It has been
suggested that technology is a great equalizer that for many people with
disabilities technology can serve as a kind cognitive prosthesis to overcome or
compensate for differences among learners. This idea has important implications
for learners with disabilities and special educational needs because it
suggests that technology can help create the conditions for equal opportunity
to learn and equal access to the curriculum for all. The appeal of technology
as an equalizer for learners with special educational needs is borne out in the
many materials that have been developed to address special educational needs.
Professional magazines and trade shows offer a dazzling array of devices and
programs covering all areas of the curriculum and all types of learning
difficulties
The areas of
need are:
• Communication
and interaction
• Cognition and
learning
• Behavior,
emotional and social development
• Sensory and/or
physical
These areas of need may create barriers to
learning unless adaptations are made. The process of making such adaptations is
the essence of special education and it occurs in mainstream as well as special
schools.
Used of
ICT to tutor
Tutor programs
represent a longstanding type of teaching with technology. The earliest
programs were intended to help teachers individualize learning and learners to
work at their own pace. Known as computer assisted instruction (CAI), many
software programs for pupils with and without SEN were developed and
commercially published. These programs had a particular appeal to teachers of
pupils with SEN because they offered a way of addressing what Woodward and
Rieth (1997: 507) called ‘one of the field’s most perplexing logistical and
pedagogical dilemmas’; that is, how to individualize teaching to meet the
particular needs of pupils who are experiencing difficulties in learning.
Used to
explore
Over time, as technology has become more
powerful and accessible, exploratory learning environments have been developed.
Though they have not replaced tutor programs, they are in contrast to them.
Whereas tutor programs are about teaching, exploratory learning environments
allow pupils to interact with the material and have more control over their
learning. Exploratory environments represent an increasingly popular contemporary
use of technology in education. They emphasize exploration as opposed to drill
and practice or the reinforcement of skills and knowledge. They are based on
constructivist rather than the behavioral views of learning.
Used to
communicate
There are many assistive technology devices
available to help pupils communicate. These include electronic language boards,
voice synthesizers and voice recognition software. Many of the symbol
communication systems used by some pupils with SEN are supported by software
programs to enable pupils, for example, to write and e-mail. Communication
media exploit networks that allow groups.
Used for assessment purposes
Teachers working with pupils who experience
difficulties in learning are often called upon to play a role in assessing the
nature of the child’s learning difficulty. The Special Educational Needs Code
of Practice (Department for Education and Skills 2001) stipulates that ongoing
observation and assessment should be undertaken in the identification of pupils
with SEN. Formative assessment procedures are not required; instead, schools
are left to decide what procedures they should adopt for meeting the needs of
all children.
Used
as a management too
l In addition to
assessing learning difficulties, teachers of pupils with SEN are required to
develop individual education plans (IEPs) designed to address identified
learning difficulties. They may also be called upon to participate in the
statutory assessment process prior to issuing a statement of special educational
need. Like all teachers, they are required to set targets and monitor pupil
progress; however, for those pupils with SEN who work below level 1 of the
National Curriculum, alternative arrangements for monitoring progress are
required.
Finally, we
would add that the types of learning with, and uses of, information and
communications technology discussed above are not finite or fixed categories.
The challenges include the adaptations that
may have to be made for learners to acquire or use the tools of technology. The
opportunities lie in the way that technology can then be used to ameliorate the
effects of what would otherwise create a barrier to learning or participation
in an interactive activity
Source: https://www.mheducation.co.uk/openup/chapters/0335211968.pdf
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