Special Education Teachers’ Use of Technologies During the COVID-19 Era (Spring 2020—Fall 2021)

Abstract

When school buildings closed in Spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many teachers began instructing with online technologies. Schools in the United States remained obligated to provide all students access to learning under federal laws in these challenging circumstances. The purpose of this study was to learn from teachers of students with disabilities who were striving to ensure that their students would benefit from instruction using various technologies amid shifting instructional modalities. These teachers taught kindergarten, grade 3, grade, 6, and grade 10. The time periods of the study included the (1) Spring 2020 initial shutdown, (2) return to online learning in Fall 2020, (3) partial return to school buildings using a form of hybrid instruction in Spring 2021, and (4) so-called ‘return to normal’ in Fall 2021. Teachers focused their efforts on facilitating the inclusive use of technologies; evaluating and modifying digital instructional materials; and managing the tension between wanting the autonomy to choose technologies, while needing organized, sustained support. Implications of this study include considerations for the supporting teachers in sustaining the use of technologies that they enjoyed using and found useful for students.

Special Education Teachers’ Entangled Agencies, Intersectional Identities, and Commitments to Equity and Inclusion

“…We also saw that Bohané cannot order the technologies he needs—he must prove to other actors that he deserves them, funds must be available, the classroom space must support the device, and so forth. As has been pointed out in previous research, teachers’ beliefs about the viability of technologies are insufficient—there must be an entanglement of agencies that supports the intra-actions necessary for technologies to bring accessibility to students and teachers (Rice, 2021, 2022). This is crucial because there is clearly an entanglement of agencies working against him.…”

“…Finally, social understandings were critical as different policies came into place that governed what technologies could be used, what guidance was available from various entities for serving students with disabilities, and how the various ebbs and flows of pandemic panic and fear reverberated across the teachers' lives and into the lives of their students (Rice, 2022).…”

Technology Dependency and Impact During COVID-19: A Systematic Literature Review and Open Challenges

“…Collaborative learning via facilitation of interactions in the learning community was also put into consideration in the choice of educational technology during the pandemic. There are benefits attached to online learning as confirmed by literature, such as increasing creativity of learners [41], self-regulation enhancement [42], building collaborative capacities [24], and improving the academic result of students [43].…”

Challenges experienced by U.S. K-12 public schools in serving students with special education needs or underlying health conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies for improved accessibility

“… 19 , 34 State and local education agencies and teachers can collaborate to develop training on accessible communication strategies, digital tools and evidence-based instructional methods such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that promote accessibility for all learners. 6 , 35 , 36 , 37 …”

“… 3 , 4 , 5 Although virtual learning afforded students with health needs and disabilities the continuity of an education during the pandemic, the quality of virtual supports may have been reduced by lack of resources and insufficient training and technology access. 6 Through lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, school districts have an opportunity to improve virtual supports by investing time and resources into planning, training special education staff in the delivery of virtual based supports, and enhancing technology access, to benefit these populations now and during future public health emergencies.…”