Possibilities and limits of the use of digital technology for students with special educational needs

Abstract

The present work proposes possibilities to create alternatives for Special Education in the Brazilian context, aiming at the information and communication technologies so innovative in our current world. Educational Technology needs to be applied more and more in schools, although it faces difficulties in the search for overcoming in the social, individual and educational spheres. The central focus of this article is on the study of technologies for students with special educational needs (SEN) under Papert’s approach with the approach to Constructionism, derived from Piaget’s Constructivism, which highlights the importance of building self-knowledge. One of the technologies covered is Assistive Technology, which encompasses all resources and services that expand the functional abilities of people with disabilities, promoting independence and facilitating inclusion, such as software, ramps, bars, devices, etc. Eventually, a challenge is in teacher training, which is often not focused on the use of technologies as educational practices, making it conceived as a substitute for their mediation. However, the experience using information technologies is positive for everyone, including those with special educational needs, focusing on access and improvement of the knowledge associated with the process of appropriation of these technological resources, always obtaining the contribution of learning to communicate, learning to learn, learn from each other and learn to be.