GREEN TECHNOLOGY TO SUPPORT EDUCATION OF STUDENTS WITH MODERATE INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

• Published in: Journal of innovation in psychology, education and didactics education and didactics, 2015-07, Vol.19 (2), p.199-216
• Main Authors: Mâța, Liliana, Diaconescu, Alina, Lazăr, Gabriel, Lazăr, Iuliana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptive technology; Autism; Classrooms; Clean technology; Cognitive Development; Education; Educational Environment; Educational Experiments; Educational Needs; Educational Psychology; Educational Resources; Educational technology; Environmental engineering; Handicapped accessibility; Handicapped assistance devices; ICT Information and Communications Technologies; Intellectual disabilities; International conferences; Learning; Learning Activities; Learning Processes; Moderate Intellectual Disability; People with disabilities; Reading Skills; Research Methodology; Special education; Special Needs Students; Student Attitudes; Students with disabilities; Studies; Teachers; Teaching
• ISSN: 2247-4579; 2392-7127

The purpose of this study is to investigate the aspects that green technology offers in the education of students with moderate intellectual disability. The theoretical part highlights the technical facilities that green technology offers to education. An analysis of the most recent studies focuses on the use of interactive whiteboard to improve teaching and learning activities. A comprehensive research methodology is proposed by this study. This is based on the use of the educational experiment meant to investigate the impact of using green technology on the learning outcomes of students with intellectual disabilities. Closed responses to the applied questionnaire are also analyzed in order to identify the predominant component in assessing students’ attitude towards assistive technologies used in teaching, learning and evaluation. Ten students with moderate intellectual disabilities participated in the research. Descriptive and advanced statistical techniques were used to interpret the obtained data. The results show that there are no significant differences between the results of students with intellectual disabilities who attend a lesson based on a green technology type of interactive whiteboard and of those who attend a traditional lesson. There were also identified two principal components which explain the attitude of students with intellectual disabilities towards using assistive technology in education. The results of the study highlight the need to extend the interests of including innovative assistive technologies in the education of students with special needs.