Current Technology Trends & Challenges in the Classroom: from

BYOD to One Size Fits All

Jacqueline HessDirector, Family Center on Technology & DisabilityOSEP Project Directors Conference Washington, DC July 15-17, 2013

Major Trends in Assistive Technology (AT) and Instructional Technology (IT)

Convergence of AT and IT• Supports and reflects inclusive classrooms• Enhanced by lesson plans and curricular materials designed

according to universal design for learning (UDL) principles• Sustained a major leap forward with: • Mobile consumer technology devices and apps • Internet access in the classroom• Data storage: flash drives and the cloud

• Remains dependent on top-down investment• Policy change• Training – digital native & digital immigrant educators alike• Infrastructure and systems integration• Inventory

We’ve talked about UDL for years. Where do we stand in its implementation?

The Good:• Federal investment remains in place• Expectations of UD and UDL in materials have risen, reflected in

product and professional development• We are no longer dependent on niche product producers; we

construct our own UDL products– Free DYI captioning and video description tools are gaining

popularity– Accuracy of widespread consumer text-to-speech and speech-

to-text programs have made a significant impact – Audio and video capture via cellphones and tablets has made

teachers and students producers of UDL content

We’ve talked about UDL for years. Where do we stand in its implementation?

The ongoing challenges: • Uneven level of awareness & understanding• DYI tools push ubiquity but pose quality

assurance problems• Some “advances” in consumer technology make

devices/software less accessible to certain populations, requiring anti-UD work-arounds

• Cost remains a barrier; a digital divide remains

Mobile devices/apps, Broadband access, and massive data storage…

…are changing access to the general curriculum for students with both high- and low-incidence disabilities • Text messaging for students with deafness, hearing

impairments or audio processing disorder• Sign language displays on cell phones/tablets; that,

and other, apps reduce need for personal aides• Smart board integration of text, audio and video;

display options for students with low vision• Distributed learning – sources of instruction and

students in remote locations – finally a reality

Mobile devices/apps, Broadband access, and massive data storage…

• Provide new levels of parent-school communication; parent access to curricular materials

• Provide just-in-time professional coaching – video tutorials & video modeling particularly useful

• Support an unprecedented sharing of lesson plans and support materials among teachers within and across LEA’s

• Support individualized learning by students with the widest range of abilities and needs

• Support “flipped” learning

That’s all great but…• Implementation is far from universal, even where

inventory and infrastructure exist• Digital natives know how to access but not necessarily

how to use AT/IT pedagogically• Competition for professional development time &

resources remains a barrier• LEA IT departments impose policies and safeguards that can act as significant barriers• Systems integration – making the devices/software

“talk” to each other – is a “tier 3 challenge”

SEA/LEA Investments: Tangible Results

• State- and district-wide technology policies are in place in every SEA and most LEA’s– Good news: Common understanding of goals; Often a

reflection of guidelines established by knowledgeable national consortia

– Challenges: Most districts fall short of the goals; digital divide persists; speed of technology developments trumps speed of policymaking

• Broadband infrastructures are now expected and exist in more than an order of magnitude of what they were in 2003– Challenge: LEA networks are not yet adequately intuitive and

many pose access barriers; system integration looms large

SEA/LEA Investments: Tangible Results

• High quality professional development opportunities and materials on instructional technology are available within most LEA’s – Challenges: • Technology training competes for scarce teacher PD time• Among general educators, assistive technology PD lags far

behind instructional technology PD• In many districts technology PD remains too focused on

devices and software and not on how to use technology effectively within lesson plans