Frederick Douglas said, “Once you learn to read, you will be free forever.” As a future educator, I could not agree more with this statement. Using technology to facilitate literacy in the classroom will help prepare students for the “real world.” The use of technology has changed the way teachers teach because they now have more effective ways to reach different types of learners. Especially when trying to reach students with specific disabilities who otherwise would not be able to participate without the use of some type of assistive technology. The future of technology used in classrooms can be revolutionary and never-ending. In today's world, technology has become a key learning tool for adolescents with literacy challenges and has shown a positive increase in literacy and learning. Our ideas about what literacy is have changed dramatically over the years. It went from a stone tablet to a printed book and then to today's modern computer. Literacy is broken down into several parts: one third is reading and writing, and two thirds is listening/speaking and viewing visual representations. With this knowledge, you will see that two-thirds of literacy learning can be accomplished through various forms of technology. Research has shown “…positive results in using technology to help students succeed in many academic areas, including literacy” (Clary, 2013, p. 52). Teachers can choose from a variety of technology platforms to enhance learning during their lessons. Your available resources will depend on the technology selected to support, develop and accelerate your students' learning. One of the challenges educators face when choosing which technology to use is selecting technology that will enhance...... middle of paper ......e classroom has become an essential tool for survival in today's world. As we have seen throughout this document, there are a variety of technological tools available to reach all students, including those with specific disabilities. By implementing the use of technology to help increase and meet students' literacy needs, you ensure progression in both literacy and learning. Teachers can improve how they implement technology to increase literacy and learning within their classrooms through the use of professional learning communities and other online resources. Technology can open the door to more learning in the classroom that might not otherwise be achieved. Proper use can ensure that students have the key literacy and learning tools to go further and thus be able to achieve more in today's society and “…to always be free” ( Frederick Douglas).