Roblyer & Hughes (2019) discuss the necessary need to ensure that all digital learning resources are accessible to all learners. One of the ways that I use technology to meet the needs of all my students is through the way I teach keyboarding. Several of my students have dyslexia. Hamilton (2018) shares that text-to-speech settings enable visually impaired students to hear texts, while also assisting struggling readers. For my students that are dyslexic, I change the settings on the app that we use so that the text is larger and a different font which makes it easier for them to read. I can also turn on the speech-to-text setting which reads out the letters they should be typing. Some students find this distracting, so I always give them the option. What is interesting is that some students who are not dyslexic ask if they can change the settings too so that the font is bigger and easier to read. Another way that I look to assist my students is when we do a research project. I often direct them to sites that not only have textual information, but also videos and pictures to accompany the text. This allows those in my classroom who have difficulties with reading to still be able to participate and learn from the lesson. Having the ability to accommodate all students, whether they have a diagnosed need or just a preference, is a major factor that I look for when choosing what technology I will use in my classroom.
Hamilton, B. (2018). Integrating Technology in the Classroom: Tools to meet the need of every student. Portland, OR: ISTE.
Roblyer, M. D., & Hughes, J. E. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching: Transforming learning across disciplines. New York City, NY: Pearson.