Digital technologies have the potential to enhance the learning experience for learners with SEND when used appropriately. Understanding how to create accessible resources or being able to signpost learners to guides on how to change their own device to support their learning needs can really make a difference. This page brings together resources that will help you to use digital technology with SEND learners.
To help you to understand how technology can be used to improve learner outcomes. There’s a nice audit tool for you too to work out where you are and what you need to know. And the TechAbility YouTube channel is worth a look too with lots of videos showing you how to use both mainstream and specialist technology to support your learners.
Making technology work for you
Phones, tablet and computers have loads of features built-in which can help you read, write and communicate. This interactive poster helps get the word out to learners and staff about these features. From the interactive poster you can access short videos on how to use the features. The videos are shown in topics: Great apps, My phone, Reading, Writing and Using the web.
This professional development, Making presentations accessible video shows you ways in which you can make your presentations accessible, why this is important for learners with SEND and introduces Microsoft's Accessibility Checker in PowerPoint.
To support you to quickly access individual sections within the video use the following links:
The ETF’s Essential Digital Skills CPD programme is focused on digital skills for life and work as set out in the new national standards. Supporting teachers and trainers who work with learners with SEND is a priority, to ensure they do not miss out on these vital digital skills. The programme offers a wide range of CPD opportunities including a varied event programme, a series of online training resources with a self-assessment signposting training needs, and an online community of practice.
The Enhance Digital Teaching Platform contains bite-sized training modules to help you learn the digital skills. The modules are mapped to the Digital Teaching Professional Framework which is a national EdTech competency framework which underpins the EdTech offer. It provides a set of professional standards for technology enhanced learning. EdTech has seven categories of resources and two of these specifically focus on accessibility and dealing with difference and diversity.
Weston College, Centre for Excellence in SEND (people) delivered the webinar Inclusive Digital Learning - Opportunities and Challenges in Supporting Learners with Complex Learning Needs as part of their Communities of Practice offer.
In the current situation, with our learners remote or blended learning, we have reviewed and updated our Keeping Safe Online training for our Entry Level learners. This Keep Safe Online resource, created by City College Norwich, Centre for Excellence in SEND (community), covers passwords, personal information, what you say, socialising, bullying, sharing feelings and sharing photos.
Weston College, Centre for Excellence in SEND (people) have been using 3D interactive tours to assist learners manage their anxiety around transition to the college environment. Use of this technology has benefitted other areas of the college business too. The delivered a Interactive tour to aid transition webinar to explore the use of 3D interactive tours as a tool to support both staff working in inclusive practice and SEND teams, and learners with a SEND need.
Technology can help to make learning accessible to all learners, and particularly learners with SEND. Watch the Assistive technology to support learners with SEND webinar (52 minutes) to find out about specialist technologies, tools built into the software we use every day (e.g. Windows) and useful free apps and online tools that can really make a difference.
Take a look at the case studies and resources produced as part of the project which include an assistive technology assessment process map and an IT access assessment proforma.
Find out how to make simple changes to your computer settings with AbilityNet’s My Computer My Way website.
The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) has developed a series of free, online webinars and a guide to help teachers across the Further Education (FE) and Skills sector work remotely to support learners studying at home. Many of the webinars in the series highlight ways to make learning inclusive and support learners with SEN including:
- Making the most of online learning
- Delivering through a virtual classroom
- Adapting content quickly to deliver online
- Supporting learners in VLEs
- Engaging learners in VLEs
- Supporting learners with online reading skills
- Making webinars more inclusive
- Introduction to the Guide to EdTech and Essential Digital Skills Training to Support Remote Working
- Supporting learners with writing skills
- Supporting learners with low-level literacy skills remotely
- Relearning the genie - helping teachers and learners tap into the potential of the student's personal devices
If you lack confidence or skills with your digital skills or how to apply them in teaching and learning. The Foundation offers a wide range of free online courses to improve your digital skills on Foundation Online Learning.
