Do you remember the tedious task of looking up definitions in the back of a textbook for a vocabulary assignment? Or reading a word in a story and having to look it up in a bulky dictionary? Students I work with today have the luxury/ability to type out vocabulary words with dictionary.com and a spell check! Imagine having a language disability or dyslexia and as you type, Microsoft Word tells you that the word you just attempted to spell is spelled wrong. Even better, it gives you the proper spelling for the word!
It's exciting to see students work on computers and use simple tools like spell check and online dictionaries to accomplish simple tasks to make their lives easier. Some would argue that it takes away from the important labor of reference, when on the other side of the coin, it saves time and effort that can be used for other important resourceful means.
Technology shows us again that learners can be equals and that students who struggle can be given an extra chance to succeed when before they would have had an unfair advantage.
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