As a special needs teacher, I am used to using a variety of digital tools. Nevertheless, let me say straight away that pen and paper are still my most effective tools. It’s been interesting to see that students who have a mobile phone in their hands all the time are not always very interested in digital tasks. Students with learning challenges often find it easier to work on paper. Digital tools also depend a lot on the school where you work. I know that I still have to learn how to do this. I don’t always know which software is linked to which application. Usually the applications and programs that are used are already installed on the workstation.

Here I list some of the most common digital tools that I use or remember by name:

• Wilma (communication with the pupil and guardian, inter-school communication, assessment, learning support documents, etc.).
• Moodle (because I study while working)
• Office 365, Google Classroom, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Google forms (assignments, sharing information with students, email, assessment and exams).
• Microsoft teams, Skype, Zoom (communication, meetings)
• Padlet (One of the few I really like to use. Nice tool for collaborative tasks)
• Kahoot! (Student favourite)
• Quizlet (Student favourite number 2.)
• Duolingo (For language learning)
• Publishers’ own learning platforms (SanomaPro, Otava, Edita)
• Ville learning environment
• Instagram (in civil life)

New to me that I got to know

Snapchat, which I should have been familiar with and signed up for a long time ago. My own children have been asking for it too. Snapchat seems to be quite clever in that you can easily download it to old phones, for example, and thus circumvent the agreed usage time of the phone you are using. So I have been fooled. Fortunately, it always pays to study. So Snapchat is an instant messaging app that focuses on disappearing messages, pictures and videos. You can take screenshots of messages and then it will notify the sender. Users can add filters, text and drawings to photos and videos before sending them.
Snapchat is one of the apps that I don’t know how to use in my teaching. Snapchat has certainly overwhelmed me, as it seems to be a great platform for bullying between students. I have had to deal with several cases of bullying via Snapchat. Unfortunately, these are also very difficult to deal with because of the disappearing messages.

TikTok on my child’s phone. The app seems to be full of very addictive and pointless material. However, this could be used as a stimulating tool, for example, to make videos of the pupils themselves. So, in TikTok, you can make videos that last up to 60 seconds. The app offers a wide range of music and sound options, as well as a variety of filters and effects. I could use TikTok in my teaching for various creative projects. Of course, students could also create short educational videos or presentations. Since time is short, they would learn to find and summarise the most relevant information. I also came across a TikTok video by a curator and a psychologist, so there are many possibilities. I believe that TikTok would motivate students, as it seems to be one of the most popular platforms at the moment.

Vimeo. This sounded distantly familiar and after a bit of research I made one short video for this app related to display work and shared it with my teacher at the time. Vimeo seems to be a very learnable and straightforward application for editing videos. I could also use it in my teaching. I haven’t tried it, but I think vimeo could also be used for recording lessons and making instructional videos. As I recall, it was relatively easy to share a video using Vimeo. Of course, students could also make their own videos and share them with the appropriate people.

Blogger. Blogging has been an interest of mine for some time. Maybe I’ll finally get inspired to start? Blogging is also a natural tool in the work of a special needs teacher. A blog is a way of learning the basics of the mother tongue (writing, grammar), as well as self-expression and working out and producing your own ideas. Blogs can also be written in many different styles, so from a learning perspective it offers new possibilities. A blog could be in the form of an essay or even a diary. You can also upload images and videos to Blogger, which extends its range of uses. However, from a teaching point of view, I would pay attention to the communication, the style in which you present your ideas is important. However, blogs are one way of interacting with others. A blog could also be a class project.

Jodel. I chose the Jodel just out of curiosity and because the students have been talking about it all year. In Jodel, everything always seems to be happening and happening. At least it is an interesting app for the students. Short snippets of text and pictures are posted on Jodel, which other users can comment on and vote on. Voting is done by giving the post either an upvote or a downvote. User activity on Yodel – posting, voting, commenting – accumulates “karma”. Jodel also works locally, with communication taking place between users in close proximity (10 km). I think the worst (and the best for students) thing about Jodel is that communication is anonymous. For this reason, I would consider using this app in teaching very carefully. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a single safe way to use this in my teaching. Perhaps someone else would be wiser than me.

DeepL. This is the translation tool I immediately grabbed. Too bad I only found it when I was doing this last assignment. The application seems to do good translations. Google says that it uses machine learning technology, which means that the application is “learning all the time”.

The pros and cons of social media

Social media and how to use it is a bit of a contradiction in terms. Recently, there has been a lot of news about the need to limit the use of social media, especially by children. There is already starting to be some research on the harmful effects of social media. The positive aspects of social media are at least the sense of community and networking. Social media allows people to connect with friends, family and the wider community, regardless of their geographical location. Social media can also be used to network professionally and meet new people. Social media can also be used to find different support networks and to discuss different topics.

In addition, social media can be used to share information and learn new things. Social media is a constant source of tips, news, articles and research. Some teachers also use social media to share learning materials. Social media is an avenue for creativity, so people can express themselves in many different ways (through photos, videos, writing, music, art and other creative content). Social media is also an easy way to express your opinions. Social media is a powerful tool to support social influence and activism. It enables the organisation of campaigns, demonstrations and other social movements. Recent issues include climate change, equality and human rights.

There have also been recent articles on the negative aspects of social media. I will highlight some of the negative aspects here. It is a broad subject and could even be the subject of a book. One big negative issue or concern is that the personal data of social media users can be exposed to hackers and data breaches, which can lead to privacy violations and identity theft. User data can also end up being used by advertisers and other third parties without the user’s consent. In addition, social media use can increase anxiety, depression and feelings of loneliness, especially among young people. Social media also enable bullying. Comparing oneself to others, being constantly available and social pressure can jeopardise young people’s well-being. Social media can also become addictive and addictive. Social media is a distraction from lessons and learning, and takes up a lot of time unnoticed. Fake news and misinformation also appear on social media. This information tends to spread quickly. This can lead to misunderstandings, increased fears and even political manipulation (USA and presidential elections). It is sometimes difficult for social media users to distinguish between reliable information and fake news, which can undermine the reliability of the information.

Social media offer many opportunities, but also many challenges. Social media influence the development and body image of children and young people. Children need information from us adults about what is true and what is not. A neurologist said in one course that “the attention span of modern humans is equivalent to that of a goldfish, which is about 10 seconds”. According to him, this is much the result of the use of smart devices and social media. Social media should be used judiciously and children in particular should have clear rules and limits on their use.

Self-evaluation

Social media and digitalisation are topics that we teachers talk about a lot, so it was a familiar topic. However, this assignment also gave me a lot of new ideas and concrete tools. It also awakened me to the risk factors associated with technology in my own work. I also made a note of the social media platforms mentioned in the instructions so that I can continue to explore them later. At the latest, when I retire with grandchildren. Or even as a school grandmother. And thanks again to the inventor of the various apps (like the translator) – I couldn’t have done this task without them either!