Inclusion in the classroom can come in many different forms. At a young age, we teach children to be open-minded and accept everyone for who they are. With this mindset, action is required to make this inclusion a reality. Through the development of technology in our modern day, it has become an amazing resource to execute increased inclusion in the classroom. Some ways that technology has become a tool to support inclusion for students can be to assist children who are visually, audibly, or hearing impaired, neurodiverse children who require extra support, children who have disabilities, children who are unable to come to school and can access education online, and so much more. Technology is a resource that may have some controversy within classroom settings, but the benefit that it can provide for students and individuals in this environment can be immense.
In this week’s class, we had a presentation by two women who represent BC EdAcess. In this presentation they discussed the many different topics which align with inclusion in the classroom. The topics that were touched on from the presenters were accessibility tools, how inclusion supports make a difference in the classroom, who is affected, and the positives and negatives of these resources. During their presentation, they answered many questions, which I have been wary about while becoming a teacher. They also sparked many new queries which I am yet to discover in my teaching process.
Below I discuss many of the various concerns and questions I have/had…
Inclusion through the utilization of technology can be a slightly difficult topic as the children who are using the devices are so young. There is a confusing line of communication, as they may not understand the proper use of the technology resources they are using. During the presentation, they stated that these are concerns they also had. There are many ways to try and handle any negative effects that could occur in the future when introducing students to utilizing technology as a resource. When providing students with these tools, creating an understanding between what you expect as a teacher and what is expected of the user is very important. This can be expressed through guidelines or rules, examples of positive and negative use, explaining why only some students(children who need technology as a support) may be allowed access to these devices, and lastly placing restrictions on the technology, such as app access control and search controls. By beginning their relationship to these devices with set guidelines, it allows for a much smoother and more understanding utilization.
Inclusion is something that is very significant within the classroom, but being different from others and standing out can cause a lot of anxiety in the individual, as well as some mixed emotions from guardians. Most commonly, guardians intend to make their child feel supported, included, and empowered, but some guardians have a very misconstrued mindset about some aspects of inclusion. In some cases, guardians don’t want their child to feel out of place or admit that their child is different/needs more support. As a future teacher, one of my biggest concerns is handling family situations. Due to the fact that what their child does/how they are supported is up to them, it can be a very hard conversation trying to explain and emphasize the way that extra supports that other children aren’t using may be useful for theirs. During the presentation, one of my peers asked how to handle these types of situations and the presenters answered “All you can do is try your best to support the students without crossing any lines.” This idea is very hard to let settle as it is so hard observing a child who is struggling and as a teacher there is nothing more you can do. Hearing this from professionals did allow me to understand that some things are not fully in our control.
In conclusion, this was a very great experience to hear from these two very knowledgable women. I learned and was able to comprehend the positive and negative aspects of inclusion and the barriers that may be presented.
