An exploration of teacher's use of iPads for students with learning support needs

Abstract

This project explored how iPads were being used in a range of K‐12 schools to support the learning of students with a range of learning support needs. Groups of teachers (and other professionals) from the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK were invited to complete an online survey focused on the use of iPads in their classrooms, perspectives of their skill level, and how their school and school districts support the use of iPads. The survey focused on iPad use in classrooms (curriculum and skills); teachers’ skill levels; whether iPads are addressed in the Individualised Education Program (IEP); the systemic support for the iPads; and the perceived benefits and barriers. The results reveal that respondents are using iPads across many areas of the curriculum, which affirms the research in the emerging literature base. However, there are teacher reported differences in the manner and scope of iPad use in the classrooms and also the integration of the iPad in the IEP. The research also highlights variability in reported skill level for the iPad and an increased need for enhanced systemic support, such as training, funding, technical support and administrative support for the use of the iPad as a pedagogical tool.

Can Touchscreen Devices be Used to Facilitate Young Children's Learning? A Meta-Analysis of Touchscreen Learning Effect

“…That means many children and teachers are authorized to learn and teach by touching the screens, which is more or less different from traditional non-technology-enhanced classroom settings. To some degree, thus, the prevalent enthusiasm for the application of touchscreen devices to early childhood education is literally playing its role in the process that young students learn as well as teachers teach (Hu and Garimella, 2014; New Media Consortium, 2015; Apple, 2017; Papadakis et al, 2017; Chambers et al, 2018).…”

Does iPad use support learning in students aged 9–14 years? A systematic review

“…The findings from this research suggest that iPads can improve student engagement (Arthanat, Curtin, & Kontak, 2015;Bruhn, Vogelgesang, Fernando, & Lugo, 2016;Chambers, et al, 2018;Flewitt, Messer, & Kucirkova, 2015;Sankardas & Rajanahally, 2017;Vogelgesang, Bruhn, Coghill-Behrends, Kern, & Troughton, 2016), communication (Biggs, Carter, & Gustafson, 2017;Chambers, et al, 2018;Flores, et al, 2012;Hill & Flores, 2014;Sankardas & Rajanahally, 2017), academic achievement (Chambers, et al, 2018;Monem, Bennett, & Barbetta, 2018;Ok & Bryant, 2016), reading skills (Browder, Root, & Wood, 2017;Douglas, Uphold, Steffen, & Kroesch, 2018;Felix, Mena, Ostos, & Maestre, 2017), English writing skills (Felix, Mena, Ostos, & Maestre, 2017;, digital skills (Rivera, Hudson, Weiss, & Zambone, 2017), social/life skills (Chambers, et al, 2018;Douglas, Uphold, Steffen, & Kroesch, 2018), and behaviour (Bruhn, Vogelgesang, Fernando, & Lugo, 2016). Although other researchers reported inconsistent/inconclusive results with iPad interventions for children with learning disabilities (Bryant, et al, 2015;Flores, et al, 2012;Hill & Flores, 2014;Rivera, Hudson, Weiss, & Zambone, 2017) and amblyopia (Holmes, et al, 2016).…”

“…A number of studies were not subject-specific, but instead focused on the impact of iPads on students more generally, in relation to factors such as motivation to learn (Arthanat, Curtin, & Kontak, 2015;Bruhn, Vogelgesang, Fernando, & Lugo, 2016;Chambers, et al, 2018;Ditzler, Hong, & Strudler, 2016;Vogelgesang, Bruhn, Coghill-Behrends, Kern, & Troughton, 2016), creativity (Pifarré, 2019), development of communication and social skills (Biggs, Carter, & Gustafson, 2017;Bruhn, Vogelgesang, Fernando, & Lugo, 2016;Chambers, et al, 2018;Douglas, Uphold, Steffen, & Kroesch, 2018;Flores, et al, 2012;Hill & Flores, 2014;Sankardas & Rajanahally, 2017), increased learner independence (Cartier, 2014;Chambers, et al, 2018;Douglas, Uphold, Steffen, & Kroesch, 2018), multi-literacy development (Santori & Smith, 2018), and improvement of behaviour (Bruhn, Vogelgesang, Fernando, & Lugo, 2016).…”

“…This is a significant focus area in current studies, making up nearly half of the total research analysed. In particular, the findings related to children with developmental/learning disabilities (Arthanat, Curtin, & Kontak, 2015;Biggs, Carter, & Gustafson, 2017;Bruhn, Vogelgesang, Fernando, & Lugo, 2016;Bryant, et al, 2015;Chambers, et al, 2018;Douglas, Uphold, Steffen, & Kroesch, 2018;Flewitt, Messer, & Kucirkova, 2015;Flores, et al, 2012;Hill & Flores, 2014;Monem, Bennett, & Barbetta, 2018;Ok & Bryant, 2016;Rivera, Hudson, Weiss, & Zambone, 2017), Down Syndrome (Felix, Mena, Ostos, & Maestre, 2017), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (Browder, Root, & Wood, 2017;Hill & Flores, 2014;Sankardas & Rajanahally, 2017), emotional/behavioural disorders , Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Vogelgesang, Bruhn, Coghill-Behrends, Kern, & Troughton, 2016), amblyopia (Holmes, et al, 2016) and visual impairment (Beal & Rosenblum, 2018).…”

Formación del Profesorado y TIC para el Alumnado Com Discapacidad: Una Revisión Sistemática

“…), ya que proporcionan oportunidades para que los alumnos construyan entornos de aprendizaje signifi cativo que se pueden aplicar al alumnado con necesidades educativas especiales como: realizar actividades adecuadas a las distintas capacidades del alumnado; estimular el dialogo y la participación a través de nuevos modos de interacción social; el trabajo cooperativo y para tratar los problemas de la vida real, etc. Algunos estudios confi rman que las TIC pueden ofrecer nuevas oportunidades para promover cambios en el aprendizaje del alumnado con discapacidad (Chambers et al, 2018;Flanagan, Bouck, & Richardson, 2013;Gómez Jarabo, 2012;Suria Martínez, 2011). Otros, destacan la importancia de los benefi cios de las TIC en relación con la comunicación y la motivación en el alumnado (Toledo Morales & Llorente Cejudo, 2016).…”