Emma Rhyner Source 5

Selwyn, Neil, and Keri Facer. The Politics of Education and Technology: Conflicts, Controversies, and Connections. 1st ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Print.

This source offered an interesting take on both the benefits and drawbacks of integrating technology into any form of education. It looked at not only the educational side of things, but also the logistical side of things such as budgets and restrictions.

Although not about technology in special needs education, this book delved into the use of technology in traditional education. It evaluated risks and benefits and gave specific examples of both such as the effects of a laptop program at a middle school. As benefits it described all of the new ways of learning that would be opened to students especially in such a technologically advanced world. Integration of technology would allow students to experiment with digital media projects and so forth. The book also put forward the risks of technology in the classroom. One of the biggest being abuse of the internet such as using it to play games or surf the web while one should be doing school work. Another was budgets and how costly it can be to implement these programs. The book also looked at restricting education using technology as students should also be taught through the traditional method.

Critical thinking once again came in as I had to take the concepts put forth in the book and apply them to special education. I think there are many benefits and risks when applying technology to any sort of education and I think all the benefits and risks described in this book could translate to special education. Budgets and restrictions on technology are still a concern in special needs classrooms, but new and individualized learning are also benefits in a special needs classroom.

This book is great support for all four of my past articles. Since it highlights benefits and drawbacks it is able to back up my first two articles which discussed benefits and also my last two which also pointed out drawbacks. Putting this book into conversation with the articles will make each argument stronger and more concrete.

Reading this book has definitely brought me closer to forming my argument for the next paper. I will review the articles and book in order to make sure my argument is new, but I think I may know where I am going with it.