Special Education Teachers' Use of Technologies During the COVID-19 Era (Spring 2020-Fall 2021).

Abstract

When school buildings closed in Spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many teachers began instructing with online technologies. Schools in the United States remained obligated to provide all students access to learning under federal laws in these challenging circumstances. The purpose of this study was to learn from teachers of students with disabilities who were striving to ensure that their students would benefit from instruction using various technologies amid shifting instructional modalities. These teachers taught kindergarten, grade 3, grade, 6, and grade 10. The time periods of the study included the (1) Spring 2020 initial shutdown, (2) return to online learning in Fall 2020, (3) partial return to school buildings using a form of hybrid instruction in Spring 2021, and (4) so-called 'return to normal' in Fall 2021. Teachers focused their efforts on facilitating the inclusive use of technologies; evaluating and modifying digital instructional materials; and managing the tension between wanting the autonomy to choose technologies, while needing organized, sustained support. Implications of this study include considerations for the supporting teachers in sustaining the use of technologies that they enjoyed using and found useful for students.