Technology in Education, Win or Fail?

Educator preparation programs and institutional polices should provide background knowledge and experience with digital literacies and emerging technologies in coursework and strategies. The emphasis on the integration of technology instruction is relevant in the literature today. This chapter will explore the intersections and disjunctures between digital literacy practices in an educator preparation program and personal digital literacy use from a recent study that examined the digital literacies of six teacher educators. The chapter will be organized into sections, examining technology tools, digital interactions, and online resources applied classrooms.

Adaptation of innovative edge banding trimmer for technology instruction: A university case

This study focuses on the adaptation of an innovative edge banding trimmer for technology instruction. This study also aimed to explore the respondent group's perceptions of the level of acceptability and effectiveness of innovated edge banding trimmer. Moreover, this study utilizes a survey to assess the perception of the faculty and student. The study used the descriptive-normative design to gather facts relevant for achieving the discussion details in planning, designing, and constructing the IEBT. The main instrument used to ascertain these parameters are the two survey questionnaires were researcher-made aligns with industry competencies, the statistician validated the reliability and consistency. Results revealed that the perceptions of the two respondent groups are statistically significant. Moreover, innovated edge banding trimmer shows a positive effect on the students' performance and output. Further, it implied that using innovated edge banding trimmer would make students work more efficiently and elevate quality. The research finding will allow the faculty and students to meet global needs in innovation and lifelong learning. Keywords: Innovated edge banding, technology instruction, challenge of change

Disparities in Educational Access in the Time of COVID: Evidence From a Nationally Representative Panel of American Families

We use data collected between April 2020 and March 2021 from the Understanding America Survey, a nationally representative internet panel of approximately 1,450 households with school-age children, to document the access of American households to K–12 education during the COVID-19 crisis. We also explore disparities by parent race/ethnicity, income, urbanicity, partisanship, and grade level (i.e., elementary school vs. middle/high school). Results shed light on the vectors of inequality that occurred throughout the pandemic in access to technology, instruction, services (e.g., free and reduced-price meals), and in-person learning opportunities. Our work highlights the equity implications of the pandemic and suggests the importance of encouraging widespread in-person learning opportunities and attendance by the beginning of the 2021–2022 school year for addressing COVID-19’s educational effects.

Non-visual access to print and its barriers.

This literature review examines the multiple barriers to non-visual access to print by people who are blind. An in-depth consideration of existing research on specific issues related to screen readers and refreshable braille displays is provided. These barriers include the complexities involved in the conversion of print to alternate media (tactual and auditory), assistive technology instruction and readiness of teachers of students with visual impairments, lack of research on best practices for instruction, and a variety of issues related to technological constraints in the areas of accessibility, usability, and user experience. Recommendations for practice and future research in the areas of screen readers and refreshable braille displays are included.

Divergent Thinking: The Performance of Students with Visual Impairments on Abstract and Scenario-Based Tasks and Their Correlates

Introduction: Divergent thinking is a crucial component of effective problem-solving. This study investigated the divergent thinking of students with visual impairments (i.e., blindness or low vision) in three countries and explored the correlates of their performance on two tasks. Methods: A sample of 52 students with visual impairments completed two divergent thinking tasks, one traditional Alternate Uses task, and one scenario-based task created for this study. Each student’s teacher of students with visual impairments completed a questionnaire containing demographic, curriculum, and student characteristics. Results: Of the correlates examined, teacher-rated academic independence, working on grade level, number of expanded core curriculum (ECC) areas of instruction currently received, and ongoing receipt of assistive technology instruction were significantly related to task performance. Discussion: Findings demonstrate the strong relationship between real-life problem-solving, divergent thinking, and academic functioning in students with visual impairments. Further investigation is needed about the relationship between aspects of problem-solving instruction and student outcomes as they relate to divergent thinking. Implications for practitioners: Given the connection of divergent thinking to overall problem-solving ability, teachers should assess these skills in students. Using similar scenario-based real-life tasks, they can also incorporate practice opportunities for divergent thinking within ECC instruction.

Technology Instruction in Language Teacher Education Programs

It is important to examine how prospective teachers were prepared with integrating technology in their teaching. This study explored the integration of technology instruction among ten top world language teacher preparation programs in the United States. Data collection included document analysis of syllabi and interviews with program directors and instructors. The findings revealed that technology instruction were provided to language pre-service teachers through general technology courses, methods courses, and a series of technology-related courses infused throughout the entire program. In addition, technology courses organized a variety of approaches to enrich students' experiences with technology. We also generated four main themes to reflect some key elements in current technology instruction for pre-service teachers. The study enriches our knowledge of the current situation for how different world language teacher education programs prepare their pre-service teachers.