Digital exclusion in later life : a Maltese case-study

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are driving profound changes in the way in which individuals, organizations and governments interact. In particular, the internet has been a major force behind the development towards a more globalized, knowledge-based economy. However, in terms of computer access and internet usage, a digital divide between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ has long been recognized. One key sector of non-users consists of older persons. For various reasons – including no exposure to computers over their lifetime and in their occupations, income levels, physical disability and access to affordable ICT training – only limited percentages of older people have adequate ICT skills. A growing concern is that older adults who do not engage with ICTs face social disadvantages and exclusion. This article reports upon a qualitative study on older non-users of ICTs, with its key goal being to understand what leads to, and the effects of, digital exclusion in later life. Results found that older persons who never made use of ICTs were significantly delineated by gender and socio-economic status patterns - namely, women (especially housewives, who had never been in paid employment), individuals who worked in blue-collar and working-class occupations, and the long-term unemployed. Data also demonstrated that access was not the main issue at hand, and that the failure of older adults to become digital citizens was the result of a continuum of overlapping barriers. This study provided information highlighting the rationales and motivations underlying individuals’ non-use of computers - namely, believing that they were now ‘too old’ to use new technologies, a lack of relevance or ‘life-fit’ of computers, perceived non-usefulness and difficulty to use, anxiety about computer usage, concern about security and privacy issues, and the facing of disability issues.N/

Silver Surfers : Social Inclusion or Exclusion in a Digital World

Funded and commissioned by Microsoft's Unlimited Potential Programme, with contributions from Citizens Online and UH. This report was the output from the project.When one considers the population profile of a country, no longer is the emphasis upon mortality rates of younger people. As the years progress, enhancements to the quality of life have led to an increasingly ageing society. The emphasis globally has changed to provision for all age groups as a result. In this report, we determine how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are being introduced through programmes by a variety of agencies into the lives of one particular population group – the silver surfer. The context of this report is the United KingdomFinal Published versio

Una aplicación móvil para estudiantes con dificultades de aprendizaje: diseño y validación

En los últimos años, el uso de tecnologías y dispositivos portátiles se ha generalizado en muchos campos y también en la educación. Hay además muchas investigaciones que demuestran la enorme difusión del uso y la popularidad de los dispositivos móviles entre los jóvenes. La tecnología móvil ofrece la capacidad de apoyar el aprendizaje y también ofrece tanto a los estudiantes como a los profesores oportunidades de aprendizaje personalizadas. Los principales factores para la adopción e implementación del M-Learning en las escuelas son la disposición y disposición de los maestros. Hay muchos estudios que demuestran las actitudes y percepciones positivas de los profesores de secundaria sobre el uso de dispositivos móviles en la escuela. Es más, un gran número de encuestas indican que el uso de tecnologías móviles, afecta positivamente la educación de los niños con necesidades educativas especiales como el autismo, dislexia, etc. Esta tesis doctoral tiene como objetivo el diseño y la evaluación de una aplicación educativa para Android que se espera ayude a los estudiantes de escuela secundaria griega con dificultades de aprendizaje a adquirir habilidades adicionales en matemáticas. En primer lugar, se han analizado las actitudes y percepciones de los profesores griegos de educación especial sobre el uso de las TIC en clase para asegurarse, por una parte, de que el conocimiento de los profesores en este campo es adecuado, teniendo en cuenta el hecho de que el conocimiento de las TIC no es una habilidad previa para convertirse en profesor. Esta etapa se realiza a través de cuestionarios estructurados y el análisis de los datos de las respuestas se ha realizado con el software IBM SPSS Statistics. En segundo lugar, en el marco de la elaboración de la tesis se ha creado una nueva aplicación tecnológica Android, destinada a ayudar a los estudiantes con dificultades de aprendizaje en el campo de las matemáticas. La herramienta de desarrollo de aplicaciones que se ha utilizado es Android Studio, el IDE oficial (Entorno de Desarrollo Integrado) para la plataforma Android. El lenguaje de programación que se ha utilizado es Java. Antes de su implementación la aplicación fue evaluada por 7 docentes especializados tanto en el área de informática como en matemáticas a través de un cuestionario estructurado. Se implementó su uso durante dos meses en escuelas de secundaria educación . Después de su implementación se evaluaron los resultados a través de entrevistas a profesores de educación especial y cuestionarios dirigidos a estudiantes con dificultades de aprendizaje con el fin de estimar, por un lado, las opiniones e impresiones de los estudiantes y profesores y, por otro lado, las habilidades potenciales que los estudiantes podían haber adquirido. El análisis estadístico de los cuestionarios de evaluación docente reveló que los profesores de matemáticas e informática tienen una actitud positiva hacia la aplicación “Love2LearnMaths”. El mismo punto de vista positivo hacia la aplicación se puede observar en las respuestas de los profesores entrevistados, que son los docentes de matemáticas para estudiantes con NEE. Los estudiantes de los departamentos de integración, por otro lado, parecen estar positivamente entusiasmados con el uso de la aplicación “Love2LearnMaths” como lo revela el análisis de los cuestionarios de los estudiantes para la evaluación de la aplicación.In recent years the use of portable technologies and devices has become widespread in many fields, such as in the economy, tourism, entertainment, but also in education. There are many surveys that prove the huge spread of use and popularity of mobile devices (mobile phones, tablets and laptops) among young people. On the other hand, mobile phones are mostly preferred compared to other mobile devices by secondary school students. Mobile technology offers the ability to support learning and also offers to both students and teachers personalized learning opportunities. The main factors for the adoption and implementation of M-Learning in schools are the willingness and readiness of teachers. There are many studies that prove the positive attitudes and perceptions of secondary school teachers on the use of mobile devices in school. However, specifically for Greece much fewer studies have been carried out. What is more, a great number of surveys indicate that the use of mobile technologies, affects positively the education of children with special educational needs such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia etc. Therefore, this PhD dissertation aims at the design and evaluation of an educational Android application that is expected to help Greek gymnasium’s students with learning difficulties to acquire extra skills in mathematics. Firstly, the attitudes and perceptions of Greek special education teachers about the use of ICTs in class have been analyzed to make sure on the one hand that teachers’ knowledge on this field is adequate, considering the fact that ICTs’ knowledge is not a prerequisite skill for becoming teacher. Additionally, teachers’ attitudes towards the use of ICTs in class have been clarified. This stage is carried out via structured questionnaires and the data analysis of the answers has been made with IBM SPSS Statistics software. Secondly, in the framework of the thesis’ elaboration, a new technological Android application has been created, aiming at assisting students with learning difficulties in the field of mathematics. The application development tool that has been used is Android Studio, the official IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for the Android platform. The programming language that has been used is Java, while XML’s knowledge was required in order to customize the formatting and the appearance of the application. The application was to be implemented in integration departments of two secondary Greek schools within a period of six months (finally the period was reduced to two due to covid-19 restrictions). Before its implementation the application was evaluated by 7 teachers specialized in both the area of informatics and mathematics via a structured questionnaire. After its implementation the results were evaluated via interviews with special education teachers and questionnaires addressed to students with learning difficulties in order to estimate on the one hand the opinions and impressions of the students and teachers because of its use and, on the other hand the potential skills that the students may have acquired. The statistical analysis of teachers' evaluation questionnaires revealed that mathematicians and informatics’ teachers have a positive attitude towards the application “Love2LearnMaths”. Similar attitudes towards mobile devices and apps in general had been announced by the Special Education teachers of the first phase of our research. The same positive point of view towards the application “Love2LearnMaths” can be observed in the answers of the interviewees, who are the special education mathematicians. Students of integration departments on the other hand, appear positively enthusiastic about the use of the application “Love2LearnMaths” as revealed by the analysis of Students’ questionnaires for the evaluation of the app.

Assistive technologies : short overview and trends

This paper gives a brief overview of currently existing assistive technologies for different kinds of disabilities. An elaborate discussion of all types of assistive technologies is beyond the scope of this paper. Assistive technologies have evolved dramatically in recent years and will continue to be further developed thanks to major progress in artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and other areas. Previously, assistive technologies were highly specialized and were often difficult or expensive to acquire. Today, however, many assistive technologies are included in mainstream products and services. An introduction and state of the art of assistive technologies are presented first. These are followed by an overview of technological trends in assistive technologies and a conclusion

Annual Report on Span of Control, February 24-25, 2016

Receive the annual report on span of control; approve submission of the report to the Governor and Iowa General Assembly in accordance with Iowa Code §262.9C and Board Policy 4.20; and approve the exclusion of departments with 28 or fewer FTE from the span of control calculations

BITS schools and Project Based Approach as methodological basis for the inclusive English as a Second Language class.

The current Spanish educational normative, the LOMLOE, which was established in 2020, was built on the main goals of the 2030 Agenda, plan of action that seeks a social development towards a more equalitarian society. In this sense, the Spanish government stated the need of an inclusive education, bearing in mind that it was recognized as a human right in 2008. Moreover, adapting the educational system to the current social trends, the ICTs have also become one of the most important components of nowadays classrooms. Following the precedent of the BITS schools, which implied an attempt to join the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) subject, the ICTs and the inclusion principle, as well as the 2030 Agenda’s goals and the LOMLOE’s objectives, the present study offers a practical proposal meant to be implemented in a second year EFL classroom of secondary education.La ley educativa vigente en España, la LOMLOE, la cual fue consolidad en 2020, está basada en los objetivos principales de la Agenda 2030, plan de acción que busca el desarrollo social hacia una sociedad más igualitaria. En este sentido, el gobierno español decretó la necesidad de una educación inclusiva, dado que fue considerada derecho humano en el 2008. Además, con el fin de adaptar el sistema educativo a las corrientes sociales actuales, las TICs se han convertido también en uno de los componentes más importantes de cualquier aula. Siguiendo el precedente de las escuelas BITS, que supuso un intento de aunar la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera, las TICs y el principio de inclusión, así como los objetivos de la Agenda 2030 y de la LOMLOE, este trabajo ofrece una propuesta práctica pensada para una clase de inglés como lengua extranjera de segundo de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria.Departamento de Didáctica de la Lengua y LiteraturaMáster en Profesor de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y Bachillerato, Formación Profesional y Enseñanzas de Idioma

Annual Report on Span of Control, February 5, 2020

Receive the annual report on span of control; approve submission of the report to the Governor and Iowa General Assembly in accordance with Iowa Code §262.9C and Board Policy 4.20; and approve the exclusion of departments with 28 or fewer FTE from the span of control calculations

TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENTS FOR FRAILTY SUBJECTS

The contribution addresses the problem of the use of educational technologies for inclusive purposes at school in the Italian context. Inclusive education is implemented in different ways in different contexts and varies with national policies and priorities, which in turn are influenced by a whole range of social, cultural, historical and political issues. Technologies have considerable potential that helps teachers to support pupils with disabilities and inclusion processes at school. The opportunity for interaction, collaboration and mediation offered by assistive technologies benefits the fragile student, but also the entire class, which can be supported in some learning processes through the adoption of specific devices. The article also emphasizes the use of ICT facilitators for pupils with special needs with the aim of implementing the principles of equality, diversity and inclusive education.  Article visualizations

Digital Technologies, Music Therapy and Inclusion

The current school is searching for, more than ever, to contribute to the inclusion of children and young people with DID, in conditions that are not always the best, if we consider the different difficulties experienced every day. The Digital Technologies, in association with Music and the concept of Music Therapy, can make a strong contribution in the reduction of these difficulties, using available software. In this article we propose to present, by way of example, Youtube importance its potential as an intervention tool, through Music, with individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Difficulty.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio