An exploration of systemsthinking, teacher choice, and requirements for implementing technology into classrooms for students with emotional and learning disabilities

This chapter examines the role of the Internet in a system of self-containedschools for students with emotional and learning disabilities and the adoption of the Internet as a tool for teaching and learning. This qualitative study is part of a larger research project that explored issues for teaching and learning with the Internet for students with emotional and learning disabilities. The following research identifies how school context influenced teachers' use of technology tools and the Internet through teacher and administrator perceptions of the change process. Results from this study suggest that: (a) assistive and instructional technologies are necessary tools used to accommodate students with emotional and learning disabilities; (b) documentation on advances in classroom instruction around emerging technologies needs to reflect appropriate practice and involve all stakeholders, (c) students with emotional and learning disabilities are increasingly at-risk for becoming part of the gap of those who do not have access to technology, and (d) systems implementing technology innovations for students with learning and emotional disabilities need to consider decision-making processes and responsibilities for systemic change in therapeutic technology-based interventions.