Webstandards, Accessibility and Usability at Penn State

Second Life poses many interesting opportunities for new methods of learning. Any time a new technology comes along that can be used for education, accessibility is not generally a topic of discussion when deciding whether or not to put the technology into use, but it should be. Equitable access to the learning environment for everyone is something that federal laws protect. Online course designers may perceive that such considerations present barriers to innovation.

With the release of the Kindle 2, Amazon has added new features and is promoting the Kindle’s use in the educational environment. The features and improvements may indicate some of this push is to get the reader in students’ hands. Features like highlighting and note taking seem to be more suited for the study environment than they are for the casual reader.