Reflections from the Tech Alliance
Authors: Samantha Goldman; info@ciddl.org
During the 2023-2024 academic year, CIDDL received a supplement from the Office of Special Education to create the Tech Alliance, a cohort of faculty from Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs) looking to further integrate and leverage technology into their preparation programs. This cohort was designed to be a representative sample, including campuses of varying sizes, locations, demographics, and technology use levels. These institutions were selected for their commitment to increasing technology integration across their special education departments. This project aimed to increase collaborations across programs, leverage technology, and provide technical assistance. The participating institutions and programs included Alabama A& M University, California State University, Chico, Georgia Southern University, Indiana State University, University of Central Missouri, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, University of Idaho, University of Maine, University of Southern Mississippi, and the Washington Education Association. In this blog post, we will highlight the reflections from a few of the participating institutions. To learn more about their participation in the Tech Alliance including their goals, implementation plans, and next steps, and for additional resources you can implement in your program, check out our newly published Case Studies.
Georgia Southern University
Representing Georgia Southern University in the Tech Alliance were Dr. Adam Carreon and Dr. Caitlin Criss. The College of Elementary and Special Education at Georgia Southern University, located in Statesboro, GA, serves over 1,100 undergraduate students across five programs with 33 full-time faculty members. The college offers courses in traditional in-person, asynchronous, and site-synchronous formats.
Dr. Carreon and Dr. Criss investigated technology implementation in their initial certification program, where faculty primarily used basic tools like Google Docs and PowerPoint. Pre-service students often needed to be more open to exploring technology beyond their field placement classrooms. However, Carreon and Criss reported that their participation in the Tech Alliance yielded positive results. It enabled them to understand better their program’s current technology usage and set goals for enhancing technology implementation in their pre-service teacher program. Despite facing institutional barriers, they recognized that fostering a technology culture is challenging but essential.
As part of their participation in the Tech Alliance, Drs. Carreon and Criss created several resources to share with the greater CIDDL community. These resources include a modified version of the CIDDL-created Needs Assessment and a Tech Spotlight newsletter (view their examples for Humata.AI and Ludia). Additionally, in conjunction with CIDDL liaison, Dr. Sean Smith, Dr. Carreon created a training on AR, VR, and XR for another Tech Alliance institution.
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Representing the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa in the Tech Alliance were Dr. Cindy Farley, Dr. Kavita Rao, Dr. Rumi Heine, Dr. Natalie Haggerty, Dr. Lyndsey Conradi, and Dr. Jerae Kelly. The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, located in Honolulu, Oahu, has about 19,000 students. Faculty members of 33 to 40 make up the Department of Special Education, which offers four undergraduate programs, a post-baccalaureate certificate, and a reading intervention program through in-person, online, and hybrid formats.
The University of Hawai’i at Mānoa team developed program-level technology integration maps, utilized mentor feedback to inform a statewide technology map, and conducted a gap analysis to identify professional development needs and proposed relevant training topics. Programs help pre-service teachers become knowledgeable about using technology to support students with disabilities. Further discussions are needed for purposeful technology integration and creating a repository for effective strategies and resources.
As part of their participation in the Tech Alliance, the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa team created several resources to share. They created curriculum maps for their bachelor of education in special education program, their exceptional students and elementary education program, their extensive support needs program, and their reading intervention program. Additionally, they created a website designed for use by K-12 teachers, teacher educators, and postsecondary educators. Universally Designed was developed by Cary Torres and Dr. Kavita Rao.
University of Southern Mississippi
Representing the University of Southern Mississippi in the Tech Alliance were Dr. Alisa Lowrey, Dr. Stacy Reeves, and Dr. Leonard Troughton. The University of Southern Mississippi boasts a diverse student body across its Mississippi campuses and a NASA collaboration. Their School of Education offers both special education (online graduate program) and elementary education programs, with a focus on inclusivity in their graduate population.
The University of Southern Mississippi aimed to update their curriculum with technology tools and integrate assistive technology (AT) into their special education program. Through faculty surveys and CIDDL resources, they redesigned their M.Ed. coursework and shared technology tools with faculty and students. Drs. Lowrey, Troughton, and Reeves reflected on their experiences in the Tech Alliance, highlighting the need for more development time and personalized technology use. They are enthusiastic about using AI-powered tools like Magic School and the learnings are being applied to revamp the Master's in Education program.
As part of their participation in the Tech Alliance, the University of Southern Mississippi team created several resources to share. These include a statement on technology that can be utilized in syllabi, a sample revised syllabus that includes the ISTE standards, technology statement, and university statement on AI, and a Tech Blitz on using Go React in teacher education. Additionally, Dr. Lowrey, in conjunction with their CIDDL liaison Dr. James Basham, led a professional learning for the University of Southern Mississippi on the Tech Alliance and artificial intelligence.
University of Central Missouri
Representing the University of Central Missouri in the Tech Alliance were Dr. Theresa Earles-Vollrath, Dr. Pik Wah Lam Chesnut, Dr. Lane Maxcy, Dr. Lisa Robbins, and Dr. Tara WIlliams. The University of Central Missouri (UCM), located in Warrensburg, Missouri serves approximately 14,000 students. UCM offers over 150 programs of study at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, with a significant population of international students representing 36 countries. The Department of Special Education and Behavior Analysis at UCM is part of the College of Education. The department includes two tenured faculty members, one assistant tenure-track faculty, one visiting assistant faculty, two instructors, and approximately five adjuncts. It offers a variety of programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
UCM’s Tech Alliance Team enhanced technology integration in their teacher preparation programs by adopting and modifying the Technology Integration Planning Cycle, developing a task analysis and flowchart, and incorporating these tools into methods courses. They emphasized continuous improvement through surveys and ongoing education for both faculty and students to ensure alignment with current technological practices in school districts. UCM successfully met their goals of enhancing technology integration in their teacher preparation programs and gained valuable insights into aligning their curriculum with current technological practices. Moving forward, they plan to refine their framework based on survey data, expand its implementation, and provide ongoing professional development for faculty to stay updated with new technologies.
As part of their participation in the Tech Alliance, the University of Central Missouri team created several resources to share. They adapted the Educational Technology Planning Framework to provide structured guidance for evaluating educational technology. Additionally, they designed a Lesson Plan Technology Survey to assess familiarity and comfort with various technologies.
Indiana State University
The Indiana State University team included Dr. Lynn Scott and Dr. Rebecca Hinshaw. Founded in 1870 in Terre Haute, Indiana State University offers over 100 undergraduate degrees and enrolls about 8,669 students. The Bayh College of Education has 34 full-time faculty, serves 954 students, including 416 undergraduates, and hosts four centers to support future educators.
Drs. Scott and Hinshaw analyzed baseline data to enhance preservice teacher preparation through technology integration, identified gaps, and developed a syllabus rubric for continuous improvement. They improved technology integration in the special education curriculum by creating a syllabus rubric. This led to a 32.34% average increase in assessment scores, fostering ongoing improvements and professional development. Future efforts will expand assessments and enhance educators’ and students’ access to advanced technologies.
As part of their participation in the Tech Alliance, the Indiana State University team created several resources to share. The first resource is a syllabus rubric that evaluates technology integration in special education courses, focusing on instructional strategies, practical applications, and technology tools. It helps instructors identify strengths and areas for improvement and enhances course alignment with evidence-based practices and technology integration. They also created a sample syllabus calendar integrating advanced technology tools like assistive technologies and AI applications to improve special education instruction. University faculty can use it to model effective digital platform use in lesson planning, while others might adopt it to modernize teaching strategies and improve pedagogy.
Next Steps
These reflections from a few Tech Alliance members highlight the significant strides in integrating technology into special education programs across diverse institutions. Through collaborative efforts and shared resources, faculty members were able to identify gaps, set actionable goals, and implement innovative solutions tailored to their unique contexts. The positive outcomes reported underscore the importance of fostering a technology culture within educational settings. These institutions demonstrated that meaningful advancements in technology integration are achievable with commitment and support.
Join the Conversation
With the fall semester in full swing, the CIDDL community is collaborating on fresh strategies to enhance technology use in teacher preparation programs. Join the conversation in our community! Share your resources and learn from others.