“Perceptions of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments Regarding Assistive Technology: A Follow-up Study to a University Course”

The article aims at identifying the knowledge that the participants to a study have after completion of a course in this relation. The research questions focused on establishing whether the proficiency levels changed, the teachers’ perceptions of the importance of using the devices and whether they sought additional training after the course.

The participants were recruited from among 136 students that had previously undertaken a course regarding assistive technology. Follow-up surveys were sent to 92 students, and 60 of them responded. 49 completed the survey upon the response. The participants involved with the course had been required to pre-test and post-test their skills. During the survey, they were required to rate their skills and importance of certain assistive technologies.

The results of the survey indicated that a formal assistive technological course would help teachers in improving their skills regarding this issue. The teachers are also more likely to seek additional training if they thought a certain technology is important in the educational setting.

“Acceptance of Assistive Technology by special Education Teachers: A Structural Equation Model Approach”

The study aimed at investigating the aspect of acceptance with regards to assistive technology on the side of special education teachers.

Qualtrics; which is a survey instrument was used to administer state and private-funded schools for the deaf and/or blind in the US. The study initially gathered 710 contacts from which there were 167 responses. From this number, only 136 participants completed the survey. The ages of the participants ranged between 18 and 65. 73% of the respondents were female. The study developed hypothesizes and tested their relationship with key determinants of assistive technology acceptance. These determinants included perceived ease of use, result demonstrability, computer self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, behavioral intention and facilitating condition.

From the results, perceived usefulness came out as a dominant factor that affected assistive technology usage. The importance of result demonstrability was also revealed since it had significant effects on both on both perceived usefulness and self-efficacy. In general, the study enriched traditional technology acceptance model by analyzing determinants associated with the acceptance of AT by special education teachers.

“Teachers’ Belief and Use of Interactive Whiteboards for Teaching and Learning”

Türel & Johnson (2012) assert that various education institutions have tried to provide students with favorable learning environments by providing them with the latest technologies. The aspect has encouraged teachers to use various assistive technologies including computers and internet usage in the classroom. The study investigates the perceptions that teachers have towards interactive whiteboards (IWB) and the behaviors associated with promising IWB features.

A descriptive research procedure was used in this quest. The data was collected from teachers using a questionnaire. The study involved 174 Turkish teachers; who ranged from grade 6 to 12 and had actively used IWB for at least 6 months. All the participants had acquired a college education, and 59.8% were male.

The results from the study indicated that teachers believe interactive whiteboards (IWB) can be used in different subject domains. There was also a belief that IWBs can find use in the facilitation of learning and instruction under the conditions of training about implicit instructional strategies using IWBs, collaboration with colleagues and frequent teacher use to improve IWB competency.

References

Kamei-Hannan, C., Howe, J., Herrera, R., & Erin, J. (2012). Perceptions of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments Regarding Assistive Technology: A Follow-up Study to a       University Course. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness.

Nam, C. S., Bahn, S., & Lee, R. (2013). Acceptance of Assistive Technology by Special   Education Teachers: A Structural Equation Model Approach. International Journal of         Human-Computer Interaction, 29(5), 365-377.

Türel, Y. K., & Johnson, T. E. (2012). Teachers’ Belief and Use of Interactive Whiteboards for    Teaching and Learning. Educational Technology & Society, 15 (1), 381–394.

 
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