You Need
New developments at the coalface of Special Needs education
'As long as children are enjoying themselves, they will learn.'
That was the key message of the latest Inclusive Technology Coordinator's Day, which aimed to help special educational needs coordinators find new ways to engage their students in learning.
The event was held at the National Coal Mining Museum for England, in Wakefield, on Thursday 10th October.
Inclusive Technology uses computers and special access devices to help enable people with special needs to learn, calling upon the team's own teaching experience.
"Children
with physical and sensory difficulties and other special needs can do so much,
as long as they are given the resources to understand and communicate," said
Trish Hornsey, Managing Director of Inclusive Technology. "It is a great
pleasure to see so many special needs educators coming together to share their
experiences and to find inspiration."
Delegates saw how the IntelliTools range can increase the accessibility of computers using the alternative keyboard IntelliKeys, as well as introducing curricular activities with IntelliMathics and IntelliPics Studio.
Mark Hildred, from York University, gave an energetic and entertaining look at how MIDIcreator makes music accessible to everyone. It uses a variety of sensors and switches to turn movement into sound.
Other presentations looked at how to use software
packages to make innovative resources for the classroom and how speech devices,
such as the 4talk4, can make it
easy for those with no or limited speech to take part.
The day was rounded off with a look at new resources available from Inclusive Technology and a sneak preview of future products - allowing teachers to have a say in their development.
The next Coordinator's Day will be held at the House for an Art Lover, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, in Glasgow, on the 26th November. Subsequent events will be held at Manchester (12th February 2003), London (2nd April 2003), Belfast (7th May 2003) and Bristol (4th June 2003).