Violeta Vidacek-Hains

Computers in Education of Children with Intellectual and Related Developmental Disorders

Children suffering from intellectual deficiency and disorders arising from such a condition tend to be provided with a specific form of education, depending on the deficiency type and degree. Apart from the disorder itself, the acquisition of knowledge, skills and learning habits depends on the childrenâ??s motivation for learning, as well as the accessibility of the computer. When used in conformance with pedagogical, didactic and clinical standards, the computer as an educational aid may prove helpful for education and training of children with developmental disorders. Using computers also enables communication and fosters communication skills resulting in the development of self-confidence.

Students with disabilities and other special needs in the process of higher education: inclusion issues

Nowadays, there is an increasing number of persons with disabilities eager to pursue their education in higher education institutions as well as of students with some specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, etc. A lot of institutional resources at different levels enable the inclusion of persons with disabilities and learning difficulties into higher education. This primarily refers to organisational resources and professional staff resources, including services and student counselling within universities or particular faculties, educational assistants, current legislation (development strategies), financial support, environmental support, ICT support and others. This paper presents initial experiences in organising a supportive/effective academic environment for students with disabilities by means of contemporary information and communications technology. Although the described experiences have arisen from the early stage of establishing an effective learning environment for students with disabilities, they can be valuable in future implementation of such an environment.

The relationship between cultural dimensions and the quality of communication in education

Culture is the collective programming of the mind distinguishing members of one group or category of people from others [1]. Each culture is different. Therefore, there are five dimensions of culture and this article explains and explores one of these: Power Distance (PD). This paper will outline the impact of these dimensions in educational institutions. In the study participated students from three countries (Croatia, Denmark, and Romania). The goal of this research is to determine how the students deal with a structured hierarchy and formal communication with a high level of Power Distance, rules and regulations. Research shows what kind of communication and distance are in countries with low power distance (e.g. Denmark). A semantic differential instrument was used to process the survey results. We know that culture has an influence over education, i.e. Power Distance has an impact on the education of young people. The paper also examines the influence of professors over students as well as the consequences of these impacts (level of formality of relations, the level of respect for student opinion, etc.). The possible models of improving the quality of communication and reducing the power of distance at the institutions of higher education will be explored.