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The Impact of Assistive Technologies on the Reading Outcomes of ...

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Edith Gotesman, Carol Goldfus<br />

97<br />

• increase <strong>the</strong>ir level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> participati<strong>on</strong> in class or home assignments;<br />

• achieve better grades;<br />

• be better prepared to read articles in <strong>the</strong>ir individual field <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> study.<br />

What made <strong>the</strong> difference? Was it <strong>the</strong> actual technology? Was it differentiated instructi<strong>on</strong>?<br />

We think that <strong>the</strong> combinati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> fr<strong>on</strong>tal teaching, differentiated instructi<strong>on</strong> as well as <strong>the</strong> use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

AT can help students with learning disabilities bypass <strong>the</strong>ir disability and achieve <strong>the</strong> goals <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

<strong>the</strong> EAP course.<br />

We str<strong>on</strong>gly believe that <strong>the</strong> use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> text-to-speech s<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>tware has great potential for improving not<br />

<strong>on</strong>ly <strong>the</strong> reading level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> students but also in providing additi<strong>on</strong>al benefits, namely,<br />

c<strong>on</strong>fidence to grapple with <strong>the</strong> texts and a more positive self-esteem. Fur<strong>the</strong>r research is needed<br />

to quantify <strong>the</strong>se c<strong>on</strong>clusi<strong>on</strong>s.<br />

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