Assistive Technology and Best Practices

The purpose of this chapter is to provide knowledge for classroom teachers on the assistive technology tools that are available for students with learning disabilities. A secondary focus is to identify the best practices commonly used by classroom teachers when teaching students with disabilities. Various technology tools and best practices are discussed. A survey was distributed to elementary and secondary classroom teachers seeking input on the assistive technology tools and best practices used in the classroom. Further discussion of the assistive technology tools and best practices provide content for the practicing teacher to enhance his/her teaching skills when teaching students with learning disabilities.

Instructional Design, Educational Technology, and LGBTQ Students

As diversity and social justice have become more important in education, educators are beginning to realize that their lessons, both real and virtual, need to be more inclusive. More specifically, this chapter addresses the culture, learning, and relationship with technology of a specific subset of students: individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual/transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) or who have LGBTQ parents, guardians, friends, and/or family. Suggestions for educators on inclusive strategies when integrating technology into lessons through digital activities and various educational technology tools, as well as inclusive instructional design suggestions, are included. As for the question addressed in the title, none is the answer because all three of these things belong together in all forms of education, in all types of schools, and by all types of educators.

The Utilization of Technology Tools and Preparation of Preservice Teachers for Literacy Instruction in the Age of Virtual Learning

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a sudden shift to virtual teaching and learning for teachers and students at all levels across the country. Surveys of K-12 teachers resulted in a compilation of technology tools utilized for reading instruction during virtual learning. Content analyses sought to connect technology tools to various components of the lesson cycle, and longer-term research to examine quality tools and pedagogical approaches to teaching reading in virtual settings is discussed. Implications for educator preparation programs and future curricular directions are examined.

SECURITY OF CORPORATE INFORMATION IN FINTECH ECOSYSTEM

Background. With the intensification of digitalization processes, the use of FinTech tools by various business entities, which include both financial service offerors and their consumers, is becoming especially important. Analysis of recent researches and publications. The works of many scientists are devoted to the functioning of various aspects of corporate information systems. However, there is currently a lack of research on the feasibility of using financial technology instruments by business entities, their threats and security for corporate information systems. The aim of the article is to study the place of FinTech tools in the corporate information system, identify threats to their use and ensure the security of their operation. Materials and methods. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study are the works of domestic and foreign scientists on the functioning of corporate information systems and FinTech ecosystems. Results. The basis of digital transformation is the use of innovative technologies in the financial services market. This leads to the appropriate transformation of information systems of business entities and ensuring their security. There is an intensification of business use of digital banking services, digital insurance, payment platforms, raising funds through crowdfunding platforms, investing. The FinTech ecosystem within the sectoral approach should be understood as the areas of application of financial technology instruments, the services of which are used by various consumers, in particular, business entities, individuals, public authorities.The increasing digitalization of financial activities of business entities as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has intensified the creation of additional challenges for corporate information systems for the implementation of cyber risks. Conclusion. The use of financial technology tools by business entities leads to the formation of FinTech ecosystems. Ensuring the security of information systems is the key to corporate stability. The challenge of countering cyber threats is not only for financial service offerors, but also for business entities that are their consumers, as the use of financial technology tools in financial transactions causes risks to all participants in the FinTech ecosystem.

Visually impaired student-teachers’ knowledge and use of basic assistive technology tools for mathematics

Studies show that assistive technology tools have provided opportunities for the visually impaired in some developed countries to pursue mathematics programmes and foster inclusive education. However, their counterparts in developing countries sparingly participate in any mathematical activity due to low knowledge and use of these tools. The main purpose of this study was to expose student-teachers with visual impairments to basic assistive technology tools. The knowledge and use of the tools helped to convert, convey and interpret basic mathematical equations. The design was a case study involving five student-teachers who were admitted to the Department of Basic Education, University of Education, Winneba to pursue a Post Diploma in Mathematics programme. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect the data whose items contained tools for general administration, additional support, STEM, mathematics instruction, polynomials and assessment. These served as the cases of the study and data analysis. The analysis was undertaken in two stages. The first stage explored their knowledge and use of the assistive technology tools. The second stage analysed transcriptions of statements. The two stages helped to corroborate the findings. To ensure the validity and reliability of the findings, the interview guide was validated by post-graduate students of the Department of Special Education and Basic Education. The findings showed that the student-teachers had little knowledge and use of the basic assistive technology tools. However, they were still desirous to learn and use the basic assistive technology tools for mathematics teaching and learning. It was therefore recommended that stakeholders make available and accessible common basic assistive technology tools to schools, and restructure the mathematics curriculum to suit the integration of assistive technology tools.

Community Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship Program Based on Information Technology (Technopreneurship) for Residents of RT 03 RW 02 Pondok Jati Jurangmangu Barat Pondok Aren

Residents in the neighborhood of Rukun Tetangga 03 Rukun Warga 02 Pondok Jati Jurangmangu Barat Pondok Aren mostly belong to the lower middle class. Most of the residents in this RT 03 environment run their business businesses such as warungs, drinking water supply services, cellphone counters, workshops, printing houses, internet cafes, house rentals/rents, vehicle rentals, vehicle care services, midwives, and furniture. Although some business actors have used information technology tools to support their business, their use is limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Residents do not understand how to sell and market products using information technology tools. E-Commerce technology is a technology used to conduct business transactions that occur on electronic networks. E-Commerce technology can help market products, especially when implementing large-scale social restrictions (PSBB). Based on the above conditions, we conducted training to build a business using Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce) technology for residents to foster an entrepreneurial spirit based on information technology. the methodology in this community service activity uses the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) approach which consists of the identification of problems, planning activities, implementing activities, monitoring activities, and evaluating community service activities. The output of this community service activity is that the residents of Rukun Tetangga 03 Rukun Warga 02 Pondok Jati Jurangmangu Barat Pondok Aren gain knowledge and experience on how to use E-Commerce technology to support their business activities. For this community service activity to run optimally, it is necessary to provide assistance during the adaptation process of E-Commerce technology and conduct training on digital marketing in the future.