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By David Nagel 05/26/11 "...The United States Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights Thursday issued a "dear colleague letter" to public K-12 institutions (as well as a separate letter to higher education institutions) and a set of answers to frequently asked questions that expands on a letter sent out exclusively to college and university presidents last June (DCL). In the FAQ, OCR makes explicit some legal obligations of all education institutions, including K-12 institutions, to "ensure equal access to the educational benefits and opportunities afforded by the technology and equal treatment in the use of the technology for all students, including students with disabilities." At the same time, the FAQ said the intent is not to stifle the use of new and emerging technologies, but to "remind everyone that equal access for students with disabilities is the law and must be considered as new technology is integrated into the educational environment. ..."

Complements http://etcjournal.com/2010/07/06/ebook-readers-attempting-to-bugger-the_blind-bad-for-business/ and perhaps http://etcjournal.com/2011/03/19/nyu-northwestern-schools-adopting-google-apps-discriminate-against-the-blind/

"Bell, F 2010, Network theories for technology-enabled learning and social change: Connectivism and actor network theory , in: Networked Learning Conference 2010: Seventh International Conference on Networked Learning, 3-4 May 2010, Aalborg, Denmark. PDF - Published Version Download (236Kb) http://usir.salford.ac.uk/9270/1/Bell.pdf Official URL: http://www.networkedlearningconference.org.uk/ Abstract Learning never was confined to classrooms. We all learn in, out of, before, during and after episodes of formal education. The changing sociotechnical context offers a promise of new opportunities, and the sense that somehow things may be different. Use of the Internet and other emerging technologies is spreading in frequency, time and space. People and organizations wish to use technology to support learning seek theories to frame their understanding and their innovations. In this article we explore Connectivism, that is positioned as a theory for the digital age, in use on a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), Connectivism and Connective Knowledge, in 2008. We then compare Connectivism with another network theory, Actor Network Theory, to explore possible synergies. We found that Connectivism enables educators and learners to legitimise their use of technology to support teaching and learning. Connectivism, a relatively new theory, can benefit from a richer empirical base as it develops. Since the scope of educational change can vary from a specific learning setting through organisational and societal settings, we can develop theories through empirical exploration of cases across the range of settings to support our understanding and actions."