Future Ready Learning

ADVANCING KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR NEW
TEACHERS: ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY
Illinois State University’s Department of Special Education is one of the largest special
education training programs in the nation. Recognizing the value of assistive technology
in meeting the needs of each student, the special education teacher preparation
program at the University includes an extensive emphasis on selection and use of
assistive technologies.
Classroom learning is brought to life through ongoing clinical and field-based
experiences in schools and at the university’s Special Education Assistive Technology
Center. The center provides hands-on experiences to pre-service teachers enrolled in
the special education programs at Illinois as well as opportunities for teachers, school
administrators, family members, and businesses to learn about assistive technologies.
Furthermore, faculty work in partnership with a variety of public, private, and residential
schools to enhance student field experiences and provide opportunities for
students to work with learners with a range of disabilities and in a variety of settings,
including rural, urban, and suburban areas.
BUILDING DIGITAL LITERACY IN TEACHING: UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND (URI)
A critical aspect of ensuring that young Americans learn appropriate digital literacy
skills is equipping educators at all levels with the same skills. To that end, URI offers
a graduate certificate in digital literacy for graduate students, classroom teachers,
librarians, and college faculty. By targeting a broad audience to participate in the program,
URI is expanding the number of educators with the professional capacity to help
students to learn, access, analyze, create, reflect, and take action using digital tools,
texts, and technologies in all aspects of their lives.
During the program, students are introduced to key theories of digital literacy in
inquiry-driven learning and given time to experiment with and explore a wide range of
digital texts, tools, and technologies. In collaboration with a partner, they create a project-based
instructional unit that enables them to demonstrate their digital skills in the
context of an authentic learning situation. Throughout the program, students participate
in hands-on, minds-on learning experiences; participants build a deeper understanding
of digital literacy while developing practical skills and have time to reflect on
the implications of the digital shift in education, leisure, citizenship, and society.
In its evaluation of the program, URI has found that participants experienced a
dramatic increase in digital skills associated with implementing project-based learning
with digital media and technology. Their understanding of digital literacy also shifted
to focus more on inquiry, collaboration, and creativity.
Fostering Ongoing Professional Learning
The same imperatives for teacher preparation apply to ongoing professional learning.
Professional learning and development programs should transition to support and develop
educators’ identities as fluent users of technology; creative and collaborative problem solvers;
and adaptive, socially aware experts throughout their careers. Programs also should address
challenges when it comes to using technology learning: ongoing professional development should
be job embedded and available just in time. 16
OFFICE OF Educational Technology
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