Dave L. Edyburn, Ph.D.

Dr. Sheldon Horowitz (Moderator):
    Good afternoon and welcome to LD Talk, an online discussion devoted to issues of interest to the learning disabilities community. LD Talk is a service of the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD). After a short summer break NCLD is pleased to offer today's chat - the first in a full calendar of LD Talk events throughout the coming months. Thanks for joining us!

Today’s topic is ’Making Technology Part of Your Back-to-School Planning’ and it a pleasure to introduce our featured expert, Dave L. Edyburn, Ph.D.

Dr. Edyburn, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Exceptional Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He earned his Ph.D. in special education from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He has classroom teaching experience in both learning disabilities and behavior disorders at the middle school and secondary levels.

Dr. Edyburn's teaching and research interests focus on the use of technology to enhance teaching, learning, and performance. He has authored over 100 articles and book chapters on assistive and instructional technology. He is past editor of Learning Disabilities Quarterly and co-editor of the new book, Handbook of Special Education Technology Research and Practice. He is also the founder and editor of Special Education Technology Practice.

Please be sure to read Dr. Edyburn's article, Making Technology Part of Your Back-to-School Planning for advance information and resources! And for additional background on this topic, please read the August 2005 issue of LD News.

I am Dr. Sheldon Horowitz, Director of Professional Services at the National Center for Learning Disabilities, and I’ll be moderating today’s discussion.

We have received many questions for this discussion. Today we’ll be offering replies to those questions most closely related to our discussion topic and of the broadest interest to our audience. (If you have questions unrelated to this topic, please feel free to send them to NCLD’s Help Desk at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .)

Let's begin the discussion.

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Question from Marilyn H, Parent:
    My son has serious problems with disorganization and time management, as well as with written expression. Are there any types of AT that could be of help? I'm afraid of getting him something like a PDA, because he'd most likely lose it. Thanks.

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Marilyn:

Middle school teachers have learned that time management and personal organization skills are developmental skills everyone needs to learn. As a result, we are seeing more school-wide interventions such as assignment books, Thursday folders, homework hotlines, etc. Students who struggle often benefit from such school-wide systems. However, some students may need additional supports.

If your school wants to create a customized assignment notebook, visit:

Success by Design http://www. successbydesign.com/

Your school may be interested in a web-based homework hotline so that parents and students may review homework assignments:

Homework Now http://www.homeworknow.com/

Other tools I would explore for students that need more specialized supports include:

My.Yahoo http://my.yahoo.com

Requires a free yahoo account to set-up. Allows users to create a custom home page to monitor to-do lists, selective reading (headlines, comics, weather, etc.). Such a tool provides users with a place to "check in" and stay up-to-date on items of personal interest.

iPing http://www.iping.com

This is an innovative service that allows user to create a schedule of reminders and have the message delivered by email, fax, phone, or pager. Some very intriguing possibilities. Subscription-based service.

Send Me a Reminder http://www.sendmereminder.com/

Another reminder service. Free.

For many of us, time management is a lifelong challenge. In this case, you may want to continue to explore the work of professionals that deal with time management:

David Allen http://www.davidco.com/

Franklin Covey http://www.franklincovey.com/

MindTools http://www.mindtools.com/

Best wishes.

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Question from Jo Carino, Learning specialist, The Campus School (grades K-6) Northampton, MA.:
    Can you please suggest some good sources for grant money to fund purchases of assistive technology to help children who have reading and writing disorders, but are in a regular classroom at a private school elementary school.

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Jo:

This is a common question. Unfortunately, I know that many administrators treat assistive technology as if it is an extraordinary expense that requires special funding sources. The premise within IDEA is that the local school district is responsible for funding assistive technology as a function of providing a free appropriate public education (FAPE).

Some resources that you you may find useful in locating funding for assistive technology:

Funding for Assistive Technology http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/at/funding-at.html

Funding Assistive Technology http://www.tumbleforms.com/bergeron/funandin.html

Assistive Technology Funding Search Tips http://www.ucp.org/ucp_channeldoc.cfm/1/14/86/86-86/2938

Another strategy to consider is to identify technology tools that will support all students and to seek curriculum improvement or instructional innovation funding to implement the tools in the general education classroom.

Hope this helps!

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Question from Pat Swiatek, Resource Center Teacher, Cedar Hill Elementary:
    How do you incorporate technology into your curriculum when you share a classroom with 2 other teachers and you can have at times 3 classes with a total of 10-15 children all at the same time??

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Pat:

This is an interesting question. It strikes at the heart of the issues involved in managing technology in the classroom.

You might enjoy reading a variety of teacher tips on teaching in the one computer classroom to get some ideas:

The One Computer Classroom (http://www.remc11.k12.mi.us/bcisd/classres/onecomp.htm)

The One-Computer Classroom (http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic84.htm)

Clearly you will need to consider the physical set-up, is it possible to create a computer station for individual students or small groups to work together? Then, you will need appropriate software and web sites for students to be able to work independently.

Of course, all of these questions underscore the importance of defining why students should be using the computer. That is, what is it about the instructional activities that make it better for students than traditional forms of learning activities? Answering this critical question should help motivate your efforts to provide students with access to important learning opportunities.

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Question from Mary, parent:
    Can you suggest some good math techology for middle school special ed students--that will help them access an increasingly difficult general ed math curriculum?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Mary:

Students that struggle with the middle school math curriculum may need a variety of tools to support their efforts. I will outline some different kinds of instructional challenges and suggest some tools that might be useful to explore:

**Student needs practice to increase fluency in basic math facts**

FunBrain (http://www.funbrain.com) MathBlaster (http://www.knowledgeadventure.com)

**Student needs minipulatives/visuals to understand math concepts**

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html

Graph Club (http://www.tomsnyder.com)

BrainPop (http://www.brainpop.com)

**Student needs specialized calculation tools**

Coin-u-lator (http://www.attainmentcompany.com)

Talking Calculators (http://www.dynamic-living.com/talking_calculators.htm)

BigCalc (http://www.donjohnston.com)

**Student needs an alternative format for completing math homework:**

MathPad and Intellimathics (http://www.intellitools.com)

Interactive Elementary Math (http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/ekowalcz/math/elementary_web_sites.htm)

**Student needs support in completing multistep operations of math:**

WebMath (http://www.webmath.com)

**Student needs additional resources to learn about math topics:**

Math Forum (http://mathforum.org/)

Here's an article that might help you in your role in helping with math homework:

Toolkit for Parents: Tips for Helping with Math Concepts and Homework (http://www.ldonline.org/article.php?id=1231&loc=89

I hope this list gives you some starting points to explore. As you will see, there are many options for making math more engaging and understandable for students that struggle to master critical math concepts and skills.

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Question from Sue Eddington, teacher:
    I’ve heard about differentiated instruction and universal design, what can I do to make my assignment and learning activities more accessible for all students?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Sue:

Yep, seems like the differentiated instructional and universal design bandwagons are going through most communities!

Seriously, I think these two instructional philosophies have a lot to offer teachers interested in helping all students be academically successful. To me this starts by anticipating the academic diversity that will enter the classroom door, without knowing the names of the students that will be in your class. As experienced teachers, we know the tasks that students will struggle with. Why don't we anticipate those challenges by creating learning activities that provide optimal challenge for students?

Some suggestions to try in your classroom:

1. Look for tiered learning materials.

Ben's Guide to US Government
http://bensguide.gpo.gov

Windows to the Universe
http://www.windows.ucar.edu

2. Provide students with tools that support learning differences and teach them how to manipulate text into a format they can access.

ReadPlease
http://www.readplease.com

Babelfish
http://babelfish.altavista.com

3. Look for online materials that offer real-time supports or immediate feedback so that learners can be successful in completing the task.

Best Crosswords
http://www.bestcrosswords.com/

Fun Brain
http://www.funbrain.com

National Library of Interactive Manipulatives
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.htm

WebMath
http://www.webmath.com

4. Search for interesting learning activities that will engage students in learning in ways that they say, "Do we have to quit already?"

Google
http://www.google.com

TrackStar
http://trackstar.4teachers.org

Cool Spots for Kids
http://4kids.org/coolspots/

BrainPop
http://www.brainpop.com

I hope this helps in getting you started.

It seems that anything we can do to break out of the "one-size-fits-all" model of curriculum, instruction, and assessment will be an important first step.

thanks for your question.

Best wishes.

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Dr. Sheldon Horowitz (Moderator):
    Dr. Edyburn is giving out LOTS of resources along with his expert answers! I'm sure all of you will want to spend time exploring all of these great resources...remember that our chat transcript will be posted shortly following today's event. In the transcript, we'll make sure that all of the Web site addresses are HOT links for easy clicking...so check back for the transcript soon!

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Question from Leslie Buford, O-G Coordinator, Marburn Academy:
    We have been considering getting Kurzweil Reader technology in our school. We have traditionally focused on remediation rather than accomodation, but we are beginning to see the benefit of perhaps incorporating some assistive technology in content classes so that students are not limited by their rading levels. Another goal is to give students experience with assistive technologies that they may have access to once they transition to traditional school environments. How have others used packages such as Kurzweil? Is it at all useful to have a stand-alone unit, or is it necessary to have stations in classrooms to be most effective? Another option would be to make it available in an existing computer lab.

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Leslie:

Thanks for sharing this observation and question.

Many educational leaders are beginning the recognize the problem that begins in grade four when students are not reading at grade level. That is, they fall further behind because their reading skills limit their ability to benefit from a text-based curriculum. Indeed, this is the reason President Bush set a goal that all children will be able to read by the end of grade three. The problem is, what do we do for struggling readers?

To learn more about the practical issues associate with Kurzweil 3000, WYNN, and similar scan, text to speech products you may want to visit the Closing the Gap Forums where you will be able to read a wide variety of comments from users. The Forums are free but registration is required. Go to: http://www.closingthegap.com/home/forums.lasso

One of the issues that you will see in the Forum and that you will need to resolve is how much access to provide a struggling reader. That is, if I can't read like everyone else, it seems that my reading assistive technology needs to be a personal device, not something that is stored in a lab that I use periodically. This issue has clear implications for the cost of implementing school-wide access to reading assistive technologies. Of course, other issues you will read about involve the practical issues of who is going to scan the material into the computer, copyright issues, support for reading systems at home, and more.

Hope this helps in getting you started.

Best wishes.

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Question from Virginia Sullivan, Parent, RCW School district:
    I would like to know how to get the school to cooperate when experts have said that Assistive technology would help my child, but I get excuses from them like lack of funding or my child would look too different from other children, etc. How can I make them cooperate?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Ah, this is a challenging situation.

Lack of funding is not an allowable response under federal mandates associated with assistive technology consideration. Ask your local administrators about the procedures for a due process hearing if you want to pursue this tactic.

The issue of peer acceptance is becoming a noteworthy issue in the field of assistive technology outcomes. Evidently middle and secondary students are discarding the use of their assistive technology because they don't want to be different than their peers. This may be a formidable obstacle to overcome. However, it can not be an excuse to withhold assistive technology devices and services.

In the end, a solution will require the cooperation of the parent(s) and the school district. You may wish to share the following resources with school officials to see if everyone understands their responsibilities:

Assistive technology consideration http://www.wati.org./bestpractices/consideration.html

Considering your child's need for assistive technology http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/technology/bowzer_reed.html

Criticial Issues: Enhancing system change and academic success through assistive technologies for K-12 students with special needs http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te700.htm

The following resource may be helpful in guiding the problem resolution process (each state is required to have such an agency):

Cadre for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education http://www.directionservice.org/cadre/

Best wishes.

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Question from Jazmin Vila, Administrative Assistant Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (Parent):
    my 16 year old has dysgraphia, can not write or spell correctly a lot of the time. What time of assitance technology is available to help in to take notes in class and to write essays. Thank you,

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Jazmin:

Given the age of your child, I think it is important to raise an issue I call "remediation vs. compensation." That is, how long do we continue to pursue instructional/remedial approaches and when do we change our focus to providing compensatory approaches that allow an individual to functionally complete a task.

For example, instructional/remedial approaches to note taking are:

Note Taking and In-Class Skills http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/notetake.html

Academic Skills Systems: Study Skills Library http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/notetaking.systems.html

However, compensatory systems would recognize that an individual is unable to take notes and provides another means for this information. Some ideas include: (a) peer note taker uses no carbon required (NCR) paper and separates the notes at the end of the class hour, (b) the instructor provides a copy of the PowerPoint slides presented in class, (c) a portable voice recorder is used to make a digital recording of the class lecture. And, there are probably many more ideas.

In the case of spelling, there are many systems that focus on helping individuals become better spellers. However, at what point do we shift our attention to compensatory tools that help a person overcome the functional limitations caused by poor spelling? Some resources that I would suggest you consider exploring: (a) word prediction word processors like CoWriter (http://www.donjohnston.com) or Wynn (www.freedomscientific.com), (b) dictation (http://www.idictate.com).

In closing, you might enjoy reading comments by LD adult and technology advocate Richard Wanderman about writing tips:

Tips on Writing for People with Disabilities http://www.ldresources.org/?p=264

Best wishes.

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Question from S. Fehr, pta education chair:
    Even though students can benefit from using assistive technology, why is so difficult to get the school to provide an assitive technology evaluation?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Good question!

The mandate to consider assistive technology, first placed in IDEA in the 1997 reauthorization, highlights the value and importance of assistive technology for students with disabilities. However, my experience suggests that it has created what I call, "the consideration paradox." That is, how can we consider what we don't know? Unfortunately, many participants at the IEP meeting have inadequate knowledge about assistive technology and therefore are unable to meet the spirit of the law.

My sense is that schools that are reluctant to provide assistive technology evaluations are doing so as a defense to hold back the flood gates that will require their action once an evaluation is completed and has recommendations for assistive technology acquisition.

I think it is important to engage everyone at the IEP table in a conversation about the issues of assistive technology consideration. Some resources that you might share to get the conversations started include:

Assistive technology consideration http://www.wati.org./bestpractices/consideration.html

Considering your child's need for assistive technology http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/technology/bowzer_reed.html

Criticial Issues: Enhancing system change and academic success through assistive technologies for K-12 students with special needs http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te700.htm

A critical question, so deeply embedded in the consideration process that it is never asked, is the issue of remediation vs compensation.

Read more at:

http://www.connsensebulletin.com/edyburnv4n3.html

As of late, I have been asking the questions: How much failure data do we need before we know a child can't do a task? And, what do we do about it?

If the essence of assistive technology is to help overcome functional performance problems, then it seems to me that we have an ethical obligation to find tools and supports that help a child complete academic tasks that we are presently content to fail them on. Indeed, issues of adequate yearly progress (AYP) in No Child Left Behind (NCLB) are raising the stakes for failing to intervene. However, I worry that these accountability measures are reinforcing a "one-size-fits-all" mentality that is making it harder for students to have access to tools that enhance their academic performance.

Best wishes.

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Question from Marshall Raskind, Director of Research, Schwab Learning:
    Could you discuss some research that shows that assistive technology is effective for students with learning disabilities. Can you point to any sources?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Marshall:

Good to hear from you!

A recently published book,Handbook of Special Education Technology Research and Practice, compiles the latest research and practice in special education technology. I think two chapters will be of particular interest to you:

Ashton, T.M. (2005). Students with learning disabilities using assistive technology in the inclusive classroom. In D. Edyburn, K. Higgins, & R. Boone (Eds.), Handbook of special education technology research and practice (pp. 229-238). Whitefish Bay, WI: Knowledge by Design.

Edyburn, D.L. (2005). Assistive technology and students with mild disabilities: From consideration to outcome measurement. In D. Edyburn, K. Higgins, & R. Boone (Eds.), Handbook of special education technology research and practice (pp. 239-269). Whitefish Bay, WI: Knowledge by Design.

In general, we don't know as much as we need to know. While we can point to individual studies that show the success of specific interventions in reading, writing, and math, the body of high quality research is limited. As you know, this is particularly problematic in the current No Child Left Behind (NCLB) context of scientifically-based research evidence. I am concerned that the body of knowledge about assistive technology and learning disabilities is not commensurate with its standing as a high incidence disability. This may be due in part because we really didn't start thinking much about assistive technology for students with mild disabilities until the 1997 IDEA mandate to consider assistive technology for each student with a disability.

My recent work in the area of measuring the outcomes of assistive technology draws on a methodology advanced by a colleague of mine, Roger Smith, known as Time Series Concurrent Differential (TSCD). Essentially, this methodology seeks to measure repeated performance over time, with and without assistive technology. Graphing the results illustrates the differential performance that can be attributed to the gain or boost provided by assistive technology. I like to use "the reasonable person" test to see if everyone can agree what the data say about technology enhanced performance. While this method is promising, we still do not have rubrics or benchmarks to understand how much performance needs to be improved to deem the intervention effective. If you would like to read more about the application of TSCD in your own work for measuring assistive technology outcomes in reading, writing, and math, check out the following online articles:

Edyburn, D.L. (2004). Measuring assistive technology outcomes in reading (Associate Editor's column). Journal of Special Education Technology, 19(1), 60-64.
http://jset.unlv.edu/19.1/asseds/edyburn.html

Edyburn, D.L. (2003). Measuring assistive technology outcomes in math (Associate Editor's column). Journal of Special Education Technology, 18(4), 76-79.
http://jset.unlv.edu/18.4/asseds/edyburn.html

Edyburn, D.L. (2003). Measuring assistive technology outcomes in writing. Journal of Special Education Technology, 18(2), 60-64.
http://jset.unlv.edu/18.2/asseds/edyburn.html

Hope this helps for now.

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Dr. Sheldon Horowitz (Moderator):
    The new publication to which Dr. Edyburn has referred is a comprehensive publication containing the latest in research and practice in special education technology. You can review the table of contents and download an order form at http://www.knowledge-by-design.com/

In addition, Dr. Edyburn is the editor/publisher of a wonderful publication, Special Education Technology Practice, which is published 5 times each year and offers a wealth of practical information on using technology with special education students. You can download feature article and order a free trial copy of SETP here.

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Question from Megan Miller, parent:
    I have a 16 year old with learning disabilities in language arts. Our school is located in a very small community and doesn't have any type of assistive technology what so ever, not even a computer in the resource room. I've had to fight to get audio textbooks provided for my daughter. What can be done to improve and require that our school provide the services available to our students with special needs? Thank You.

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Megan:

Whether your daughter attends a large school or a small school, an urban school or a rural school, she is entitled to appropriate assistive technologies to enable her to benefit from a free appropriate public education (FAPE). As we have been talking about in this event today, there is a significant gap between the vision outlined in federal law and the realities of service delivery in schools.

While you may be able to make some progress confronting the school to assume their legal responsibilities, in practice it may be more effective to enlist the aid of an individual teacher willing to support your child. Unfortunately, many people view assistive technology as cheating rather than as performance support. So, if the teacher is willing to expand the menu of possibilities for how your daughter completes various tasks, you may be able to accomplish a great deal.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

If reading is difficult, then consider using literature supports like SparkNotes (http://www.sparknotes.com).

If text to speech is helpful for understanding written material, then consider a free program like ReadPlease (http://www.readplease.com) and have your daughter learn how to copy and paste text from SparkNotes into ReadPlease so that she can hear the information she can not read independently.

If vocabulary development is a concern, consider the software program and web site Visual Thesaurus (http://www.visualthesaurus.com).

If conducting research for a paper is a challenge, consider the following starting points:

IPL: Teenspace: A+Research and Writing http://www.ipl.org/div/aplus/

TEK-Mom's Search Tools for Students http://www.tekmom.com/search/

In preparing a research paper is a challenge, consider the following resources to structure and guide the process:

EasyBib http://www.easybib.com

NoodleTools http://www.noodletools.com

The Citation Machine http://citationmachine.net/

If the process of generating a first draft of a paper is difficulty consider strategies like word prediction or dictation:

CoWriter http://www.donjohnston.com

iDictate http://www.idictate.com

In the end, I think we need to provide teachers and students with a richer palette of tools for completing typical academic tasks. As adults, we are free to use whatever approaches works best for us. I suspect that if you share these resources with your child's teacher that s/he will find many tools that will work for many struggling students. In my experience, this is the best strategy for facilitating adopting of innovative technologies and fostering assistive technology for all.

Of course, the importance of all of this for your daughter is to find appropriate assistive technologies that reverse the adversive nature of these tasks for her. In my experience, all that students who struggle are learning is that they hate a particular subject. The life-long impact of this negative outcome is devastating. As a result, I am constantly looking for tools that engage students in tasks that they would typically avoid in order to reverse the negative self concept that has been learned (e.g., I can't do that...).

Hope this helps for now.

Best wishes.

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Question from Stephanie Smallwood, Director, The Paraclete Project (MI):
    I find schools often want students to use the cheapest technology most easy for the teacher, upgrading over time. This approach means students have to learn 2 or 3 different programs to do a single academic task (e.g., writing) and the programs have differing or opposite commands for the same function. How can we get schools to "front load" the work of teaching a program with a view to graduation (not spring sem.) so students are truly fluent and comfortable with their AT by high school, when they really need to concentrate on academic content rather than AT. Thanks.

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Wow! What an insightful observation!

Seems like we are confusing the long-term outcome with short-term concerns.

I struggle with the issue of why do many of the supports we provide struggling students (i.e., books on tape) require that they spend more time on a task than their non-handicapped peers? Shouldn't we be thinking about ways to help students complete tasks in less time?

I share your concern about finding the least expensive route to make our decisions. I would love to see the discipline abandon the trite phrase: no-tech, low-tech, high-tech. Almost always this is used as a facade to cover the real issue: cost. It seems to me that we need many more sophisticated decision-making models than the current "do it as cheaply as possible" method that equates a pencil grip with a laptop computer as equivalent interventions for writing performance problems.

Your issue of fluency with assistive technology devices is not one that is represented in the literature. When users are fluent with a device, the device becomes transparent, and they are able to focus on the task at hand. I think much more work needs to be done in this area to guide acquisition and training. For example, can we agree that a portable keyboard and an augmentative communication device will require vastly different amounts of user training? However, how long should we expect this training to go on until the user is fluent?

Some practical suggestions on this topic. On one of my trips a few years ago someone suggested bringing students with disabilities and their new assistive technology to school a week earlier. They proposed creating a special orientation program that would allow them to find their classes, practice that locker combination, and take short courses in using their assistive technology devices. I like this idea. Although, I cannot give you an example of where this has actually been implemented.

A related idea comes from the blind community and is known as " expanded core curriculum." Given the reliance a blind individual will have on his/her technology, the curriculum is expanded to include issues of acquisition, use, and maintenance of specific devices. Seems to me that this would be a wonderful concept to expand to students with learning disabilities who may rely on a variety of technologies: text to speech, research tools, specialized writing tools, etc.

Thanks for sharing. Best wishes.

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Question from Terry Gorski, Mother, Dearborn,MI:
    What are your suggestions for voice activated dictation software for a middleschool child?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Terry:

Thanks for this question.

I have not used any of the following products so I can not speak as a user. Rather, here are some of the possibilities you might explore:

A very comprehensive list of voice recognition products is maintained in the Yahoo Directory on Voice Recognition:

http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/
Shopping_and_Services/Computers/Software/Voice_Recognition/

Common products used in education and at home include:

Via Voice (http://scansoft.com/viavoice/) Dragon Naturally Speaking (http://scansoft.com/naturallyspeaking/)

Here's a dated review that you may find technical but interesting:

Voice Recognition Software: Comparison and Recommendations http://www.io.com/~hcexres/tcm1603/acchtml/recomx7c.html

My understanding of the research on voice recognition in schools is that it is difficult because of the background noise in classrooms. As a result, voice recognition may be a better choice for home. Also, it has been reported that some students with significant reading problems have difficulties with the voice training materials which are written at a relatively high reading level.



Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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Question from Leann Carrozzo, Parent, San Jose Unified:
    Any suggestions on how to help teachers "buy into" using Kurzweil for test taking and addressing the concern of test security? Also any suggestions on how to help teenage students who use laptops in schools, where very few students carry laptops, deal with teasing, feeling different, keeping the laptop safe, and the perception that these students are getting an unfair advantage?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Leann: I'm not sure that the teachers are the problem with buy-in. Typically the issue involving text to speech products like Kurzweil have more to do with state guidelines on acceptable accommodations (which ban such products). Indeed, the issue of the security of the test is a major concern of the state. The problem of text to speech tools for students with disabilities is a national issue in the context of high stakes testing. The issue of laptops for some high school students does raise questions about fairness, appropriate use, etc. In many cases it appears helpful to provide laptops as tool for completing homework rather than expecting students to carry the machines from class to class.

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Question from Marlene Silverman, Teacher; North Rockland Central School District:
    Assistive Technology is the theme of my Masters thesis and I am interested in knowing the success rate, if available of improving students reading scores, using reading systems (Kurzweil 3000, for example).

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Marlene:

Good question. Not sure you are going to be able to find specific evidence to answer the question you have posed. While many reading assistive technologies are available, few studies have been completed on the impact of AT on standardized test scores. Primarily this is due to a bias that the use of reading assistive technologies is not reading.

Here's a link to a report that provides the most concise summary of what you are looking for:

Scientifically-Based Research Validating Kurzweil 3000

SEE: images.apple.com/education/k12/curriculumsolutions/ assistive/pdf/K3000Research.pdf

Best wishes.

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Question from Joan Baumann, Learning Specialist, Hopkinton Middle School:
    There are so many instructional technologies available to help students organize their writing, but within the inclusion setting in a middle school, students are not able to access these programs within the classroom so they are always being pulled out. Within the classroom, also the students don't want to be seen as different.

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Joan:

I think you are right on in your observation! In other messages we have shared during this online event, we have talked about the model of assistive technology which devotes lots of resources for getting performance aids to individual students. Then, as these students get into middle and secondary school, they abandon their devices because they don't want to appear different. In addition, we have talked about the bottom 50% of the class who could also benefit from some assistive technology inteventions.

One promising practice to address these issues is the potential of universal design for learning. By valuing the academic diversity found in every classroom, we proactively plan for differences by providing a variety of supports for students. I think the concepts of differentiated instruction and universal design for learning have much to offer teachers interested in creating new types of learning environments.

To learn more about differentiated instruction, visit:
http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/
menuitem.b71d101a2f7c208cdeb3ffdb62108a0c/
template.book?bookMgmtId=bbb086b18fcaff00VgnVCM1000003d01a8c0RCRD

To learn more about universal design for learning, visit:
http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/

Hope this helps for now.

Best wishes.

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Question from Susan Harris, MA, OT/L , independent provider:
    For bright kids, in Junior High and High School, with graphomotor disorders, do you think they are generaly better off with laptop computers or with Dana operating systems by AlphaSmart? (Link to AlphaSmart in case you are not familiar with them: http://www2.alphasmart.com/products/dana.html )

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Susan:

This is an interesting question. As we have been talking about, many schools argue about what is best using the unreliable decision framework of no-tech, low-tech, high-tech as a facade to hide the real basis of the decision: cost.

As we talked about in another question, we need to begin factoring in the loss of time involved in multiple interventions. While the Dana is a marvelous tool, can it support everything we ask middle school and secondary students to do? Might they need a Dana and a laptop? If so, are we really saving money when we have to buy both? Or, do we justify the less expensive option because we define their needs only in the area of writing?

To properly answer your question, I would need a great deal of additional information about the students, the demands of the curriculum, their post-secondary goals, etc. Even so, I don't think the profession will be in universal agreement with whatever we decide on this issue. As a result, I think we need a great deal more work in the area of professional decision-making and evidence-based practice so that we can all come to the same decision.

Hope this helps.

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Question from Anne Chastain - Educational Advocate, Dallas, TX:
    Regarding organization issues in the classroom, I work with many parents seeking solutions to ease the stress burden for dyslexic and ADHD students. There is such a challenge adding the teachers to the prompt actions or interventions. What technologies can assist the student in being proactive about remembering to write down assignments, turn in homework, remember to bring the right books, etc. What types of technology can be used for prompting?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Anne:

Perhaps some of the products I outlined in the message above in the response to Marilyn will be helpful to you as well.

However, you also focus on a dimension of the problem that may fall through the technology supports. Let's take a closer look:

Remembering to write down assignments

Perhaps this could be provided through a homework hotline (phone) or homework help web page. Or, using a daily planner that is checked by the teacher at the end of the day.

Turn in homework

Often students can turn it in if they remembered to do it or bring it to class or find it.

Remembering to bring the right book

This might be a checklist in a locker of a checklist on the back of a folder. Often this is a problem when the daily schedule changes (Day A, Day B).

In short, I would encourage the IEP team to have a conversation about these organizational changes. As a resource, you might find the following interesting:

http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf/2002/proceedings/204.htm

Hope this helps.

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Question from Richard D. Breen, Parent:
    What practices of successful LD educators should educators in the "normal" classroom consider more seriously to support more effective learning for all?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Richard:

Good question. In fact, many administrators consider this question when planning a child's inclusion schedule when there is a choice among several teachers for a given class.

I would offer the following observations about best practices that help not only students with learning disabilities but all students:

The structure of the classroom has clear expectations for behavior, responsibilities, and routine.

A variety of methods and approaches are used in presenting new material. Not simply take notes on my lecture...

Learning activities are designed to engage students with appropriate challenge.

Students can tell you why they need to know the material.

Grading is not the outcome. Lifelong interest in the topic is.

A few thoughts for today.

Hope this helps for now.

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Question from Vicky Neuman parent of child with Dysgraphia:
    Is there any technology to assist my son in the writing out of math assignments? He is entering the seventh grade and starting algebra. Writing assignments out by hand is just plain torture. He uses an Neo for his writing assignments.

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Vicky:

The challenge you son is encountering sounds like the perfect referral for an instructional modification. Indeed, there are many assistive technologies that should be considered.

LeapFrog makes a product called iQuest that serves as a handheld device with Internet capabilities to engage students in curriculum based learning activities (in this case, math). The materials are correlated to leading textbooks. To learn more, visit:

http://www.leapfrog.com/do/findproduct?ageGroupKey=middlehigh&key=iquest_math%36to%38carts

IntelliTools makes a product known as Math Pad. This may be the ideal solution you are looking for that transfer the paper and pencil tasks to a computer base. To learn more, visit:
http://www.intellitools.com

My personal recommendation would be to use WebMath. He can use the tools to set up his algebra equations and the computer illustrates the problem solving process. Then he simply prints out the results!
See: http://www.webmath.com

Hope this helps!

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Question from Marie Sannon, Teacher, Central Charter School:
    Are there places in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that provide training in assistive technology for students with learning disabilities that teachers can attend?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Marie:

A couple of state resources you can access to identify local, regional, and state assistive technology training:

Assistive Technology Educational Network
http://www.aten.scps.k12.fl.us/index.html

Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology
http://faast.org/

Best wishes.

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Question from Mike Davis, school technology coordinator:
    As a technology coordinator, I see a great divide between my colleagues that focus on instructional technology and my colleagues that focus on assistive technology. Is there anything I can do to bring the two groups closer together?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Mike:

Great question!

In my experience there is a great divide between the instructional technology (IT) staff and the assistive technology (AT) staff. I think the divide is an historical artifact. However, differences in power are clear when assistive technology software can not be installed on district servers because of a fear "it will crash the network."

I am hopeful that the pressure caused by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) will allow administrators to re-align their technology staff so that their mission becomes enhanced student achievement rather than the current goals of network security, software license compliance, etc.

By the same token, I think AT staff will need to enlarge their perspectives on who might benefit from the specialized tools and strategies we are so familiar with. (Interestingly, NCLB has shown us that every classroom has a bottom 50%. Shouldn't we provide supports for all low-achieving students?)

You may be interested in learning more about a new national project:

Accessible Technology For All
http://www.accessibletech4all.org/
sponsored by COSN, a national professional organization for technology leaders in schools. This project has the potential to close the divide between AT and IT in schools by focusing our attention on providing accessible technologies for all students (a kind of universal design for learning perspective).

Best wishes.

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Question from Michelle Alongi, sub teacher & mother:
    My question is regarding young, kinetic learners of the age ranges 7-10. Regarding students with ADHD and LD, it is difficult to keep their focus in the traditional school setting (sitting down for hours, looking at one entire page of math problems, for example). Even in the special education program with IEP's, the teaching format is not that different and it makes perfect logic that it should be totally different to accommodate the different learning styles. How can technology (and the teachers that work with the IEP's) most help the students with ADHD and LD's to learn the current material and retain new material to keep up with grade level? What special computer programs are designed for this age group that specifically will help train these childrens' brains to retain more and learn more effectively? Your direction is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Michelle: This is a good question. It would seem that more work would have been done in this area. One product that has come to my attention recently: Play Attention http://www.playattention.com/ Hope this helps for now.

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Question from Heather Anderson, parent:
    An AT eval suggested an Alphasmart for my son now entering 5th grade. handwriting and spelling are real issues for him. School staff said that many kids don't like Alphasmarts due to poor keyboarding skills etc. and felt it wouldn't be helpful for son. what are your thoughs? What alternatives exist?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Heather:

Yes, keyboarding instruction would be helpful to assist your son in capturing all of the potential of a portable keyboard or laptop computer. You can locate a variety of instructional programs to teach keyboarding at software vendors such as:

Educational Resources
http://www.edresources.com

Portable Keyboards AlphaSmart
http://www.alphasmart.com

Dana
http://www.alphasmart.com

Laser PC
http://www.perfectsolutions.com

Predictive word processors CoWriter
http://www.donjohnston.com

Alternatives to keyboarding iDictate
http://www.idictate.com

ViaVoice
http://softscan.com/viavoice/

Dragon Naturally Speaking
http://softscan.com/naturallyspeaking/

I wish there were clear decision guidelines about how to select among these various tools but I am not aware of any.

Hope this helps for now.

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Question from Wanda Poe, parent, Weddington High, Charlotte,NC:
    What technology can help our son's keep up with classroom assignmetns vs falling behind on lost information?

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Wanda:

It seems like everything that we ask struggling students to do takes more time. As a result, it is very challenging to try and keep up with the daily demands of homework and classroom assignments.

I don't know that I have a good answer for you. I keep looking for technology tools that allow me to complete tasks in less time. Often the learning curve requires a great investment up front. Then the payback on a daily basis is really small.

I think the best solution is to have a conversation with the IEP team to create guidelines for assignment modifications that reduce the length of time that will be spent on each task to make it equitable and reasonable. It may be helpful to have the team read and discuss the issues in remediation vs. compensation:

http://www.connsensebulletin.com/edyburnv4n3.html

Hope this helps.

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Question from Heather A., parent:
    If my child receives a new AT device, such as a portable keyboard etc. shortly before the school year ends, would continuing training on the device be a qualifying factor for ESY? My son is in 5th gr and I'd like to have him enter 6th gr knowing his device well, so it is transparent, not trying to learn a new device while adjusting to all the other changes involved in moving to middle school.

Dr. Dave Edyburn:
    Heather: Great question. I believe you are on the right track. If a student gets new assistive technology late in the school year, I believe it is reasonable to request extended school year (ESY) services that provide extended training on using the device. As you noted, it is important that he be able to begin the new school year, at a new school, fully ready to engage in the challenging work that he will confront and not be distracted by having to learn a new device. This will be interesting to watch. This has important implications for assistive technology services across the country. Best wishes.

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Dr. Sheldon Horowitz (Moderator):
    We’re out of time and need to bring this LDTalk to a close.

Thank you to everyone who submitted questions and to all who joined in to follow the discussion. And special thanks to Dr. Edyburn for sharing his expertise with us. A transcript of today's chat will be available at www.LDTalk.org very soon.

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NEXT MONTH: Please mark your calendars and join us on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 from 7-8 PM ET (4-5 PM PT, 6-7 CT) for our live chat with learning disabilities researchs Dr. Eleanor Higgins and Dr. Roberta Goldberg of the Frostig Center. Our experts will introduce you to their newest project, Life Success for Students with Learning Disabilities - A Teacher Guide and answer your questions about fostering important attributes for success among students with LD.

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