INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AND THE EQUALIZATION OF OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) is a useful expression to describe the multitude and variety of ways in which technology has infiltrated into many aspects of everyday life, in education, at work or at home in the spare time. The last 20 years have brought remarkable innovations in the delivery of educational content. Traditionally distinct, text, sound, graphics and video content are now combined into a single "multimedia" document. The world around us is becoming increasingly interconnected through computer networks. Moreover, the evolution of the field of ICT is closely intertwined with the advancement of science in general and technology in particular and with the development of legislative initiatives that support research, implementation and dissemination of its applications within the educational system. The use of assistive technologies allows students with special needs to participate actively in the process of interaction and communication; in other words, technology can recover or replace deficiency to a very great extent, depending on several factors: the moment when its use was introduced, the manner of implementation, ongoing support from the persons around etc. The use of interactive information technologies has great potential for the education of children with special educational needs. Technology can be an equalization factor - for many people with disabilities, technology can serve as a support to overcome or compensate for cognitive difficulties in learning. This paper attempts to summarize some of the current directions for the deployment of information and communication technologies in education. Various possibilities of using these technologies in the educational process are presented, with reference to the use in teaching, to the use as a communication tool, as a compensatory tool or means for training, exploration or evaluation.