Digital tools can create new opportunities for students to read, write, communicate, and demonstrate their knowledge. But many of the features that can make the greatest difference are already built into the technology used in the classroom. Together with Lidköping Municipality, Foxway has therefore delivered a training initiative for special education teachers, focusing on the accessibility features built into iPad.
The right support for different needs
Every classroom includes students with different needs and abilities. Some may benefit from having text read aloud, reducing distractions, or receiving information in a different format. For others, being able to dictate rather than type can make a significant difference.
For the special education teachers in Lidköping Municipality, the need was therefore not simply to know which features are available on iPad, but to understand how they can be used in practice as part of teaching and learning.
The aim was to give teachers more tools to adapt the learning environment and create better opportunities for more students to participate in ways that work for them.
From features to practical value
Foxway delivered a digital session where participants explored practical examples of how the built-in accessibility features on iPad can be used directly in the classroom.
The session covered features for dictation and text-to-speech, Safari Reader, Guided Access, Assistive Access, the camera as a learning tool, and shortcuts to various accessibility features.
The focus was not on the technology itself, but on the situations where it can make a difference. How can a student get support to stay focused on a task? How can text be made easier to access and understand? And how can students be given alternative ways to express themselves and demonstrate their knowledge?
Often, relatively simple features can have a significant impact when used in the right way.
Getting more value from existing technology
Accessibility does not always require new systems, apps, or investments. Many useful support features are already built into iPad and can be activated and adapted to individual needs.
By increasing teachers’ knowledge, the municipality can therefore gain more value from its existing devices, while making technology a more effective tool for both teaching and individual student support.
To ensure that the knowledge could continue to benefit the organisation, the session was also recorded. This allows more employees to access the content afterwards and gives teachers the opportunity to revisit the material as new needs arise.
Technology creates value when it makes a difference
For Foxway, digitalisation in education is about more than providing devices. Technology needs to work in everyday teaching, and educators need the right knowledge to make full use of its potential.
By combining Apple’s built-in accessibility features with practical and pedagogical guidance, Lidköping Municipality has strengthened the foundation for a more inclusive learning environment, one where technology can adapt to the student, rather than requiring the student to adapt to the technology.
Education Apple
