You mention that your work target high incidence disabilities and we heard from one blind student regarding the importance of computing science to her.  Can you give more details about which disabilities you targeted and what process you use for designing to meet their needs?  Thanks - very enjoyable video to watch.

Yes of course Kate. We are focusing on students with ADHD, Autism, and those with learning disabilities. I will confer with Amy Hutchison, the principal investigator of the grant, but I think those are our focus as of now. I apologize hearing from Veronica was a little confusing as to our purpose. We are using Universal Design for learning principals as a means to help teachers create spaces for students with all learning needs. Thank you for your questions and comments!

Hi Jennifer,

It's great to hear from you. I didn't realize that you are also partners with CodeVA. What is your connection with them?  

Our connection with Code VA actually stems from working directly with Rebecca Dovi when she was still teaching computer science in Hanover County. Our organization was the administrator of the National Math and Science Initiative in Virginia which provided extensive training and support to schools all over the state to increase student participation and success in Advanced Placement math, science, and English (MSE) courses.  We had a full-time staff who traveled around to work with AP MSE teachers in our partner schools, but we found early on that we needed someone who could help with computer science.  That's where Rebecca came in - we ended up contracting with her to provide support to the other CS teachers around the state, and she was phenomenal, of course.  Once she and Chris founded Code VA, we stayed in touch and have looked for ways to partner over the years.  Our organization's mission is much broader now than it was when we began in 2007 with the AP initiative - we now exist to support K12 schools in preparing students for college and careers.  The most recent project involving us and Code VA is what I mentioned in my initial comment - we have partnered with Code VA and JMU to develop a research practitioner partnership focused on the integration of the newly-mandated CS standards into the core curriculum at the middle school level and specifically in rural communities where CS resources are so limited. 

I would love to chat with you at some point soon to learn more about your work and explore ways we might partner in the future!

Jennifer

Hi Gerard. Yes, I'm happy to share more. We started our work with an existing research-based model of technology-related professional development (Hutchison & Woodward, 2018). From there we engaged teachers and district leaders in focus groups and interviews to get their feedback on our proposed model. We made iterative changes based on their feedback and continued conducting focus groups until we reached consensus.  Now we have finalized the first model of professional development and will try it out over the course of the upcoming academic year, starting with a Summer Institute. We have developed or adopted several instruments that we will use to measure teachers' understanding and determine if and how they change their changing practice throughout the year. 

Hi Jim,

We are working only in inclusive classrooms, so our approach is to prepare and empower teachers to do this kind of decision-making by developing their knowledge of Universal Design for Learning and introducing them to a planning approach called the Technology Integration Planning Cycle. By using these tools, teachers are able to make decisions about how to provide multiple means of engagement, expression, and representation to meet a variety of learning needs. Thanks for the question!

Hi Amy,

I'd love to see any examples of how you are using UDL or any UDL tools you may have created.  Thanks so much for taking this work on!

Hi Todd,

We are still in the process of creating UDL tools and assessments since we are in the first year of our project. At present, we have developed a draft of an assessment of UDL knowledge and perceptions that we will pilot in the upcoming year. We are also working on lesson-planning tools for that bring together UDL and Computer Science but have not yet completed those. We will definitely share our resources after they are developed.

Hi Feng,

Our focus in this particular study is actually on the teachers rather than the students. We are examining whether our model of professional development increases teachers knowledge of computer science and Universal Design for Learning, and their abilities to plan lessons that integrate computer science into content areas. We are also studying how their teaching practices change over time. Thanks for the question!

Thanks for the explanation, Amy!

Thanks for making a connection. I am familiar with your site and have accessed it many times, so it's great to virtually meet you. I love how your site suggests accommodations by activity type and disability type. I would love to learn more from you about how you have supported students in the elementary grades!

Thank you! We look forward to sharing the understandings we gain through this project!