Filip Novotny In the second part of our series of interviews, we interviewed Lenka Říhová and Iva Jelínková from the Poděbrady Special Elementary School. It would have been difficult to write about it here a few years ago, if these two ladies had not decided to change the face of special education. Their the iSEN project not only brought iPads to children with disabilities, it also allows them better communication and more opportunities for their general development.
Nazaev vawhose project he knowshears that you are special to himalní educationthey dreamed. IN what do you seeeat his maini prhinoceros?
LŘ: I think it's mainly about the development of communication. I myself work as a speech therapist in a special school where we have many children who are unable to express themselves through spoken language. Instead, they need some alternate method of communication. Until recently, it was different books and flashcards, where children expressed themselves by pointing to different pictures. There were also computers with expensive and complex programs, which are also cumbersome. Even more so when it comes to a child who is in a wheelchair. Today, they don't have to carry any of these gadgets with them anymore, and they only need an iPad. This allows them to express themselves as their abilities allow.
When are you with us?iPad glass in specalni.e educationfirsthave they met?
LŘ: It was in January 2011, when iPads were not yet so widespread in the Czech Republic. I didn't even know what an iPad was. That's why I was interested when I came across a video on the Internet of an American girl who used an iPad to communicate. I was surprised how such a simple thing can help. That's why I started looking for more information; there was not much to find in Europe so far, so the main source was primarily American sites.
You could ztěwhich websiteů draw nany inspiration?
LŘ: A few foreign websites did exist, but they were only contributions from parents. There was absolutely nothing to be found about education at that time. So we had to find a way on our own.
What did you do first?and?
IJ: We borrowed an iPad and tried various applications that were available at the time. Since we only knew Windows until then, it was all a bit of a Spanish village for us. We slowly worked our way through everything on our own - we spent a lot of time in cafes with Wi-Fi, downloaded dozens of applications and then tried them at home one by one.
LŘ: Basically, it was a trial and error method.
Vyou were staring at that momentclay that youstill a dreamwomaní mand the price?
LŘ: Originally, I thought that iPads would not reach us so soon. But since I was very interested in it, I tried to find more information from people who were around Apple. The key moment was finding out that a seminar called Implementation of Apple products in schools is being held in Prague. Iva and I immediately signed up there. It was interesting that we were the only participants from the field of education. Next, perhaps only students and fans of Petr Mára, who led the lectures, came (laughs).
IJ: But still, this seminar was very important for us, because it was there that we held an iPad in our hands for the first time in our lives. Coincidentally, it contained the very application that the little girl in the video used to communicate. We took that as a sign that our path was correct.
Where this journey ddid she lead?
LŘ: After the seminar, I went to Peter and presented him with my vision. I have a feeling that even he had not heard of the connection between the iPad and special education at that time. Until then, no one thought that a device known only to students or from the ICT sphere could be useful for disabled children. Peter was also interested and since then he has been helping us a lot and we are still in contact.
IJ: The whole meeting with iPads was inspiring for us. On the train on the way home, we kind of jokingly started playing with the name iSEN - "i" is a reference to the first letter of Apple products and "SEN" stands for special educational needs. But it's also our dream that finally came true. Just like his name.
Na so could Mrrudsing firstof testsjudgmentand. Mwent at that timeif Mrregularity dchildren or their parentswhat?
IJ: The main thing was to lend the iPad to the children and test their reaction without explaining to them in advance how to handle the device. And that was another big impulse for us - most children, including children with more severe mental disabilities, will start to intuitively control the iPad themselves.
How are you for StWas your project looking for support?
LŘ: Given that we only had our first iPad on loan for a week, we had to convince our founder in particular. That's why we filmed videos of children working with iPads, we wanted to use them to convince those around us that investing in this device makes sense. Thanks to this, we received support not only from our headmistress, but also from the civic association Přístav, which operates at the school.
IJ: The vast majority of parents also supported us. We managed to excite a large part of the parents. Many of them immediately bought their children an iPad.
That's how you meté s negativewhat reactions?
IJ: For a parent to be outright against their child using a tablet, I've never seen that before.
LŘ: For the minority of parents who have doubts, the financial aspect is more important. Some people also have reservations about the iOS platform.
How many iPadsů se vI'll give it to youwas it possible to finance?
LŘ: At first it was only one, which we constantly argued about (laughter). Then gradually two, three, until we finally got to the current number of 38 iPads. We managed to do this with the support of the civic association and, to a large extent, with project money.
Psurprises me that you iPads dokwere able to deploy brelatively speakingcratkof the time. Advice no schoolsdin transitazfor many yearsthe sameof testsjudgmentí.
IJ: The advantage of our success was largely that we only had one iPad at the beginning and the number of them only increased over time. If the school manages to process the grant application well, it has a chance to get, for example, twenty iPads at once. At that moment, however, teachers must immediately learn to work with them. Tablets also need to be managed in a certain way and the difference between two and twenty is really noticeable.
How do you see it?go with nabseveral applicationsand?
LŘ: The iPad has enormous potential, but not every application can make good use of it. It is a great pity that a number of Czech applications are like that — single-purpose. There is no room for imagination in them. If the child is only supposed to complete i/y, they might as well do it in a notebook.
IJ: If a developer wants to create educational applications, he should work with a team of educators. In the case of many applications, as a result, it can be found that in practice it does not work at all as the developer thought.
And ztoh whiché poualiveyou eat yourself – they are spit's doneand completeí redreamí, or an application thatcome onto edit?
IJ: For us, in general, those that can be customized by the teacher and the student themselves are much more interesting than ready-made applications. Every child has different needs and can use applications in different ways.
Noisei.eá about youstill tema ipdmo apple?
LŘ: Yes, the connection is relatively narrow. We are in contact with the Czech team around Apple and they also know about us in California. Proof of this was the worldwide conference for "special needs", which took place on November 15 in Prague. Representatives of a total of seventeen countries took part in the summit, and it means a big turning point for special education. This event should help in the creation of a clear concept not only here, but also abroad.
He will be like thatá concept i v Czech Republicé republic?
IJ: Unfortunately, the Czech Ministry of Education was not represented at the mentioned conference. Instead, authorities are currently considering longer-term testing to see if these technologies are even suitable for schools.
LŘ: Regarding equipping iPads, it is possible to find support from European funds, which is also widely used by schools.
Who ini have iPadsavand? He is aloneý Apple, or nsomehowý reseller?
LŘ: It is good for schools to cooperate with an Apple EDU partner. He is sometimes not able to give prices as low as we might imagine, but on the other hand, he is able to provide training, accessories, service and so on. If schools cooperate with EDU partners, there is a higher chance that Apple will start taking us seriously for its market. Thanks to this, we could gain privileges that only larger countries have so far. One of them is the multi-license system, which solves problems with Apple ID accounts and enables easier and clearer financing.
How divyou eat at monois introducedi iPadů and on bgeneralthem schoolsoh? To this téma se stbut the solutionaznAzores, see e.gsaying onthe reportfrom onehe's americané schools where tabletslittle aloneí Pupils.
IJ: Even in mainstream education, the iPad is still only a tool in the hands of the teacher. It is only a matter of what mode the teacher sets in class. If they come to class, hand out iPads and just assign an assignment, the kids will understandably not focus at all. Just as for us in special education, the iPad is only an accessory to which we devote part of the lesson and then move on to, for example, three-dimensional objects or flashcards, in ordinary education the tablet should only be one part of the teaching.
LŘ: Equipping a school with new equipment is much easier than learning to use it meaningfully. iPad should be a creative tool in which children and teachers bring their own potential and not just look at the finished application.
we talked about that you yourself are very dumbwent where brget inspiration. On the contrary, you have become a role model yourself, e.gsaying for Sté playnoor colleagues?
LŘ: I think definitely. We are in contact with similar facilities in Holland, Hungary, Great Britain, Belgium, Switzerland and Australia, and our cooperation with Slovakia is developing closely. We have a lot of traffic on our website, for example from Poland. There, great interest grew into a comprehensive program of the local Ministry of Education. Thanks to a large investment, the change came from above for them, not from below as in our case. It is great that they are able to raise so much money for special education.
Above all, thanks to the aforementioned conference, our activities acquired a transnational dimension.
Yes, there is a need to pour money into education, which will not bring us knowledge or finance.
That is a very disgusting comment.
I keep saying that civil society should be able to help itself and not rely on the state. This is a shining example that it is possible even without the devil in the form of the state. Two ladies started from nothing and worked their way to international fame in their sandbox. I smile in front of you lovely ladies.