Speaking Out on the Effectiveness of Research Regarding Educational Technology
Milton Chen, George Lucas Educational Foundation; Gregg Downey, eSchool News (moderator); Cheryl Lemke, Metiri Group; Yong Zhao, Michigan State University, Center for Teaching and Technology, and the US-China Center for Research on Education and Excellence

Today, more than ever, it is critical that technology products, devices, and tools have evidence pointing to their effectiveness. Panelists discussed the latest findings driving the field, and the best practices gleaned from the research. A lively conversation followed outlining effective strategies to communicate research-based findings in user-friendly terms to public and practitioner audiences.

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Sean, a junior in high school, is a popular and outgoing teenager. Sean lost his sight at the age of 10, due to retinal blastoma. With the help of assistive technology, Sean is able to participate in regular classes all day long at school, socializes with all of his classmates, and learns and is assessed with the same curriculum standards as his nondisabled peers.

Sean uses several different types of assistive technology that enable him to access the general education curriculum at his high school. Everything that Sean needs to read or produce can be translated into Braille at the school's vision center. A special software program installed on Sean's laptop translates text into speech so that Sean can read. Also, Sean uses a Braille scientific calculator that allows him to conduct and comprehend graphing exercises and understand fractions and decimals. For Sean, the most important goal is to be learning the same content as his nondisabled classmates. His teachers treat him the same and have the same high expectations of Sean as they do of their other students. For Sean and his teachers, the focus is on supporting his learning, not on the assistive technology. So, for example, his English teacher makes sure that Sean has access to and reads all the text required for the course, while his geometry teacher is careful to explain concepts in a very detailed manner that goes beyond mere visual description.

Sean's school is equipped with a vision center, staffed by specialists in vision loss and assistive technology, as well as a technology team that handles most requests related to the general use and maintenance of assistive technology. Staff at the vision center work collaboratively with staff on the technology team to ensure that students using assistive technology are receiving the support that they require. They also are active participants in the decisionmaking process that goes into selecting appropriate assistive technology for a particular student. 

Supporting stakeholder collaboration

"Any time that a teacher brings in a project. I usually compare notes with them first.. Some of them are very involved, and I may need to communicate with them as to whether we can take out some of the lines, maybe I can add something, enlarge the project.we have to communicate with the teacher on everything practically we do. we're in constant communication with them." Maynard Simmons, Vision Teacher 

This decisionmaking process is driven by stakeholder collaboration around the student's needs. This means that Sean, members of his family, several of his teachers, and any other staff who work with Sean are all involved in discussions about using assistive technology to support his learning needs and goals.

Collaboration also occurs after the initial selection process, as support staff work collaboratively with teachers, engaging in constant, ongoing communication with them. The goal of the collaboration is to provide assistance on a consultative basis, to ensure that teachers know how to use the assistive technology, understand how it enables their students to gain access to the curriculum, and are able to make informed evaluations about whether or not a student is benefiting sufficiently from the assistive technology. It is important that staff who work with Sean monitor the impact of the assistive technology on his education. If a teacher feels that Sean is having difficulty with his schoolwork, he or she will work with staff at the vision center to make sure that the support Sean receives from the assistive technology remains relevant to his learning needs.

The capacity that exists at Sean's high school is extended even further when teachers work collaboratively with the specialists. The more teachers practice using assistive technology with their students with disabilities and the more they learn about the assistive technology, the more likely they are to become comfortable with the technology and reduce their fear.

Building Capacity

"With Sean in the class, I took longer to prepare, but it was worth it in the end. Now I have preparation done, in case I have another blind student, I'm somewhat prepared for them.. It's prepared me and made me think a lot more about what it is I have to do before I walk in the classroom, before I start teaching." Patrick Daniels, High School English Teacher 

Once that fear is gone, teachers feel much more comfortable with assistive technology and become more open to trying new things. They are also then much more prepared to use assistive technology with students in the future, which helps to build the capacity of the school even further.

Sean's loss of sight hasn't prevented him from benefiting from the same educational opportunities as his nondisabled students or from following his dreams to become a lawyer. All of his teachers continue to hold high expectations for Sean, and collaborate to make sure that the assistive technology that helps Sean keeps him on track to succeeding inside and outside of school. Not only has assistive technology opened doors for Sean at school, it also has enabled him to take on a challenging internship program at Legal Aid, potentially opening doors for Sean's post-highschool goals, as well.