Scratch for Disability (S4D): Coding for all

WEBINAR SUMMARY

Scratch for Disability – S4D – is one of the highlighted cases of the Multinclude project provided by Dschola Association in Italy.

Use of digital technologies to teach people with disabilities is now a reality in Italian schools. These technologies provide two valuable aids: the first concerns the help that ICT brings to the cognitive development of students with disabilities by playing a role as a facilitator of learning; the second is the possibility for it to compensate for some of the communicative, motor and cognitive disabilities of the students.

Dschola Association has been involved in bringing coding (the word coding refers to creating computer programming code. In education, coding refers to a way of introducing kids to the basis of computer programming to improve their computational thinking skills)  to schools through its projects for several years. From review and reflections inside the Dschola Association, they decided to launch the Scratch 4 Disability (S4D) project to promote a research-action proposal for the use of coding, and in particular of Scratch, a software produced and promoted by MIT to develop computational thinking, for educational and rehabilitation purposes through the involvement of students with disabilities.

Dschola will present the implementation and some results of this experience, that was designed with the support of the Pedagogy Department of the University of Turin.

The MultInclude project is aiming at finding the good of good practices in inclusive education and build a community of practice of committed professionals for school provisions that support students at risk of being or feeling excluded to become committed lifelong learners, finish their secondary education and continue at tertiary level.

WEBINAR HOSTS AND PRESENTERS

HOST: Eleonora Pantò

Eleonora Pantò is the Director of the Dschola Association and member of the Board. She initiated the network in 2001 and promoted the constitution of the Association. Since 2000, she worked at Learning, Inclusion and Social Innovation Program Developer at CSP – Research Center  in various initiatives linked to innovative use of technology in education and digital communities. She is former President of Media & Learning Association that promotes the use of media in education. She’s now working at Torino Municipality with the Deputy Mayor of Education.

PRESENTERS: Alberto Parola, Alberto Barbero,  Maria Teresa Lingua, Christian

Alberto Parola is Assistant Professor of Educational Research at the Department of Philosophy and Education Sciences, University of Turin (from November 2002 up to now).  Alberto supported the S4d project in applying the evidence based learning methodology.

His main research areas include Media and Digital Education Research, Psycho-Educational Technology methods and Learning Processes and Languages.

On these topics he has published more than one hundred research products. His most recent publications include: Media education in action (2010, with M. Ranieri), Regia educativa (Educational Direction, 2012), Scritture mediali (Media Writings, 2017, with L. Denicolai), Educare ai processi e ai linguaggi dell’apprendimento (Educating in the Processes and Languages of learning, 2017, with R. Trinchero), Digital Education (with L. Denicolai).

Currently, he’s President of Interdepartment Research Center Cinedumedia, University of Turin.

Alberto Barbero is vice-principal and professor in Informatics at the Technological Institute “G. Vallauri” in Fossano (Piedmont) and adjunct professor in technology for education at the University of Turin. He is the coordinator of the Research and Development department of Dschola association. Alberto acted as project manager and teacher trainer in S4D project. He is also working for Pearson Italy in publishing textbooks about Informatics and coding.

Maria Teresa Lingua is a special education professor teaching at the Technological Institute “G. Vallauri” in Fossano (Piedmont). She is the coordinator of the Disability Support Department and she has a good background in using and teaching the main application software. Maria Teresa was involved in supporting the students with disability in the project S4D.

STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVE:

Christian is a 16 years old student with special needs education studying Informatics at the Technological Institute “G. Vallauri” in Fossano (Piedmont). Despite the fact that he has special needs (he follows a personalized programs and he has a special education teacher helping him) he likes computer programming, and uses several software programmes when coding.

CASES IN FOCUS