The Relationship Between Assistive Technology State Standards for Teachers, Assistive Technology Implementation, and Student Performance in the Context of Evidence-Based Practice

Purpose: Consideration of assistive technology (AT) for special education students has been federally mandated since 1997. Since the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), rigorous evidence-based educational practices are also mandated. While national technology standards for teachers in general education exist to guide educational technology (ET), it is not clear if AT standards exist for U.S. teachers, or on what evidence standards are based. The purposes of this study, therefore , were to 1) describe three state-level regulatory elements related to AT: i) presence of formally adopted AT standards , ii) level of scientific evidence supporting those standards and iii) extent to which states offer support for teachers\u27 implementation of AT, and 2) examine the relationship between these regulatory elements and academic performance of students in Special Education. Method: Data were collected in two ways. First, 110 literature documents were reviewed for type of standard and the nature and rigor of evidence. Secondly, data on the three regulatory elements were collected via telephone and email from the 50 State Departments of Education plus Washington DC. Multiple regression analyses compared the regulatory elements as predictor variables with national reading and math performance of special education students. Analysis/Results: Literature analysis results reveal 81% ET and 80.5% AT literature based on survey ·or expert opinion evidence, with standards the primary focus of 10% of AT literature. Descriptive analyses revealed nine states with state approved AT standards for teachers and five states with evidence supporting their standards; the rigor for this evidence was low. Forty-seven states provide information to teachers on AT, 17 states recommend professional development in AT with three having AT endorsement or certification. Multiple regression analyses found no significant relationship between the three regulatory elements and student performance in either reading or math. Discussion: Literature and study results indicate a general lack of AT standards either documented or officially in use in education, with supporting evidence not highly rigorous or not evident. Considering NCLB, lack of evidence-based standards makes AT vulnerable to reduced priority and funding. Research documenting impact of existing AT standards and rigorous evidence of related student performance is recommended

Towards Universally Designed Assistive Technology E-Learning

The aim of this dissertation is to provide Assistive Technology (AT) professionals involved in the area of education and training with a set of reusable technological tools and techniques that will enable them to increase the reach, efficiency, effectiveness and accessibility of their training through online delivery. There are a number of broadly accepted reasons why an organisation in any field might choose to make training available online or partially online (blended) rather than relying on traditional face to face methods. Of the four considered here and mentioned above, accessibility is the biggest concern in the context of AT. It is essential that an AT course follows accessibility best practice and in terms of education this means adhering closely to the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Through an extensive literature review the intrinsic properties of AT that might influence its delivery as e-Learning will be examined, followed by a review of previous AT education initiatives. A suitable Learning Management System (LMS) will then be selected and the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model will be used to develop initial pilot modules. The evaluation of these pilot modules will take the form of a detailed questionnaire issued to course participants and will be supplemented by an examination of the user data captured by the LMS. There will also be a further examination of the pilot modules against the UDL checkpoints. From these findings the design process will be modified and an improved design methodology will be proposed. This improved design methodology and supporting documentation will help AT educators to identify and utilise a range of reusable tools to create Universally Designed Learning Objects that will enable them, as the experts in the field, to successfully transfer their expertise from the classroom to an online medium. On completion, the improved design methodology will be offered back to AT professionals for expert evaluation. This evaluation will be documented and will inform further work including the building of UDL AT Learning Objects and the creation of an AT Learning Object Repository where the resulting learning objects can be easily accessed for reuse. Key words: Assistive technology, e

Ο Ρόλος των Νέων Τεχνολογιών στην Ένταξη Μαθητών με Ειδικές Μαθησιακές Δυσκολίες: Απόψεις και Κατάρτιση Εκπαιδευτικών

Η παρούσα βιβλιογραφική μελέτη διερευνά τους μηχανισμούς επίδρασης των απόψεων των εκπαιδευτικών, ως ενδογενών παραγόντων, για τον ρόλο των νέων τεχνολογιών στην ένταξη μαθητών με Ειδικές Μαθησιακές Δυσκολίες (ΕΜΔ), πάνω στην παιδαγωγική αξιοποίηση της τεχνολογίας από τους εκπαιδευτικούς για την ένταξη των μαθητών αυτών. Από έρευνες έχει διαπιστωθεί πως οι ΕΜΔ αποτελούν το συχνότερο αίτιο αναπηρίας μεταξύ όλων των εθνοτικών και φυλετικών ομάδων. Η χρήση των νέων τεχνολογιών στη διδασκαλία μπορεί να συμβάλλει στην εξάλειψη των εμποδίων για μάθηση που αντιμετωπίζουν οι μαθητές αυτοί και στη δημιουργία συνθηκών ισότιμης πρόσβασης στο αναλυτικό πρόγραμμα. Ωστόσο, έχει διαπιστωθεί πως οι εκπαιδευτικοί δεν αξιοποιούν σε ικανοποιητικό βαθμό τις νέες τεχνολογίες στην διδασκαλία τους για το σκοπό αυτό. Το γεγονός αυτό πηγάζει τόσο από τις απόψεις των εκπαιδευτικών για τις νέες τεχνολογίες στην εκπαίδευση μαθητών με ΕΜΔ, όσο και από την ελλιπή κατάρτισή τους σε ζητήματα παιδαγωγικής αξιοποίησης των νέων τεχνολογιών και ένταξης μαθητών με ΕΜΔ. Η εν λόγω μελέτη στοχεύει στην αποσαφήνιση αφενός των βασικών στοιχείων που συνιστούν τις απόψεις των εκπαιδευτικών για την αξιοποίηση των νέων τεχνολογιών για την ένταξη των μαθητών με ΕΜΔ και αφετέρου στην αποσαφήνιση του μηχανισμού βάσει του οποίου τα στοιχεία αυτά επιδρούν στις αντίστοιχες παιδαγωγικές πρακτικές των εκπαιδευτικών για τους μαθητές αυτούς. Επιπλέον, στοχεύει στην αποσαφήνιση του μηχανισμού σύμφωνα με τον οποίο η κατάρτιση των εκπαιδευτικών σε ζητήματα παιδαγωγικής αξιοποίησης της τεχνολογίας, ένταξης και ΕΜΔ επιδρά τόσο στις αντίστοιχες εκπαιδευτικές τους πρακτικές, όσο και στις απόψεις τους για την αξιοποίηση της τεχνολογίας για τους μαθητές με ΕΜΔ. Τα ευρήματα της μελέτης αναδεικνύουν πως η κατάρτιση των εκπαιδευτικών, τόσο πάνω στην αξιοποίηση της τεχνολογίας, όσο και στις Ειδικές Εκπαιδευτικές Ανάγκες (ΕΕΑ), στις ΕΜΔ και στην ένταξη, λειτουργεί ως διαμεσολαβητικός παράγοντας στην κυκλική συσχέτιση των εν λόγω απόψεών τους, των αντίστοιχων πρακτικών τους και των εμπειριών που βιώνουν από την εφαρμογή των πρακτικών αυτών μέσα στη σχολική τάξη.The present bibliographic study investigates the influence mechanisms of teachers' views, as endogenous factors, about the role of new technologies in the inclusion of students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLDs), on the pedagogical use of these technologies by the teachers for the inclusion of these students. Research has shown that SpLDs are the most common cause of disability among all ethnic and racial groups. The use of new technologies in teaching can help eliminate barriers to learning that these students face and create conditions for equal access to the curriculum. However, it has been found that teachers do not use new technologies in their teaching to a satisfactory degree for this purpose. This fact stems both from the views of teachers about new technologies in the education of students with SpLDs, as well as from their lack of training on issues of pedagogical use of new technologies and inclusion of students with SpLDs. This study aims to clarify, on the one hand, the key elements that constitute the views of teachers about the use of new technologies for the inclusion of students with SpLDs and, on the other hand, to clarify the mechanism by which these elements affect the respective pedagogical practices of teachers for these students. In addition, this study aims to clarify the mechanism according to which the training of teachers on issues of pedagogical use of technology, inclusion and SpLDs affects both their respective educational practices and their views on the use of technology for students with SpLDs. The findings of the study highlight the fact that teacher training, both in the pedagogical use of technology and in Special Education Needs (SEN), SpLDs and inclusion, functions as a mediating factor in the cyclical correlation of the mentioned above views of teachers, their respective teaching practices and their experiences of the application of these practices in the classroom

Teaching Accessibility and Design-For-All in the Information and Communication Technology Curriculum: Three Case Studies of Universities in the United States, England, and Austria

Digital technologies allow people with disabilities to participate independently in society in ways they never could before. The full realization of these new opportunities remains elusive, though, because working professionals in the information and communication technology (ICT) field rarely receive adequate training in how to make digital ICT accessible to people with disabilities. Adding accessibility to the university ICT curriculum can help create a critical mass of ICT professionals with accessibility awareness and expertise to finally realize the full accessibility potential of digital technologies. This dissertation provides a rich informational context from which ICT curriculum leaders can decide how to best infuse accessibility into their own curriculum

Inklusive Pädagogik

"Inklusive Pädagogik" oder "Integrationspädagogik"? Während in Deutschland die Integrationspädagogik, die das gemeinsame Lernen und Leben behinderter und nichtbehinderter Kinder und Jugendlicher zum Gegenstand hat, sich qualitativ und quantitativ langsam weiter entwickelt, ist in vielen anderen Ländern daraus bereits eine Inklusive Pädagogik entstanden, die die gelegentlich beobachtbaren Schwächen der Integrationspraxis überwinden will. Erst in jüngster Zeit wird .inclusive education1 auch im deutschen Sprachraum rezipiert und diskutiert. Viele sehen darin Möglichkeiten zur Verbesserung gemeinsamen Lernens, Lebens und Arbeitens. Vorliegendes Buch stellt die erste umfangreiche Auseinandersetzung mit dem Inklusionskonzept in deutscher Sprache dar. (DIPF/Orig.

ICT and Assistive Technology in Teachers Education and Training

Abstract. There is a growing recognition that an appropriate up to date preparation of all teachers and other educational personnel working with people with disabilities has to focus on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and especially on Assistive Technologies (AT). Numerous activities and projects related to teacher education and training have been performed the last years. Also the field of AT made a lot of efforts to towards training an teaching. Often both fields do their own approach to the topic and do not co-ordinate their activities. In this paper activities will be presented to integrate modules on AT into mainstream teacher training programs. 1