EDUC 477/698O:

Universal Design/AT for Learning and Literacy for English Language Learners in the General Classroom Setting

Syllabus

Instructor: Davina Pruitt-Mentle
Office: 2127 Tawes
Phone: (301) 405-8202
email: dpruitt@umd.edu
GA: Kim Reddy and Carla Doernberg
Email: ksimpso1@umd.edu or carla629@umd.edu
Website: http://www.edtechpolicy.org/
Office Hours: By appointment
Credits: 3 credits


Course Description:

A number of technologies encourage and support the development and maintenance of high levels of language proficiency. The Internet brings authentic language and cultural experiences to students and provides opportunities for them to interact with native speakers. To ensure appropriate education for all students, teachers must enter the classroom equipped with the content knowledge, diverse instructional strategies, and technology integration skills. This course will help amplify teachers’ skills in these areas by adding the additional knowledge of AT devices, Universal Design, curriculum adaptation and integration strategies to help ALL students in the general classroom setting. Participants will learn about the principles of UDL and its application to literacy curriculum for ESOL, to include cross-language relationships, language learning differences, and inclusive teacher practices. Universal Design for Learning and Literacy provides a framework for individualizing learning in a standards-based environment through flexible pedagogy and tools.

Goal:

Amplify teachers’ skills in these areas by adding the additional knowledge of AT devices, Universal Design, curriculum adaptation and integration strategies, and assessment and evaluation protocols for ALL students in the general classroom setting.

Objectives:

With the focus on theories and practices of computer-assisted language learning, the participants in this course will be able to: l:

  1. Promote universal access to learning and communication through technology and discuss universal design principles in the context of general education environments and curriculum materials;
  2. Explore research on technology alternatives that address students' communication needs across all subject matter areas and all K-12 levels in the context of equity, ethical and legal issues in using technology in schools (MTTS IV);
  3. Create appropriate contexts in which ESOL students interact and negotiate meaning in the computer-assisted classroom;
  4. Effectively evaluate software and technology-based projects and activities for use in their own classrooms.
  5. Develop new computer-enhanced tasks and adapt existing computer-based tasks to suit the needs of their learners, which support "assistive technology" in both interactive and communicative settings and enable learners who have "language differences" and "language disabilities" to benefit from advances in communications technology;
  6. Understand the importance and use of on-going assessment in the classroom which illuminates the importance of the interaction as the group's "classroom culture" commingles with individuals' learning characteristics in language, culture, and disabilities;
  7. Provide a selective research review, including effective UD instruction in the general classroom, that assists teachers as they reach out to all their culturally and linguistically diverse students, some of whom have disabilities;
  8. Review legislative policies and mandates that led to all educators becoming familiar with AT/UD options and become familiar with different technologies and strategies available to meet the mandates designed by IDEA (The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act-IDEA '97, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Maryland COMAR regulations that support student access to and progress in the general curriculum which are applicable and benefit ESOL populations. To include:
  9. Explore the process for finding the right technology and the right applications for culturally diverse populations, and determine how to pay for it;
  10. Explore and discuss how to establish a technology team with an assistive technology representative, perform a school wide assessment of all student needs and develop a school and/or classroom tech plan;
  11. Share knowledge of important issues and trends related to assistive technology-enhanced content through online collaborative group discussions and reflect upon student experiences in a Web enhanced/Web-based course;

Readings:

Recommended readings are included in this syllabus. Others can be found at www.edtechpolicy.org and within a WebCT supplement.

Texts:

Not Required to Purchase:

Methodology:

This course will utilize a combination of on-line lecture (and if needed face-to-face lecture) and reading materials, hands-on experiences, discussions, virtual guest speakers, case study analyses, group work and projects to help participants understand effective strategies for integrating assistive technology into their classroom (when and where appropriate) .

Student Expectations and Procedures:

  1. Students are expected to obtain and actively use a computer account with access to the Internet and WebCT discussion site (the University provides such accounts free to enrolled students.) Students are expected to use anti-virus software and backup all work. Since the course will primarily meet on-line it is of importance that you assure that your computer access can easily support the WebCT environment. WebCT Student Manual - http://www.courses.umd.edu/studentmanual/
  2. Completion of assigned tasks and readings prior to each class (the preset catalog time) is required in order to facilitate student learning.
  3. It is expected that students will initiate, participate in and facilitate on-line discussions on course topics, issues and readings.
  4. If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations please contact me as soon as possible.
  5. Students missing the deadline for an assignment must make immediate arrangements with the instructor to fulfill that requirement before the next class session.
  6. Please carefully edit all written assignments. A lack of care in proofreading or composition can negatively effect your final grade.
  7. The citation style employed should be accurate, acceptable, and recognizable (MLA, Chicago or APA) practice. The American Psychological Association (APA: http://www.apa.org ) style of citation is preferred. For quick basics, visit:
  8. The University of Maryland has developed a policy describing appropriate academic conduct. Turning in assignments that use substantial portions of the work of others without attribution is considered plagiarizing and is specifically prohibited. Please review information regarding the Honor Code and other academic integrity policies at: http://www.jpo.umd.edu/conduct/conduct.html.
  9. Should you find it necessary to take an Incomplete (I) in this class, please complete the standard UMCP Incomplete Contract form available in the College of Education Access Center, 1210 Benjamin Building, two weeks before the end of the semester.
  10. No part of any lecture or course content may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any informational storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the instructor.

Instructor Responsibilities

Just as we have high expectations for students, we also have high expectations for ourselves. Students should expect that the instructor for this course will:

  1. Be prepared for class, read and return students' work in a timely manner, and be interested and engaged in students' work;
  2. Remember that each student brings different background knowledge about both content and online experiences to this course, as well as help students develop their personal interests whenever possible;
  3. Help students identify sources of additional substantive and methodological expertise, as needed;
  4. Meet with students individually or in groups upon request and be available in person, by telephone, and by email to answer questions; and
  5. Work hard, have fun and empower students to plan and engage in high quality discussions and experiences.
  6. Email with students is not always a low threshold technology. Students sometimes feel that faculty/instructors should be available to answer questions 24/7 or whenever the student is online. This expectation of an immediate response can occasionally create a negative communication environment. Students' emails can also add significantly to faculty/instructor workload. While my past performance has indicated that I return emails promptly (sometimes to students surprise within minutes), in order to eliminate the possibility of problems due to assumptions, the following is the course minimal guideline: All emails will be answered within 24 hours of receipt except on weekends (begins after 4:00 on Friday)-which may take longer. I do however; HIGHLY recommend that you send emails whenever a question arises, while the above is only a statement of minimal expectations on my part.

Grading Policy and Rubrics:

Grades will be based on the on-time completion of course requirements and on the scope, quality and creativity of the papers/projects. Consideration will also be given to the content, clarity of writing and creativity of work in assignments completed for this course. The extent and quality of participation in course discussions (face to face and virtual) will also be evaluated in determining the final grade. The relative portion of the grade assigned to each course component will include:

  1. Participation in face to face/on-line discussion threads and scheduled chat sessions (~3-5 chats will be scheduled throughout the semester. Dates and times are determined by the group-chats are mandatory/worth double points/200 instead of 100 points) and follow up replies (25%)
  2. Mini-assignments and activities (i.e., consultant case studies, one field trip or demo session will be scheduled to visit AT products) and evaluation, critiquing, and discussion of peer work (25%)
  3. Group IEP (Individualized Education Plan—based on ESOL case study, not 508) Exercise/Lesson Plan (20%)
  4. Individual IEP (Individualized Education Plan—based on your own ESOL student/s, not 508) Exercise/Lesson Plan (20%)
  5. Final Reflection -- reflecting on your own ideas and practices as well as on those introduced in this course -informal discussion thread (10%)

The evaluation criteria for this course are described in more detail in the grading rubric.

The grading rubric describes participant performance expectations and efforts most valued. Professionalism, completeness, timeliness and quality are all considered in the evaluation process.

Chat Times are periodically scheduled to support group work, bring in a guest speaker or just to get class feed back. The times and days will be a collaborative decision-we will try to pick a set time and day when we can all attend. We can communicate this via email or discussion thread.

Tentative Course Outline

The class will take place online except as noted below.

Break in Class

Final Reflection, Final Project and all work (discussion threads/group project) due by February 15th, 2007