LEADERS IN LITERACY
CONFERENCE
LITERACY-BASED DISTRICT-WIDE
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Aiken County Public School District
January 15, 2016
LEADERS IN LITERACY
CONFERENCE
Assistive Technology
and Emergent Literacy
Presented by:
Jeff Harting – Certified Special Education Teacher and AT Lead
Anita Creamer – Occupational Therapist and AT Team Member
Literacy
• The ability to read and write.
• The quality or state of being literate, especially the ability to read and
write.
• Possession of education: to question someone's literacy.
• A person's knowledge of a particular subject or field: to acquire
computer literacy.
Emergent Literacy
• Children start to learn language from the day they are born. As they
grow and develop, their speech and language skills become
increasingly more complex. They learn to understand and use
language to express their ideas, thoughts, feelings, and to
communicate with others. During early speech and language
development, children learn skills that are important to the
development of literacy (reading and writing). This stage, known as
emergent literacy, begins at birth and continues through the
preschool years.
Emergent Literacy
• Children see and interact with print (e.g., books, magazines) in
everyday situations (e.g., home, in preschool, and at daycare) well
before they start elementary school. Parents can see their child's
growing appreciation and enjoyment of print as he or she begins to
recognize words that rhyme, scribble with crayons, point out logos
and street signs, and name some letters of the alphabet.
Emergent Literacy
• Gradually, children combine what they know about speaking and
listening with what they know about print and become ready to learn
to read and write.
Literacy Development
• The terms beginning reading and writing or early literacy
development includes several phases of learning through which
children progress in different ways and tempos. It is an exciting and
complex process that usually occurs between the ages of 5 – 8.
• As in most other areas of development, all children do not follow on
clear sequential path, in lock-step. Rather, individual children may
take a variety of routes to reading and writing mastery.
Literacy Development
• Development in literacy aims to cover a wide range of support in
children’s growth and learning. This includes topics such as language,
reading, and written development as mentioned, but also develops
how young children typically listen and understand.
• How they communicate and speak.
• How they appreciate reading and knowledge.
Literacy Development
• Literacy is circular, learners may move forward in some areas and
seem to step back as they consolidate understanding in others.
• Reading and writing may not develop evenly. Fluent in one and
emergent in another.
• No matter the rate or timetable, the goals are the same for all:
Literacy Goals
Each student should strive…
• to become fluent and efficient readers and writers who can make
sense of and convey meaning in written language.
• to become thinkers and communicators who are actively reviewing
and analyzing information.
• to enjoy reading and writing
• to feel successful as users of literacy for a variety of purposes.
At-Risk
• There are some early signs that may place a child at risk for the
acquisition of literacy skills. Preschool children with speech and
language disorders often experience problems learning to read and
write when they enter school. Other factors include physical or
medical conditions (e.g., preterm birth requiring placement in a
neonatal intensive care unit, chronic ear infections, fetal alcohol
syndrome, cerebral palsy), developmental disorders (e.g., mental
retardation, autism spectrum), poverty, home literacy environment,
and family history of language or literacy disabilities.
At-Risk
• Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have a key role in promoting the
emergent literacy skills of all children, and especially those with
known or suspected literacy-related learning difficulties. The SLP may
help to prevent such problems, identify children at risk for reading
and writing difficulties, and provide intervention to remediate
literacy-related difficulties.
At-Risk
• Occupational therapists working in classrooms/schools and early
intervention settings are frequently involved in children’s literacy
programs. Practitioners often work with children who have a range of
challenges that interfere with literacy learning, such as fine motor
problems that affect writing or the ability to manipulate a book.
At-Risk
• Prevention efforts involve working in collaboration with families,
caregivers, and teachers to ensure that young children have high
quality and ample opportunities to participate in emergent literacy
activities both at home and in daycare/preschool environments.
• Children who have difficulty grasping emergent literacy games and
activities may be referred for further assessment so that intervention
can begin as early as possible to foster growth in needed areas and
increase the likelihood of successful learning and academic
achievement.
Assistive Technology
• Assistive technology (AT) includes many types of devices, objects,
software, and much more that allow children with disabilities to fully
or independently participate in conversations, activities, and routines
in many different settings. AT can be as "low tech" as a pillow used to
keep a child in the desired position, a picture-choice board to support
communication, or a large grip to help a child hold a pencil, or it can
be "high tech" as a power wheelchair or voice output device.
Assistive Technology
• An item can only be considered assistive technology when it is identified
for a child with a disability through an Individualized Education Plan. An
assistive technology tool used by one child with an IEP could be used by a
second child because it is helpful, it is motivating, or the child likes it. But if
the second child doesn't need it, it is considered instructional technology or
simply another tool for the child to use; in this case, it is not an AT device. A
simplified way of thinking about assistive technology is this: If a child can't
do the task without the device/tool/software/support, then it is assistive
technology for that child and should be documented in the child's IEP.
Assistive Technology
• Choosing and utilizing AT for children in your classroom may seem to
be a daunting task, but in truth, it can be easier than you think. AT
consideration and assessment should be a team process and should
include family members and people with specific knowledge such as a
physical or occupational therapist for motor issues or a speechlanguage pathologist for communication issues and/or your local
Assistive Technology Lead/Coordinator .
Research Says…
• Research has taken into account many variables and environments in
which assistive technology has been used in emergent literacy.
• Emergent literacy research is widely categorized from a narrow
approach to vast…all depending upon the environment and
educational practice.
• Assistive Technology and emergent literacy were once separate and
never to be combined…i.e. Fear of blocking verbalization.
• Assistive (Instructional) Technology is now a vital part of all education.
Research Says…
• Technology is indeed an undisputable presence in all aspects of life in
our contemporary society today.
• Preschool aged children actively interact with computers and related
technologies, which further showcases the need for technology in
their development.
• School systems are catching up on the technology curve and society is
mandating a technologically savvy student to be successful.
Research Says…
• Motivation is important in emergent literacy. Growth and technology
has been established as a motivating tool in all environments for most
students.
• Assistive technology is not the solution or only practice with
emergent literacy, but it is a tool that supports the collective goal of
establishing literacy in all our students.
Research Says…
• Students that are in preschool or students with disabilities that still
require emergent literacy practices require a technology based
approach added to their curriculum.
• AT can supply an avenue that will assist the literacy model in students
with specific disabilities.
• Or instructional technology will assist the literacy model in students
that benefit from general education settings.
Research Says…
• The most common barrier identified in reviews deal with teacher
perceptions, attitudes, and practices towards AT.
• Studies showcased that teachers play a vital role in AT
implementation, while parents are the gatekeepers and implementers
in home environments.
• Studies revealed that teachers need training and technical support to
infuse AT into their classrooms.
Research Says…
• Information continues that barriers more commonly revolve around
socio issues rather than practical concerns.
• The socio issue is confirmed in that funding was not presented as a
negative or positive AT implementation concern.
Alternative Writing Supports
Co-Writer
• A software program designed to help students write complete and
correct sentences with very few keystrokes. As the student begins to
type, Co-Writer predicts the word and provides suggested “guesses.”
Co-Writer’s grammar-based word prediction gives you the most
appropriate predictions for what you are writing. If the word is
presented in the list of predicted words, the student can select the
word by depressing the corresponding number and continue on to
the next word. If the word is not in the list, the student continues
typing until it appears on the list or until the word is complete. CoWriter is used with any word processing program and the text is sent
to the program when a sentence is finished.
Co-Writer Instructions
• To Begin:
• 1. Open the Co-Writer program. You will be prompted to select the
program that you would like to use Co-Writer with. Select Choose an
application (Microsoft Word®, Write-OutLoud®, etc.). Click OK.
• 2. When the application is open, a dialog prompts you to position
your text insertion cursor and wake up Co-Writer.
• 3. When the application is ready to receive text, click in the Co-Writer
status window or press the wakeup key (+ / =). Co-Writer should now
be in the foreground.
Writing Sentences
• You will write sentences one at a time with Co-Writer. As you begin to
type a word, Co-Writer® offers guesses as to what the word is, based
on the letters you typed and other factors. When the word you want
is in the list of predictions, select the word and continue typing the
next word. If the word you want is not on the list, continue typing
until it appears, or until you finish the word. When you finish your
sentence, Co-Writer will “send” it to your word processing program.
(The program will not send individual words into a document.)
Flexible Spelling
• Flexible Spelling is designed to aid beginning writers who are in the
phonetic or transitional stages of spelling. This feature can aid
students who include the following errors in their writing: phonetic
substitutions, common letter confusions, letter reversals, letter
omissions, letter additions, etc.
• Examples: balloon entered as bloon
hiked entered as hikt
man entered as nam
• To change settings on Flexible Spelling, select Flexible Spelling under
the Options menu. Select from the following options:
• Always: Flexible spelling begins with the very first letter typed.
• Start after 2 letters.
Changing Dictionaries
• If you are using an existing writer file, there are already dictionaries
associated with it. However, you can select or change the dictionaries.
Co-Writer will use in the current writer file at any time. Use the
Dictionaries menu to select dictionaries. Select Main Dictionary. Then
select level/size dictionary based on the dictionary description on the
bottom of the dialog box. Select OK to accept your choice.
Changing the Number of Words in the Word Prediction Box:
• Select the number of word choices (Format menu) to appear below
your sentence. (The number of word choices will automatically adjust
to fit in the Co-Writer window as it is resized.)
Scanner Pro App
• Scanner Pro allows you to scan paper documents into PDFs that look clean
and professional. This allows for pages not available digitally, they can be
scanned ie. workbook pages/handouts.
• To meet the needs of students: students that have limited access to fill in
the blank worksheets or questions that require extended written responses
due to limited motor abilities or poor handwriting, these allow students to
scan worksheets and type in their responses, then email completed work
to teachers.
• Extensive sharing capabilities makes it super easy to share and upload
scanned images. Scanner Pro can automatically upload PDFs to Dropbox or
Google Drive. You can also fax, send email or even print them.
PDF Expert 5 App
• This app is an essential application to store, read, annotate and sign
PDFs. Highlight, strike out, draw with your finger or make your notes!
Filling out PDF forms is a breeze. Smart zoom and intelligent snapping
makes it easier to edit PDFs the way you want it.
Ginger Software Program
•Ginger Software is a member of the
International Dyslexia Association (IDA) and
was developed primarily for helping people
with dyslexia and other learning disabilities.
For people with learning disabilities, using
Ginger is a life-changing experience, allowing
them to independently compose error-free
texts in English, sometimes for the first time
Ginger Software Program
• Usage: How Ginger can help people with Dyslexia and other
learning difficulties
• Ginger is an online spelling and grammar checker that relies on full
sentence context clues to help the user with the writing process. In
addition, Ginger Premium includes a Text-to-Speech feature that
allows users to listen to a word and its definition or sample sentence.
This helps users select the word they intended to use in cases where
they have difficulty identifying the word on the screen.
Speech Recognition
• Dragon and Voice Dictation Pages apps
• Benefits of speech recognition for struggling writers
• Populations that may benefit from speech recognition technologies for learning include
users with:
• Learning disabilities, including dyslexia and dysgraphia
• Repetitive strain injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome
• Poor or limited motor skills
• Vision impairments
• Physical disabilities
• Limited English Language
• Benefits for students with disabilities may include improved access to the computer,
increases in writing production, improvements in writing mechanics, increased
independence, decreased anxiety around writing, and improvements in core reading and
writing abilities.
Portable Word Processors
Fusion
• Every Fusion offers a full-featured word processor plus:
• Student Organization - Fusion offers individual, password protected workspace
for up to 16 separate users. Each workspace will contain named files and folders.
Easy and Organized.
• Text to Speech (optional upgrade) - It’s easy, just press the “Speak” key and listen
• Word Prediction - It’s easy too, just press the “Word Prediction” key to activate.
• WordStorm - offers a fantastic array of support options.
• Keyboard Instruction - Fusion offers a personal keyboard instruction program.
Perfect Form is a thorough program designed to develop quick and accurate
keyboard fluency.
• http://www.writerlearning.com/special-needs/fusion-features.php
Forte
• Developing "keyboard fluency" benefits all students. First step is keyboard
mastery, then application of those skills by using the Forte as a daily writing
tool. Improved writing skills, speed and digital-writing confidence follows:
• Word prediction
• Spell It!
• Calendar
• Keyboard instruction
• Math 101
• Organize student work space
• Thesaurus
• Split Screen
• Writing Checklists
• Writing Prompts
Case Study
• http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ719939.pdf
• This preliminary investigation of the use of mobile computing devices shows that
elementary and middle school students use them in a variety of ways, principal among
these is writing, both in and outside of class. The findings suggest both the
personalization of learning supported by such devices and their potential usefulness in
amplifying learning that may already be happening beyond the classroom. They also
suggest that students easily adapt the use of mobile computing devices to their own
needs and hint at the influence of classroom cultures. The findings hint at collaborative
uses of such devices as well, especially during the editing process. The results of this
study further indicate that use of mobile computing devices may increase student
motivation to learn and increase their engagement in learning activities, which in turn,
could lead to an increase in time spent on learning activities and higher quality work.
However, this study has some limitations that need to be considered when interpreting
the findings above. For one, as with any technology that is introduced in a learning
environment, there is always a novelty effect.
Alternative Reading Supports
Learning Ally
• We are a national non-profit dedicated to helping blind, visually
impaired and dyslexic students succeed in education. Started in 1948
in the New York Public Library as Recording for the Blind, the
organization utilized volunteers to record books for blinded veterans
returning from WW II. We now offer the world’s largest collection of
human-narrated audio textbooks and literature as well as solutions,
support and community for parents, teachers and students.
• This requires a paid subscription
• Free Learning Ally Link download for computers and Learning Ally app
for android and apple products.
Bookshare
• If you cannot read traditional print books because of a visual impairment,
physical disability or severe learning disability, Bookshare can help!
• Bookshare offers the world’s largest collection of accessible titles. As a result,
people of all ages, as well as schools and many organizations around the globe
can access the books they need for school, work, career advancement, skill
development and the simple love of reading in formats that work for them.
• How can you read Bookshare books?
• Listen to books with high quality text-to-speech voices
• Hear and see highlighted words on screen
• Read with digital braille or enlarged fonts
• Create physical braille or large print
• Read directly from your Internet browser
Natural Reader
• Natural Reader is a text-to-speech software with natural sounding
voices for Windows. This easy-to-use software can read to you any
text such as Microsoft Word files, webpages, PDF files, and E-mails.
• Natural Reader plays to your strengths – hearing rather than reading.
By hearing the material and simultaneously seeing the words
highlighted on your screen, your reading and comprehension
improve. Natural Reader can also read back as you type - by word or
by sentence. This delivers critical real-time feedback to help you
improve your coordination of sounds and letter combinations.
Reading Pen
• The ReadingPen2 is designed specifically to help readers improve their
reading skills. This fully portable scanning device helps with reading fluency
and comprehension by providing immediate definitions for scanned text.
Scanned text and definitions can be read aloud, allowing readers to
maintain their reading flow, even when encountering unfamiliar words.
• The pen displays scanned text in large characters and reads them aloud and
spells words letter-by-letter. It reads any printed material; use with books,
magazines and newspapers.
• Recommended for learning and mild intellectual disabilities and is a good
resource to help children and adults access reading materials they might
not otherwise be able to read. The Readingpen2 scans text and converts it
into voice output. The Readingpen2 and accompanying earbuds are well
made. With practice, this assistive technology device works very well. The
pen comes in a K-12 version and an advanced version suitable for high
school, post-secondary, career, or leisure reading.
Sentence Master
• The Sentence Master ensures success for students who have failed to learn using phonics
instruction or who are at risk of reading failure due to difficulties with oral language. It's
also effective with English language learners and students with impulsive learning styles.
• Linguistically- based reading program that integrates computer activities and print
materials. It addresses overcoming language deficits that we know exist in the vast
majority of poor readers- naming, syntax and comprehension. Each level of Sentence
Master consists of 8 different stories, 4 corresponding word activities and 8 story
booklets. Students follow a 3-step learning process to achieve success in reading.
• These programs:
• Increase reading comprehension
• Teach critical reading skills
• Foster independent reading
Suggested for:
• Autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, language-learning disorders,
hearing impairments, and AAC users
Additional Literacy Websites
• Natural Reader
• http://www.naturalreaders.com/features.html
• Ginger
• http://www.gingersoftware.com/solutions/ld_professionals.html
• Co-Writer
• http://donjohnston.com/cowriter/
• Learning Ally
• https://learningally.org/
Additional Literacy Websites
• Dyslexic
• http://dyslexia.yale.edu/Technology.html
• http://www.brighthubeducation.com/
• http://dyslexiahelp.umich.edu/tools/software-assistive-technology
• Bookshare
• https://www.bookshare.org
• http://familiestogetherinc.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/08/COMPUTERTECHNEEDS.pdf
• https://www.enablemart.com/readingpen-2
Additional Literacy Websites
• Writing
• http://www.callscotland.org.uk/common-assets/cm-files/posters/supportingwriting-difficulties.pdf
• Apps
• http://www.callscotland.org.uk/common-assets/cm-files/posters/ipad-appsfor-learners-with-dyslexia.pdf
Emergent Literacy Websites
http://www.childcareland.com/free.html
http://www.do2learn.com/
www.tinsnips.org
http://aex.intellitools.com/
http://www.aacintervention.com/nursery.html
www.doe.k12.de.us/cms/lib09/.../141/March2011.DE.Incl.Conf.pdf
http://www.setbc.org/Download/LearningCentre/Curriculum/Moderate_Profound
_Intellectual_Disabilities_Resource_List.pdf
Assistive Technology and Emergent
Literacy