Key skills covered in this Unit
Know when and when not to use ICT
Learn how to use ICT to enrich and reinforce learning, not as a reward
or to keep pupils occupied.
Understand the aims and elements of an
effective ICT development plan
ICT is only effective if its use is
planned and supported across the whole school. Learn how to devise an effective
ICT development plan. Be aware of Health and Safety issues.
See Scenario 1
Position ICT resources so they can be used
effectively
Take a step back and look at how you store and locate your
ICT resources – whether a computer workstation, a digital camera, or a
selection of toys and switches. Are the resources accessible to staff and
pupils? Could equipment be made easier to get at?
See Scenarios 2, and 5
Adjust screen and desktop to improve
access
Use folders, short cuts, and display and desktop settings to make
the computer screen clean, uncluttered, and quick to use.
See Scenarios 3, and 4
Make ‘templates’ of activities
using your favourite word processor
Use TextEase, ClarisWorks, Talking
Word for Windows or another word processor to create computer
‘templates’ – worksheets for pupils to complete on screen.
See Scenario 2
Create user profiles
Set up profiles
for pupils and staff, to match their particular skills, resources and
needs.
See Scenario 4
Create ‘crib sheets’ to help staff
get going quickly with ICT
Make quick guides to help staff get started
with programs, and to ensure that any special keyboards, mice or switches are
set up correctly.
See Scenario 5
Know where to find equipment and help with
seating and positioning
Be aware of the importance of correct seating
and positioning; where to go for help, and the range of equipment
available.
See Scenarios 5, and 6
Use Control Panels to adjust the keyboard
and mouse response, and the display
Learn about the Keyboard, Mouse,
Accessibility Options and Easy Access Control Panels, and how to use them.
See Scenarios 7, 8, and 9
ICT can be a powerful means of access to the
curriculum and of reinforcing and enriching the curriculum, but it does not
provide all the answers for all children in all circumstances.
Why…
There are several reasons why pupils with
special educational needs might use ICT to access the curriculum.
ICT may help:
- Learners with physical disabilities. Pupils who
have physical handwriting difficulties may use computer-based technology to
write or record their work independently, with less fatigue and more quickly
than would be possible with pencil and paper.
- Learners with visual impairment. Pupils with a
visual impairment, with or without other associated disabilities, can use ICT
to access learning materials, and record their work.
- Learners with speech and language difficulties.
Children who cannot participate effectively in class due to communication
difficulties may use communication aids and devices.
- Learners with specific learning difficulties.
Pupils who have a particular difficulty with reading or writing may benefit
from the use of word-processing, spellcheckers, talking word processors, word
banks or word predictors.
- Learners with moderate learning difficulties.
Pupils who have difficulty with the mainstream curriculum may use ICT to
enhance and stimulate learning (for example through the use of multimedia
resources), and as a means of recording work independently (for example, by
using overlay or on-screen keyboards with symbols or pictures).
- Learners with severe and complex special educational
needs. Pupils with profound multiple difficulties can gain access to
essential learning activities, such as the experience of cause and effect,
independent control, choice-making, turn-taking, and early problem
solving.
One of the main advantages of ICT for learners with special
educational needs is independence; technology can help pupils overcome the
barriers that prevent them participating and accessing the curriculum.
When..
ICT should be used:
- when it meets appropriate curriculum goals, at the level
or stage at which pupil is working
- when it offers a more independent method of studying or
recording work than would otherwise be possible
- when it complements other classroom activities
- when the staff are familiar and comfortable with the
technology, the software, and how it meets educational goals
- regularly, for short periods every day, to perform
‘closed’ tasks that can be completed easily within a short time
When not...
ICT use is not always appropriate and may be
counter-productive at times, if not downright harmful, for a particular pupil.
Some problematic situations will be common to ICT use with all sort of pupils
in all sorts of school settings. Some may be indications that improvement in
practice in the areas of assessment, classroom management or teaching are
called for, rather than directly to do with the pupil or the technology. A few
may be more specific to individual pupils with particular special educational
needs. It will be important to try to resolve these, in individual cases.
ICT should not be used:
- as a reward for children ‘who have completed their
real work’
- with the same program(s) over and over again
- without a clear understanding of why it will improve
their access to the curriculum
- when the staff have not had time to investigate what the
software on the computer actually does, and whether it is beneficial
- for the sake of it, or to keep pupils occupied
- religiously once a week for ‘the computer
session’
- by children working alone or ‘hogging’ the
computer for long periods
- when all else fails – by then it may too late for
technology (or any other approach) to help
- when other methods are more appropriate – for
example, if time is very limited it may be better to use a low-tech method,
such as eye-pointing, symbol boards, scribe and / or reader, rather than a
computer
   
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