Technology Support for Diverse Students

     According to the National Center for Education Statistics, There has been an increase of English-speaking students and students with disabilities in public schools. For instance, in between the fall school years of 2010 through 2020 the number of students has risen from 4.5 to 5.0. On the other hand, the number of students with disabilities has also risen from 6.4 million to 7.3 million within the span of about 11-12 years. As a result, it is up to us teachers to provide the appropriate technology that will support these students allowing them to be more engaged in the classroom. and what better way to do so than by implementing Assistive Technology in the class. 

    Assistive Technology can vary between hardware or software, and one good example of such software is the application Read&Write by Texthelp, which is available on Chrome and Windows devices. This application offers features for students who are struggling with the English language or for those who are just struggling with reading and writing in general. Such features include text-to-speech and its alternate, a dictionary that gives them the option to have pictures included, spell-checking feature and so many other features. Read&Write will not only give the students more confidence in their reading and writing, but it will also help them become more engaged in the classroom as they use such features as the spell check function that can help them improve their spelling, the text-to-speech, which can help the students recognize the pronunciation of words, and finally, they can improve their vocabulary by using the dictionary feature  which also gives them the option to use pictures that can help them identify items that they are not familiar with.  

    Students with disabilities have access to some incredible assistive technology as well, One application for instance focuses on students with low vision and who are completely blind, This application is know as Job Access With Speech (JAWS). This application is a screen reader that can be available on Windows desktops in the classroom allowing students to navigate the web and programs provided by Microsoft such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint using the keyboard. Another program that focuses on students who are visually-impared is an application called ZoomText. This application can help low vision students navigate their computer using an on-screen magnifier that allows the student to adjust to their liking For example, one of the ways that they can do so is by enhancing the size of what is displayed. And if what is being displayed on the magnifier is harming their eyes they can change the display to something tht is more comfortable. 

References 

"Students with Disabilities", https://nces.ed.gov/FastFacts/display.asp?id=64

"English Learners),  https://nces.ed.gov/FastFacts/display.asp?id=96