Special education teachers are more likely than general education teachers to use mobile apps with their students, but are not receiving enough formal training on the use of mobile technology for instructional purposes, a report says. It was released last week as part of a new initiative examining the role of mobile technology in special education.
The SpedApps project, created by the Research Center for Educational Technology at Kent State University in Ohio, also features a website that reviews apps developed to reach special education students, as well as two apps created by researchers working on the initiative. The project is funded in part by AT&T.
The report highlights results from a survey of 683 general and special education teachers, therapeutic professionals (like intervention specialists, school psychologists, and occupational therapists), parents of special-needs students, and administrators. The researchers also reviewed peer-reviewed studies on mobile technology and its use with special education students.