Curricular Unit:			Code:
ICT Applied to Special Educational Needs			935TICS
Year:	Level:	Course:	Credits:
1	Master	Educational Sciences: Special Education (Cognitive and Motor Domain)	4 ects
Learning Period:		Language of Instruction:	Total Hours:
Winter Semester		Portuguese	52
Learning Outcomes of the Curricular Unit:
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has played a key role in education, with particular emphasis on Special Education. This UC aims to: A. Motivate critical reflection on the use of ICT in education, as a factor of access to the curriculum, in the face of a new knowledge society. B. Discuss the introduction of ICT in Special Education and its importance in the inclusion of students with SEN C. Identify the different strategies and equipment that can contribute to the elimination of barriers to participation and learning for students with SEN, according to their specific problems. D. Identify different types of Technologies in the scope of Accessibility.
Syllabus:
1- Brief history of the introduction of ICT as a factor of innovation in Education: fundamentals, legislation / documentation and current situation. 2- Issues about the importance of using ICT as a powerful educational tool, its possibilities and problems. 3- Critical analysis and experimentation of the potential of different types of software, environments and robotics for educational use. 4- Possibilities of the most common computer applications in pedagogical practice and in the construction of educational activities. 5- Application of ICT in Special Education: objectives, expectations and solutions. 6- Accessibility and Assistive Technologies for SEN: a. Mobility, autonomy and functionality; b. Technical aids, material adaptations and compensation technologies; c. Computer accessibility; d. Support for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
Demonstration of the Syllabus Coherence with the Curricular Unit's Objectives:
Contents 1 and 2 are intended to provide trainees with critical knowledge about the fundamentals of work in special education, namely the application of assistive technologies and their potential, properly developed in points A and B of the objectives, allowing the creation of a theoretical basis and principles, which should underpin the practice and decision-making, within the scope of the skills of a special education teacher, defined by law, linked to promoting the inclusion of students. The contents 3, 4, 5 and 6 are intended to operationalize objectives C and D, providing information about the various technological options available to teachers and their correct evaluation and use, both in terms of adequacy in relation to their needs, either in terms of fidelity to the objectives of the action of special education, either in terms of current software and applications, or in terms of specific technologies aimed at each domain of problems.
Teaching Methodologies (Including Evaluation):
Methodology: 1. Dialogical expositive classes and group dynamics. 2. Discussion and commentary on texts, themes, cases and / or practical situations. 3. Demonstration and experimentation sessions. 4. Practical sessions on accessibility, use of software and construction of teaching materials. Assessment: A1. Elaboration of a communication table in SPC symbols and a word form for students with mental and / or motor disabilities, according to the practical activities carried out in class. A2. As an alternative, the student will be able to prepare a theoretical analysis of the bibliography given on one of the themes covered during the classes. (40%) B. Practical work: development of a learning object (LO) for a public with special educational needs, using authoring software, for the development of digital educational materials (60%)
Demonstration of the Coherence between the Teaching Methodologies and the Learning Outcomes:
The presentation of the materials based on examples and practical cases, as well as on dialogue and shared reflection, (methodologies 1 and 2), allows a better explanation and internalization of the principles in question and provides tools to the trainees for a critical and informed practice in decisions to be taken under objectives A and B. The demonstration, evaluation and practical use of technology sessions (methodologies 3 and 4), allow information on objectives C and D to be transmitted with a connection to the concrete, for a better perception of available tools and a link between knowledge and its implementation in action. In this context, the methodology will be more focused on the elaboration of practical works through the case study, in contact with materials and in moments of discussed reflection; favoring a continuous approach in the scope of experimentation and application of knowledge.
Reading:
CORREIA, L. M. (2013). Inclusão e Necessidades Educativas Especiais: um guia para Educadores e Professores. 2ª ed. Porto: Porto Editora. (BFP- 376/COR/72657) Fachinetti, T; Gonçalves, A & Lourenço G (2017). Processo de Construção de Recurso de Tecnologia Assistiva para Aluno com Paralisia Cerebral em Sala de Recursos Multifuncionais. Revista Brasileira de Educação Especial Marília Oct./Dec 23 (4) FERREIRA, S.; Almeida, A. (2015) Estratégias e modelos de avaliação utilizados pelos Centros de Recursos TIC no aconselhamento de produtos de apoio para alunos com NEE. In: Revista Portuguesa de Educação. Junho 28(1):59-93 (b-on) OMS (2019) Global perspectives on assistive technology: proceedings of the GReAT Consultation N. Layton & J. Borg, editors. WHO, Geneva, 22–23 August 2019. Vol1. PASCUAS-RENGIFO, Y. S. et al. (2015) Tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones para personas con necesidades educativas especiales In: Entramado. July 11(2):240-248 (b-on)
Lecturer (* Responsible):
Francisco Pires Alves (fjalves@ufp.edu.pt) Pedro Reis (preis@ufp.edu.pt)