ICT Training for Special Education Frontline Professionals: A Perspective from Students of a Master's Degree on Special Education

Jaime Ribeiro,António Moreira

doi:10.3991/ijet.v5s2.1218

Abstract

A large number of special education professionals agree on the fact that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is an important tool for teachers and students to overcome barriers and promote the acquisition of skills. ICT can promote school and social integration by diminishing the obstacles for students with Special Education Needs (SEN). A correct educational implementation of ICT depends strongly on the teacherâ??s awareness of the possibilities of their application and his/her training and capacity to adapt to the differentiated learning styles that he/she encounters in his/her teaching of SEN students. However, the lack of or no training on ICT is one of the most frequently pointed reasons for not using or for misusing the potential that ICT can offer to the education of pupils with SEN as pedagogical tools or as individual Assistive Technologies (AT). The findings of a survey conducted with teachers attending a Masterâ??s Degree on special education, balancing the acquisition of general ICT skills and facts on specially oriented ICT solutions for students with learning disabilities, will be reported here. The educational support provided by trained and specialized professionals at ease with basic ICT skills and assisted by specialized means and techniques constitute a form of aid for the student who needs to see his/her disadvantage reduced or overcome.

Highlights

A statement by Mary Pat Radabaugh often cited by authors on the field of special education and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) research, illustrates the simplicity that materializes the potential that ICT represents for those that for some circumstance are deprived of a full participation in their daily living:"For most people technology makes things easier
63,2% of the respondents revealed high interest in this matter, 31,6% good interest and 5,3% indicated reasonable interest. They agreed (5,3%) and fully agreed (94,7%) that ICT offers significant educational benefits and that it can help students with learning disabilities overcome the obstacles imposed by their disabilities (89,5% fully agreed and 5,3% agreed – one missing answer)
These answers were confirmed by 94,7% of the respondents that are motivated for the use of ICT in education of students with Special Education Needs (SEN) and who think that ICT training in this area is of major importance for their work in supporting the education of these students

Summary

Introduction

A statement by Mary Pat Radabaugh (a former employee with the IBM Disability Support Centre) often cited by authors on the field of special education and ICT research, illustrates the simplicity that materializes the potential that ICT represents for those that for some circumstance are deprived of a full participation in their daily living:"For most people technology makes things easier. A school that pursuits a full incorporation of students with SEN, and an inclusive school, must recognize and satisfy their particular needs, coping with different learning paces and styles, experiences, the relationship of the individual with his/her environment, through curricular adaptations, diversified pedagogical strategies and good management [7]. It must strive for equal opportunities, minimizing disabilities in a way that the SEN student can make the school and social pathway the less restrictive possible, as stated in the 2004 UNESCO Salamanca Declaration [8]

Results

Discussion

Conclusion