This blog is for psychologists, teachers, speech and language therapists, related professionals, parents, technologists, and others interested in using technology more effectively to support engaged learning, cognitive development, communication, social-emotional skills development, health & wellness, transition-to-adulthood planning, and assessment linked to prevention and intervention. Enter a term or phrase in the search box to find what interests you!
CITEd, in collaboration with Don Johnston Incorporated, is presenting free webinar sessions over the next few months. Assistive Technology: Written Productivity & Assessment 12/10/08 & 12/16/08 Presenters: Denise DeCoste, Team Leader, High Incidence Accessible Technology (HIAT), Montgomery County Public Schools
Technology Implementation: Getting to Where You Want to Be (Overview of Universal Design for Learning) 12/6/09 & 12/13/09 Presenters: David Rose, Co-Founder, CAST; Mary Thorngren, Deputy Director, Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd); and Jenna Wasson, Research Associate, CAST
Accessible Instructional Materials 101 2/4/09 & 2/10/09 Presenters: Joy Zabala, Project Manager, AIM Consortium; and Diana Foster Carl, Special Projects Coordinator, AIM Consortium
You can find links to previous Moving Forward with Technology webinars on the CITEd website.
Although the school year is nearly half over, it is not to late to move forward with technology!
Take the time to read the article, Curriculum Planning for All Learners, written by Grace Meo, an advocate of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This article provides a good framework for implementing UDL at the high school level by the use of a PAL (Planning for All Learners) team. The author looks at ways that the PAL process can be applied to support vocabulary and reading comprehension, which is important, given the high numbers of students at the high school level who struggle with reading.
Be sure to scroll down to the Appendix section of the article, where you'll find a variety of references, resources, and links. If you work at the high school level, consider sharing the article with your colleagues.
Here is the abstract from the article:
"The universal design for learning (UDL) principles provide a blueprint for designing a curriculum that addresses the diverse needs of all learners. The author provides an overview of UDL, connections to curriculum planning, and practical techniques that guide general and special education teachers in planning and implementing curriculum, using the planning for all learners (PAL) procedures. PAL is a 4-step process for designing and implementing a curriculum (goals, methods, materials, and assessments) that is accessible and effective for all learners. In this article, the author focuses on high school social studies content with a goal of supporting all students' understanding of the content by bringing together principles of UDL, the PAL process, and research-based reading comprehension strategies. KEYWORDS: accessibility, curriculum planning and instruction, reading comprehension, secondary school, universal design for learning"
In many school districts, there is a disconnect between special education departments, responsible for overseeing assistive technology, and the educational technology and IT support departments, within the domain of regular education. Since most students who receive special education and related services receive most of their instruction in regular education classes, a high level of collaboration, communication, and coordination between regular education and special education is essential.
"New software, advanced technology, and computerized devices can help special education students talk to their teachers, write out their thoughts and feelings, and understand a printed page. But schools are finding that many of the high-tech devices can’t open those doors for students without direct and ongoing assistance from information-technology specialists."
Some thoughts:
With the movement towards technology integration in regular education classrooms that supports Universal Design for Learning, RTI (Response to Intervention), and "21st Century Schools", the need for professional development related to technology is fundamental. Continued professional development that focuses on skills related to collaboration, communication, and data-driven decision making is also important.
With new technologies and applications come additional questions that might not have been previously anticipated. Solutions vary between classrooms, schools, districts, regions, and states, as evidence by the lively discussions and information shared online at Classroom 2.0. and information available on websites sites such as Edutopia, CAST, CITEd, and NCTCI.
There are many questions that need to be asked, now, and in anticipation of future technology innovations.
The questions we ask, and the answers we receive, are influenced by many factors, such as our personal level of technological knowledge and expertise, the "technology IQ" of key decision-makers within our school districts, state departments of education, and influential university researchers, and support from our schools receive from our respective communities.\
How do we prepare ourselves for new technologies?
For example, there has been an increase in the number of classrooms that have interactive whiteboards. In the future, teachers might find themselves figuring out how to create co-operative group lessons for use on interactive tables, such as Microsoft's Surface or the TouchTable. These tables are WiFi and BlueTooth enabled, so they can interact with mobile and handheld devices. They can support applications that track student interaction and progress, and most likely can support activities that are consistent with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
How do we measure the effectiveness of educational practices and interventions that involve technology?
Do the data systems in place, or planned for the near future, support and integrate all of the tasks required to plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate evidence-based education and prevention/intervention "best practices"?
Some school districts still rely on DOS-based student data management systems, or use systems that do not allow for much flexibility.
How do we track educational materials? Software? Hardware? Assistive technology devices and applications?
Some educational software programs generate a vast amount of data. How is this data integrated electronically in a way that is meaningful to all "stakeholders"? What is the quality of the data? Who has access to this data? Is the database management system in place useful and easy-to-use?
How is this data shared between regular education and special education departments, for those students who require additional specialized support?
Who is responsible for ensuring the privacy and security of data obtained during progress monitoring for students who are involved in the RTI process? What do school leaders know about trends towards "educational data mining"?
What are the responsibilities of the local school district regarding technology integration, implementation, staff development, and evaluation, and what are the responsibilities of the universities and state departments of education?
How do we share information about technology grant opportunities? How do we learn and share "what works" - within and beyond our own school districts? How do we ensure that everyone is on board?
Short List of Resources
(I've posted about most of these resources in the past. For additional information, do a "search" on this blog, as well as on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog.)
Classroom 2.0 is a social network for educators using collaborative technologies, with an related Wiki for sharing resources and strategies. Members can also join smaller groups, according to their interests. For example, there is a Classroom 2.0 group of educators who discuss how technology supports inclusion.
Edutopia is an organization funded by the George Lucas Foundation "We publish the stories of innovative teaching and learning through a variety of media -- a magazine, e-newsletters, DVDs, books, and this Web site. Here, you'll find detailed articles, in-depth case studies, research summaries, short documentary segments, expert interviews, and links to hundreds of relevant resources. You'll also be able to participate as a member of an online community of people actively working to reinvent schools for the twenty-first century."
NCTI: "The National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI) advances learning opportunities for all students, with a special focus on individuals with disabilities. Funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the U.S. Department of Education, NCTI offers technical guidance to facilitate growth and sustainability of assistive and learning tools by fostering innovative technology solutions."
CAST (Resources for Universal Design for Learning)
TECHMATRIX Tool for finding assistive and learning technology products for students with special needs.
Data Quality Campaign: The Data Quality Campaign (DQC) is a national, collaborative effort to encourage and support state policymakers to
improve the collection, availability, and use of high-quality education data, and
implement state longitudinal data systems to improve student achievement.
CASTLE UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education
If you need a good opener for a technology workshop, take a look at this thought-provoking video that was originally used for a staff development activity at a high school:
If you are working on a team that is focused on coordinating technology efforts between special education and regular education, please leave a comment, as well as links to information and resources you've found to be helpful.
Chief Scientist David Rose makes case for universally designed approaches
Wakefield, Mass., August 2, 2006 --Today CAST Chief Scientist and Co-Founding Director David Rose told the bipartisan Commission on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) that applying Universal Design for Learning principles is the best way to ensure that all children, including those with disabilities, have equal opportunities to a high-quality education...........
