- University of Kansas, Center for Research on Learning, Department Memberadd
- Materialist/New materialist perspectives on teaching and learning; understanding the needs of diverse learners in online settings; activity and curriculumedit
When Generative AI (GenAI) such as Large Language Model programs (LLMs) became available for public use in late 2022, schools started to grapple with their capabilities (Kasneci, et al., 2023). For example, LLMs generate content such as... more
When Generative AI (GenAI) such as Large Language Model programs (LLMs) became available for public use in late 2022, schools started to grapple with their capabilities (Kasneci, et al., 2023). For example, LLMs generate content such as short stories and dialogues based on brief instructions given by users (Topsakal & Topsakal, 2022). LLMs may be deemed to have educational potential because it is believed that they can support children in generating or improving text. For children writing in home or school settings, the appeal might be strong because children need specific writing instruction to develop writing skills, yet there is little such instruction available in school settings (Barrett, et al., 2020; Harris & McKeown, 2022).
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Mary and Michael recently attended a conference about online and digital learning where the program was inundated with presentations about Large Language Models (LLM) and various other Generative AI (GenAI) products. The presenters were... more
Mary and Michael recently attended a conference about online and digital learning where the program was inundated with presentations about Large Language Models (LLM) and various other Generative AI (GenAI) products. The presenters were eagerly discussing ways in which GenAI would change online learning. Mary asked questions-sometimes unwelcome ones-about whether parents and young people in these online learning programs and their parents were being informed when GenAI developed their instructional materials; whether it was ethical to tell young people that when they as students use GenAI to generate all or mostly generate their essays, that is cheating, but when adults use it to all mostly generate lesson materials , that is ine; what the value was when a student used GenAI to (mostly) write an essay and the teacher used GenAI to (mostly) to give feedback; and that the popular LLM ChatGPT initially had a lower age limit of 18, which was summarily lowered, without explanation of why the product was suddenly deemed safe at 13 with parental consent. What are the implications for schools when technologies have these age limits or recommendations that slide around without explanation or reason? Mary also asked if there were any appropriately technical discussions with parents or students about what GenAI really even is and does. And by what GenAI really does, Mary meant programming-wise as well as economic and environmental impact. Are we training the children to accept a technology that will limit their employment prospects, or worse, irreparably harm the planet? (Merchant, 2023; Stone & Saul, 2024).
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Before, during, and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic there is a need to understand parent work in online, distance, and digital education. Findings from previous research highlighted the challenges that parents of children identified with... more
Before, during, and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic there is a need to understand parent work in online, distance, and digital education. Findings from previous research highlighted the challenges that parents of children identified with disabilities faced with little acknowledgment of the complexities and contextual nuances within and across studies. The purpose of this critical review was to use posthuman theories to engage in a diffractive reading of previous research and generate new insights. The diffractive reading revealed new understandings about the material construction of parents, called for the re-humanizing of the children who were mostly portrayed as burdens, demonstrated how parents engaged in the disentangling from technologies, and located agencies for affirmative ethics.
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Instructional coaching in schools has historically operated as both a professional role and as a strategy used to support teachers. While the work of instructional coaching was already shifting in response to educational trends and... more
Instructional coaching in schools has historically operated as both a professional role and as a strategy used to support teachers. While the work of instructional coaching was already shifting in response to educational trends and political pressures, the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic brought additional challenges and opportunities. The purpose of this self-study of teacher education practice (S-STEP) was to learn about the relational work of two instructional coaches and a university supervisor of those coaches' graduate work. The findings of this study emerged from our collaborative learning where we used the Greek myth of Niobe to think about the relational work of serving individual teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. We end this paper with implications for preparing instructional coaches to support teachers and suggestions for future research.
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The COVID-19 pandemic brought new tensions in determining how to enact representations of the professional and personal selves alongside digital technologies. In this paper, we explore those tensions as entangled enactments of agencies... more
The COVID-19 pandemic brought new tensions in determining how to enact representations of the professional and personal selves alongside digital technologies. In this paper, we explore those tensions as entangled enactments of agencies and identities related to simultaneous mothering and scholaring. Drawing on Barad's agential realist framework, our work acknowledges the inseparability of being and doing in its account for how our teaching, researching, feminist, maternal selves were constantly entangled with the thinking processes that occurred at the intersections of method-theory-data. This project does not adhere to conventional methodology or presentation expectations. We do not present this paper in the typified chronology comprising a clearly defined literature review, methods, and results sections. Instead, we invite readers into our project with a story. Then, we outline how our storytelling method and theoretical knowings emerged as data during our being and becoming in an in/visible pandemic-centered context.
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Special education technology and its use has largely focused on student concerns with accessing instruction. Where teachers have received attention, it has focused on classroom practices and their understanding of how to use technologies... more
Special education technology and its use has largely focused on student concerns with accessing instruction. Where teachers have received attention, it has focused on classroom practices and their understanding of how to use technologies to support students. While some conversations have recently turned to the importance of student identities regarding technologies in special education, the identities of special education teachers in relation to technology use has received less attention. This study takes a narrative inquiry approach to describe a special education teacher who claimed multiple intersecting cultural/ethnic identities and a disability status. The findings from this 2-year engagement highlight how the teacher grappled with using technologies, not just for student learning, but for broader commitments to justice in special education contexts. Implications of this study elaborate on the need to plan special education teacher preparation and support for technologies that honors commitments to equity.
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Understanding experiences in online educational settings is crucial to improving teaching and learning. The purpose of this paper is to describe Narrative Inquiry as a research methodology that has the potential create the relational... more
Understanding experiences in online educational settings is crucial to improving teaching and learning. The purpose of this paper is to describe Narrative Inquiry as a research methodology that has the potential create the relational opportunities necessary to understand experiences in online learning environments. In this article, I use an example from research conducted in a special educational setting to overview narrative inquiry methodology, explain its theoretical underpinnings, and highlight its potential to enhance current knowledge of how individuals live alongside one another in online educational settings. I will also explain how narrative inquiry can support the development of new insights about time and engagement in online learning. Then I address how narrative inquiry has the potential to advance equitable research practices in these settings. Finally, I offer suggestions for future research projects that leverage the conceptual strengths and methodological tools of narrative inquiry.
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Leading up to and now living amid the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers are faced with strong incentives, even pressure to adopt and use digital technologies. Previous research has focused on teaching with digital technologies as a matter of... more
Leading up to and now living amid the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers are faced with strong incentives, even pressure to adopt and use digital technologies. Previous research has focused on teaching with digital technologies as a matter of believing in their importance and receiving specific preparation for integration strategies. Further, teaching with technologies must appear "seamless" during instruction to not distract from what is regarded to be the more important subject matter knowledge. In this chapter, I review and problematize digital instruction focused on convincing teachers to integrate strategies that use digital technologies in a "seamless" way and then propose an alternative view emphasizing posthumanist, relational views of integrating digital technologies.
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As educators increase their use of digital technologies across learning modalities, some schools are experimenting with highly flexible models of learning that maximize opportunities to support learner preferences. The perceptions of... more
As educators increase their use of digital technologies across learning modalities, some schools are experimenting with highly flexible models of learning that maximize opportunities to support learner preferences. The perceptions of these programs by teachers, parents, and students are crucial for building and maintaining community support and securing funding for school practices that are innovative and educative. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of teachers, parents, and students working in a school using hybrid learning with individualized schedules. Perceptions of the school emerged as a sense of shared responsibility and united advocacy for students. Advocacy centered on (1) making instruction accessible and (2) providing appropriate instructional support. While there was agreement across participant groups on these themes, teachers described additional workloads. Implications include the need to build a united purpose around students while also supporting teachers.
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K-12 students who were identified or at risk of being identified as having disabilities had been entering learning environments that were fully or partially online. The increase in participation of this population and the emergency... more
K-12 students who were identified or at risk of being identified as having disabilities had been entering learning environments that were fully or partially online. The increase in participation of this population and the emergency circumstances during COVID-19 pandemic-related school building closures brought a need for research into what supports students in the full range of digital environments. The purpose of this article is to propose a research-based conceptual framework for Inclusive Online, Distance and Digital Education (IODDE) in K-12 settings. IODDE focuses on learners’ biopsychosocial needs alongside two major types of supports: policy supports, and direct learner supports. There are also two types of crucial access: digital access and instructional access. Ensuring learners’ success requires contexts where access and supports are in balance with learner needs.
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While Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as assistive technology for students with identified disabilities there is a need to understand the present literature and set new directions for future study. There is also a need to... more
While Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as assistive technology for students with identified disabilities there is a need to understand the present literature and set new directions for future study. There is also a need to consider how students that have been identified with disabilities and their families might be positioned by technologies that are supposed to facilitate educational processes. The purpose of this review was to identify relevant studies and determine their characteristics as well as describe the positions and orientations to these young people and their families. Moving into 2023, the research base was slim, yet there were troubling patterns emerging in how AI was positioned in the context of relieving the burden of working with young people identified with disabilities, rather than empowering young people and their families. Recommendations for future research and research practices are shared.
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Previous research about refugee students' experiences with online learning has focused on the challenges faced by refugee youth, their families, and schools without addressing what strengths families might bring to this type of learning.... more
Previous research about refugee students' experiences with online learning has focused on the challenges faced by refugee youth, their families, and schools without addressing what strengths families might bring to this type of learning. Further, while previous research has touched upon refugee youth and their families' substantial digital literacies, these strengths have not been widely applied in support of online learning. In this paper, we advocate for a holistic, asset-based approach to support and develop refugee families' digital literacy practices for use in online learning experiences. In doing so, we hope to countermand the suggestion that online learning is something refugee families can never benefit from or will only benefit from under an extremely narrow set of conditions. We begin by reviewing previous research about refugee populations and their digital literacies. Then we share Bronfenbrenner's socio-ecological framework for thinking about shared responsibility in digital and online learning that does not rely on individual students, families, schools, or communities as independent actors. Next, we apply the socio-ecological thinking that we propose to online learning for refugee families across various systems and share theoretical, design, and pedagogical implications. We conclude by offering some implications for research and reiterating the importance of asset framing and shared work in serving refugee and other vulnerable populations well.
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Principals can use their evaluating authority to find and acquire materials with built-in accessibility features. Educators unfamiliar with accessible features might have trouble evaluating these features, but many resources are available... more
Principals can use their evaluating authority to find and acquire materials with built-in accessibility features. Educators unfamiliar with accessible features might have trouble evaluating these features, but many resources are available to help gauge the accessibility of web interfaces and evaluate online instructional materials. The article reviews the most common accessibility features digital instructional materials should offer.
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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, schools had been adopting digital instruction in many parts of the world. The concept of digital literacies has also been evolv-ing in complexity alongside the digital technologies that support it. However,... more
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, schools had been adopting digital instruction in many parts of the world. The concept of digital literacies has also been evolv-ing in complexity alongside the digital technologies that support it. However, little is known about what guidance available to support various levels of government in supporting digital literacies alongside digital instruction in local schools. The purpose of this study was to determine what guidance for digital literacies U.S. state departments of education had made available through their websites to local schools just prior to the onset of the pandemic. Using qualitative content analysis techniques, digital literacies guidance information was located on U.S. state de-partments of education websites and analyzed. Most states did not indicate that they used guidance from professional organizations about digital literacies. The 16 states that did have guidance used standards from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), which have not been positioned by the organiza-tion as digital literacies standards, but instead reflect traditional understandings of Information Computing Technology (ICT). Implications of this study highlight potential strategies educational ministries might use to acknowledge and support digital literacies.
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This is a chapter in a course materials for teaching English learners. Five strategies are presented for modifying text to provide greater access to these students. The strategies are: 1. Matching Comprehension Strategy Instruction to... more
This is a chapter in a course materials for teaching English learners. Five strategies are presented for modifying text to provide greater access to these students. The strategies are: 1. Matching Comprehension Strategy Instruction to Text; 2. Implementing Standards-Based Vocabulary Instruction; 3. Using and Producing Multiple Texts; 4. Audio-Visual Text Modification; 5. Rewriting the Text. The entire book including this chapter is free and open access. Here is the citation and URL.
Rice, M. (2019). Text Modification: Ideas in Five Categories. In B. Allman, Principles of Language Acquisition. EdTech Books. Retrieved from https://edtechbooks.org/language_acquisition/text_modification_ideas_categories
Rice, M. (2019). Text Modification: Ideas in Five Categories. In B. Allman, Principles of Language Acquisition. EdTech Books. Retrieved from https://edtechbooks.org/language_acquisition/text_modification_ideas_categories
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Teaching children both at home through remote access and in person was considered a challenge by teachers to be sure (Rice, 2022). However, the experimentation with the HyFlex and other models of distance education has the potential to... more
Teaching children both at home through remote access and in person was considered a challenge by teachers to be sure (Rice, 2022). However, the experimentation with the HyFlex and other models of distance education has the potential to open additional space for thinking about critical issues of access and accessibility. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought attention to the need for online learning to be accessible on multiple fronts. First, the students need the option to enroll in online learning and not be turned away or discouraged (Ortiz et al., 2021). Second, they need an inter-net-ready device with the capability to run the required programs and applications for the course (Yan et al., 2021). Third, they need to be able to get online to do the course (Mac Domhnaill et al., 2021). Fourth, the on-line instructional materials must adhere to accessibility standards so that students can use and learn from them (Rice & Ortiz, 2021). The articles in this issue address access to online learning opportunities and access to materials. Learning from this research provides additional information that can support the development of high-quality online learning moving forward through and beyond the pandemic.
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In 2020, millions of students, including students with disabilities, transitioned to remote learning due to the COVID pandemic. In this article, we link key elements of special education law and policy to the challenges faced by schools... more
In 2020, millions of students, including students with disabilities, transitioned to remote learning due to the COVID pandemic. In this article, we link key elements of special education law and policy to the challenges faced by schools and suggest implications for educational leaders who continue to support students during the pandemic and beyond. Due to the requirements contained in the ongoing recommendations advanced by the Biden administration for the safe reopening of elementary and secondary schools, we call for a rethinking of how to adhere to such guidelines on behalf of students with disabilities, including those requiring significant supports. Suggestions for school leaders and future research and considerations related to the safe return to school and provision of special educational supports are offered.
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The purpose of this special issue of Distance Education is to share research and theorize distance/online education practices across higher education and school settings (K-12) that attend to the inclusion of learners with dis/abilities.... more
The purpose of this special issue of Distance Education is to share research and theorize distance/online education practices across higher education and school settings (K-12) that attend to the inclusion of learners with dis/abilities. Accepted manuscripts will represent exemplary scholarship, reflect international perspectives, and embody the spirit of inclusion in the use of terminology, study design, and theoretical framing.
Timeline
Submission of 500-word abstract ([email protected])
May 16, 2022
Notification and invitation of articles
May 20, 2022
First draft submitted through Manuscript Central to Distance Education July 18, 2022
Revision notifications
August 26, 2022
Second draft submitted through Manuscript Central September 26, 2022
Final notifications of acceptance
October 10, 2022
Timeline
Submission of 500-word abstract ([email protected])
May 16, 2022
Notification and invitation of articles
May 20, 2022
First draft submitted through Manuscript Central to Distance Education July 18, 2022
Revision notifications
August 26, 2022
Second draft submitted through Manuscript Central September 26, 2022
Final notifications of acceptance
October 10, 2022
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When parents enroll their children who qualify for special education services in fully online schools, that decision was an exercise of agency. Less is known about how parents understand and negotiate their agencies after enrolling.... more
When parents enroll their children who qualify for special education services in fully online schools, that decision was an exercise of agency. Less is known about how parents understand and negotiate their agencies after enrolling. Researchers interviewed 18 parents of children with special educational needs in fully online schools in the United States. Parents described using their agencies to blur the boundaries between their bodies and their children’s bodies so that schoolwork could be completed and so that their children’s bodies could be made more acceptable in the online school setting. Findings centered on being alone, but together with their child physically during online work, collaborating to maintain mutual engagement of bodies in online schooling, and the will to be successful to maintain these agencies.
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As more K-12 students with disabilities enroll in online courses, virtual schools and programs are working to make courses accessible through stronger course design. When course designers approach the issue of accessibility, they must... more
As more K-12 students with disabilities enroll in online courses, virtual schools and programs are working to make courses accessible through stronger course design. When course designers approach the issue of accessibility, they must comply with legal requirements and mitigate the challenges many students with disabilities face for literacy and learning. These challenges include a lack of vocabulary support and complex text in online course materials. This study describes qualitative research that sought to uncover strategies course designers used to meet accessibility standards and promote literacies online for all students, especially students with disabilities. Three strategies emerged as findings: (1) composing clear articulations of learning objectives, (2) promoting personalized and contextualized learning, and (3) planning for visual and audio representation of concepts. While the course designers displayed emerging understandings of accessibility, they were less adept at ad...
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Teachers and students require a range of tools to engage with visual texts. Using The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown (2013) as an exemplar text, we outline four conceptions of visual literacy: rhetorical, instructional, industrial... more
Teachers and students require a range of tools to engage with visual texts. Using The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown (2013) as an exemplar text, we outline four conceptions of visual literacy: rhetorical, instructional, industrial and visuo-spatial and discuss their use in our literacy education practice. In addition, we provide a brief model of a second text, The Arrival (Tan, 2013) and a list of suggested texts for students at different levels (elementary, middle, and high school). We argue that these tools have the potential to deepen conceptions of visual literacies and empower teachers and students to understand the many ways in which visual texts operate to send message and evoke response and engagement.
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Research Interests: Education, Educational Technology, Teacher Education, Political Science, Phenomenology, and 15 moreRural Development, English Language Arts, Rural education, Sustainable Rural Development, Secondary Education, Teacher Identity Formation, Teacher, Rural Planning and Development, Teacher Identity, Rural Develoment, Teacher Preparation, Teacher Professional Identity, Language Arts, Teachers Professional Development, and Max Van Manen
뀀ഀȠ 뀀ഀȠ Abstract—This paper is an autobiographical account of one junior high teacher's attempts to teach a Balanced Literacy curriculum with an emphasis on her experiences with English language learners (ELLs). The account is framed... more
뀀ഀȠ 뀀ഀȠ Abstract—This paper is an autobiographical account of one junior high teacher's attempts to teach a Balanced Literacy curriculum with an emphasis on her experiences with English language learners (ELLs). The account is framed chronologically from her first days of teaching through her final semester and is organized by her attention to her state's old English/language arts core, her state's new English/language arts core, the World-class Instructional Design Association (WIDA) standards for ELLs and finally, the Common Core Curriculum Standards (CCSS). At the end of her autobiography, the author emphasizes the lessons she learned about trying to overlay Balanced Literacy with standards as they evolved during her teaching career. Those lessons focus on the opportunities and limitations of teacher agency and what is means to sustain oneself and sustain other teachers in their attempts to engage in Balanced Literacy practices. I earned a bachelor's degree in Eng...
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Introduction T has been a dramatic increase and acceptance of online learning in the last decade. In its various forms, online learning has begun to disrupt the status quo of K–12 education and, in turn, special education. The growing... more
Introduction T has been a dramatic increase and acceptance of online learning in the last decade. In its various forms, online learning has begun to disrupt the status quo of K–12 education and, in turn, special education. The growing prevalence of K–12 online learning provides a grounded opportunity to reflect on traditions and redesign policies, systems, and practices. The Department of Education Office of Special Education recognized this need and in 2011 funded the Center on Online Learning and Students with Disabilities (COLSD), a partnership between the University of Kansas, CAST, and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE). The mission of COLSD was to identify trends, promising practices, and challenges in online learning for students with disabilities. To this end, COLSD has conducted numerous research projects and informational gathering activities. As has been documented in the COLSD publication, Equity Matters: Digital and Online Learning...
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As K-12 online learning continues to grow for all student populations, so should knowledge of best practices related to teaching students with diverse learning needs, including students with disabilities. The absence of a strong... more
As K-12 online learning continues to grow for all student populations, so should knowledge of best practices related to teaching students with diverse learning needs, including students with disabilities. The absence of a strong literature base provides a unique opportunity to explore teacher knowledge in these settings, particularly as they consider their role in the call for highly skilled, high-quality instruction for all students, regardless of disability status. This study explored descriptions of practice from fully-online teachers in their instruction of students with disabilities. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews of online teachers across a variety of grade levels. Analysis involved both thematic and theoretical elements to identify concepts for interpretation. Findings were divided into two major concepts: 1) online teachers’ learned practices about working with students with disabilities, and 2) online teachers’ sources of knowledge about “good” teachin...
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Purpose Many teachers and students in the USA and various parts of the world are migrating some aspects of education online out of necessity. The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe strategies of the self-regulated learning... more
Purpose Many teachers and students in the USA and various parts of the world are migrating some aspects of education online out of necessity. The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe strategies of the self-regulated learning (SRL) framework for K-12 students learning in online environments to support remote learning with online and digital tools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The SRL framework (Zimmerman, 2008) has been used consistently to support students in learning to work independently. This framework highlights three phases: planning, performing and evaluating. Previous research in K-12 online learning has yielded specific strategies that are useful. The paper identified and described the strategies to an audience seeking answers on how to meet the needs of students in online learning environment. Findings The main types of strategies that have emerged from previous studies include asking students to consider how they learn online, provi...
Online teacher professional development (oTPD) researchers have been concerned with design features, teacher change in practice, and student learning, as well as establishing guidelines for directing funding support. Even so, previous... more
Online teacher professional development (oTPD) researchers have been concerned with design features, teacher change in practice, and student learning, as well as establishing guidelines for directing funding support. Even so, previous work suggests that high-quality instructional support for all SWD is still on the horizon. As a response to the need for better instruction, professional development for SWD has emerged in all settings, including teachers who are not just receiving oTPD, but who are online teachers themselves. The purpose of this study was to use online teachers’ descriptions of their oTPD for SWD to learn about the professional learning opportunities available to teachers around serving SWD and their families. Teachers and administrators from various online/virtual learning schools around the country participated in this study. Even though teachers had SWD in their courses and were directly responsible for SWD, most teachers and administrators described few profession...
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When school buildings closed in Spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many teachers began instructing with online technologies. Schools in the United States remained obligated to provide all students access to learning under federal... more
When school buildings closed in Spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many teachers began instructing with online technologies. Schools in the United States remained obligated to provide all students access to learning under federal laws in these challenging circumstances. The purpose of this study was to learn from teachers of students with disabilities who were striving to ensure that their students would benefit from instruction using various technologies amid shifting instructional modalities. These teachers taught kindergarten, grade 3, grade, 6, and grade 10. The time periods of the study included the (1) Spring 2020 initial shutdown, (2) return to online learning in Fall 2020, (3) partial return to school buildings using a form of hybrid instruction in Spring 2021, and (4) so-called ‘return to normal’ in Fall 2021. Teachers focused their efforts on facilitating the inclusive use of technologies; evaluating and modifying digital instructional materials; and managing the tension between wanting the autonomy to choose technologies, while needing organized, sustained support. Implications of this study include considerations for the supporting teachers in sustaining the use of technologies that they enjoyed using and found useful for students.
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Students with disabilities and their parents face additional challenges in any educational environment, but little previous research maps these challenges in a online schools. The purpose of this study was to understand parent perceptions... more
Students with disabilities and their parents face additional challenges in any educational environment, but little previous research maps these challenges in a online schools. The purpose of this study was to understand parent perceptions of IDEA implementation for children with disabilities during the transition to fully online schooling. Specifically, the study focused on special education services and the preparation parents received for their new roles as on-site mentors. Multiple research strategies were used, including a survey of 58 parents and individual interviews with 15 respondents of those surveys. Findings of this study suggest that a generally welcoming demeanor of online school staff is integral to parent perceptions of the quality of the transition. However, two issues from the findings of this study raise concerns about state policies and local providers. First, students are losing many special education services without replacements appropriate to the online setting and, second, parents lack understandings about their changing roles when they enroll their children in online schools.
First 50 downloads free at
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/EBHF59IKNSXKGZIB2D7P/full?target=10.1080/08923647.2021.1979343
First 50 downloads free at
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/EBHF59IKNSXKGZIB2D7P/full?target=10.1080/08923647.2021.1979343
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With the large increase in online instruction, including remote instruction with online materials during the COVID-19 pandemic there also was an increase in the use of instructional materials that were made to be displayed online or were... more
With the large increase in online instruction, including remote instruction with online materials during the COVID-19 pandemic there also was an increase in the use of instructional materials that were made to be displayed online or were digitized for online use. However, teachers have not had access to guidance about how to select and evaluate online instructional materials for classroom use. The lack of guidance has the potential to harm historically excluded populations of students and could frustrate teachers as they learn to teach with digital materials. The purpose of this paper is to share the 4A Framework for evaluating online instructional materials. The framework is organized around the premise that quality online instructional materials are accessible, promote active engagement, advocate for inclusion, and are accountable for their relationships to standards and data privacy. Each feature is discussed and examples of teacher work in applying the framework are shared.
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An emerging research base has highlighted various roles and responsibilities that parents of students with disabilities accept when they enroll their children in online schools. Since finding and using online texts and using various... more
An emerging research base has highlighted various roles and responsibilities that parents of students with disabilities accept when they enroll their children in online schools. Since finding and using online texts and using various programs and applications that require search and evaluation skills to do work are typical for online learning, it follows that part of parent responsibilities in many families might involve using basic technological literacies or even more advanced digital ones. To focus on the range of technological literacies that parents employ, researchers gathered self-report data from parents about how they engage with online education technologies while working with their children with disabilities. Interviews with (n = 32) parents across six states in the West, Midwest, and Southern United States revealed that parents employ various skills with a specific set of purposes in mind. Literacies were used to (a) perform basic technological computing tasks, (b) evaluate information to supplement existing instructional materials, and (c) communicate with the school about children's needs. Reported purposes for using these skills emerged as (a) instructing, (b) monitoring, (c) advocating, and (d) learning school expectations. Implications of this study include the potential for literacy-based approaches to parent preparation for supporting vulnerable children in online settings.
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Mary Rice’s volume most certainly forms a vibrant story constellation (Craig, 2007) of stories of students/student stories. Of course, the grand narrative of adolescent boys sits in the background. But then there are the up-close, almost... more
Mary Rice’s volume most certainly forms a vibrant story constellation (Craig, 2007) of stories of students/student stories. Of course, the grand narrative of adolescent boys sits in the background. But then there are the up-close, almost tender details that Mary reveals as she characterizes the young men’s literate identities. Given the boys’ sensitivity to being featured as individuals, I will stick with Mary’s cumulative student story, which brings contrasts she has experienced in her interactions with adolescent boys sharply into focus. I want readers to sample Mary’s ‘‘simply elegant’’ writing style and the kinds of knowledge held and expressed in her storying and re-storying. Mostly, I want to compel readers to turn the page and begin reading this important work that fills a gaping hole in the literature and in the field. You will not be disappointed.
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This is a Powerpoint presentation enhanced with narration about writing and reviewing proposals for the AERA Online Teaching and Learning SIG.
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Learning to teach with online technologies, delivery systems, and modalities presents new demands as well as opportunities. For most teachers, adopting these new ways of planning, teaching, and assessing takes time and will not be smooth.... more
Learning to teach with online technologies, delivery systems, and modalities presents new demands as well as opportunities. For most teachers, adopting these new ways of planning, teaching, and assessing takes time and will not be smooth. Such was the case before the COVID-19 pandemic. The urgency with which schools migrated to emergency remote learning to conduct education over the internet demanded that teachers make these shifts suddenly and under the national and international gaze. In this chapter, we discuss the need for professional learning experiences that prepare practicing teachers for criticism of online learning generally as well as criticism of their specific online teaching practice. Using stories from the popular press and research conducted during the school building closures of 2020, we establish that many parents were critical of the education children were receiving online during the pandemic. Then, we review previous research about parent critiques of teaching, including online teaching and the need to communicate and build relationships with parents. We use those understandings to draw implications for professional learning that sustains practicing teachers by girding them against negative public comments.
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Since the 1980s, research about technological integration in education has relied on models that position teachers as inherently anxious and/or resistant. These models posit that the key to successful preparation and development is... more
Since the 1980s, research about technological integration in education has relied on models that position teachers as inherently anxious and/or resistant. These models posit that the key to successful preparation and development is helping teachers accept that they must abandon their concerns and use these technologies regardless of personal and contextual circumstances. This article has three purposes. First, it offers a critical view of these linear models; second, it proposes a model based on concepts of intra-activity and ongoing becomings in human/non-human interaction. Third, the article uses examples from data from rural English language arts teachers in the United States working to integrate technology into their teaching to illustrate how intra-activity and ongoing becomings offer a helpful contextualised, identity-based framework for thinking about teacher-technology collaboration over traditional models. The article ends with suggestions for adopting the concept of intra-active entangled becomings into formal teacher learning about technology integration. ARTICLE HISTORY
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Ensuring accessibility is an important concern for students with disabilities in online learning environments, including virtual schools. Previous research suggests that there is widespread confusion about what constitutes accessibility... more
Ensuring accessibility is an important concern for students with disabilities in online learning environments, including virtual schools. Previous research suggests that there is widespread confusion about what constitutes accessibility when designing instructional materials and who should be in charge of ensuring materials are accessible. Also, accessibility is often conflated with concepts like personalization, aesthetic appeal, and engagement. Accessibility is a critical issue as state educational agencies enable fully asynchronous classes with low levels of interaction between learners and teachers. As virtual schools come under corrective action failing to provide appropriate services to students with disabilities, learning about accessibility in those contexts is particularly vital. Moreover, states may begin to consider policies they made many years ago and determine their efficacy. In this study, 111 teachers from six virtual schools that were facing corrective action due to low graduation rates participated in a survey about their perceptions of the accessibility of the instructional materials for their online courses. The survey yielded a 42% response rate. Responding teachers perceived that their instructional materials were "somewhat" accessible with a wide dispersion of response data. Implications for these findings in light of previous research and in light of their corrective action status are offered. The study also stands as an example of a state reconsidering policies made before there was sufficient research to support a decision and the implications for critical data points like graduation rate.
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Inclusive education was always much more than sharing in-person space; moreover, in the present and in the future, what it means to share in-person space has changed radically. Instead, we have to focus on inclusion as a... more
Inclusive education was always much more than sharing in-person space; moreover, in the present and in the future, what it means to share in-person space has changed radically. Instead, we have to focus on inclusion as a community-building effort and as a commitment to access to the subject matter and instructional materials for all. This special issue serves as a call for technologies, application, and practices in online learning that offers real chances to learn and grow together.
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Please contact the authors for full text. In this teacher practitioner article, we share our experience presenting a humanities lesson in which students created a remix, or mashup, by combining contemporary fiction with historical... more
Please contact the authors for full text.
In this teacher practitioner article, we share our experience presenting a humanities lesson in which students created a remix, or mashup, by combining contemporary fiction with historical documents. Theoretical underpinnings of this project included the work of linguists Kress and Van Leeuwen, who noted that texts are shaped by multiple recontextualizations or remediations by different creators and users in different places at different times. Kellner's work exploring how readers use history to read texts and texts to read history also informed our practice, as did Bakhtin's conceptualization of the intertextual linkages and nesting of ideas. Our context was a private school in the southwest U.S., which began as an institution for assimilating indigenous youth. We presented this lesson to a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse 12 th grade class of ten students. The remix activity encouraged students to engage with the documents and to explore the tense relation between the ideals of our country and current realities. The lesson resulted in students grappling with current examples of racism in their lives and in society at large and producing works that showed understanding of the how the past is woven into the fabric of the present.
In this teacher practitioner article, we share our experience presenting a humanities lesson in which students created a remix, or mashup, by combining contemporary fiction with historical documents. Theoretical underpinnings of this project included the work of linguists Kress and Van Leeuwen, who noted that texts are shaped by multiple recontextualizations or remediations by different creators and users in different places at different times. Kellner's work exploring how readers use history to read texts and texts to read history also informed our practice, as did Bakhtin's conceptualization of the intertextual linkages and nesting of ideas. Our context was a private school in the southwest U.S., which began as an institution for assimilating indigenous youth. We presented this lesson to a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse 12 th grade class of ten students. The remix activity encouraged students to engage with the documents and to explore the tense relation between the ideals of our country and current realities. The lesson resulted in students grappling with current examples of racism in their lives and in society at large and producing works that showed understanding of the how the past is woven into the fabric of the present.
Research Interests:
In blended learning classrooms, children access digital curriculum and receive traditional instruction in a physical setting hence implementing intricate blended learning requires working closely with teachers to help them determine... more
In blended learning classrooms, children access digital curriculum and receive traditional instruction in a physical setting hence implementing intricate blended learning requires working closely with teachers to help them determine rhythms and patterns for their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of blended environment on students' classroom engagement and to study its potential in unpriv-ileged classrooms. Design-based research methods were used with 40 children from a fourth-grade standard class in an Indian elementary school. These methods included gathering and analysing data in several cycles. Quantitative data were collected through classroom observations for nine weeks where student engagement data was gathered and recorded. Interviews with four teachers were also conducted to collect information about the experience of introducing and implementing blended learning in their classroom. The findings revealed that blended learning ambience increases students' classroom engagement in an elementary classroom when teachers were supported with necessary proficiencies. Overall, the time spent in a blended learning environment had a positive effect on children' classroom engagement irrespective of gender and these effects emerged during nine weeks. The implication is that blended learning is potent in bringing positive changes in students' classroom learning engagement provided teachers getting necessary encouragements, even in schools with low technological infrastructure and underprepared but willing teachers.
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Research Interests:
We invited submissions that considered a wide variety of technologies, pedagogies, modes, and settings (e.g., K-12, higher education, and industry or corporate settings). In addition, we encouraged submissions that represented a range... more
We invited submissions that considered a wide variety of technologies, pedagogies, modes, and settings (e.g., K-12, higher education, and industry or corporate settings). In addition, we encouraged submissions that represented a range across multiple intersect-ing theoretical landscapes. Web-based learning technologies have greatly expanded open, flexible, and distance educational environments. Alongside this growth, efforts need to be made to meet the needs of diverse learners and increase our capacity for diversity, in all of its forms. While it might be tempting to think that online environments are inherently more accommodat-ing to diversity, Barbour and Reeves (2009) argued that the factors that make a student successful using learning technologies are often connected to socioeconomic privilege. Moreover, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that smooth transitions to online and distance learning are for those with resources, while most students have experienced considerable stress and anguish just finding a place where they could log on to the Internet or even a convenient way to communicate with their instructors. Most of what schools were doing could not even be called online or distance learning, with such terms as emergency or the milder remote learning applied instead (Hodges et. al., 2020).
This included, but was not limited to, critical race theory, critical pedagogies, disability studies, feminisms, heutagogy, and LGBTQIA+ studies. Five articles were rigorously peer-reviewed and selected for inclusion in this issue. Ideas that cut across these theories consist of democratization, encounters, and openness.
This included, but was not limited to, critical race theory, critical pedagogies, disability studies, feminisms, heutagogy, and LGBTQIA+ studies. Five articles were rigorously peer-reviewed and selected for inclusion in this issue. Ideas that cut across these theories consist of democratization, encounters, and openness.
Research Interests:
During this self-study of teacher education practices research, I studied modeling—its limitations and affordances—and then captured instances when I tried to be a super model of effective teaching practice. I paid attention to various... more
During this self-study of teacher education practices research, I studied modeling—its limitations and affordances—and then captured instances when I tried to be a super model of effective teaching practice. I paid attention to various learning theories and research perspectives as I modeled as well, considering which of these theories might provide superior opportunities to teach my subject matter while teaching about teaching. My research question for this work was: What are the major tensions in modeling as part of my teacher education practice?
Rice, M. (2020). Supermodel … You better work! Tensions in modeling my teacher education practice. In C. Edge, A. Cameron-Sanderford, and B. Bergh (Eds.)Textiles and tapestries: Self-study for envisioning new ways of knowing. Self-study of teacher education practices SIG. https://edtechbooks.org/textiles_tapestries_self_study https://edtechbooks.org/textiles_tapestries_self_study/super_model_you_better_work
Rice, M. (2020). Supermodel … You better work! Tensions in modeling my teacher education practice. In C. Edge, A. Cameron-Sanderford, and B. Bergh (Eds.)Textiles and tapestries: Self-study for envisioning new ways of knowing. Self-study of teacher education practices SIG. https://edtechbooks.org/textiles_tapestries_self_study https://edtechbooks.org/textiles_tapestries_self_study/super_model_you_better_work
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This webinar highlights recent scholarly inquiry into the experiences of educators in fully online schools as they work to serve students with disabilities; issues in instruction, supervision, relationship building/collaboration, and IEP... more
This webinar highlights recent scholarly inquiry into the experiences of educators in fully online schools as they work to serve students with disabilities; issues in instruction, supervision, relationship building/collaboration, and IEP compliance are major topics.
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The chapters in this book share examples of teachers and teacher educators using local knowledges to illustrate the practical of curriculum making (Schwab, 1969). Instead of painting a dark picture, the authors seek to illuminate spaces... more
The chapters in this book share examples of teachers and teacher educators using local knowledges to illustrate the practical of curriculum making (Schwab, 1969). Instead of painting a dark picture, the authors seek to illuminate spaces that “…promote practices which both expand and legitimize students’ literacy toolkits” (Liz´arraga & Guti´errez, 2018, p. 41). As editors, we present layers of literacy stories from a set of dedicated educators from diverse races, cultures, languages, gender and sexual identities, educational positions, and life experiences. These teachers and teacher-educators share narratives about experiences in teacher preparation courses, classrooms, and community spaces in New Mexico. More than an “ah ha” moment, educators share moments when they made striking connections, understood new ideas about their students, came to understand the context of their teaching in ways that truly altered their practice,
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Teachers have been asked to do virtually everything—plan fantastic educational lessons, manage behavior, use technologies to engage and promote learning, assess and report to stakeholders, build strong relation-ships, advocate for... more
Teachers have been asked to do virtually everything—plan fantastic educational lessons, manage behavior, use technologies to engage and promote learning, assess and report to stakeholders, build strong relation-ships, advocate for students, keep family secrets, and more. However, as technologies have progressed and become more widely available, and as the COVID-19 pandemic set in, teachers are now being asked to do everything, virtually. This book was born from this shift in paradigms. It is both story and vision, and it is about how English language arts (ELA) teachers are learning to do everything virtually—through virtual and augmented reality technologies. This book is offered as a preliminary guide and resource to the emerging possibilities of VR/AR. The chapters here explore the use of VR/AR in secondary ELA classrooms and provide a roadmap for those who want to understand VR/AR better, as well as see concrete examples of how these technologies have been used in ELA classrooms. The book is divided into three sections: The first section begins with an overview of previous research and offers readers ways to conceptualize the use of VR/AR in ELA teaching. The second section contains examples of practical uses of VR/AR in traditional classrooms through literature teaching, virtual field trips, and the use of VR goggles to promote writing development. The third part of the book focuses on interdisciplinary work in ELA teaching. Topics include geolocation and bomb-making. After all, ELA is a discipline that can accommodate interdisciplinary integration well (Davis, 1999).
ISBN 9781793629852 (Cloth : acid-free paper) | ISBN 9781793629869 (eBook)
ISBN 9781793629852 (Cloth : acid-free paper) | ISBN 9781793629869 (eBook)
Research Interests:
Rice, M., & Dykman, B. (2018). The emerging research base for online learning and students with disabilities. In R. Ferdig and K. Kennedy (Eds.) Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 189-206). Pittsburgh, PA: ETC... more
Rice, M., & Dykman, B. (2018). The emerging research base for online learning and students with disabilities. In R. Ferdig and K. Kennedy (Eds.) Handbook of research on K-12 online and blended learning (pp. 189-206). Pittsburgh, PA: ETC Press.
Students served under federal civil rights laws (i.e., IDEA, Section 504) are entitled to enroll in the full range of online
learning environments and receive mandated services. Attending to these students’ needs has presented challenges for
educators in online schools, but research that would inform decision-making and planning has been scarce. This chapter
provides some context for serving students with disabilities online and summarizes previous research reviews this topic.
In addition, this chapter updates research findings from an original chapter in the first Handbook of K12 Online and
Blended Learning Research. New findings suggest that students with disabilities are enrolling in online courses, but gaps
in understandings about student outcomes, accommodation and service delivery, and educator preparation and support
persist. The chapter ends with suggestions for applying research to practice, engaging in additional research, and forming
policies ensuring students with disabilities receive services.
Students served under federal civil rights laws (i.e., IDEA, Section 504) are entitled to enroll in the full range of online
learning environments and receive mandated services. Attending to these students’ needs has presented challenges for
educators in online schools, but research that would inform decision-making and planning has been scarce. This chapter
provides some context for serving students with disabilities online and summarizes previous research reviews this topic.
In addition, this chapter updates research findings from an original chapter in the first Handbook of K12 Online and
Blended Learning Research. New findings suggest that students with disabilities are enrolling in online courses, but gaps
in understandings about student outcomes, accommodation and service delivery, and educator preparation and support
persist. The chapter ends with suggestions for applying research to practice, engaging in additional research, and forming
policies ensuring students with disabilities receive services.
Research Interests:
For the special education teacher, the online course environment represents challenges and opportunities that are different from those experienced in the traditional face-to-face setting. This chapter presents practical and research-based... more
For the special education teacher, the online course environment represents challenges and opportunities that are different from those experienced in the traditional face-to-face setting. This chapter presents practical and research-based applications to guide special educators in the exciting and sometimes complex online environment. The chapter is framed around six questions that address issues of placement into fully online or blended learning environments, the development and implementation of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), curriculum making and the timing of instructional delivery, facilitating learner independence and self-determination, communication with learners and their families, and collaboration with families and colleagues to build relationships that support student learning. The chapter ends by turning readers back to thinking about the practical as it applies to teacher and learners successful transition to online learning.