Emily C. Bouck

Deep-play: developing TPACK for 21st century teachers

A key complication facing teachers who seek to integrate technology in their teaching is the fact that most technologies are not designed for educational purposes. Making a tool an educational technology requires creative input from the teacher to re-design, or maybe even subvert the original intentions of the designer. The learning technology by design (LT/D) framework has been proposed as being an effective instructional technique to develop deeper understanding of technological pedagogical content knowledge. In this paper we expand our description of the LT/D technique to develop what we call a deep-play model for teacher professional development. The deep-play model integrates: a) pedagogy for key 21st century learning skills; b) content that cuts across disciplines with trans-disciplinary cognitive tools; c) technology by the creative repurposing of tools for pedagogical purposes.

Virtual and concrete manipulatives: a comparison of approaches for solving mathematics problems for students with autism spectrum disorder.

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are included in general education classes and expected to participate in general education content, such as mathematics. Yet, little research explores academically-based mathematics instruction for this population. This single subject alternating treatment design study explored the effectiveness of concrete (physical objects that can be manipulated) and virtual (3-D objects from the Internet that can be manipulated) manipulatives to teach single- and double-digit subtraction skills. Participants in this study included three elementary-aged students (ages ranging from 6 to 10) diagnosed with ASD. Students were selected from a clinic-based setting, where all participants received medically necessary intensive services provided via one-to-one, trained therapists. Both forms of manipulatives successfully assisted students in accurately and independently solving subtraction problem. However, all three students demonstrated greater accuracy and faster independence with the virtual manipulatives as compared to the concrete manipulatives. Beyond correctly solving the subtraction problems, students were also able to generalize their learning of subtraction through concrete and virtual manipulatives to more real-world applications.

Web-Based History Learning Environments: Helping All Students Learn and Like History

This article explores the benefits of the Internet to enhance history instruction for all learners. The authors describe a Web-based learning environment, the Virtual History Museum (VHM), that helps teachers create motivating, inquiry-based history units. VHM also allows teachers to build supports for learners with disabilities or other learning challenges. A pilot study that demonstrated the impact of the VHM on history learning and participation of eighth-grade students with mild disabilities is discussed.

Research about Assistive Technology: 2000–2006. What Have We Learned?:

The purpose of this article is to offer a review of research on the use of assistive technology for students with disabilities and some reflections on the nature of knowledge that is being produced by researchers who are examining these issues. We analyzed studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 and 2006 that investigated the use of assistive technology with students served under IDEA guidelines. We located 122 studies that met our criteria. We summarize the types and age of students with whom these studies were conducted, the outcomes, the types of designs used, and the journals in which the studies were published. We conclude with a discussion of implications for research and practice.

Using Virtual Manipulative Instruction to Teach the Concepts of Area and Perimeter to Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities

Secondary students with a learning disability in mathematics often struggle with the academic demands presented in advanced mathematics courses, such as algebra and geometry. With greater emphasis placed on problem solving and higher level thinking skills in these subject areas, students with a learning disability in mathematics often fail to keep pace with their general education peers. This study sought to address the lack of existing empirical research targeting viable interventions for learning the concepts of area and perimeter for secondary students with a learning disability in mathematics. Through the use of a multiple baseline design across three participants, virtual manipulatives were found to be an effective tool to acquire, maintain, and generalize the concepts of area and perimeter. Results from this study provide new evidence showing virtual manipulatives to be a viable and accessible technology to teach students with learning disabilities advanced mathematical concepts.

Exploring Secondary Special Education for Mild Mental Impairment A Program in Search of Its Place

This study explored the current state of secondary special education in Michigan, focusing on students with mild mental impairment (MMI) and learning disabilities (LD). A survey was mailed to 378 secondary special education teachers. The survey asked questions pertaining to demographic data, curricular approaches and instructional environments, provider satisfaction and perceived effectiveness, and teacher preparation and professional development. Six findings were revealed: (a) lack of secondary experiences in preservice preparation; (b) low levels of vocational education for students with MMI and LD; (c) differential instructional environments and curriculum depending on size of district; (d) low rates of inclusion; (e) lower levels of satisfaction for programs for students with MMI; and (f) the need for curriculum for students with MMI.

Lost in translation? Educating secondary students with mild mental impairment

Educational policies have a deep impact on the education of students. This article examines No Child Left Behind, the Presidents Commission on Excellence in Special Education, and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 for their intended and unintended consequences with respect to secondary students with mild mental impairment. The author discusses issues of highly qualified teachers, accountability, and evidence-based practice as they relate to this population of students and also addresses curriculum and instructional environments for this population. The author concludes by raising issues that practitioners and institutions of higher education need to consider, as well as questions that need to be explored in future research.

Middle School Special Education Teachers' Perceptions and Use of Assistive Technology in Literacy Instruction.

In this research the authors examined middle school special education teachers’ perceptions of assistive technology during literacy instruction with students with high incidence disabilities. A survey explored the use, effectiveness, and factors impacting use or effectiveness of assistive technology for literacy teaching and learning. Results suggested teachers’ perceived assistive technology to be an effective tool for literacy, but use it minimally. When assistive technology was used, teachers indicated it was an effective literacy support. Teachers also reported barriers to using assistive technology in literacy including cost, usability, and lack of training/experience. However, factors such as previous successful experiences with assistive technology and assistive technology supporting students’ learning encouraged assistive technology use. The consistency of teachers’ reports of needing more experience and knowledge in assistive technology to fully use it suggests implications for preservice preparation such as providing additional experiences and information on assistive technology.

Assistive Technology and Mathematics: What Is There and Where Can We Go in Special Education.

Technology is a natural part of education for all students across a variety of subjects, including mathematics, as educators work to prepare students for tomorrows work force and align their curriculum and teaching with national standards such those developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2000). This article reviews the literature on mathematics, assistive technology (AT), and educating students with high-incidence disabilities in grades K-12 from 1996 through 2007. The results of the literature review revealed three main areas of AT in mathematics for students with disabilities: anchored instruction, computer-assisted instruction, and calculators. The review focuses on what has been done and suggests that we do know some things in terms of effective AT and mathematics education (i.e., anchored instruction). It then discusses where the field needs to go to improve its knowledge base (i.e., researching AT currently used in the teaching and learning of mathematics, and researching recent innovations in mathematics technology).

Reports of Life Skills Training for Students with Intellectual Disabilities in and out of School.

BACKGROUND Life skills can be critical to the success of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) in terms of postschool outcomes. Yet, research suggests a decreasing emphasis on the acquisition of life skills in school for students with ID, raising the question if students then receive training in these areas after graduation. METHOD This study represented a secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 data to understand the reported receipt of life skills instruction in school and out of school for individuals with mild and moderate/severe ID. Frequency distributions, significant tests and a t-test were used to understand receipt of life skills in and out of school for both individuals with mild and moderate/severe ID. RESULTS The results suggest low-reported receipt of life skills instruction/training in school and postschool for individuals with mild ID, few students with moderate/severe ID report receiving life skills training out of school, and receipt of life skills instruction in school is not related to receipt of life skills training/therapy after school by either individuals with mild ID or moderate/severe ID. CONCLUSIONS Given the current educational policy situation (i.e. a predisposition towards inclusive general education placements for students with disabilities and participation in the accountability system for all students), educators who believe in the value of a life skills curriculum will need to be creative in its implementation and look towards transition plan and activities to provide students with the needed training. Regardless, teachers will need to rectify providing students with the academic skills they need to be successful on a general large-scale assessment with providing them with the life skills (e.g. independent living, daily living, financial) to be successful after school in employment and independent living.