New Technology and Digital Worlds: Analyzing Evidence of Equity in Access, Use, and Outcomes

Abstract

Nowadays, in the educational field, a current pattern is Special Educational Needs which refers to the kind of education focus to support students that require more accompaniment to facilitate their learning due to the fact that they present a variety of situations; one of those cases is the population that this study will have, Autism Spectrum Disorder. Therefore, as the ASD population struggles with interaction with other humans beings, the aim of this research was to create a space of learning in which the mobile App Speech Blubs was the intermediary between the teacher and a child with Atypical Autism and to explore the potential benefits of the mobile application in fostering his/ her English language skills.\n\nThus, qualitative research was proposed using as design a case study since this research had only one unit of analysis. The researchers assumed the roles of moderate and active participation. In addition, this research used the following data collection instruments: field diary, observation, artifacts (Multiple-Baseline-Across-Behaviors Design and Before and After Designs), and a Rubric for the evaluation of apps in language learning (REALL). The findings of this study revealed that using the adequate scaffolding connected to the technological input contributed to the English vocabulary learning. Additionally, the prior knowledge and good management of technology of the student allowed a better development of the learning process. Finally, it was discovered that there are some external factors that made normal classes difficult.