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Educational technology has made great advances in the last two decades. For example, multimedia formats such as virtual reality, simulations, and virtual field trips can be used to present information in several modalities, thereby addressing different learning styles. This article discusses these formats, describes advantages and disadvantages, and provides a step-by-step guide to create a virtual field trip for teaching and learning.
As technology advances, so does the potential it holds for education. Special education is making use of these new developments in a variety of ways. Computer innovations such as enlarged text, spell checking, and text-to-speech are examples of accommodations that are helpful for students with disabilities. Typically, the technology has been used to assist those with communication and physical disabilities, as in the case of communication boards, touch pads, and adapted keyboards.
Currently, technological applications are being developed to assist students with learning disabilities (see Assistive Technology Training Online Project, n.d; Read aloud software, n.d.; Lewis, n.d.). Covering most topics traditionally taught in schools (e.g., science, social studies, math, reading), many of the newer software applications incorporate some form of simulation or virtual reality to provide a more immersive environment for students. For example, virtual field trips, simulations, and demonstrations are widely available on the World Wide Web. Experiences range from driving a racecar to conducting a chemistry experiment using potentially dangerous chemicals.
Technology-based applications give students access to worlds and environments that are inaccessible, too expensive, or too dangerous in a classroom setting; enable students with disabilities to experience laboratories and field trips at their own pace; and allow them to repeat the experience as many times as necessary. Further, they present content matter in a variety of modalities, thereby addressing the diverse learning styles of students.
In the following, we will take a close look at these formats, including examples of each, and discuss advantages and disadvantages for students with disabilities.
Virtual Reality
A broad definition of virtual reality includes a text- and graphics-based environment that is simulated by a computer (AuId & Pantelidis, 1999). Today, the term virtual reality can mean anything from a simple simulation program to full immersion involving special equipment. Only by exploring the various levels of virtual reality can one gain a true understanding of the...