In Germany, a systematic conceptual link between inclusion and digitization-related competencies in teacher education curricula. Two systematic reviews on “digital learning in inclusive settings” showed that for the German speaking context only 34 empirical studies were published in the last 10 years which deal with inclusive media education in schools (Mertens et al. 2022; Quenzer-Alfred et al. to be published). Only sporadically concepts have been developed (e.g. Büker et al., 2022) – although synergy effects have already been described. Hence, there is a need for proposals on how to provide (future) teachers with knowledge for inclusive media education. Concepts for teacher training should meet the demands of digital accessibility to enable participation for all students. Two prototypical didactic approaches have been proposed to support teacher training in tertiary education and in-service training, these are: "Inclusion meets Digitization" and a toolbox with focus on "Digitization and inclusion-oriented Casework", both offered as Open Educational Resources (OERs) (Homrighausen et al., 2022).

The “self-study course” deals with digital theoretical concepts of inclusive media education, the benefits of assistive technologies, the Universal Design for Learning and some good practice examples for teacher education. The moodle-based “toolbox” is an online resource that includes different modules interconnecting inclusive case studies, lesson plans and digital media material to train teachers how to use digital media in the inclusive classroom as well as accessibility features and strategies for creating inclusive digital content. Additionally, it provides guidance, practical strategies and reflection guidelines. Added value of the two resources can be seen in linking digitization-related competencies with the conceptual areas of inclusion. The novel resources help (future) teachers to bridge the digital divide: in the long run they might have the potential to make “access to digital information” possible.

The theoretical framework of both resources draws upon fostering inclusion in, at and through media (Bosse 2016; Bosse, Kamin, Schluchter 2019) as well as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) which is particularly useful for teachers of students with disabilities (https://www.cast.org). Participation in the media counters stereotypical and stigmatizing portrayals of vulnerable groups and opens up the opportunity to contrast images of disability conveyed by the mass media with views of vulnerable and diverse groups. For the school context, this implies to reflect the diversity of students in teaching media, be it in books, worksheets or on the school website. All groups shall be represented equally in the media. Participation at media emphasizes the aspect of media accessibility in terms of perceptibility, comprehensibility and usability for all people, regardless of their individual predisposition. This can be achieved through (internal-) differentiation, assistive technologies, appropriate aids, facilitated operation (e.g. on mobile phones).   Participation at media can also be achieved via linguistic accessibility (choice of simple/easy language, multilingualism, formulation and self-expression aids e.g. for students with learning disabilities). Ideally, media are designed according to the premises of the UDL (www.cast.org) so that they can be used by as many people as possible without further adaptation. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that makes teaching material accessible to all students, regardless of background, abilities or learning styles. It utilizes multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression to create an inclusive learning environment. UDL's main principles are useful for inclusive teaching as it allows teachers to accommodate diverse needs of all students. Participation through media arises when education, learning, work and everyday life are shaped through the acquisition of comprehensive media competence. With regard to the school classroom, opportunities for participation are also opened up by using media as didactic teaching and learning tools to support learning processes. 

The resources were developed within a joint project “ComeIn” (=Communities of Practice for Innovative Teacher Education). The ComeIn project is a project of all 12 teacher training universities in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), in which the Quality and Support Agency - State Institute for Schools (QUALiS), the North Rhine-Westphalian Centres for Practical Teacher Training and the departments of the five district governments of the state working/teaching in the context of digitization are involved (van Ackeren et al., 2020). In a total of eight CoPs with different content focuses, the development, testing and implementation of concepts for the systematic promotion of digitization-related competencies of teachers on the basis of the German Conference of Ministers of Education (KMK) strategy “Education in the Digital World” (KMK, 2016 & 2021) and the Competence Framework for Teachers in the Digitized World (Eickelmann, 2020) in all three phases of teacher training are focused on. The methodology used to review the developed resource involved an optimization-related feedback process to gather insights on the structure, design and effectiveness of the resources with the help of standardized questionnaires and expert-interviews. A standardized questionnaire format from Müsken's et al. (2022) was adapted by the project coordinators and used to obtain evaluative peer feedback from all phases of teacher education. The questionnaires were designed to assess the participants' level of satisfaction with the resources, the degree to which the resources met their needs, and any suggestions for improvement. Expert-talks were also conducted as a complementary method to gather more in-depth feedback from experienced professionals in the field. These interviews were used to gain a deeper understanding of the resources' strengths and weaknesses, as well as to identify areas where further improvement was needed. The experts were selected based on their experience and expertise in inclusive education and the use of digital resources in their classrooms. The talks were conducted using a semi-structured format, allowing for a flexible and open-ended discussion while still covering specific themes and topics related to the resources.

Two different didactic approaches based on the theoretical framework of participation in, at and through media and the UDL are presented: How can digitalization-related competencies be acquired for inclusive and special needs education settings for (future) teachers. In conclusion, the "self-study course" and the "toolbox" provide resources for teacher education by linking digital competencies with the conceptual areas of inclusion. The self-study course covers digital theoretical concepts, assistive technologies, and Universal Design for Learning, while the toolbox offers five central modules on digitality, inclusion, and inclusive casework, as well as phase-differentiated exercise units for all phases of teacher education. The resources were tested, evaluated and designed for a permanent use: They shall offer (future) teachers training materials to prepare themselves for diversity-sensitive, inclusion-based digital learning in schools.

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