Tutoring Technology and Perseverance

I recently attended a conference on assistive technology and really appreciated the mindset of the presenters who emphasized anything allowing a student to access learning is an assistive technology. This includes software and tablets of course, but also simple methods such as the organization of notes on paper (the 2 column method) or good old flashcards.
They reiterated the analogy of glasses being an assistive technology for some. Not everyone needs them, but those that do can hardly learn without them. And so it is with voice to speech software for writing, mind map apps for organization, or timers for studying.  Some of these tools are only required prior to remediation, but many of the technologies make sense in the long-term,  not only for students with dyslexia, but also those with ADHD or Autism.

The magic in this conference was the statement that «technology is not the whole story». Tutoring needs to  go hand…