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The current emphasis on data-based decision-making ties discussions of accountability, school improvement and educational reform to the notion that gathering and using evidence addresses questions ...

Elementary computer science (CS) can be engaging and challenging for some students with disabilities who struggle with complex problem solving. This study examined academic engagement of students w...

With the passage of federal laws, equal access to technology for all students has gained increased attention in the field of education. Although considering a continuum of assistive technology (AT) products and services for students with disabilities is a mandated practice, educators and related service professionals are faced with challenges of providing effective AT services due to lack of clear legal and practical guidelines and lack of training for the teachers to identify, obtain, and utilize ever-advancing AT. This chapter provides an overview of current AT utilization at schools and related service agencies. AT effectiveness, universal design for learning (UDL), service delivery models, recent trends in AT technologies, challenges in providing AT services for students with disabilities, and implications for preservice and in-service teachers are discussed.

This paper describes the development, validation, and uses of the Collaborative Computing Observation Instrument (C-COI), a web-based analysis instrument that classifies individual and/or collaborative behaviors of students during computing problem-solving (e.g. coding, programming). The C-COI analyzes data gathered through video and audio screen recording software that captures students’ computer screens as they program, and their conversations with their peers or adults. The instrument allows researchers to organize and quantify these data to track behavioral patterns that could be further analyzed for deeper understanding of persistence and/or collaborative interactions. The article provides a rationale for the C-COI including the development of a theoretical framework for measuring collaborative interactions in computer-mediated environments. This theoretical framework relied on the computer-supported collaborative learning literature related to adaptive help seeking, the joint problem-solving...

The purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary school teachers with limited computer science experience in a high-need school integrated computational thinking into their instruction. The researchers conducted a cross-case analysis across different instructional contexts (e.g., general education classrooms, library, art) that included multiple observations and interviews over four months. Major themes included: (a) a wide range of implementation models emerged depending on teaching contexts, (b) ongoing professional development and embedded coaching resulted in increasing participation in computing education, (c) teachers and administrators viewed barriers to implementing computing from a problem solving framework, and (d) struggling learners, including students with disabilities and those living in poverty, benefitted from computing education that included scaffolding, modeling, and peer collaboration. After initial hesitation, teachers taught computing with support and coaching.Administrative support included freedom to take instructional risks.Teachers integrated computing into core instruction due to time constraints.Computing benefitted students at risk for academic failure.Student collaboration included teacher-promoted and student-initiated models.