Reflections of Hearing Impaired Students on Daily and Instructional PDA Use

Rapidly increasing educational needs of the information society individuals make it necessary and commonplace to use information and communication technologies for instructional purposes. These technologies regulate, direct and shape individuals' social interactions, and help individuals participate in processes and activities which are relatively difficult to participate in (Englert, Margaret, & Young, 2004). Thus, information and communication technologies have become frequently used devices in modern instructional settings by both students and teachers not only because they provide plenty of interaction opportunities, but also they allow participants to access a plethora of information sources and instructional contents regardless of the time and place they are used. Instructional use of information and communication technologies carries a peculiar importance as they also facilitate meeting the instructional needs of special students who cannot follow the requirements of normal educational processes. These individuals are different in comparison to their peers regarding their individual characteristics and educational proficiencies. Thus, implementing the same instructional methods and contents might not lead to ideal learning outcomes. In order to provide these individuals with a quality education along with chances to pursue an independent life, the instructional processes should be followed with a greater care. In this article, the authors investigate the instructional and daily use of PDA's by the students with hearing impairment. In this respect, the authors focus on the education of students with hearing impairment in Turkey, investigate the instructional uses of mobile technologies, and question the ways to integrate mobile technologies into hearing impaired students' daily lives and instructional experiences. (Contains 2 figures and 4 tables.)