Technology Enhanced Learning in Special Education

1. Technology Enhanced Learning in Special Education Cindy Okolo Brandon Blinkenberg Michigan State University

2. This project is supported by a Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology (PT3) Grant, awarded to Michigan State University by the United States Department of Education, Principal Investigators Yong Zhao & Punyashloke Mishra

3. Why Assistive Technology? • Holds great potential for enhancing the education, independence, and employability of people with disabilities • “Perhaps the most impressive application of technology is in the field of special education” (OTA, 1988).

4. Consider: Neural Prosthetics • Computer can capture patterns of brain activity as person performs motor task • The resulting program allows user to control an item by thought (through electrodes attached to a computer) • Operation of devices via brainwave patterns See for example: Dr. James Donoghue and colleagues, Brown University,http://neuroscience.brown.edu/Faculty/Donoghue.html

5. Consider: Supported Texts • Digital resources embedded in texts • Translations • English to Spanish, English to American Sign Language, written word to spoken word • Instructional supports • definitions of unfamiliar vocabulary, illustrations of challenging concepts, background information about unfamiliar topics. • Improved access to content-area instruction for students with learning disabilities and hearing impairments See for example, Anderson-Inman & colleagues, Project Intersect, http://intersect.uoregon.edu

6. Consider: Personal, Portable, Computing • Portable, personal computing devices (PCDs) and wireless technologies • personal organizer,audio recorder, text and graphic scanner, GPS navigation device, audio and video playback unit, digital camera. • text & reference books stored on PCD, automatically connected to school’s wireless network, receiving stations distributed throughout school campus • student accesses information, turns in assignments, calls up digitized video to enrich understanding of difficult concepts. • PCD recognizes student’s voice, can do most of her tasks by speaking into it • Seamless, meaningful, and 24-hour learning environments See for example,Hasselbring, http://jset.unlv.edu/16.4/hasselbring/first.html

7. Assistive Technology Devices • Any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capability of children with disabilities (Technology Related Assistance Act, 1988)

8. Assistive Technology Services • Any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device. • Includes: evaluation, purchase, lease, selecting, fitting, designing, customizing, repairing, coordinating with other therapies, training or technical assistance for child or family, employers or others

9. Potential of Assistive Technology • Instruction • Independence • Compensation • Scaffolding

10. Assistive Technology Remains Underutilized • Guaranteed by IDEA • Only a small number of eligible students use it or receive AT services • State directors report need for policies and guidelines • Educators report need for better ideas and access

11. Barriers to AT Use • Awareness • Funding • Availability of hardware & software • Teacher preparation • Time • Technical support

12. Technology-Enhanced Learning in Special Education Project • Develop a website that is accessible to teachers, parents, and consumers • In Michigan and throughout nation • Instructional modules for teacher educators & their students • Resources for practicing teachers • Links and other web resources • Readings • Lesson Plans • Communication Tools

13. Design of the Website • Accessible • Usable

14. Usability and Accessibility • What is Usability? • Ease of Use • Satisfaction

15. How we thought about Usability • Consistency across pages • Logical, natural organization • Efficient Navigation

16. Usability and Accessibility • What is Accessibility? • Accessible to everyone • Understandable and navigable content • Not dependent on mouse, or other visual tools

17. How we thought about Accessibility • Followed Web Content Accessibility Guidelines recommended by the W3C See: http://www.w3c.org • Validated HTML with Bobby and W3C validation serviceSee: http://bobby.watchfire.com • Tested in CAST E-Reader, IBM Homepage Reader

18. Help with Accessibility • LIFT for Dreamweaver (available from http://www.usablenet.com) • Helps you build accessibility into your pages as you create them in Dreamweaver • Easy learning curve

19. Site Demonstration

20. Future Development • Database of user contributed lesson plans • Submitted • Reviewed • Lesson plans keyed to MI and National standards • Lesson plans categorized according to standards

21. Future Development • Database will be searchable by: • Subject • School District • User who submitted plan • Additional features: • List of lesson plans similar to the one you are reading • People who viewed this lesson plan also viewed these

22. Future Development • Communication Tools: • User Directory, voluntary profile • Number of users presently online coupled with a Chat tool • Who is online now? • Who is chatting?