Children with Special Needs as Evaluators of Technologies
Abstract: This paper introduces how children with special needs evaluated technologies used in technology club. The evaluation process was one of the means by which children participated in the design and development of technologies. Due to a variety of children’s special needs, iterative pictorial and verbal feedback were selected as the main form of evaluation. The children gave feedback after each activity session with every technological solution used in a technology club. According to the results, all children were able to evaluate technical solutions, but more research is needed in order to involve children with special needs more actively in the design and development process. The children’s overall evaluation of technological solutions was positive, which indicated that the changes in technology based on iterative evaluation pleased the children. Based on the children’s verbal feedback, good technical solutions should have interactive and interesting characteristics.
Presider: Quincy Conley, Boise State University