study conducted in the Des Moines Independent Community School District found that 18% of students who had one year of intervention no longer required special education for reading the following year. While technology continues to advance and student success is apparent, this achievement is still educator focused; for it is the role of the professional to know when and how to best integrate such technology. The author concludes that "technology is not magic" but rather a tool that can be skillfully and wisely applied by excellent educators.

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