Emily Barton

Technology Implementation Case 1: Meeting Diverse Decoding Needs of Adolescents

Technology Implementation Case 2: Supporting Teacher and Student use of LearningAlly (within Case 1)

1. Identify

Learning objectives
o Students with below grade-level decoding skills will be able to devote cognitive energy to comprehension and math
concepts rather than simply reading the text.
Learners
o Students with below grade-level decoding skills
o Ages: 8-15
o Many students in the learner population have learning disabilities
o No current students in the learner population have sensory disabilities
o No current students have significant cultural/language barriers
Technology possibilities
o Classroom aids (human technology)
o Accessibility features on current devices
o Learning Ally (company that provides audiobooks for individuals with print disabilities)
o Bookshare (company that provides audiobooks for individuals with print disabilities)

2. Analyze and Act

Analyze
Logistical

TPACK

UDL: Multiple Means of

Technology

Advantages

Disadvantages

Learner
access to
content?

Align with
pedagogy?

Content
priority?

Representation?

Action and
Expression?

Engagement?

Classroom
Aids

- human readers to
model
intonation/fluidity
- read any material
regardless of
format

- disruptive to
other students
- expensive
- unavailable in
other
environments
(home, high

Yes

No Not
studentcentered.

Yes

Yes - Human
provides
variety and
information.

No Does
not help
goal-setting

No
Student not
required to
independently sustain
effort/selfregulate

Emily Barton

Current
Device
Accessibilit
y Features

- available in other
environments
(home, high school,
etc)
- non-disruptive if
headphones used

Learning
Ally

- human readers
- over 80,000 texts
(textbooks, novels,
trade books, etc.)
- commitment to
add any requested
books
- available in other
environments
(home, high school,
etc.)
- non-disruptive if
headphones used
- visual text
highlighting
accompanies audio
- consistent
interface for all
users in the school
- TeacherAlly
tracking system for
monitoring student
use
- dedicated site
support staff
member

school, etc)
- nonhuman
reader
- only material
available on
device can be
read
- older devices
dont all have
screen reader
technology
- devices all
function
differently
- fee for
membership
- new system for
school faculty to
learn

No
Some
learners
will not
have
access,
limited
material

Yes
Focused
on
individual
student
needs
in/out of
school

Yes

No no voice
variety
/additional
info.

Yes
Promotes
indepedence ,
goal-setting

No
challenging
to operate,
lose effort

Yes

Yes
promotes
comprehension,
prosody,
and
decoding
skills

Yes
userfriendly
on
mobile
devices

Yes human
voice
No no
additional info

Yes
Promotes
indepedence ,
goal-setting

Yes ease
of use,
voices
pleasing,
focus on
comprehension

Emily Barton
Bookshare

Act:

- over 329,000 texts

(textbooks, novels,
trade books, etc.)
- available in other
environments
(home, high school,
etc.)
- consistent
interface for all
users in the school
- non-disruptive if
headphones used

- non-human
readers
- no dedicated
support staff
- new system for
school faculty to
learn

Yes

Yes
promotes
comprehension
and
decoding
skills

Yes
userfriendly
on
mobile
devices

No no voice
variety
/additional
info.

Yes
Promotes
indepedence ,
goal-setting

Yes ease
of use, focus
on
comprehension

Choice LearningAlly
Additional cost is offset by training support and UDL/TPACK alignment.

3. Support
1. Identify
Learning objectives
Students with below grade-level decoding skills will be able to effectively use LearningAlly to reallocate
cognitive load to comprehension.
Teachers of students will be able to support student use of LearningAlly in-person and through TeacherAlly.
Learners
Students with below grade-level decoding skills
Ages: 8-15
Technology familiarity: most student confident navigating mobile devices/tablets
Many students have learning disabilities
No students have sensory disabilities
No current teachers have significant cultural/language barriers
Teachers of those students
Ages: 23-65
Technology familiarity: most teachers not confident with novel apps/programs on mobile device/tablets

Emily Barton

No teachers have pronounced learning disabilities

A few teachers need magnified text for age-related vision loss
No current teachers have significant cultural/language barriers
Technology possibilities (LA provides a site supporter with site license)
Orientation workshops for teachers, teachers teach students
Orientation workshops for teachers and students
Just-in-time support from designated LA resource teachers who attend a workshop
Collaborative support manual on school server

2. Analyze and Act

Analyze
Logistical

TPACK

UDL: Multiple Means of

Technology

Advantages

Disadvantages

Learner
access to
content?

Align with
pedagogy?

Content
priority?

Representation?

Action and
Expression?

Engagement?

Orientation
workshops
for teachers

- Intense initial
teacher training
-Opportunity to ask
questions

- Costly to
provide
substitutes or
pay for extra
time
- Limited justin-time support
- Timeconsuming to
teach students to
use LA in class
time
- Cost to have
second trainer
for students
- Limited justin-time support

Yes, but
limited
by time

Yes
-studentcentered

Yes

Yes - Human
provides
variety and
information.
Live demo and
follow along
for LA.

Yes
follow
along with
workshop
and watch,
opportunity
to reinforce
value and
set initial
goals

Yes opportunity
to reinforce
value and set
initial goals

Yes

Yes - Human
provides
variety and
information.
Live demo and
follow along
for LA.

Yes
follow
along with
workshop
and watch

Yes opportunity
to reinforce
value and set
initial goals

Orientation
workshops
for teachers
and students

- Intense initial
teacher training
- Intense initial
student training,
emphasizes value
of LA
-Opportunity to ask

No Not
extended
support/
access to
info.

Yes, but
limited
by time

Yes
studentcentered
No Not
extended
support/

Emily Barton

Just-in-time
support
from
designated
LA resource
teachers
who attend a
workshop

Collaborativ
e support
manual on
school
server

questions
- Saves classroom
instructional time
- On campus
support
- Cost-effective

- On campus
support
- Cost-effective
- Promotes
empowerment of
all faculty to lead
others

access to
info.
- Not all
teachers get
intense initial
training
- LA resource
teachers might
not have
sufficient
answers
- Timeconsuming to
teach students to
use LA in class
time
- Not all
teachers get
intense initial
training
- Some teachers
may provide
incorrect
information
- Could be an
inactive
document

No

Yes
having
teacher/
learnerled
instruction

Yes

Yes all
teachers highly
skilled at
differentiation/
presentation of
content

Yes
teachers
choose
topics to
reach out for
support on

Yes

Yes
promotes
team
collaboration and
accountability

Yes

Yes links to
resources can
provide
additional
info, images
and text

Yes follow
along with
workshop
and watch,
Can include
goal setting
component

Act
o Choose: Combination of teacher/student workshops and collaborative server document
o UDL Guidelines and TPACK need to remain a focus in more detailed planning of training sessions.

3. Support
This is the support!
4. Evaluate

Emily Barton

Question stakeholders *Follow all questions with Why or why not?*

o Learners
Students
Do you feel confident independently using LearningAlly?
How could we support your use of LearningAlly more?
Teachers
Do you feel confident independently using LearningAlly?
Do you feel confident supporting student use of LearningAlly?
Do you feel confident independently using TeacherAlly?
How could we support your use of LearningAlly/TeacherAlly more?
o Parents
Does your child know how to use LearningAlly at home?
Evaluate learning objectives
o Are students with below grade-level decoding skills able to effectively use LearningAlly to reallocate cognitive
load to comprehension?
o Are teachers of students able to support student use of LearningAlly in-person and through TeacherAlly?
Use question responses to identify the source of potential problems that need revision.

4. Evaluate

Question stakeholders *Follow all questions with Why or why not?*

o Learners (students)
Do you think LearningAlly helps you focus on what the words mean?
o Teachers
Do you feel students are able to access higher text using LearningAlly?
Do you feel students are able to access grade-appropriate math problems using LearningAlly?
o Parents
Does your child use LearningAlly at home to read more challenging texts that interest him or her?
Evaluate learning objectives
o Are students with below grade-level decoding skills be able to devote cognitive energy to comprehension and math
concepts rather than simply reading the text?

Emily Barton

Use question responses to identify the source of potential problems that need revision.