42 7.5 Recommendations for the Future
Two recommendations to overcome these barriers with AT are for educational institutions to provide ongoing professional development for educators or specific AT courses within Bachelor of Education programs, and to ensure effective implementation of AT using a model or framework. Professional development around AT use is crucial, as it provides educators with the training and skills they need to effectively integrate AT into their classrooms. Research indicates that teacher preparedness is the main factor in how students use AT and adding AT to teacher training helps them become more comfortable and familiar with it (Connor et al., 2010; Judge & Simms, 2009; Van Laarhoven et al., 2012, as cited in Jones et al., 2021). By having professional development courses or workshops, educators have allocated time to focus on building their confidence and comfort with technologies. It is essential to recognize that technology is constantly evolving, which is why educators need to be flexible, innovative, and committed to continuous learning to maintain ongoing innovation and effective use in teaching (Blackman et al., 2023). Educators should continuously update their knowledge and adapt to new changes, even if starting with an advanced understanding of tech.
When it comes to ensuring the effective implementation of AT, institutions should use a specific model or framework to provide regulation. School boards could regulate the student, environment, task, and tools (SETT) framework, as it positively impacts educators knowledge and ability to select effective AT. The SETT framework offers various factors to consider when selecting AT that are essential to ensure the toold chosen accurately matches the student’s characteristics and needs to promote enhanced learning (Jones et al., 2021). Alternatively, Lerslip (2015) indicates five factors to effectively implement AT in special education: collaboration, holistic perspective, independent management of schools, learning systems and production manual for users, and development of an Assistive Technology Center. Collaboration should involve all stakeholders in the process of finding appropriate AT solutions and the integration of these tools, and a holistic perspective ensures that any AT utilized should aid the student in multiple areas of life (Lerslip, 2015). Independent management of schools suggests that educators should participate in courses to help their understanding of AT software, which could speed up the process of AT implementation or the possibility of fixing any issues that arise (Lerslip, 2015). Students should also be involved in the learning process of AT as they will be the ones utilizing it. Lastly, there should be a designated centre and staff that assess the ongoing use of these tools in the classroom and support teachers in how their use can be enhanced (Lerslip, 2015). There are also three strategies for effective AT implementation: knowing what works, letting students play and explore, and maintaining ongoing learning (Maza, 2021, as cited in Duran, 2022). It is imperative that educators pair the right AT with each student’s unique needs and then also allow students to test various AT, allowing students to gather their own understanding and purpose behind each tool (Maza, 2021, as cited in Duran, 2022). While these are all essential strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of AT implementation, it is recommended that there be a universal framework for all educators to follow that is regulated to ensure consistency.
