Tech Talk: Yesterday's Inclusive Class radio show focused on assistive technology, which certainly seems to be growing in awareness and options lately. When my kids were younger, Alphasmarts where a big deal, and now they look like dinosaurs. One thing Kathleen McClaskey mentioned on the show which I think bears repeating in any discussion about these cool new tools is the need to not only provide the gadget but to train the student and the teacher and the parent in the use of the thing. Teachers in particular can, I think, sabotage the use of assistive technology in classrooms just because nobody's ever told them how it's supposed to work and they don't have time to bother with it. That needs to change, particularly as classrooms get more inclusive.

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