Xplanatory Notes

This is an extract from a chapter I have just contributed to a the Routledge Falmer Year Book of Education Edited by Dennis Hayes

Many education professionals believe in the potential of ICT to enable the voice and increase the inclusion of learners experiencing barriers to learning due to physical and/or learning disabilities. For example, adults with learning difficulties have created accounts of their experiences using symbols with a talking word processor overcoming the barrier of print based systems (Detheridge & Detheridge 1996). Equally, a learner without speech and limited movement may be able to communicate and even write using switches and scanning software.


Nind (2003) has suggested that teachers need to feel competent and confident in dealing with the demands of including a range of learners with diverse needs.
However, awareness of a lack of confidence and competence can lead to anxiety and even hostility. In the context of ICT usage in education the requirements of the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) in relation to ICT competencies may have created a professional hostility to the potential of ICT. Recently, the DfES has attempted to rectify this situation by issuing consultative documents and guidance on the development of ‘e’ confidence in pupils, staff and schools (DfES 2003a; 2003b). But the potential of ICT is still being squandered for a variety of reasons.

A further discussion of this continues at
http://education.cant.ac.uk/xplanatory/assets/presentations/techshare.ppt