VSTE

Virginia Society for Technology in Education

technology

VSTE 18: Assistive Technology – My Early Christmas Gift

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With telescopic precision, Matt Newton used his VSTE 2018 session as a platform to spotlight one of many Assistive Technology Resources: Read and Write.  As a matter of fact, it was the only presentation which specifically focused on accommodations and modifications for the special education population.

Matt prefaced that he is not a representative for Google Read & Write.  He is a T/TAC coordinator who has witnessed the powerful benefits of the Read & Write extension.  In a matter of 60 minutes,  Matt expressed how the awesomeness of this tool could have lasting effects for students who struggle with reading comprehension.  This app is designed to help struggling readers grasp the content.  This is not to say that Read & Write is the “That’s It. That’s All Folks” app for struggling students.

As educators, we know we have to find what works best for our students.  I remember one student who was given an iPad as an accommodation.  The thing is…he didn’t like the iPad!  Regardless of its function or the number of apps which were downloaded on his iPad, he just refused to use it.

As Matt alluded to in his session, the best Assistive Technology in the world is the one that the student is comfortable with and enjoys using it.

Success is gained when teaching and learning become enjoyable and not dreadful.  So, if you have not done so already, check out Read & Write.  Your students just might thank you for it.  And if they don’t, it’s all good. There’s a galaxy of Assistive Technology just waiting to be discovered.

Matt Newton is a Technology Coordinator in the Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC) at Virginia Tech. His VSTE presentation is here and more resources are linked from his conference presentation page.

This post was written by Nicci Doud, a Special Education Teacher for Prince William County.

4T’s of Technology

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The following post was written by VSTE Board Member Janet Copenhaver.

In our world today we are overwhelmed by acronyms that are used in government and education and especially social media. However, today I am taking the liberty of creating a new one called the 4 T’s of Technology-Training-Thinking-Teacher.

First T: Technology-try-try-try

As technology changes rapidly every few months, we have to investigate ways to keep up the pace. When school divisions are implementing 1:1 mobile technology, many factors should be considered. Among these are relevance to curriculum, adaptability, and sustainability. Letting your curriculum drive technology purchases will result in a successful implementation if the device is relevant to your curriculum in an every day setting.

Devices should be adaptable to a current lesson plan and not be subject to an individual lesson plan created for technology. Teachers should be able to adapt and integrate any new technology into their current curricular lesson plan without having to create new plans.

A four-year sustainability plan should be in place before the first device is adopted. Although a device is so awesome and exciting the first when a student receives a device, does the excitement last the next year and so on? Will these same devices continue to be exciting for students? Plans should be in place to integrate new activities each school year so that technology will continue to be engaging.

Sustainability should be a part of the technology budget each year and a four-year refresh program should be developed into the long-range plan. If technology does not work, enjoyment and engagement begin to fade.

To keep up with the latest in technology try to attend conferences to collaborate and observe best new practices. Remember you do not have to reinvent the wheel-ask for help from someone who has been there.

Second T: Training-train-train-train

“As more and more devices and technological applications are added to our schools, it becomes necessary to provide professional development to keep up with the pace.” Janet Copenhaver

This statement by Sam Carlson and Cheick Gadio probably sums up my thinking of why teachers should be involved in Educational Technology training…

Experience around the world in developing, industrialized, and information-based countries has shown that teacher training in the use and application of technology is the key determining factor for improved student performance (in terms of both knowledge acquisition and skills development enabled by technology). Educational technology is not, and never will be, transformative on its own—it requires teachers who can integrate technology into the curriculum and use it to improve student learning. In other words, computers cannot replace teachers—teachers are the key to whether technology is used appropriately and effectively.

From TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY, Carlson and Gadio.

I believe that teachers need a beginning foundation of technology knowledge that is relevant and easily adaptable into their lesson plans. The one-time technology training is certainly not enough as technology changes so rapidly every year. Technology Professional Development should be on going and at a pace to keep up with new technologies. No longer should we just provide a workshop on PowerPoint, Keynote, or other presentation tools without providing the skills for teachers to adapt the applications into a lesson plan that will benefit their students.

I have been an educator for many years and I have observed that most staff members have an expectation of training when their school division adapts new things. Should we not do the same thing for our staff when we add new technologies and mobile devices? Adding these technologies without training will result in the devices and technologies not being used to their full potential. As portable learning becomes our norm and we are not confined by walls but can educate at anytime or anyplace, lets move forward with our students.

I urge all Tech Directors to ensure that your staff has Educational Technology training in your division. I also urge all teachers to request this training when new technology ordevices are added to your classroom.

Third T: Thinking-think-think-think

Perhaps the greatest compliment I received in my years of being a Technology Director was, “Janet you are a radical thinker ”. I realize it takes all kinds of thinkers in this world to succeed but I also believe if you are going to be successful in technology you must take risks and begin to think differently. Years ago as 1:1 mobile devices were beginning to be the buzzword; many technologists were caught up in the device war of which one to choose. My philosophy when I talked to school divisions was just “pick one”. If you wait until the “perfect” device comes along, your division will lag far behind. Take a risk, choose a device, implement with training, and if you have to regroup in another direction it is o.k. Remember, there are no mistakes in technology; they just become challenges to us all.

Collaborative thinking becomes important when new technologies are introduced. What better way to check with your peer about something they implemented than attending a conference? Again, conferences are important to challenge and guide participants to think, communicate and create. A good quote from Mark Twain “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”

Fourth T: Teachers teacher-teacher-teacher

The greatest champion of any implementation is a teacher. If teachers have a comfort level of knowledge with technology, integration becomes a second nature to them. Be transparent with on-going training and support with your teaching staff. One of my favorite times of training was a technology camp at night. We introduced many new techniques at our Teaching and Learning Conference at the end of the school year. At the beginning of the new school year, we held technology camps beginning at 7 p.m. at night. During these camps we introduced new technological concepts and how they would benefit a classroom. We also covered many new social medias and how to use them in instruction. All classes were filled and we had to close the sessions at a certain time because the teachers wanted to stay longer. Support staff was available to teachers during the school day and after hours to help with projects or integration activities.

So let’s remember the importance of the 4 T’s of Technology working together as a unit. Guidelines that are best practices and research based practices are available to establish a training program that best fits your division. I have listed some of these for you to investigate.

The SAMR model is used to help teachers infuse technology into teaching and learning. I like Kathy Schrock’s guide to SAMR.

ISTE standards for teachers is a guide for Educational Technology Training.

VSTE offers the new enhanced foundational standards for teachers and found on VSTE’s web page.

Whatever training you choose; make it transparent, on going and rewarding.

Janet is an Educational Consultant and is a retired educator from Henry County Public Schools where she served as Director of Technology.

She is a graduate of Radford University with a B. S. in Library Science and  M. S. Degree in Educational Leadership. 

Janet currently serves on the Patrick Henry Community College Board of Directors and on VSTE Board of Directors.

House Committee Approves $1 Billion of Funding

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The House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee approved $1 billion of funding in fiscal year 2017 for the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants Program (SSAEG), Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Brian Lewis, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) commented positively on the funding, which falls short of full funding, but is much higher than the Senate Appropriation Committee's $300 million.

Read the full statement at the ISTE website.

VSTE Advocates for Fully Funding Title IV, Part A

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Dr. Karen Richardson, VSTE Executive Director, was part of a press event on Capitol Hill, May 18, 2016, asking Congress to fully fund Title IV, Part A, the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant (SSAEG) program, which includes the initiative's critically important education technology provisions.

We are urging VSTE members to contact Congress to ask them to fully fund this program. You can learn more about this issue and send a letter at the CoSN Advocacy website.

Here are her remarks:

My name is Karen Richardson and I am Executive Director of the Virginia Society for Technology in Education. CSTE is an affiliate of the International Society for Technology in Education. My role here today is to talk about the importance of fully funding Title IV, Part A in the context of this program's education technology priority.

My first exposure to computers came in 1984 at my first job at a large metropolitan art museum. While I began there in a world of typewriters and paper, within a year, a PC arrived on my desk as well of the desks of almost everyone else in the professional staff.

Fast forward to today, where it would be a very unusual business that did not provide a computer for its working professionals, maybe even multiple devices including laptops and phones. And yet, we seem to still be arguing over whether we should provide funding for computers for students and educators. Moreover, even with all of the technology training private sector employees receive now, there is still debate as to whether we should fund technology professional development for educators. We simply cannot allow digital technologies and technology training to continue to be add ons for our classrooms in a world where they are otherwise ubiquitous. 

Thirty-two years after I received my first computer at my job, far too many of our students and teachers are in schools -- and sometimes in homes -- without access to technology and broadband. It is far worse in our poor and rural communities where broadband access is more difficult to find and more expensive and personal devices are unattainable luxury items.

And yet despite all the challenges, many schools ARE innovating: the are opening up makerspaces in libraries, finding ways to offer multiple pathways to learning for their students, initiating 1:1 programs to level the playing field, sending mifis home with students and teaching kids to code. But fully funding Title IV, Part A would really help all of our schools to innovate.

Fully funding Title IV, Part would mean opportunities for all. It would allow school districts to invest in appropriate, on-demand professional development for educators, allowing them to not only understand how to use the latest digital tools and devices but to integrate them into their classroom curricula and personalize learning. It would allow districts to purchase devices, equipment and software for their neediest students, helping close what we call the "homework gap" which prevents too many low income and rural students from full participation in their educations. It would allow states and districts to hire technology directors, who have the expertise needed to orchestrate education technology initiatives. It would allow districts to provide their students with the computer science and coding skills that will make them successful not just in high school but in college, the workplace and life.

Back in 1984, I didn't know that I even needed a computer. Today, I know that technology is indispensable for my life and work. And it is the same for the lives and futures of our children.

I am here today to urge Congress not to shortchange our students and our country by underfunding this important program. My message is simple: fully funding Title IV, Part A is vital to us all.