Week 9 Thoughts on Chapter 8

Chapter 8 is titled Systemic Issues or issues affecting the entire system which can be addressed and ultimately resolved in one word, technology.  Systemic issues include equity, digital divide, English Language Learners (ELL), English as a Second Language (ESL), special needs, struggling learners, special education students, blogging, podcasting, and assessment can all be addressed with technology most of the time.  Beginning with issues common to ELL, ESL, special education, special needs, struggling learners, and print disabilities are reading fluency and comprehension related problems.  

In 1998, an amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, required federal agencies to make all electronic and information technology accessible to those with disabilities.  Microsoft led the way incorporating disabilities options in their Office products beginning with version 2000.  Students can listen to what is in a document, spreadsheet, or presentation using those disability options available on all Microsoft products.

Practice involves multiple repetitions; practice improves reading performance and ability.  When decoding tasks become very intense as they often do, comprehension suffers.  Using free reading programs, like read please, natural reader, and rocket reader to create a connection between what a student’s sees, and hears, improving the decoding task and comprehension.   The next step is to require all libraries to comply and provide electronic or audio aids for those who choose to use them.  All libraries should be required to activate disability options on all their computers to ensure universal access for people with disabilities. 

It is my belief that excessive special education budgets and struggling readers could be a thing of the past.  No longer will a student need to visit a resource room to have material read to them.  The real power will belong to the student, who becomes independent in their learning and has the ability to control when and where they learn.  Think of the budget dollars that just one school employing an aide for student reading, could redirect to technology.  At $60 a day {$10 per hour * 6 hours}  or almost $11,000 a year {$60 *180 days} a school could purchase a total of 55, $200 netbooks {11000/200}. 

In 2005, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor, Nicholas Negroponte, began a mission to develop a rugged, low cost, low energy laptop, to educate the world’s poorest children.  Negroponte’s vision was for every child to have a laptop and the non-profit organization, One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) was born.  The laptop designed for 3^rd world countries was anticipated to cost $100 per unit however, indestructible and improved battery and solar capabilities drove the cost to $199.  The laptop named XO is available on Amazon and will meet requirements for blogging, podcasting, and video conferencing to improve writing and learning across the curriculum.