blog #8

     Adaptive technologies are used to support support learners because it gives the students that may have a handicap an opportunity to learn the same materials but through a different process. Students that may have a mental handicap, physical handicap,blindness, or deafness, can all benefit from alternative technologies. In high school, I was in a club called Best Buddies. I would sit with students who have mental and physical disabilities during lunch. Some alternative technologies I noticed in their classrooms was a Smart Board.
     Some challenges with using alternative technologies is that it is not always reliable. When technology malfunctions there is not always a back up plan. When this happens students cannot learn the material as well as they would have with the alternative technology. Another challenge is that the classroom may have access to alternative technologies but the teacher may not know how to utilize it. With proper training, teachers should know how to use basic tools their students need to succeed.
     GoGuardian is an example of an alternative technology. It gives teachers the power to see what the students are doing on their tablets or computers. It can ensure that the students are staying on task but also giving the students the ability to use technology in the classrooms. This website can also create a 1:1 students to teacher ratio because the teacher can directly help and communicate with the student.