Collection: Early Childhood

Technology for Inclusion: Meeting the Special Needs of all Students

REFERENCE: Male, M. (1994). Technology for Inclusion: Meeting the Special Needs of all Students. (2d ed.) Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Description of article:

CONTEXT: The first edition of this book was entitled Special magic: Computers, classroom strategies, and exceptional students. The new title reflects an effort to demystify fears of some educators regarding the use of technology and to provide a vision for inclusion. The author stresses that decisions about types of technology or strategies for using technology should not be based on disability categories and specialized settings. The book covers a broad spectrum of issues ranging from accessing technology to policy-making issues for technology and inclusive classrooms (see chapter titles listed below). Included below are the author's recommendations as they pertain to issues of early childhood:

Guidelines for Designing Activities and Selecting Software

"Guidelines for successfully incorporating technology at very early ages include the following:

• Assume that there are no prerequisites for language acquisition and that every child has the capacity to learn.
• Use the child's own reality and meaning system to construct activities, not isolated tasks constructed in a hierarchy of prerequisites (cause and effect, switch use, picture recognition, toy recognition, visual scanning on the computer).
• Make sure the child's positioning needs are assessed and addressed so that the appropriate type of switch or keyboard can be used.
• Use the computer to promote social skills and increase interaction with peers or caregivers.

Some of the characteristics of software that have been the most popular with very young children include the following:

1. Ease of operation, with limited requirements for keyboarding and easy use of adaptive devices
2. Clear, concise documentation so that the program is up and running without the need for an adult to study a manual
3. Color, graphics, and sound
4. Adaptability so that the program can be modified to fit a different need or varied to keep it challenging." (p. 30)

Chapter titles include:

1. Access: Issues, ideas and inspirations
2. Technology through the life cycle: Developmental perspectives
3. Themes across the life cycle
4. Classroom implementation
5. Social development in the computer environment
6. Word processing and desktop publishing
7. Data-base management
8. Spreadsheets
9. Telecommunications
10. Multimedia: HyperCard and Linkway
11. Integrating technology with individual educational plans
12. Building partnerships between parents and professionals
13. Restructuring: Policy-making issues for technology and inclusive classrooms
14. Dealing with change.

CONTACT(S): Mary Male, San Jose State University, 1 Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192. (408) 924-1000.

Publisher: Allyn and Bacon, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 160 Gould Street, Needham Heights, MA 02194

This book costs $41.00 ($5.96 for postage and handling) and is available from Prentice Hall at (800) 278-3525. ISBN # 020 514 6953.

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