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Conrad Weiser Area School District Assistive Technology within ePortfolios Implementation Plan

Jason Kraft

Wilkes University

Dr. Theodore Mannino

Technology to Support Curriculum and Instruction

April 20, 2014

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Abstract

The implementation and recommendation of assistive technology through Google Chrome within e Portfolios in the Conrad Weiser Area School District This will address the needs of students with physical, emotional, and learning disabilities, while continuing the ongoing assessment of student data..Why Google should be implemented and how they will be implemented. The benefits and advantages Google Chrome as a assistive technology of e Portfolios in our learning community. These points will be discussed along with the analysis of the data gathered throughout the year, which include student population characteristics. There will also be quantitative and qualitative data that comprises staff interviews with Administration, Regular and Special Ed Faculty, Clerical, Technology Staff. This data will be used to determine what types of assistive technologies and their assessments will best benefit our population of students. The data and information gathered will help achieve recommendations on the adoption of using Google Chrome as a means of assistive technology within ePortfolios. Obtaining student data to assist in monitoring student progress and potential intervention in the school district. A tentative time schedule of Google Chrome being implemented through ePortfolios, and the training resources needed to in order implement a successful initiative . .I think it is the evidence that we can collect that will show how Google Chrome being implemented into ePortfolios can help improve student with special needs success.

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Conrad Weiser Area School District ePortfolio Implementation Plan

Introduction

Technology is expanding the modes through which students learn and can demonstrate their learning. No longer are they restricted solely to the printed word but can do so in multiple modes: video, audio, in-the-field community projects, and graphics, for example. These multi-modal approaches are the ways students will need to work in the future: They may need to construct a variety of graphical data displays that effectively communicate with a range of audiences, or capture work in videos, or work in groups using social networking.

The representations of learning in an e-portfolio reflect the individual student's view of the breadth of his or her education – including what was learned both inside and outside the classroom and as the learning was experienced by the student and not just as it was delivered or packaged by the school district or teacher. (Chen, June 3, 2010)

E-portfolios also require students to reflect on their learning, which is in itself a learning exercise. We learn to reflect as we learn to talk: in the company of others. To reflect, as to learn (since reflection is a kind of learning), we set a problem for ourselves, we try to conceptualize that problem from diverse perspectives – the scientific and the spontaneous. Reflection at strategic points in the development of the e-portfolio creates a venue for the iterative and formative examination and demonstration of learning and can play a summative role at key points in the assessment of student progress and achievement.

This brings us to the point of implementation of Google Chrome within ePortfolios. While there is an constant assessment of the student’s data and learning reflections. There are no tools of assessment when it comes to the student’s ultimate goal of a specified learning process. Within ePortfolios there are various tools a student can utilize in order to promote learning. There are many e-portfolio tools and systems available, none of which provides the perfect solution to all institutional assessment and student learning needs. Google Chrome has only recently been considered for portfolio development but offers promising solutions to effectively build learning, assessment, and showcase portfolios including artifact storage, privacy control, collaboration, reflection, and ownership. Although orientation, training, and ongoing support are strongly recommended, Google Sites is easy-to-use and provides built-in tools to insert evidence of extended learning from sources such as social media sites.

Student Population of Conrad Weiser Area School District:

Student Population Characteristics: Percentages:

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Special Education/IEP Students 27%

ELL (English Language Learners) 3%

Migrant 1%

Economically Disadvantaged 31%

White (Non Hispanic) 74%

Minority ( African Americans, Hispanics, Asian)

16%

Table 1.

The analysis indicates that White (Non Hispanic) students and Economically Disadvantaged students make up the majority of our student population. Within that majority almost 27% of those students have IEP’s and have a label under Special Education. The implementation of ePortfolios will be conceived upon the above noted socio-economic and Special Education student population.

The data is indicative of learning and teaching approaches, such as behaviorism and constructivism which are intertwined into pedagogy, take into consideration cognitive and social development of learners. This development necessitates the need for using tools and methods that exceed the traditional paper-pencil tests for assessment and learning(Jones & Shelton, 2006). Notwithstanding the problems of the theoretical debate on learning styles, it would appear likely that learners will have preferences for different pedagogic approaches, in particular learning contexts. All educational software, implicitly or otherwise, either enhances or restrains certain pedagogic approaches to learning. There is no such thing as pedagogically neutral software. However, dependent on the design and process of use, an ePortfolio can allow learners to configure and develop a learning environment to suit and enable their own style of learning.

"As educators we believe that students with vision, hearing, physical, communication, and learning challenges have the same potential to learn as anyone else if the "mechanical" impediments to participation in the classroom are removed or lessened. Note-taking, spelling, organizing, reading, and mathematical constructions all require mechanical skills. Thinking, although reliant on these input and output constructions, is not tethered to anyone way of receiving or expressing. Often mechanical demands (visual tracking, decoding, handwriting, etc.) get in the way of these students developing critical thinking skills because of some old-fashioned perspective that regards the manner of learning as a strict path toward educational outcomes.

I have attempted to collect many of the available apps and extensions which I believe could foster alternative forms of access for real learning to occur, with the ultimate hope of extending the definition as to who can be a learner in any particular setting."

Vision:

To be truly effective, integration of assistive technology must be based on the student’s

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IEP goals – specifically those goals that can be directly supported by technology. As the plan is implemented, information or data must be gathered and recorded to ensure the use of the technology continues to meet these goals and the student’s individual needs. The more specific and systematic this data collection, the more effective ongoing implementation decisions will be. Emphasize realistic integration of the technology in the student’s curriculum and daily activities. One of the more challenging aspects of effectively implementing assistive technology is planning for integration of that technology into the student’s daily educational program. The implementation should be specific for which initial tasks or activities will be supported by the technology and what methods will be used to integrate technology into those tasks.

Google Sites, Apps, and Assistive Technologies Implementation

Google is a seamless integration of wants and needs blended flawlessly with an educative toolbox of assistive tools and technologies. This is where both student and educators can locate all their ePortfolio needs from start to finish. It is a conglomeration of technology coexisting within the ePortfolio. Google Assistive Technology Apps will be integrated into the same technologies, but will be separated for individual detail, perspective, affirmation and critiques.

Eportfolios development is really a combination of process (a series of activities that produce digital documents or reflections) and product (a presentation as the end result of the ePortfolio process), supported by a variety of tools. Google’s suite of software tools has matured over the last few years into a rich environment for creating e Portfolios to meet most of these purposes. A portfolio actually incorporates several different elements

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and tools, depending on your purpose and audience, which becomes your first task to define. Begin with a working portfolio that could include a reflective journal, using a blog, such as Blogger, or the Announcements page type in Google Sites. The working portfolio process also begins with a collection of digital documents representing your best or typical work (sometimes called your digital archive). Google tools to build this digital archive include: Google Docs provides a great toolset for developing and storing word processing, presentation and spreadsheet documents; share with others for collaborative editing and feedback YouTube and Picasa can be used to store videos and collections of images. Attachments of other file types can be added to Google Sites. From this collection, select certain pieces, depending on the purpose and audience, to go into a presentation portfolio/website (using hyperlinks or EMBED codes). Google Sites is Google's version of a wiki, a tool that facilitates collaborative editing. It is an effective tool to organize both the reflective narrative, telling your story in your presentation portfolio, and linking to your supporting evidence (selected documents from your digital archive) to meet your intended purpose. This easy-to-build hyperlinked multi-page website can be easily shared electronically with your intended audience.

Assistive Technology Through Google Chrome

Chrome AT Toolbox: This collaborative space was created to celebrate the many Apps and Extensions made by developers which serve the accessibility needs of individuals with disabilities. Although Google already highlights accessibility features built into the Chrome browser or through add-ons, we have collected numerous other free tools that we feel further contribute to that mission.To this end, we have developed this searchable resource to locate tools that serve the particular challenges anyone might face while working in Chrome. The following is a small list of Assistive Technology Extensions and Apps implemented through Google Chrome.

● ATBar - allows you to change the look and feel of webpages, have text read aloud and spell check forms. It is a simple tool which is available for most popular browsers.

● Cortexit - Select some text and CORTEXIT. A panel appears, displaying approximately one sentence at a time – enabling slow and focused reading.

● CruxLight is a Google Chrome extension that summarizes content in web based articles and that can eliminate distracting clutter. When CruxLight is installed, it automatically summarizes web pages by highlighting the most important information in an article.

● Google Dictionary - Double-click any word to view its definition in a small pop-up bubble. View the complete definition of any word or phrase using the toolbar dictionary. Foreign words are automatically translated to your language of choice.

● Grammar and Spell Checker by Ginger - contextual grammar and spell checker, correcting up to ten times more than regular proofreading software. Ginger spell checks and grammar checks within your popular websites such Gmail, Facebook,

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online forums, blogging platforms and many other websites. Install it and watch your typos, spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes disappear from Chrome in one simple click.

● OwebVoice Input - helps you to input texts by speaking in web apps and websites. Helps you to fill in all those little boxes.

● Read and Write for Google Docs - adds many of the popular support features of Read and Write GOLD to Google Docs documents including: - Text To Speech with Dual Synchronized Highlighting. - Talking Dictionary - Picture Dictionary - Vocabulary Tool - Study Skills tools to capture Google highlights.

● Select and Speak is a free extension for Google Chrome that provides high quality text to speech for any selected online text. Once installed, and text has been selected, there are three ways of having the text read aloud. You can click on an icon in the extensions toolbar, or right-click and use the context menu. Alternatively, you can use a customizable keyboard shortcut.

● Speechify - you can access many online services and use Speech Input to search and shop. Search Google, Hulu, Amazon, Youtube, and many more!

● Shortcuts for Google - Display all Google services as buttons in a space-saving popup next to your address bar. Reach services like Gmail, Google Reader, Google Maps, Google Calendar, and many more in just two clicks from your browser. The extension includes more than 160 Google services and websites.

● TalkTyper is not an add-in for Google Chrome, but it’s a web-based application that functions only in Chrome. It offers powerful voice recognition, enhanced by several helpful features. It works well with my laptop’s built in mic, even in environments that are far from noise-free.

● Popplet -Brainstorming and idea mapping with diagrams, journals, notes, lists, etc. can be created and shared through this app. The free version allows locally-stored “popplets,” while the paid version allows for popplets to online and shared for collaboration. Popplets can be exported to both jpg and pdf formats.

● Idea Sketch-Mind maps, concept maps, outlines, and flowcharts can all be easily created with this app. Outlines can quickly be converted to mind maps, and vice versa. Information from other applications can be imported into the app, then converted to the supported formats. Files can easily be shared via email or Box.com as well as photo apps and social media. The free app is fully functioning, and additional features can be accessed with an upgrade. A student who needs to map or outline, but does not like to fuss with their apps, this is the one.

● Evernote- It is simple, yet attractive in design, and there are a number of excellent formatting options for visual listers and notetakers (bullet points, font color, background color, etc.). Notes, images, tasks, etc. can be stored and accessed from multiple devices with Evernote. Even voice and audio notes can be created,

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stored, and shared. The basic version is free, and there are subscriptions available that provide additional features. The premium version includes the ability to make your notebook editable by others (team projects, anyone?) or lock your notebook with a PIN. Make sure you take a look at which features are listed under the subscription.

Recommendations and Implementations of Google Chrome within ePortfolios

The recommendations will outline the researched data for successful implementation of Google Chrome within ePortfolios and any potential barriers specific to the data analysis of Conrad Weiser Area School District. The data is indicative of learning styles that would meet our population of student, help achieve successful implementation. A successful implementation of a district wide initiative must have senior management support and endorsement implementation can be bottom-up provided it is part of a top-down school-wide strategy – think big, start small. Lead from the bottom by someone who is passionate, has a clear purpose, research backed (giving confidence and the big tick) and with sound pedagogy. After all it is about the learning not the tool. The learning must be the focus and the thermostat by which progress is measured. Supported and acknowledge by the top so that there is senior leadership, accountability and consistency in the school. must start with your pedagogy for learning. Get your infrastructure in robust working order, as frustrations are the biggest killer. Don’t even begin the ePortfolio journey until e-learning is established seamlessly in the classroom as part of everything they do. Sisomo (sight, sound, motion) is the strength of digital learning. Be very clear about the purpose of the portfolio. One size does not fit all, and it is completely true of Assistive Technology. Use the best tool for learning, whatever it is. It is not the quantity but the quality of leadership instilled. Start with the keen teachers – not necessarily those with confidence in IT but those who already have good formative practice in place and already encourage their students to think about their learning. They see the benefits in terms of student achievement and motivation and spread the word. Teachers need to be competent ePortfolio users before implementing a digital portfolio approach with their class competent, confident staff will support and encourage student readiness avoid the risk of dependence on a very limited number of key staff members: Sustainability is critical, and making much needed time for implementation, training and re-organizing resources. Concerning hardware and infrastructure a realistic approach must be ascertained. The considerations here are far reaching and ongoing, while it would be nice to have a 1:1 ratio of students: computers, it is not easy to achieve. Start the deployment with the enthusiasts: use them to iron-out any challenges with their classes before a wider deployment various schools have tried a year-level rollout, class rollout etc few would want to tackle a whole-of-school approach.

Implementation within Special Education

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In our district one of the largest student populations consists of Special Education students. Implementations of Google Chrome within ePortfolios are an excellent device for supporting learning in a Learning Support classroom because they naturally encourage students and instructors to practice the most successful contemporary teaching methodologies. Using portfolios in LS classroom enhances learning within social context where students cooperation and work together. Vygotsky’s (1978) notion of learning through social development is one theory that reinforces using e-portfolios. Vygotsky (1978) explained that constructivism has an effective role in the widely spread use of paper-based portfolios in education, believing that knowledge exists within “social relationship”(p. 7). In other words, learning occurs in a close social context in a classroom or an institution, where learners view their learning and personal knowledge within their surroundings. Social constructivist theory values collaborative learning and discussion that construct new knowledge among learners within social and cultural context. Although it does not view student learning as a direct result of the teacher actions in the classroom, it views students as partners in teaching-learning process and who are capable of adopting new ideas and methods(Levin, 1999). Using e-portfolios and new technologies foster social interaction, meaningful context, and interpersonal support with teachers and students’ peers. This social constructivist approach helps teachers to build new bridges through constructivist experiences (Jacobsen, 2002; Levin & Wadmany, 2006). Thus, changes in the learning environment expand and enrich classroom practices and influence students’ view of integrating learning and technology

Post Assessment:

Professional Development:

● No assistive technology implementation plan would be complete without outlining plans for staff and student training. Once the assistive technology has arrived and been set up, the team should identify the following.

● What type of training (general overview or specific features) and who will provide that training? Assistive technology support (e.g. AT consultant), district based support (district staff), team support (team members who are already familiar with technology).

● Who will attend the training? A team member who will be working directly with the student and technology. A team member who will be directing or overseeing implementation. A team member who will be implementing the technology in the future, or team members who are generally interested.

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Timeline:

Implementation Timeline 2014-2015 The implementation of Google Chrome within ePortfolios for the CWASD will begin to roll out this coming school year to administration/staff, purchase of technology, professional development dates, formative and summative assessments of the initiative over the 2014-15 school years.

August 8th Administration Rollout Administrators use technology for school management (including record keeping), for communications with the community, and for the analysis of student data to assure that there is student progress towards meeting State and District standards. Administrators also use technology as tools for furthering their knowledge and abilities. Those in positions of leadership can help to encourage other staff to participate, can provide the necessary technology, financial and human resources, and can foster a collaborative and respectful culture for the development process (Strudler & Wetzel, 2005). As Strudler and Wetzel (2005) argue, “change mandated from administration…can lead to successful change if accompanied by support, training, and an understanding of the change process-Otherwise, top-down change often leads to resistance during implementation”. However, to produce systemic change, it is essential that the District build capacity in all teachers. Through monthly Ed Services team meetings, Technology & Media Services

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(TMS) will work with all curricular Program Specialists, Coordinators, and Directors on various strategies and technology tools they can use in their work. Additionally, the District will continue to offer “District Wednesday” trainings (approximately twenty per year) focused on technology hardware, software, and subscription services available to all classroom teachers. During the 2014/15 school year, TMS trainers will meet with curricular Program Specialists from Educational Services to discuss trainings that highlight strategies on integrating technology into curriculum, so that they can incorporate more technology into their professional development opportunities.

August 15th Assistive Technology Implementation Cost Summation

Because of the new Licensing from Microsoft and their vast improvements to their VDI solution we plan on moving to this model going forward. The cost is $7500 per server for every 75 PC’s that we have on VDI. So if we use this solution just for our current 1850 group we come up with a total of around $300,000 to get them running with current software and a faster front end. The VDI solution however is not a long lasting solution as the PC’s will continue to age and hardware failures will become more frequent. The VDI Solution also gives us the following advantages: Easy image control in that a new image can be sent out to all machine quickly and easily. Easy software installation in that a new application can be updated one time on one image and then sent to the machines. Only hardware issues. Software issues will be a thing of the past. If we find an image with Software issues it is destroyed and rebuilt. Easy management – for a department of 3 this will cut our work load down considerably. A windows desktop

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on tablet devices. Communications Systems Planned installation of Voice over IP capable systems did begin during the 2014-2015 school year. This system works with current technology and has worked very well for us over and above the sole VOIP system. Utilizing E-Rate funds UCSD is looking into Hosted Voice over IP technologies as a quick replacement for the various older technology/phone switches that are currently in the District. Utilizing a hosted solution cost down on support and onsite maintenance costs of a housed solution. It also allows us to quickly move to another solution in the case of downtime. As technology changes, the system should be upgraded so that it is compatible with the surrounding educational entities.

August 22nd Staff Rollout Initial Professional Development

Vision: Their District-Wide Vision Statement: By implementing Google Chrome within eportfolios, CWASD will empower students of all types to become active participants in their own personalized education. Through use of reflection, technology, and collaboration, students and teachers will develop skills that will lead them to achieve their lifelong goals.

November 21st Professional Development/In-service Develop a team of teacher-mentors who

would like to work with students as they build their portfolios using the Assistive Technologies during the year and to develop a template for student of Google Chrome tools within ePortfolios 1. Build a team of teacher-mentors who want to work with students during homeroom time during the year to offer assistance as needed for ePortfolios. (Students would be assigned a portfolio homeroom one day a week) 2. Provide guidelines to teachers

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regarding role of mentors e. Get student input regarding Google Chrome within ePortfolio template 3. Build a Student ePortfolio template prototype 4. Get student feedback. To provide a starting point for students to use Google Chrome within an ePortfolio and what assistive technologies have prove successful during the school year.

January 16th Professional Portfolio In-Service Continue professional portfolio To

continue to learn from the process and to be able to experience and model use of Google Chrome within process experienced by the students.

March 27th Professional DevelopmentLinking Curriculum to Technology and Content Standards Identifying ISTE student grade level technology standards and matching them to grade level content standards to enhance learning Selecting Technology Resources for Instruction How to evaluate technologies for use in instruction. Evaluation decision-making criteria

June 12th Formative AssessmentCreative Inquiry groups are utilized for the formative feedback of Google Chrome implementation within ePortfolios. Each competency area has a Creative Inquiry (CI) team associated with it, comprised of a faculty facilitator and up to ten students. There are two components to these CI projects: conducting research on ePortfolio related topics and scoring of artifacts. Like all CI projects, students commit to at least one year of

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involvement, although many have stayed with the team longer. Prior to reviewing and scoring artifacts, students must complete the CITItraining.org (certificates of completion are retained by the faculty facilitator), participate in a training session conducted by Director of the ePortfolio Program on the technical aspects of scoring as well as more general dos and don’ts of scoring, and participate in a training session conducted by their faculty mentors. Through this process, the students are trained extensively on CUePort, the tagging and assessment tool, the competency and how to review a student’s communication skills. The training approach is fairly consistent among all groups. At the beginning of the semester, the scorers meet with their faculty advisors, and everyone reviews the same artifact using a faculty-developed rubric for the particular competency.

Post Assessment:

Creating a Rubric:

Learners who are introduced into a new method of assessment as alternative assessment are required to be trained appropriately and may not be aware of the goals and reasons for implementing e‐portfolios. In order to achieve the full benefits of ePortfolios, identification of criteria and goals are essential for educators and learners alike. Students need to be aware of the evaluation criteria; therefore, creating a rubric gives them the ideal, standards, and goals that need to be followed. Recognition of these criteria contributes to learners feeling of safety and well organized. In order to assess ePortfolios (2002) designed a rubric including: the extent to which learners grasps the subject matter; portfolio contents;) reflective thinking;). The content richness and difficulty; and organization and presentation. Burch (1999) proposed another assessment rubric including: writing mechanics e‐portfolio layout, self‐reflection, portfolio, and documents. Once teachers can change their perspective on how to deliver and integrate new

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approaches, the outcomes are likely to be more positive such as in the integration and adaptation of technology in the classroom (Derya & Abdullah, 2011).

I wanted to add one last assessment that I feel would be an amazing addition to any ePortfolio assessments. This could be used as self assessment or tracking AT progress.

Project Foundry

This tool organizes tracks and shares learning in a project-based learning classroom. It

includes standards-based grading tools and feedback tools. Teachers have the option to

include a digital portfolio website for students

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