Reaction to Wenglinsky

I come from a sociology/criminal justice background but have obtained a certification in elementary education within the past couple of years. More recently, I decided to expand my teaching knowledge and am exploring a career in special education. In general education, many educators say, “I like to see first that my students have mastered set criteria. Then they can use a calculator.” Can’t students master the concepts using a combination of both manual (hand/real life experiences) and technological devices (calculators/computers)? Obviously I am speaking about the content area of math; however, this type of mind set can also reach out to other content areas. Technology is often used as a motivator, but we educators need to incorporate technology more effectively in the classroom instead of holding it over students’ heads, just out of arms’ reach. Wenglinsky (2005), in Using Technology Wisely: the keys to success in schools, supports the notion that technology needs to be used by students more often and more intensely than it is currently being used. Specifically, Wenglinsky notes three movements for improving schools: “. . . students need to be held to higher academic standards; . . . technology could be a crucial tool in helping students meet these standards; and . . . standards need to be raised for teachers if they were going to be raised for students” (p. 12). Another important issue I found interesting is that although Wenglinsky provides case examples of different schools in different settings using technology, he does not refer to the use of technology by students with special needs.