The article on motor disabilities posted by Tina Mercer gives a detailed description of the assistive technology tools that can be used to provide people with the independence they need to accomplish tasks at school or work, improve social interaction, communicate, and improve their quality of life. Technology is a miracle that gives these people a reason to wake up each morning.

Adam Seldow, the student from the Harvard Graduate school of education, wrote about social tagging in K-12. On pages 6, 7 and 8 he states that contextual understanding is very important for students who move to the United States from different countries. He seems concerned with the fact that one word, in his example "apples" and how it relates to dentists, can create a situation where both the students and the teacher could end up being correct based on their own perspective of the assignment. It explain what could hapen if the student searches for the tag "apple" on a social bookmarking site. The student might find a tag relating to apples but it might not be the one the teacher was expecting for this assignment. He states that tags reflect an individual's conception of an object (Adam Seldow, page 7). His perspective on tagging was written in April of 2006. Since then many changes have taken place. Although I do not know much about the subject, I can see how using one word to tag an item could have its limitations.

This slide presentation starts with a comparison of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. It demonstrates why we should be excited about Web 2.0. Then it goes into pointing out barriers to accessibility of Web 2.0 and why educators should be educated on how to use Web 2.0 correctly. It should be planned and with a purpose in mind for it to be an effective tool for teaching.

Web 2.0 technology has improved the quality of life for many autistic children, however, some barriers do exist. One of the berriers for many families is the price of some of the online resources. Fortunatelly, some less expensive resources are beginning to emerge.

This publication explains that dispite the many opportunities within Web 2.0 communication technologies, significant technology berriers for people with certain disabilities do exist today.

This writing explains that slowly, acceptance of Web 2.0 has increased since 2009.

The assistive technology cited in this article applies not only to autistic children and adults but to children with other disabilities. As I was reading, I could think of some of my students who would benefit from the technology listed here.

The ipad is beig used to help autistic students communicate. I had an autistic students two years ago. He was not able to speak clearly and could not follow directions very well. He was a sweet boy and loved to spend time in the computer. It was the only place where he could produce and made him very happy.

Assitive technology for students with learning disabilities is the main focus of this article. It is geared to parents and educators alike. The related articles are also helpful.

Thanks Megan, I found this reading very useful also. The Alliance for Technology Access is working to make sure that students have access to the technology tools they need to be successful.

The laws should known by educators at all levels. It is important to be aware of the rights of people with disabilities and what it can be done to grant them equal access.