EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY FOR THE INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM

ABSTRACT

This paper presents and evaluates the development of an educational technology curriculum aimed at pre-service, primary education and undergraduates; the focus is on the incorporation of ICT competences for inclusive education. The framework was the introduction of SEVERI e-learning environment in Slovenian schools. Students were able to monitor the development and implementation of SEVERI tools for special needs pupils in Slovenian schools, and plan teaching and learning in SEVERI within their course project work. Within an educational technology curriculum, a competence framework was developed for fostering the use of ICT in the teaching of, and learning by, special needs pupils. This was achieved against the backcloth of the baseline learning objectives of autonomy, inquiry, creativity and innovation. In pre-service teacher education in educational technology, the focus is on inquiry based learning, and on planning and incorporating the innovative use of ICT into teaching; the emphasis is also on enhancing the student teachers’ competences for his/her own professional development. In focussing more specifically on the use of ICT for special needs pupils, the aim is to carry into effect the principles of equality, diversity and inclusive education. The research was designed to evaluate the candidate students’ learning and to consider the alignment of learning objectives and activities with learning outcomes in the new curriculum. The research questions considered within the paper are: (1) How the new curriculum assists mutual development of ICT didactical and technical competences? (2) How the project work based on SEVERI foster the learning objectives of autonomy, inquiry, creativity, and innovation in ICT implementation in inclusive classroom? (3) How is the project idea based on needs assessment in pedagogical practice? (4) How were the procedures of lesson planning conducted and how were lesson plans used in lesson performance?