Using ICT to Support Pupils with Special Educational Needs

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Using ICT to Support Pupils with Special
Educational Needs

• Jo Briscombe
• Jane Hall

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Session Overview

• Background to ICT use
• Use of classroom software to support learners
• Use of My World
• Use of Writer
• Use of Write Away
• Other software

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Purposes of Session

• In what ways can IT support pupils with a range
  of special educational needs?
• How and when can IT help to provide access to a
  broad and balanced curriculum?
• How can we maximise the potential of classroom
  software to address pupils needs?
• What changes in practice need to take place in
  school?

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Deciding when and when not to use ICT

• Does the use of ICT support good practice in
  teaching the subject?
• Does it relate directly to the teaching and
  learning objectives?
• Does it allow the teacher or pupil/group of
  pupils to achieve something that could not be
  achieved without it?

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Why use ICT to support learners?

• Enables inclusion in classroom activities
• Active participant, not passive observer
• Opportunities for different learning styles
  through sound, multimedia, visual information
• Motivating medium with street cred
• Stay on task by focusing attention and
  alleviating some of the physical pressures

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Why use ICT to support learners?

• Develops independence
• Privacy to work and develop at the learners own
  pace
• Medium through which pupils can demonstrate true
  ability and potential
• Easy to differentiate software in a variety of
  ways to support learners
• Facilitate social communication and interaction
• provides opportunities for personal expression
• Enables the production of well presented, high
  quality product

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Why use ICT to support teachers

• Tool for differentiation
• Means for pupils to publish to wider audience
• Readily available range of hardware and software
• Different means of presenting materials to
  engage, stimulate and motivate
• Can provide information about the childs learning

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The Context

• ICT may be used by
• All the pupils individually, in groups or as a
  whole class
• Some pupils for support or extension work
• The teacher

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Use of generic software
Use of generic software allows great flexibility
and so can be adapted to support the objectives
for most lessons.

• Write Away
• Clicker 4
• Word

• My World
• Writer

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Focus on Software

• Creating screens and templates
• Creating and saving word banks
• Using and adding to the word book
• Changing fonts
• Font use for pupils with SEN
• Talking features

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Features of My World

• Inclusion
• Can buy extra screens to support specific
  learners/learning objectives
• Creating own screens
• Items can be easily moved around on the screen
• Can set appropriate font
• Can support differentiation

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Use of My World

• Matching activities
• Sorting activities
• Ordering activities
• Rearranging words and sentences
• Cloze activities

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Ordering Activities
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Rearranging words and sentences
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Use of Writer

• Simple word Processor
• Can use word banks
• Can create own word banks
• Record speech
• Play back speech

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Features to Support Inclusion

• Ability to
• set and limit font choices
• Record speech
• Set up word lists
• Insert and import pictures from a picture bank
  and to use childrens own pictures

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Activities Using Writer

• Ask children to record their ideas using a
  microphone
• Teacher or adult to type text if necessary
• Create word banks to go with requirements of
  writing e.g. key words, topic words, adjectives,
  adverbs, etc

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Write Away

• Word processor
• Can create word banks
• Word book
• Talking version will read text

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Features to Support Inclusion

• Ability to
• Set font size, colour, style appropriate for
  pupils
• create and use word lists
• Use speech to support learners
• Easily format work to improve presentation
  through borders, page size
• Insert date using control D for record keeping
• Create writing frames/templates

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Use of Word banks
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Writing frames

• Scaffolding writing
• Help with structure
• Provides ideas and prompts

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Editing and changing text
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Word banks - word
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Word banks Clicker 3
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Predictive Typing Software

• Word Bar
• Penfriend
• As you type options appear to select from

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Key Messages

• SEN and IT are the responsibility of all
  teachers.
• Requires whole school planning and co-ordination
• Allows pupils to access learning on an individual
  basis
• Access to a broad and balanced curriculum
• Develop IT capability

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Questions for Teachers

• Will the use of ICT make teaching and/or learning
  more effective?
• How will available ICT resources be most useful
  during different parts of the lesson?
• When will ICT use be appropriate and
  inappropriate for the class/group/individual?
• Are the ICT resources adequate for the purpose?