Reading Technology

Temple, Elise. (2003). Changes in Brain Function in Children with Dyslexia after Training. In The Phonics Bulletin, vol 1. (pp. 1-3). Cornell University Press.

Responding to Textbook Unit 2: Curriculum and Instructional Design

Summary

This article highlights the advent of FMRI technology which projects visual images of brain function (rather than just brain structure as in a traditional MRI) in adults and children. Such technology proves especially helpful for children with developmental dyslexia. A 2003 study showed that reading and language interventions which focus on oral language and auditory processing increased changes in brain function and improved reading and language ability in children with dyslexia. The specific intervention was a computer-based intensive program that helps children discriminate amongst rapid auditory signals. It also emphasizes other aspects of oral language, including auditory attention, memory processing, phonological processing and listening comprehension, all areas of deficit for children with dyslexia. While the implications of this study are widespread, this research proves specifically helpful to reading and writing instructors. Specific remediation and intervention treatments (especially those which occur early on in a child's academic career) boost reading and language skills and are suspected to drastically improve student scholarship and achievement long-term. The study also shows dyslexia is not simply a matter of children "not trying hard enough", but rather the brain research proves there are biological aspects of dyslexia which can be partially "normalized."

Reaction

The connection to technology in this article was evident, though mainly through a medical diagnosis and/or treatment standpoint. The technology I found most interesting was the computer reading intervention program called Fast ForWord Language, and yet, little attention was given to this technology. In a number of special education research journals and texts, high-tech reading intervention programs have been suggested for classroom use in the past decade, yet the phenomenon has only recently begun to catch on. My guess is that part of the problem may be funding. Some computer programs (such as Fast ForWord Language as described in the study) cost several thousands of dollars for a single installation dvd. In order for such programs to be useful on a school-wide or classroom-wide scale, there would need to be a number of computers available as well. That said, the potential for technology to improve the language, reading, writing and speaking skills of students with disabilities is paramount.

Students with disabilities often miss the opportunity to gain the benefit of the reading and writing experiences that surround young children on a daily basis. From shopping lists and television guides to email and computer games, most young children interact with texts (in the broader sense of the term) virtually all day, everyday. For children with disabilities, especially those with language-based disabilities such as dyslexia, ADD and ADHD, much of this textual information is lost on them. Without appropriate supports, students with cognitive or reading/writing disabilities fall into the literacy failure cycle: attempt to read, fail at reading, become frustrated, avoid reading, lack practice at reading, lack improvement, lose motivation, lose self-esteem and avoid further attempts to read. Ultimately, this cycle leads to illiteracy or alliteracy and students who fall into this category begin to show signs of failure in virtually all other subjects in school. This begs the question, how can educators support struggling readers and writers, or those who can’t access regular books and/or writing tools? Research shows that educators can adapt the materials so that the student with a disability can participate in the same curricular events as their classmates.

It is clear that without frequent and substantial interactions with texts, students cannot become better readers. But, reading more of the same material students with disabilities already struggle with does not seem to be the solution, and reading preschool level books does not help older children’s self esteem. And while the technology examined in the Temple article poses great potential, the high cost renders it inaccessible and unrealistic for use in most public schools where budgetary concerns and expenses are already maxed out. Therefore, I believe teachers need to be particularly creative when searching for ways to bring new technology into the classroom.

When I visited the Ershig Assistive Technology Resource Center (E-ATRC) in Miller Hall, I specifically searched for assistive technology equipment that could increase or improve literacy skills for students with disabilities. To my surprise, I found many products which ranged from low to high technology. While some of the higher technology items were intriguing (such as Blackberries, specialized lap tops with sound recognition mechanisms, high tech digital cameras, etc), I chose to focus my search on the low/light technology products. Because often times financial cost is a challenge for schools, and many students with learning disabilities are ineligible for services under IDEA or section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act because their intelligence/achievement discrepancy is not great enough, researching low-cost and low-technology products to aid students with disabilities seems to make the most sense. The more familiarity I have with kinds of accommodations that are affordable, readily available and easy to use, the better equipped I will be to aid students with disabilities in my English classroom. For, while high technology products have more features, can be easily individualized and can be tailored to a specific lesson or subject, they are also less user friendly than low-tech products and they are generally expensive. For example, the Quicktionary Reading Pen is a handheld device that scans words, provides definitions, and reads words aloud. This device retails for almost $300 USD. A similar device, the Speaking Homework Whiz, is a handheld spell checker that articulates words and definitions aloud and retails for less than a third the price of the reading pen. Both devices are examples of accommodations which can change how students with disabilities access information and demonstrate learning. Both items can increase fluency, providing speedy definitions for unknown words, and increase language skills by providing pronunciation examples. But, these technologies do not solve the problem of the “text”, they only supplement it.

Adapted books based on trade books change the text to make it simpler, use symbols to interpret difficult terms, utilize larger-sized print, include sound-effects, recorded speech and or reduce complex sentence structure. Adaptive texts can be created using Boardmaker, Writing with Symbols 2000, or Picture It. Slide shows can be created with PowerPoint by scanning text into computers, which can allow you to include recordings, images, etc. The E-ATRC at WWU offered a line of Start-To-Finish Books. This series, created by Don Johnston Inc., offers over fifty titles in three formats (audio tape, CD-ROM, and adapted book) to provide multiple levels of reading support for below-grade level readers. While the cost is $65.00 per text (far less than the Fast ForWord Language program), the CD or adapted books could serve multiple students over several years. The Start-to-Finish texts include titles such as Oedipus, Moby Dick, Hamlet, The Great Gatsby, and a number of other literary “classics” which I will likely teach as a high school English teacher. I picked up a copy of The Invisible Man, with which I am extremely familiar, and perused the text to see how it matches up with the tradition H.G. Wells text. I found the text to be closely aligned with the original novel. While much of the content of this novel is still mature, the reading barriers (language, syntax, vocabulary and dialog) had all be altered to lower the perceived reading level of this text. I listened to the first chapter, narrated by John Bergez, and found that while some of the vocabulary and sentence structure had been changed, the powerful images, the motif of blindness and the theme of racism were all clearly still a part of the text. Bergez, the narrator, adapted voices for the various characters, enhancing the clarity of shifting perspectives and important dialogue.

After visiting the E-ATRC, I browsed through the Don Johnson website, to look up other products available by this manufacturer. This company offers a variety of technology including whole curriculum packages, membership services which discount a variety of their products, literacy starters, reading guides, content guides, etc. Additionally, they connect each product to the Washington State EALRs and GLEs, which makes incorporating this technology into a lesson or unit plan a cinch.

The E-ATRC is a valuable resource housed on Western’s campus, and I will certainly make use of it when I am a practicing teacher. It is also a good reminder that many more such products are available on the Internet, especially those products which classify as “high-technology”, as the field of electronics is rapidly changing. I intend to research the process for requesting materials at the E-ATRC, so that when I come across new products, I can suggest the E-ATRC purchase them. The key element of research in the technology and education fields is transferability; asking when and how new technology might be adapted to a real classroom is a vital component for teachers to understand research briefs and published studies.