Tikas – Learning ICT More Easily

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Learning ICT More Easily
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Best practises 2004 in training and learning awarded by the Finnish Prime Minister
ICT Training Model for Student
Groups with Special Needs
Tikas is an innovative ICT training model
designed for student groups with special needs.
Tikas aims to assist educational establishments,
associations and other organisations in
providing ICT tuition for learners with
special needs of all different ages. Tikas will
benefit, among others, people with intellectual
disabilities, the autistic, those studying
according to an individual syllabus and
people with reading and learning difficulties.
Tikas is also ideal for elderly people, immigrants
and people with multilingual backgrounds who
have insufficient knowledge of the official
languages of their country of residence.
Tikas gives comprehensive support to students
who are learning basic ICT skills. Learning is
supported by qualified instructors, detailed goals
and learning material adapted for student groups
with special needs. Owing to its flexibility, Tikas
supports learners in various ways and gives them
a chance to proceed in their studies individually
according to their own capabilities.
ICT skills promote equality
in today’s information society
All citizens require the basic ICT skills to
enjoy the same quality of life as others in the
information society. These ICT skills help
people with special needs participate in societal
activities and increase their employment
opportunities, making the society more
accessible and inclusive.
Many students need special support in learning
the basic ICT skills. Well-designed and
well-implemented ICT tuition gives students
the skills they need in order to function as equal
members of the information society. Various
learning difficulties have increased and there are
growing numbers of immigrants who have an
insufficient command of the official languages of
their country of residence. Tikas helps to
prevent exclusion from the information society.
A functioning product based on
co-operation
Tikas was developed by the Finnish
Association on Mental Retardation.
FAMR is a national central organization and
a co-operative forum for organizations and
persons working to improve the quality of life of
people with an intellectual disability as well as
of others in need of support in learning,
understanding and communicating. The project
is partly funded by the European Social Fund
(ESF) and the State provincial office of
Southern Finland (2000-2005). After this
Tikas will continue as part of the activities of
the FAMR’s Center of Teaching Materials.
Experienced ICT instructors and special needs
teachers have been involved in developing
Tikas. Their input has been valuable in choosing
the contents and in producing and testing the
material. As of June 2005 over 100 Tikas ICT
instructors have already been trained, and they
have issued over 1000 Tikas ICT Certificates.
Tikas training is being given in 40 Finnish
educational establishments.
Tikas tuition
Tikas tuition is provided by educational
establishments and other institutions.
The tuition is given by a qualified Tikas
instructor and is based on the Tikas Skills
Content and material.
Tikas Skills Content and the levels
of difficulty
The Tikas Skills Content describes the skills a
student must adopt in order to use various
computer programs:
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Using a computer and managing files
Word processing
Internet and e-mail
Drawing
Presentation graphics
Digital photographing and editing
Spreadsheets
Students can study the sections they need
individually in the order of their choice.
Each section is divided into three levels of
difficulty.
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
The basics.
Expanding
basic skills.
The ability to
use programs
independently.
Good knowledge
of the basics.
Developing
advanced skills.
Learners can choose among these
different levels according to their needs
and capabilities. The Skills Content is
based on the requirements of the
European Computer Driving Licence
(ECDL) and have been adapted for
students with special needs.
Tikas ICT Certificate
gives detailed and reliable
information on skills
A student can receive a Tikas ICT
Certificate for each level in each section
separately.
Receiving a Certificate does not require
passing a separate test; it is based on the
Tikas instructor’s evaluation of the
student’s skills. The Certificate provides
thorough information that gives a new
teacher or employer accurate details on
the student’s skills.
The Certificate also motivates students to
learn ICT and helps each of them form a
clear view of his or her own abilities.
Easy-to-read ICT textbooks
Tikas has produced a series of textbooks to teach
basic ICT skills in plain language. The plain
language is a simplified language that has been
adapted for people with special needs.
The textbooks in Finnish are:
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Word processing (Petri Ilmonen)
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Using a computer and managing files
(Juha Hällfors)
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Spreadsheets (Petri Ilmonen)
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Presentation graphics
(Petri Vainio and Petri Ilmonen)
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Internet and e-mail (Juha Hällfors)
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Digital photographing and editing
(Petri Ilmonen and Heikki Lindberg)
The textbooks help students learn the basic
ICT skills. The requirements of students with
special needs have been considered in the
language and layout of the textbooks.
All the instructions have been converted
plain language, and the text is supported
with a large number of pictures.
Tikas instructor in-service training
The training covers designing and implementing
ICT tuition for student groups with special needs
as well as using and producing learning material.
The training emphasises the adaptation and
implementation of the Tikas Skills Content.
In addition, the principles of plain language and
its use in tuition are taught. Training is
implemented in a versatile way: the Internetbased learning environment is supplemented
with activating, face-to-face learning periods.
VerkkoTikas environment
The Internet-based VerkkoTikas environment has been developed
as an operational environment independent of time and place.
The VerkkoTikas consists of a web service and an e-learning
environment for Instructor in-service training.
The contents of the VerkkoTikas web service include:
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Tikas skills content
Evaluation forms
Easy-to-read PDF guidebooks
Learning material (i.e. exercises)
Tips for teaching
An opportunity to exchange views with other Tikas instructors
Current information concerning ICT and teaching
Contact information
The Finnish Association on Mental Retardation
Center for Teaching Materials/Tikas
Viljatie 4 C
00700 Helsinki, Finland
tikas@famr.fi
Leena Kokko
Director
mobile tel. +358-400-703 017
tel. +358-9-3480 9353
leena.kokko@famr.fi
Petri Ilmonen
Planning Officer
mobile tel. +358-40-509 4994
tel. +358-9-3480 9358
petri.ilmonen@famr.fi
Paula Kuhanen
Planning Officer
mobile tel. +358-40-523 4830
tel. 358-9-3480 9355
paula.kuhanen@famr.fi