Increasing technological literacy of special education students at Sunny High
Date
2017
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The purpose of this Executive Position Paper (EPP) is to use the literature and data collected from interviews with professionals in the field of technology and special education to provide recommendations for improving the multimedia pathway at Sunny High School so that it supports the students’ development of their technological literacy. Twelve professionals from the fields of technology and special education were interviewed. A semi structured interview protocol was used to collect qualitative data. The questions for the interview were developed from the literature and the key questions guiding this EPP. The interviews were tape recorded and transcribed. The participants were given pseudonyms, and all identifying data were destroyed including interview tapes. Once the data were transcribed, they were coded using a system derived from the literature and the guiding questions of the EPP. To ensure accuracy, the data were then coded by another rater to ensure interrater reliability. Four major recommendations are made to improve the multimedia pathway. First, Delaware technology standards should guide the multimedia pathway. Second, students should be exposed to meaningful experiences with technology. Third, coding should be taught as a skill to the students in the multimedia pathway. Finally, it is recommended that Universal Design for Learning be used in the pathway to give students various ways to learn and show what they have learned.
Description
Keywords
Education, Delaware, Special education, Technological literacy, Tpack