2nd Hirohima University&National Institute of Special Need Education Joint Seminar
Technology to Support Special & Inclusive Education
Date
3rd August, 2024 10:00am〜4:00pm
Venue
Lecture Hall L205 (HU School of Education)
Number of participants
80 people
Department in charge
The Center for Special Needs Education Research and Practice
Goal of this event
This conference focused on the use of technology to support the needs of students with disabilities in special education and inclusive environments. New and emerging technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence) and VR (virtual reality) were introduced, along with mainstream technology that can be utilised for mobility, cognition and perception.
Report
The conference was very successful with speakers representing local, national and international areas. Dr Jennifer Gallup from Idaho State University, USA, described an artificial intelligence (AI) program for designing lesson plans and how this may be used by pre-service and in-service teachers. A wide range of assistive technology (AT) was discussed including how to make your own AT, examining technology to support student thinking in the classroom from an engineering perspective, using AT to support access to a university environment, and national approaches to assistive technology as described by Dr Orita from NiSE.
Feedback from participants indicated that they attended the conference as it was a field of interest for them, and they were hoping to gain teaching strategies for the classroom. They appreciated the opportunity to hear from speakers that they would not normally have access to, and one participant noted that “…ideas that can be used to increase the motivation to learn for childrenwith various difficulties”.