Innovative approaches in building inclusive educational environments with technology

Building inclusive education environments in the digital era entails numerous opportunities as well as many challenges. Additional aspects of integrating (assistive) technology in education are added towards the goals of digital inclusion that need careful management and monitoring.  Digital literacy for all learners becomes a substantial aspect of the use of technology in order to create inclusive learning communities, as this is also defined by the UN Convention for the Rights of People with Disabilities. Recent research evidence, such as the work of the ENTELIS network, yielded a number of considerations but also highlighted a number of opportunities for overcoming barriers and reducing the digital divide.  The discussion around digital divide, especially for learners with disabilities, does not solely concentrate on the technological dimensions and lack of access to technology resources, but it is aligned with the current conceptualization of inclusive education. Self-assessment, action research and reflective practice are becoming renowned approaches for defining goals and monitoring progress towards digital inclusive education. This special theme aims to explore some examples of such approaches when using technology for inclusion and to discuss considerations and opportunities involved.

Interested in presenting an abstract for this session? Please contact: Katerina Mavrou (K.Mavrou (at) euc.ac.cy) or Silvio Pagliara (silvio.pagliara (at) centroausili.org)