Information Networks: Enhancing the Teaching
and Learning Experience with Technologies

Providing instruction in assistive/adaptive technology to teacher education candidates (AAT) is difficult because of the expense of the technology and the need to travel to classrooms to see it in use.  The first goal of this project is to educate learning community members in best use of AAT.  The second goal is to train community members to use digital technology to develop visual presentations of PreK-12 students using AAT.  The third goal is to bring these visual resources to college courses in which teacher education candidates participate, so that they can develop best practices in the use of AAT.

• Increase the knowledge of teacher education faculty and community partners regarding AAT that is used in PreK-16 classrooms.
• Improve faculty’s knowledge and use of digital media to produce visual presentations that provide vicarious experience with AAT for teacher education candidates.
• Improve the knowledge of all SSU teacher candidates in the use of AAT by students with all levels and types of diversity—disability, language and cultural differences, and at-risk.
  • Make site visits to PreK-12 classrooms using AAT
  • Provide hands-on experience with AAT during visits to agencies/institutions
  • Create and show digital slide shows, videos and/or PowerPoint presentations of PreK-16 students using AAT during learning
• Develop a resource center of books, digital media, videotapes, etc., to be used by faculty, community partners, and candidates to increase their knowledge and understanding of AAT use in PreK-16 classrooms.

An end result of the project will be the development of AAT course materials for three courses (EDIS 2250, EDIS 2248, EDUC 2245) that will be taken by all Shawnee State University (SSU) teacher education candidates. These materials will expand the understanding of how AAT is used in PreK-12 general education and special education classes to serve the needs of students with disabilities, students who are at-risk, students who are English Language Learners (ELL), and students with cultural differences, as well as typical students. Learning community members will share outcomes at the OLN Southeast Regional Center Learning Institute and the OLN Expo.

Click here to download the Portrait of Practice (pdf).

OLN Southeast Regional Center at Shawnee State University in Partnership with the Teaching and Learning Center 940 Second St., Portsmouth, OH 45662 (740) 351-3334