Learning in the Digital Age

Aaron Routon: aaronrouton@hotmail.com: 1/28/09

“Learning in the Digital Age” by Ted S. Hasselbring and Margaret E. Bausch

Overview of article.

This article totes the value of using technology in the classroom as a tool for students who are struggling. Classrooms are integrating who have learning disabilities, which makes it more difficult to teach students with varying abilities. Technology is producing more and more tools that can be of enormous benefit to teachers and to students. In this article Hasselbring and Bausch acknowledge that technological tools are being implemented to help special needs children but many more students could benefit from these tools if teachers provide these resources to students who have minor learning disabilities.

Computer software and computer hardware can help struggling students access the content of their peers and free teachers from tutoring time. The article speaks specifically of a program generically called “text to speak” in which students will put the “reader” over the desired text and the computer will read aloud the words. Students can follow the reader and gain in comprehension, in word recognition, and in fluency.

Implementing such tools will help struggling students keep up with their classmates and improve their confidence. Technology can help in the problem area of reading /writing and reduce student stress and increase student confidence. These tools are to be used as mediation and tools to help remedial students. Many people with learning disabilities can be helped, but it is up to the classroom teacher to implement these newly available technologies. Limited resources places extra burdens on teacher and teachers must self-educate in order to implement these new tools that can help struggling students.

Reference Points:

• Integrated classrooms need to give tools to help students with learning disabilities perform at grade-level
• Studies have found that implementing “text to speak” programs have helped students be able to read at grade level without help from teachers or peers
• Other technology based programs focusing on visually presenting vocabulary context improves comprehension in students of all ages.
• Computer programs can help struggling students write easier by using a word predict option.
• Classroom teachers are the ones who need to seek out the training in order to help the struggling student.

Reflection:

I have mixed reactions to what the authors say. I think that teachers have a responsibility to teach all students in ways that they understand. I see integrated classrooms as a positive thing which does in turn raises the demands of classroom teachers. I can see how using these new technological tools can be advantageous for both the student and the teachers. But I think that there are many students who have learning disabilities who need to learn how to overcome their disability.

I am leery of over-diagnosing students and telling kids they have a learning disability because I was one who would have been classified as learning disabled (specifically a reading disability). I found school to be frustrating until a teacher made me feel competent by working with me putting her trust in me. After that I worked harder to overcome my struggles and now I see that as an advantage. I had to learn how to learn. I worry that if we provide students with artificial tools we risk two things: give students a complex of “learning disabled,” and giving them a crutch that they grow to depend upon.

In short, I think that these tools should be used sparingly and students should be “weaned” off of them a.s.a.p. (as to not create a dependency). Developing student confidence is crucial, but teachers need to prepare students for a world that will not provide assistance. Teachers and students need to work together to help the students become independent and competent.