Technology And Students With Special Educational Needs

Heterogeneous classes including students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) are increasingly becoming fixtures of the twenty-first century school. As a result, the question of how to devise more effective, innovative and diverse tools has posed a significant challenge for educators and the research community. This collection considers how technology may provide SEN children with greater opportunities to acquire academic skills, while preparing them for a successful transition to adulthood. Computers, and other new technologies, hold great promise for facilitating the inclusion of SEN individuals into modern society. Precisely because they are characterized by multiple representations of knowledge, computerized learning environments offer effective support tools for the instruction of SEN students faced with barriers that make learning a more complex process. Yet, despite the blossoming of this field, research on how the use of technology may benefit SEN students is in its early stages. The development of the theoretical knowledge and empirical databases necessary to assess the impact of computers on learners’ characteristics and educators' teaching goals lag behind the introduction of the respective technological innovations. To meet this challenge, this volume presents a review of the latest advances in how new technologies and their software may potentially enhance SEN students' performance, in school and out. This book was originally published as a special issue of the European Journal of Special Needs.

A reference for teachers interested in the uses of ICT as a tool to promote the inclusion of learners with special educational needs. It considers the role of technology in overcoming barriers of access to the curriculum and offers examinations of ICT asa teaching tool to raise standards for all.

Groundbreaking innovations have paved the way for new assistive approaches to support students with special needs. New technological innovations such as smart mobile devices and apps, wearable devices, web-based monitoring and support systems, artificial intelligence, and more are changing the way in which care and support can be given to students with special needs. These technologies range from encouraging self-care and independent living to supporting the completion of academic work, accommodating cognitive disabilities, or even supporting communication and socialization. The applications of assistive technologies are widespread and diverse in the ways in which the technology itself can be utilized and the people it can support. The increasing developments in technology are bringing in a new way of interventions for all types of students with diverse special needs in the modern educational atmosphere. Technology-Supported Interventions for Students With Special Needs in the 21st Century covers effective assistive modern technologies for overcoming specific challenges encountered by students with special needs for promoting their learning and development, educational attainment, social engagement, self-sufficiency, and quality of life. This book presents an overview of contemporary assistive tools and approaches integrated with digital technologies for students with special needs; shares findings of cutting-edge research on using digital technologies; provides evidence-based digital technology-facilitated tools and strategies for effective diagnosis, treatment, educational intervention, and care of students with special needs; and identifies promising areas and directions for future innovations, applications, and research. It is ideal for classroom teachers, special educators, educational technologists, intervention specialists, medical professionals, caregivers, administrators, policymakers, teacher educators, researchers, academicians, and students interested in the use of assistive technologies for students with special needs in the digital era.

The 11 papers in this collection address various aspects of the adoption and implementation of technology in the education of students with disabilities. An introduction by David B. Malouf of the Office of Special Education Programs introduces the collection. The following papers are included: (1) "No Easy Answer: The Instructional Effectiveness of Technology for Students with Disabilities" (John Woodward, Deborah Gallagher, and Herbert Rieth); (2) "It Can't Hurt: Implementing AAC Technology in the Classroom for Students with Severe and Multiple Disabilities" (Bonnie Todis); (3) "Preparing Future Citizens: Technology-Supported, Project-Based Learning in the Social Studies" (Cynthia M. Okolo and Ralph P. Ferretti); (4) "ClassWide Peer Tutoring Program: A Learning Management System" (Charles R. Greenwood, Liang-Shye Hou, Joseph Delquadri, Barbara J. Terry, and Carmen Arreaga-Mayer); (5) "Sustaining a Curriculum Innovation: Cases of Make It Happen!" (Judith M. Zorfass); (6) "Technology Implementation in Special Education: Understanding Teachers' Beliefs, Plans, and Decisions" (Charles A. MacArthur); (7) "Why Are Most Teachers Infrequent and Restrained Users of Computers in Their Classroom?" (Larry Cuban); (8) "Designing Technology Professional Development Programs" (A. Edward Blackhurst); (9) "The Construction of Knowledge in a Collaborative Community: Reflections on Three Projects" (Carol Sue Englert and Yong Zhao); (10) "The Rise and Fall of the Community Transition Team Model" (Andrew S. Halpern and Michael R. Benz); and (11) "How Does Technology Support a Special Education Agenda? Using What We Have Learned To Inform the Future" (Marleen C. Pugach and Cynthia L. Warger). (Individual papers contain references.) (DB)

Addressing SEND in Design and Technology : Your responsibility -- Starting points : Different types of SEND in D & T -- An inclusive environment for D & T lessons -- Teaching and learning -- Special designers and makers -- Monitoring and assessment -- Managing support -- Real pupils in real classrooms

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. This up-to-date book shows how assistive technology can be used in all kinds of classrooms, at all grade levels, to enhance the teaching and learning of students with a wide range of disabilities. The emphasis is on the integration of assistive technology into the curriculum. It addresses the challenges teachers face when using assistive technology to teach new skills to students with disabilities, to increase their independence and productivity, and to provide them with access to the general education curriculum. The text discusses disability categories within the context of school-related tasks and technology-based solutions to avoid misleading readers into simply pairing a certain diagnosis with a certain tech tool. The new edition of Assistive Technology in the Classroom keeps readers abreast of relevant new developments in mobile devices and assistive technology through a new chapter on how to use assistive technology to create visual supports and promote positive behavior, chapter updates on available mobile devices, expanded information on Universal Design for Learning, and additional ideas and discussion on how to match technology tools to a student’s specific needs and strengths.

Gives readers an up-to-date look at how assistive technology can be used in all kinds of classrooms, at all grade levels, to enhance the teaching and learning of students with a wide range of disabilities. KEY TOPICS: Assistive technology, computer technology, instructional technology, integrating technology into augmentative communication, access to computers and mobile devices, children with disabilities, students with disabilities, special education, teacher education, technology training, professional development-technology MARKET The focus of this book is on assistive technology in the classroom and the curriculum-its use in the teaching and learning process, not on tech tools in other disciplines such as adapted sports, transportation, or powered mobility. As such, the in-service market is classroom teachers and special education teachers and administrators.

Using Technology to Enhance Special Education, Volume 37 of Advances in Special Education, focuses on how general and special educators can use technology to work with children and youth with disabilities.