Chapter 15: Teaching and Learning with Technology in Special
Education
Technology Integration in Action: Helping students
blend in
As discussed in the chapter, the efforts to assist students
with disabilities has shifted from separating or isolating them from the
general population of students to attempting to mainstream, or integrate, them into general education (Roblyer
& Doering, 2013, p. 402). In order
for mainstreaming in the classroom to be successful, all students, regardless
of their disabilities, must be included in lessons in ways that emphasize their
strengths and accommodates their needs. The
subsection, “Technology Integration in Action,” provides an example of a sixth
grade teacher, Ms. Montoya, and her heterogeneously grouped classroom, which
includes students with special needs, and her attempt to integrate them with
the other students (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).
Phase I: Analysis of Learning and Teaching Needs
Step 1: Determine relative advantage
Relative
advantage requires the consideration of the potential benefits of incorporating
new methods or technologies over those previously used and determining whether
they are necessary in facilitating learning and understanding (Roblyer &
Doering, 2013). When working with
students with special needs, the first, and perhaps most crucial, step consists
of obtaining information about students with special needs. This information includes personality and
behavior profiles, individual strengths and weaknesses, and accommodations the
students may need. These individual
profiles should guide the development of a lesson that accommodates the needs
of students with disabilities and aim for inclusion in the classroom. In addition, the technologies that will be
incorporated in the lesson must benefit or accommodate students with
disabilities as well as the remainder of the class.
Step 2: Assess Tech-PACK
The
components from the Tech-PACK model in special education differ from that of
most other subjects, in that it entails the entire realm of special education
as opposed to one particular subject.
Prior to developing a lesson plan, educators, especially those in the
field of special education, should review and assess their capabilities within
the Tech-PACK model. In doing so, they
may have an improved understanding of the areas in which they may need to
improve or seek outside assistance for the development of an inclusive lesson
plan. For Ms. Montoya, she realized her
technological knowledge paled in comparison to that of pedagogy and content,
which urged her to ask for assistance from the special education department in
her school (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).
Phase II: Planning for Integration
Step 3: Decide on objectives and assessments
For a
lesson plan to be successful, there must be clear objectives and one or more
methods of measuring student understanding.
In a classroom that includes students with disabilities, there may need
to be separate objectives and outcomes for those individuals depending on the
information gathered from their profiles.
Due to the heterogeneous grouping of her classroom, Ms. Montoya ensured
that each student was aware of the necessary roles in and planned assessment
for the class project involving survey research and data analysis, including
specialized and important roles for the students with disabilities (Roblyer
& Doering, 2013).
Step 4: Design integration strategies
In
the example provided by the text, the teacher, Ms. Montoya, developed a lesson
plan that took place over the span of three weeks and clearly outlined
expectations for all students, including those with disabilities. The expectations and overall lesson included
an examination of importance of survey research and the introduction of the
technological tools that would be used for the project. These technological tools were also chosen
based on the necessary accommodations for the students with disabilities. The aforementioned roles for the students
with disabilities in the class emphasized the strengths she had obtained from
their individual profiles and allowed them to utilize them in an important
manner. Without ostracizing the students
with disabilities within the classroom, each phase of the lesson required the
entire class to work together for successful completion of the class project
(Roblyer & Doering, 2013).
Step 5: Prepare instructional environments
In
the field of special education, successful lesson plans that coincide with the
principles of mainstreaming may require collaboration with special education
teachers and assistants to successfully integrate necessary technology. Depending on the needs of each student,
different technologies may need to be utilized to accommodate students with disabilities
without isolating them from the general education students. This step may also require additional
attention towards special education students to prepare them for the required
responsibilities of their specified individual roles in the project.
Phase III: Post-Instruction Analysis and Revisions
Step 6: Analyze results
After
the completion of the lesson, it is important to review its overall execution
and success, particularly focusing on the aspects pertaining to the learning
objectives and outcomes. In classes that
are partly or entirely composed of students with disabilities, the amount of
participation from these students and the understanding of their peers should
be considered. Some examples of
questions for self-reflection include:
1.
Were all
students engaged throughout the lesson?
2.
Did all
students appreciate the importance of the roles of their peers, including those
with special needs?
3.
How successful was the lesson, including the
integration of technology and the execution of the final project?
Step 7: Make revisions
Integrating
accommodating technology into a lesson plan can be challenging, which may be
realized after the previous step of analyzing the overall success of the
lesson. Potential revisions can include
small changes to instructional methods, timing of the lesson, technologies, or
the location in which the lesson takes place.
As Ms. Montoya realized, the use of the “talking computer” for the
survey was distracting at times, leading her to consider new locations for the
project (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).
Questions:
· - In a classroom similar to Ms. Montoya’s, where
students with disabilities are placed within general education students, do you
think it is important for students without disabilities to understand the
assistive technologies necessary for their peers?
· - What are two examples of technologies aimed to
accommodate students with disabilities and how can they be integrated into
lessons to benefit all students?
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