Craig Blum

Using a Multicomponent Adapted Power Card Strategy to Decrease Latency During Interactivity Transitions for Three Children With Developmental Disabilities

An adapted Power Card strategy was examined to determine effectiveness in decreasing latency in responding to teacher cues to initiate interactivity transitions in the classroom among three students, aged 10 to 11 years, with developmental disabilities (i.e., one with autism and two with intellectual disability). The Power Card strategy, a form of visually cued instruction, included scripts in which the students’ “heroes” or preferred fictional characters demonstrated targeted interactivity transition behaviors. The strategy decreased response latency for all three students as documented within a single-case withdrawal (A-B-A-B-A-B) design replicated across the three participants. Instructional staff implemented the intervention and, at the end of the study, all remarked about the dramatic effectiveness of the adapted Power Card strategy, said they would use this strategy in the future, and noted that overall classroom functioning had improved. Implications for classroom practice and recommendations for further research on the use of Power Card strategies are discussed.

Using Animation in Microsoft PowerPoint to Enhance Engagement and Learning in Young Learners with Developmental Delay

Over the past decade, a wide array of instructional technology applications have found their way into early intervention settings (Anderson, Grant, & Speck, 2008; Parette, Blum, Boeckmann, & Watts, 2009; Siraj-Blatchford & Whitebread, 2003). Of particular importance to young learners who evidence developmental delays or are at risk for school failure are those technologies with the potential to more effectively teach basic emergent literacy skills such as the following:

Universal Design for Learning and Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom

Instructional technology (IT) integration hinges on several principles: (a) the technologies should align well with the curriculum, (b) the choice of technology should be based on how well the tool serves classroom learning and teaching needs, and (c) teachers must ensure opportunities for all children to participate and learn in the technology-rich environment. To serve the needs of all young children in a technology-supported curriculum, a framework known as “universal design for learning” (UDL) proves helpful. Early childhood curricula that employ UDL principles are proactive and designed to provide young children with multiple means of (a) engagement, (b) action and expression, and (c) representation. Varying strategies and materials are used in assessments, goals, curricula content, the classroom environment, instructional methods and materials, and interactions with children. Technology use affords early childhood education professionals the opportunity to create such accessible classroom settings. This chapter explores the relationship between information literacy, technology literacy, and universal design for learning in early childhood education. Vignettes illustrating practical classroom applications are presented.

Using Flexible Participation in Technology-Supported, Universally Designed Preschool Activities

classroom with her typical peers and enjoys participating in the adopted curriculum. Her teacher, Mrs. Jones, has planned a technology-supported emergent literacy activity that presents differing demands to students for participation, including independently transitioning to different activities, collecting materials, drawing, and using response cards and a computer. However, Cierra’s disabilities present challenges to her participation: She has cerebral palsy and demonstrates finemotor difficulties, and she cannot independently use her wheelchair or speak. Mrs. Jones is presented with a dilemma—how does she include Cierra in these steps of her planned, technology-supported activity so that Cierra is an active participant?