An Examination of Classroom Technology Use by Childhood Educators in Inclusive Settings

Abstract

As technology has become more accessible to the public, children are more readily exposed to it and have become fairly proficient. Given this routine use, it comes as no surprise that technology has made its way into the classroom, transforming traditional teaching. In inclusive classrooms, technology use may have the unique ability to allow disabled students to become active learners alongside their non-disabled peers (e.g., Hasselbring & Williams Glaser, 2000) . In light of this integration, a study was conducted including 10 one-on-one interviews (N=10) with employed childhood teachers to determine how technology is used and what barriers to its use currently exist. Findings indicate that teachers utilize several distinct grouping strategies when utilizing technology in an inclusive classroom. Findings further reveal that teachers encounter problems when trying to properly implement classroom technology tools. Results have implications for the training of educators to integrate new learning technologies.