Chapter Three: Educational Technology/Priority: Technology and Inclusion

In the video clip, "An Adaptive Keyboard," a keyboard that is adapted for use for students with special needs is discussed. The keyboard allows students with disabilities to enter information by selecting words after entering a few letters. This technology allows for educators to be more diverse in utilizing technology with students with special needs. Prior to watching the video clip about the adaptive keyboard, I was unaware of its existance. I did not realize that this particular technology was being used in special needs classes. I think that it is imperative that technology be used in the classroom, especially in the special needs classroom because this allows the students to have more contact with the technology, and this contact is contact that the students would probably not be able to have outside of the classroom, especially those students with special needs who need special technology in order to fully appreciate the full range of uses that the technology can afford. I think that the more technology should be adapted to suit the needs of special needs students, including those students whose communication skills are limited. Through utilizing technology, these students can have an outlet for communication and thought that they would not otherwise have.
In addition to students with special needs, other students that do not have a special need could also utilize technology such as the adaptive keyboard. For example, students that are learning to read and write could use the diverse functionality of the adaptive keyboard. By allowing the students to select words through entering a few letters of the word, the students could learn to read, write, and spell as the audio reads the words to them. For older students learning a second or subsequent language, the adaptive keyboard would be of particular interest to them as well in the same manner it would be to those younger students learning their first language.