What I've Learned from Distant Colleagues
The Evolution and Current Trends of Educational Technology
Technology is changing the face of education! These changes are coming quickly. Edyburn discussed the “knowledge base regarding innovative technologies is the limited life span of a specific topic; what is innovative today will not be considered the same way in a few weeks or months” (2013). He went on to explain that in the 1990s, schools were mainly concerned with providing internet access but a decade later, the focus turned to wireless access and now in the 2010s, WiFi is expected to be in place just “in the same way that schools provide other utilities such as electricity and water” (Edyburn, 2013).
The US Department of Education technology plan entitled Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology established five goals: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure and productivity. (US Department of Education, 2010). The executive summary discusses the importance of redesigning processes, monitoring and accountability. It pushes for engaging lessons, empowering learners and collaborative teaching and learning. “It leverages the power of technology to provide personalized learning and to enable continuous and lifelong learning” (US Department of Education, 2010). While special education is not directly mentioned in the first goal for learning, they discuss engaging and empowering our students, to be learners both in and out of school and to be active participants in our global society. I find this key for our students with disabilities and exactly what I’m hoping to work towards in my classroom. If I can shape engaged, empowered and active learners in my classroom, I’ll successfully lay the ground work in helping them navigate the future with technology in their hands. Personalizing learning is another way technology can hugely impact my special education classroom – readily-accessible apps and software that address their unique skills and deficits help me to meet each learner’s needs in a variety of engaging ways.
Technology in Special Education
Assistive technology and educational technology have become critical in supporting our students with a wide range of needs and abilities allowing them to engage, learn, and respond in appropriate ways (Dalton & Roush, 2010). Education Week’s 2011 Technology Counts report looked at how assistive technology can benefit ALL students – not just special education students. Universal Design for Learning suggests “using curricula and materials that are flexible enough to accommodate a wide variety of learning styles and needs” (Education Week 2011).
Technology cannot help with everything, but skilled application of technology can increase many areas of independence for students with MSID/ASD” (2013). Ayres, Mechling and Sansosti go on to differentiate instructional technology from assistive technology in that instructional technology is used to teach skills and may not be needed once the learner acquires the skills whereas assistive technology plays an ongoing role in the individual who is using the technology (2013).
Students with disabilities will continue to need varying levels of support in our education system and communities and the growing technology resources will assist them in becoming more functional and productive. Not only is technology, such as mobile devices, already present in our daily lives, they are less restrictive than an adult aide or teacher assisting the student throughout the day and less obvious than a pile or album of picture prompts (Ayres, et al., 2013).
iPads and/or Mobile devices
Bennett noted the iPad “appeals to the kinesthetic learner because the apps motivate the students to manipulate the content” (2011-12).
What teachers really need is to learn to match specific curricular tasks with technology resources that engage students, increase understanding, and enhance learning” (2011).
Ayres, et al. cited research that showed individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder “not only demonstrated significant skill acquisition when taught using mobile technologies, but also prefer instruction delivered through such devices (2013). Ayres, et al. also noted that not only does the new technology help students fit in, but it provides them with a choice, which “may, in itself, help promote more self-determined behavior” (2013).
Best Practice for Educational Technology and iPads
Spaulding states it well in that “the critical issue in special education today is no longer the assurance of access, but rather, the assurance of effectiveness” (2009).
Newton and Dell stated that we must put “the student – not the device – at the heart of our decision making process” (2011) as part of our best practice approaches. With that being said, much of my research showed that there is not much established in the way of ‘best practice’ when it comes to implementing technology into special education programs. As Edyburn discussed, technology is changing at a pace that research cannot keep up. “The issue of innovative applications of technology is particularly challenging to educational administrators charged with implementing evidence-based practices because innovative technologies often reach the marketplace without research evidence concerning their effectiveness (Edyburn, 2013).
The issues sited with the lack of evidence-based practice include lack of knowledge of the field of technology, a large number of variables in special education, and an issue of prioritizing what is important to education vs. what is critical to the technology field (Dalton & Roush, 2010).
The SAMR model looks at technology integration as a process and even appears to have some roots in Bloom’s taxonomy with higher order thinking.
The Evolution and Current Trends of Educational Technology
Technology is changing the face of education! These changes are coming quickly. Edyburn discussed the “knowledge base regarding innovative technologies is the limited life span of a specific topic; what is innovative today will not be considered the same way in a few weeks or months” (2013). He went on to explain that in the 1990s, schools were mainly concerned with providing internet access but a decade later, the focus turned to wireless access and now in the 2010s, WiFi is expected to be in place just “in the same way that schools provide other utilities such as electricity and water” (Edyburn, 2013).
The US Department of Education technology plan entitled Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology established five goals: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure and productivity. (US Department of Education, 2010). The executive summary discusses the importance of redesigning processes, monitoring and accountability. It pushes for engaging lessons, empowering learners and collaborative teaching and learning. “It leverages the power of technology to provide personalized learning and to enable continuous and lifelong learning” (US Department of Education, 2010). While special education is not directly mentioned in the first goal for learning, they discuss engaging and empowering our students, to be learners both in and out of school and to be active participants in our global society. I find this key for our students with disabilities and exactly what I’m hoping to work towards in my classroom. If I can shape engaged, empowered and active learners in my classroom, I’ll successfully lay the ground work in helping them navigate the future with technology in their hands. Personalizing learning is another way technology can hugely impact my special education classroom – readily-accessible apps and software that address their unique skills and deficits help me to meet each learner’s needs in a variety of engaging ways.
Technology in Special Education
Assistive technology and educational technology have become critical in supporting our students with a wide range of needs and abilities allowing them to engage, learn, and respond in appropriate ways (Dalton & Roush, 2010). Education Week’s 2011 Technology Counts report looked at how assistive technology can benefit ALL students – not just special education students. Universal Design for Learning suggests “using curricula and materials that are flexible enough to accommodate a wide variety of learning styles and needs” (Education Week 2011).
Technology cannot help with everything, but skilled application of technology can increase many areas of independence for students with MSID/ASD” (2013). Ayres, Mechling and Sansosti go on to differentiate instructional technology from assistive technology in that instructional technology is used to teach skills and may not be needed once the learner acquires the skills whereas assistive technology plays an ongoing role in the individual who is using the technology (2013).
Students with disabilities will continue to need varying levels of support in our education system and communities and the growing technology resources will assist them in becoming more functional and productive. Not only is technology, such as mobile devices, already present in our daily lives, they are less restrictive than an adult aide or teacher assisting the student throughout the day and less obvious than a pile or album of picture prompts (Ayres, et al., 2013).
iPads and/or Mobile devices
Bennett noted the iPad “appeals to the kinesthetic learner because the apps motivate the students to manipulate the content” (2011-12).
What teachers really need is to learn to match specific curricular tasks with technology resources that engage students, increase understanding, and enhance learning” (2011).
Ayres, et al. cited research that showed individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder “not only demonstrated significant skill acquisition when taught using mobile technologies, but also prefer instruction delivered through such devices (2013). Ayres, et al. also noted that not only does the new technology help students fit in, but it provides them with a choice, which “may, in itself, help promote more self-determined behavior” (2013).
Best Practice for Educational Technology and iPads
Spaulding states it well in that “the critical issue in special education today is no longer the assurance of access, but rather, the assurance of effectiveness” (2009).
Newton and Dell stated that we must put “the student – not the device – at the heart of our decision making process” (2011) as part of our best practice approaches. With that being said, much of my research showed that there is not much established in the way of ‘best practice’ when it comes to implementing technology into special education programs. As Edyburn discussed, technology is changing at a pace that research cannot keep up. “The issue of innovative applications of technology is particularly challenging to educational administrators charged with implementing evidence-based practices because innovative technologies often reach the marketplace without research evidence concerning their effectiveness (Edyburn, 2013).
The issues sited with the lack of evidence-based practice include lack of knowledge of the field of technology, a large number of variables in special education, and an issue of prioritizing what is important to education vs. what is critical to the technology field (Dalton & Roush, 2010).
The SAMR model looks at technology integration as a process and even appears to have some roots in Bloom’s taxonomy with higher order thinking.