Joyce Johanson

Implementing and Maintaining an Effective Early Childhood Comprehensive Technology System

The Early Childhood Comprehensive Technology System (ECCTS) was a 3-year collaborative project designed to implement and maintain a comprehensive technology system based on combining four components of nationally recognized demonstration models and peer-reviewed outreach models funded by the Early Education Program for Children with Disabilities in the U.S. Department of Education. The models incorporated (a) on-going training, follow-up and technical support for teachers and an on-site technology support team (Tech Team); (b) team-based technology assessment for children with moderate to severe disabilities; (c) technology integration into the classroom curriculum; and (d) transition into public school kindergartens and other programs. ECCTS components were effective in establishing, maintaining, and institutionalizing computer technology in a large preschool program.

Assistive Technology Applications in Educational Programs of Children with Multiple Disabilities: A Case Study Report on the State of the Practice

Results are reported of a two-year case study that analyzed how assistive technology was used in educational programs for 14 children with multiple disabilities who had two to ten years experience with assistive technology. The authors employed a modified longitudinal approach to study assistive technology use, the effects of technology applications, and barriers to the achievement of the childrens educational goals. Data collection procedures included direct observation, videotapes of children as they used assistive technologies, questionnaires, and interviews with teachers and parents. In spite of a number of barriers, by the end of the study the children were able to use technology tools to accomplish tasks previously not possible due to the severity of their disabilities. The greatest improvement occurred in the areas of social and emotional development. The implications for assistive technology use by children with multiple disabilities are discussed.

Establishing and Maintaining an Early Childhood Emergent Literacy Technology Curriculum

The three-year Early Childhood Emergent Literacy Technology Curriculum (ELiTeC) study (E2) was designed to replicate, on a broad scale, the results of earlier research in which a curriculum model was developed, implemented, and studied in preschool classrooms for children with disabilities or those at risk. ELiTeC was based on the assumptions that technologies provide access to literacy activities that benefit children with disabilities and an integrated curriculum approach offers a meaningful context for learning. The original study (E1) encompassed 255 children and 8 teachers over a three-year period. During E2, ELiTeC was replicated in 17 classrooms, with 18 teachers who served 438 children. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. One major goal of E2 was to investigate the implementation and maintenance of the ELiTeC model in multiple settings. Findings of the E2 study demonstrated the importance of allowing adequate time for an innovation to be integrated into practice. The longer teachers used the curriculum model the more positive were the results related to both model fidelity and childrens gains in important aspects of literacy.