Having read the Dunn article I just wanted to comment briefly on the idea of using technologies designed to make life easier for those with disabilities to benefit all students in the classroom.  The example of curb cuts and ramps being put in place in more and more locations in order to accommodate those using wheelchairs proved to be very enlightening.  It seems fairly mundane but one rarely considers that these changes put in place for those with disabilities have easily benefited everyone, from mothers with strollers to teenagers on skateboards.

It seems logical that disability technologies could be used in a similar way in the classroom, to both accommodate and involve students with disabilities and at the same time to benefit the learning of all students.  These technologies such as voice recognition technology and audio texts can accommodate disabled students while also widening the learned literacy of all students.  These technologies also force teachers to widen their view of what is considered reading and writing as well as what is considered student competency and achievement.  When teachers widen their views they are much more able to work towards the recognition and improvement of the abilities of all students.

I think both of the readings for this week focus on the common thread of challenging students preconceptions through the use of multiple and multimedia texts.  Students do most of their learning outside of the classroom and thus bring with them to school a multitude of opinions about varying areas of academia.  It is much more important to confront and challenge these opinions than to allow them to sit untested.  This approach teaches students the valuing of challenging the status quo and questions what is accepted as truth within their communities.  This also carries school learning into the home and community, strengthening the bond between these areas of learning.

Having their opinions challenged can be a painful struggle for some students but the benefits they can potentially receive from this endeavor are far greater than any discomfort.  The classroom should be a safe place where a student can feel safely challenged.

I believe one of the major issues facing our nation’s schools at this time is the outstanding disconnect between schools and the communities in which they exist.  Educators too often ignore the fact that a major portions of a students learning occurs outside of the classroom, in the home and in the community.  In order for teachers to succeed in fully educating students who are not simply products of their schools, they need to understand and engage with the effects that communities have on education.  Jessica Singer and Ruth Shagoury presented a spectacular way to engage students with their community in their article.  By viewing education and learning as political acts that are affected by issues of equality and social justice, students are able to partake in learning that focuses on their own homes and the spaces where they live.  In this way the school is connected to the community and learning that occurs in the community compliments what occurs in school.

In addition to bringing together the school and the community, learning that focuses on issues of social justice, allows students to make a choice as to what to study while still mastering the necessary literacy skills.  In this way students are more positive about the learning experienced and are much more engaged.  Focusing on social justice allows all students to deeply involve themselves in the world around them and begins to close the gap between the school and the community.