Current Issues In Technology

Current and Emerging Issues in Technology Diane Loghry EEA 520

Current and Emerging Issues in Technology Diane Loghry EEA520

Current and Emerging Issues in Technology Diane Loghry EEA 520 Across many school districts, technology is used as a resource and form of instruction in many subjects. This is especially true in the area of early literacy. Schools have found that the use of skill specific reading programs improve student performance and can be used as a tier two intervention for meeting Response to Intervention (RTI) criteria. There are many programs available but two of the most widely know, researched, and practiced are the Waterford Early Reading Program and the iStation literacy program. Both programs have research that supports its use in classrooms to increase student achievement in literacy skills. Waterford is the older of the two programs. Waterford Institute was founded in 1976 by Dustin Heuston, Ph.D., a visionary and pioneer in technology-assisted education. It was his desire to create a technology program that could be customized to be student specific and at the same time provide students with an engaging medium to increase their literacy skills. It approached literacy instruction by providing a complete continuum of instruction. It takes students from a very basic level of literacy and can progress them to becoming fluent readers. . “Students using Waterford Early Reading Program™

and Waterford Early Math and Science™ progress through a

carefully defined sequence of songs, activities, and assessments. Each objective within the sequence is researched to ensure that students receive a consistently high-quality curriculum” (Waterford 2009). This program’s effect on students is generally positive due to the high level of student involvement. For students who are struggling with acquisition of basic literacy skills, this program is able to provide scientifically based instruction and assessment so that instruction can be individualized and made more meaningful. Additionally, the program has a home

Current and Emerging Issues in Technology Diane Loghry EEA 520 component that supports student literacy through CDs, DVDs and books that emergent readers can use to enhance teaching and learning in the home. The Waterford system is a stand alone system when purchased individually. The hardware comes loaded with the program and the workstation is used solely for Waterford Instruction. This can cause issues with schools as the ability to have multiple students’ access the program results in scheduling issues. Districts are able to obtain site licenses but that is cost prohibitive for many districts. Additionally schools do have to provide for initial teacher training in order to create individualized instruction for students. Most students are able to work independently on the Waterford Program but it does require teacher set up and monitoring. Following in the footsteps of Waterford is the istation program. It too was developed to provide systematic literacy instruction in an on-line format. This is a data driven program that allows for instruction to be differentiated and structured to best meet the needs of the individual student. “Developed with input from many of the nation’s leading researchers and aligned to the federal No Child Left Behind act, istation individualizes instruction for each student, recommends individual and small group instruction and provides reports, which enable educators to meet state and federal reporting and accountability requirements.” ("Istation: company overview," 2009) With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2001 and the changes made to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) in 2004 school districts were forced to re-examine how students with specific learning difficulties were identified and served. The purpose was to provide early interventions before the need for special education services was indicated.

Current and Emerging Issues in Technology Diane Loghry EEA 520 “Both laws underscore the importance of providing high quality, scientifically-based instruction and interventions, and hold schools accountable for the progress of all students in terms of meeting grade level standards.” (Klotz, & Canter, 2006) istation is a program that meets these requirements. As with the Waterford Program, istation requires site licenses but can be purchased as a stand alone system. It differs from Waterford in that it can be accessed online and does not require special hardware. Teacher training is necessary and since the system is updated teachers need to have ongoing in-service to best utilize the resource. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides stimulus funding to find new ways to improve student achievement. Both of these programs support student achievement in a new and different way. By looking at alternative sources of revenue to fund these types of programs, schools will continue to engage learners and set high standards for learning. Teachers will continue to strengthen their repertoire of skills in providing quality instruction and parents will be given tools to use in home to assist their child’s literacy development. As districts move ever closer to the Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) goal set forth in NCLB and IDEA more and more emphasis is being placed on providing assessment driven instruction, it is critical to utilize all resources available. By making programs like the Waterford and istation available to students and teachers we move one step closer to achieving our goals of students meeting and exceeding standards.

Current and Emerging Issues in Technology Diane Loghry EEA 520

(2009). Istation: company overview. Retrieved from The company website with links to program review, management and research.

Klotz, M.B., & Canter, A. (2006). Response to intervention: a primer for parents. National Association of School Psychologists, Retrieved from An article on the major components of Response to Intervention (RTI) for parents and teachers

Waterford, Institute. (2009). Applying research. Retrieved from Company website with links to program review, research and samples of actual lessons of Waterford.