Integration of Information and Communication Technologies in Education for the Deaf

Introduction

The information society has gradually transformed our habits and the way in which we consume the information that surrounds us. Many things have changed around us without even realizing it: the way we acquire products for our homes, the relationship with people, with organizations, etc. Technology is today part of our lives. The pandemic has also accelerated some processes and has directed the population towards a more than obvious digitization. This gradual digitization has generated a very important digital transformation in all spheres of society. Of course, educational systems have also been involved in a strong revolution. All of this has contributed to using and coexisting with technology in the day-to-day activities of the classroom. We can say that educational technology continues to transform education at all levels, including teaching for deaf students. The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) defines it as “the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance through the creation, use and management of appropriate technological resources and processes” (AECT, 2008, p.1). Other definitions propose a multidimensional approach, understanding educational technology as a process that repairs four elements: people, procedures, ideas and devices (Román, 2014). Authors such as Adell (1997) predicted that the inclusion of information and communication technologies in teaching and learning processes was going to revolutionize educational patterns, promoting the development and revolution of teaching techniques.

The technologies that were initially used under a merely instrumental pattern are actually capable of transforming the complex structures that make up our society (Gargallo & Suárez, 2003). There have been notable changes in the tools and spaces for learning processes, opening up to the virtual world (Cruz, 2001; Peralta, 2008). Educational policies, which aim to incorporate Information and communication technologies (ICT) in schools, have been present in Spain for more than twenty-five years (Area, 2006). One of the main actors in the introduction of educational technology are the students, qualified in different ways, “digital natives” (Castells, 2001; Gee, 2004; Prensky, 2001), “digital students” (Gallardo, 2012) and ” routine experts” (Cabero, 2015b), appealing to the significant differences in their level of technological competence. Reality brings us closer to the idea that students are not as competent from a technological point of view as the scientific literature has made us think on some occasions (Boyd, 2014; Zhao et al., 2021). This makes it necessary to take the existing research in this regard with caution, since it usually makes comparisons between teachers and students (Flores & Del Arco, 2013; Romero & Minelli, 2011; Waycot et al., 2010). Some authors, for their part, argue that it would be more appropriate to review the digital competence of students for the time space they allocate to them, as well as for the quality and use they make of them, so as to show whether they are visitors. or residents (White & Le Cornu, 2011). These differences with respect to technological competence will also be determined, on many occasions, by the educational center in which the students study (Castaño et al., 2012). Educational technology continues to incorporate other realities to the new digital ecosystem such as the Internet of Things, learning analytics, augmented and virtual reality, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), Small Private Online Course (SPOC), gamification, social networks for learning or personal learning environments (PLE), among others (Barroso & Cabero-Almenara, 2010; Durall et al., 2012; Escalona et al, 2017; García et al., 2010; Hawkins, 2010; Johnson et al., 2013; Sharples et al., 2014). In relation to deaf students, Luangrungruang & Kokaew (2022) point out that currently the means to teach deaf students are deficient, so it is necessary to create adequate e-learning materials that respond to what these students need to learn. to learn. In line with this question, Krasavina et al. (2021) point out that ICTs can provide adequate solutions to improve student learning as long as the cognitive peculiarities of students with hearing disabilities are considered when resources are created and designed.