Children and Youngsters and Technology

The contribution of human sciences to the use of Assistive Technology Technology plays a significant role in all aspects of children’s and youngsters’ life in Europe today, and this role will only increase in the future. A wealthy debate on the use of ICTs to support learning and participation has been initiated some years ago and is still alive, giving human sciences (mainly pedagogy and psychology) a new occasion to rethink and redesign their methods and practices so that they can fully answer to the modern challenges of life. This aspect is an underlying theme of the present issue of the journal. Many researchers in the field stress that in the renewal of the processes of teaching and learning, technology is not a solution in itself. On the contrary, the main accent should be put on the pedagogical imperative (both in respect of the methodological and the relational), so that the educators and the field professionals can consider technology only one of the possible tools (indeed, a very powerful one) to do the work they are prepared for.