Abstract-Inclusion has brought diversity into 21st-century classrooms and introduced challenges for teachers who must adapt their teaching to diverse groups of children. Related research findings indicate that information and communication technology (ICT) can be used to provide personalized learning and support inclusion. Our research compared the school-and leisure-related computer use of students in inclusive classrooms. The frequency of computer use, types of ICT-supported activities, and attitudes toward computer use were examined. Consistent with those of previous studies, our findings show that students with special needs (SN) and their peers use computers more frequently for leisure activities than for school activities. Compared with their peers, students with SN use computers less frequently and are more resistant to computer use. No correlation was found between the presence of SN and a student's desire to use a computer or a student's opinion on whether computer use improves learning success. A comparison of male and female students revealed that boys use computers more frequently, and have a stronger belief that computer use improves learning success. This study discusses ICT integration in inclusive classrooms for personalized learning in all domains of learning, the cognitive, affective-social, and psychomotor domains. The main conclusions derived from the study inform teachers in planning their ICT integration for cognitive, social and emotional scaffolding of students in inclusive classrooms.Keywords-information and communication technology (ICT), inclusive class, students with special needs 56
Digital technology affordance has been recognized as a social and learning tool, and the requirements for digitalizing the kindergarten curriculum have been present for decades. Digitalization in a child’s early years can present conflict with parents, as the societal and economic demands of digitalized society for a child’s digital technology use are in dissonance with guidelines and recommendations of health organizations that caution against preschool children’s technology use. Kindergarten curricular reform in Slovenia was conducted in the 1990s. In this period, the use of digital learning technology and digital play for the development of children learning predispositions and early literacy was already recognized. At the time of curriculum design, it integrated some elements of digital learning technology. Now, 30 years after the design of the new curriculum, we are facing the post-digital era. Learning technology in the early years is a matter of partnership with parents; accordingly, this descriptive survey study includes a non-randomized sample of 306 parents. We are considering how child’s play is structured in the primary environment and how parents perceive digital technology in the current post-digital age of seamless, digitally saturated social practices. Parents are aware of the risks of technology and of its benefits for learning. The findings show correlations between a child’s digital screen technology use and parents’ attitudes and perceptions of digital play. Parents that offer digital screen technology to a child have less agreeable attitudes regarding its possible risks to a child.
The addition of digital toys to the child’s toy box has resulted in the development of the new ‘digital play’, which differs from analogue play. Research shows that digital toys are available from infancy onwards and are significantly changing the way children engage in play and communicate with parents during play. How this influences the child’s development must be established. The choice of toys and the manner in which they are used depend greatly on the parents. In the present study, parents’ opinions and experiences of their child’s digital and analogue play were explored in order to gain insight into the parents’ perceptions of the impact of different types of play on their child’s development. We were particularly interested in the differences in a child’s engagement with a toy and the child–parent interaction and communication. In this descriptive study, we administered a questionnaire in order to collect data from 306 parents of children of an average age of 3.6 years. The results show that parents perceived traditional toys as the most stimulating toys for a toddler’s sensory, motor, cognitive, and socio-emotional development. During analogue play, significantly more parent–child interaction, as well as more language input from parents and toddlers, occurred. Parents also used different intervention and mediation strategies with different types of toys.
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