Technology in the Classroom

We live in a technological world, so I am by no means disputing the importance of teaching children how to use technology. It is without a doubt a skill that students need in order to be successful in our society. I can't help but wonder, however, about the students who have no access to computers and other technologies. Assignments that either focus on technology or use technology as a tool are great for students who either have enough money at home to own a computer or live in an area that has easy access to computers. What about the students that have no access to computers at home or at school? Not only do these children get left behind on assignments that involve technology, but they do not learn the skills necessary to function in today's society.

The question, then, is how do we balance our response to the need for technology and the lack of technological resources? In a perfect world, of course, we could find some funding somewhere to provide everyone with a computer that has the basic capabilities. Sadly, this is not a perfect world. Perhaps we teach abstractly, having children memorize steps in order for using computers. Maybe they take turns using a single computer.
I don't mean to solely rant here, I am actually looking for input as I will most likely be working in areas with few technological resources. If anyone has ideas, please share!

Voxfox text-to-speech

As my quest to understand technology continues, I have been wrestling with the text-to-speech capabilities of the internet. Foxvox is an "add-on" for Firefox that can be used to change any text on a website into an orated mp3 document. Well, if you are at all like myself, I will have lost you at the term add-on. Allow me to explain. An add on is a product designed to act as a counterpart to another product. In this case, Voxfox is designed to enhance Mozilla Firefox.

The purpose of the add-on is to read aloud any text found on the internet. In order to use it, you need to download the add-on, which you can do here https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/9759/. Voxfox is ideal for students with impairments that prohibit reading, text such as loss of eyesight or dyslexia. It allows teachers to continue using online resources while allowing students with reading disabilities access to the same resources. It opens up a world of opportunity for people that would otherwise be left out of the technological, text-heavy world.

Hello World!

Hello!
My name is Alison Inwood and I am in my final year at Michigan State University preparing for a career in special education. Part of my preparation involves becoming proficient in technological resources to use in the classroom.
Technology and I have had a rather tumultuous relationship. I have enough knowledge to get by in a technological world, but sadly not enough to be proficient or to add anything of substance to the web world. Thus the reason I am in the class "Technology in the classroom." I would like to learn how to harness the beast that is technology and use it as a tool to educate children in a personalized manner. I would also like to be able to teach my students how to use technology to enhance their own learning and to experience the world outside of their immediate environment.