The teacher who relies on reading and writing as the sole means of instruction presents all of his or her students with a disadvantage. Children with disabilities may need to carry out their explorations differently. Educational technology can be a powerful force for change in education. Technology, when properly used as an integral part of the curriculum and the instructional approach, can be a very effective tool for improving and enhancing instruction and learning experiences in the content areas involving all students in complex, authentic tasks. The use of technology in the classroom can give all students a learning environment that allows discovery and creativity through the use of computer visualizations, such as modeling and simulations, and has the potential to dramatically change the way we view science and mathematics.
Technology can support the kind of student learning advocated by current educational reform.
However, enabling students to benefit from such tools goes beyond the availability of technology in school systems. Less than half of K-12 teachers have had adequate training in the use of technology for instruction to their students. The problem is exacerbated for special education teachers. Teachers must be ready and equipped to prepare and deliver instruction using new approaches which include technology, and hands-on and collaborative teaching. The training program, for teams of special education and regular classroom teachers, is designed as a teacher-centered, diagnostic, prescriptive program and is geared to the teachers' concerns and needs to best facilitate change.