Network Technology & Homebound Inclusive Education

There are students who, because of a wide range of impediments (disability, long-term illness, temporary or permanent home care, particular syndromes such as multiple chemical sensitivity'') are confined to their homes or other physical environments (hospitals, provisional homes, etc.,) and consequently find difficulty in regularly attending education and training programs. While national laws on the right to education do protect such situations, the in-presence support offered to students and families is actually not always adequate for real, effective socio-educational inclusion. This is why great hopes are now being placed in the opportunities offered by the new network and mobile technologies (NMTs), given their massive personal and home diffusion. NMTs have already shown themselves to be invaluable in favouring both the individual and collaborative on-line learning of home-bound students, and the distance support of study activities by teachers.