Unit 3: Communication and Emergent Literacy

Can you believe you are halfway through the semester? These short-session courses are chock full of work but at least they are over quickly. Kind of like ripping off a bandaid, I guess. This week you'll begin to explore how assistive technology can support the work expected of students in K12 classrooms - particularly in terms of communication and early literacy. Many of you are preparing to become special education teachers and you'll find many resources in these readings and activities that will be applicable. If you're not planning on teaching, you'll likely find ideas that will help you as you find assistive technology to support your own learning. Make sure to read directions carefully this week so you don't end up doing more than is required.

This unit is due Thursday, June 26th at the end of the day.

TASK 1: HOW CAN A.T. SUPPORT COMMUNICATION?

Grade value: 5% of total grade Time Estimate - 1-1 1/2 hours

Read about AT-Supported Communication here - several of you are Communication Sciences and Disorders majors - so this reading is really selected with you in mind but will be of interest to everyone in our course. Next, view the Communication is Conversation video to the right.
After you complete the reading and view the video, go to this form to answer a few questions. You may want to read the questions before completing the reading and watching the video to make your reading/viewing more targeted (this type of prereading prep might be one of the active reading strategies you explore in Task 3. It's an old strategy but still a very good one.)

Task 2: AT-SUPPORTED COMMUNICATION RESOURCES

Grade value: 5% of total grade Time Estimate - 1-1 1/2 hours

Now that you've read and explored a bit about AT-Supported communication, it's time to choose a learning path to learn a bit more. I have 4 different videos from which to choose. Read the descriptions for each of the four videos embedded below and select the one that is of most interest to you. You only have to watch one video - but you may be interested in watching all four once you've completed this task.

Before you begin watching your selected video - open a new Google Doc (or you can handwrite/take digital notes for this whole task and then upload an image) and respond to these questions. There are 4 total questions to be answered before, during, and after you watch your selected video. Each question response should be at least paragraph or so in length. Don't forget to share your Google Doc so that anyone can view - then insert it on your Communications and Literacy page.

Before you watch the video - why did you select this video? How does it relate to your interests and what you've learned so far in this course?
While you watch the video - what do you notice in the video? what surprises you? what interests you? what creates more questions for you?
While you watch the video (or maybe after?) - what should your classmates know about this video?
After you watch the video - how does what you watched connect with what you read in Task 1?

Jamie Dupree

Jamie Dupree has been a well-known political correspondent for many years on Atlanta radio stations and across the country (I think my grandmother listened to him when I was in high school/college). He has been diagnosed with voice dystonia which impacts his ability to communicate with family, friends, and his audience. This video is an interview with Jamie Dupree from 2020 where he discusses his diagnosis and how he uses low-tech and high-tech assistive technology to support communication.

Elizabeth Bonker

Elizabeth Bonker is the 2022 Valedictorian and student commencement speaker for Rollins College (famous alumnus: Mr. Rogers). Bonker is also Autistic and nonspeaking. She uses AAC to deliver her speech to her classmates. You'll want to watch the video and read this background article.

Aiden Cluney

This video interviews Aiden's parents and his teachers to learn more about how he uses AAC to communicate with others.

Kelsey Brown

Kelsey Brown is a UGA and Emerson College graduate working as a Speech-Language Pathologist in Washington, D.C. I interviewed her in June 2022. In this video she discusses her graduate school experience, the work she does with students to support communication and early literacy, and provides some advice for current and future special education and CMSD majors (this one is long - but you can watch it on 1.5 speed and it will be worth it, particularly for those majoring in special education and CMSD.)

TASK 3: HOW CAN AT SUPPORT EMERGENT LITERACY?

Grade value: 5% of total grade Time Estimate - 1-2 hours

Active Reading Strategies

Summer 2025 EDIT 5100e Literacy Slides

Shared Slide Deck for Active Reading Strategies

Watch this video about active reading for high school and college students, then identify an active reading strategy you want to try for the reading assignment for this task. Your reading assignment is pretty short so some of the active reading strategies suggested in the video might be a better fit than others. You also might want to preview the readings first before choosing a strategy.
Read about how assistive technology supports emergent literacy in these two articles:

Article 1: Milton, M. (2018). Inclusive literacy education: issues, research, and strategies. The World Congress on Education Proceedings.

Article 2: Marsh, K. L., Schladant, M., Sudduth, C., Shearer, R., Dowling, M., & Natale, R. (2021). Improving engagement: Integrating Assistive Technology in early literacy. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 54(2), 146–153. Just click the "download full text" link in the top right corner in the gray box.

A quick shoutout to ERIC database! My original link through the publisher no longer works and that would have made it much more difficult for y'all to access this really helpful article. I was just about to type up instructions for using UGA's VPN and no one wants to fool with that in the summer but remembered to check the ERIC database (the tool that's been saving my life since grad school). The ERIC database budget has been cut nearly in half and it's a really important resource for those of us in the College of Education so I'm glad this journal is still available.

DO NOT JUST READ THE ABSTRACT!! Take the extra few minutes to access the entire article and read it.

3. Once you've selected an active reading strategy and read the articles, add a slide to our shared slideshow that tells us a bit about your understanding of emergent literacy and how the active reading strategy you chose helped (or didn't help) you to read the material.

TASK 4: AT-SUPPORTED EMERGENT LITERACY RESOURCES

Grade value: 5% of total grade Time Estimate - 1-2 hours

Now let's put into practice what you learned about AT supported literacy in Task 3. You have a couple of options for this task - choose the one that most interests you:

OPTION ONE: Explore Reading and Writing Apps and Websites

Spend 10-15 minutes exploring the apps and websites that support literacy listed on the Common Sense Media website or on the Reading Rockets site. Select an app or website to explore in depth. After exploring your choice, in 3-4 paragraphs on a Google Doc - write about your experience trying out the app or website and how it addresses emergent literacy needs discussed in your readings. Before you leave your Google Doc, click on the blue Share button in the top right corner and make sure it says "anyone with the link can view" and click Done. Insert this Google Doc onto your Communication and Literacy webpage. Please use the insert tab - don't just copy/paste the link. Make sure to publish your page once you are finished.

OPTION TWO: Explore a Reading Tool

Explore Microsoft Learning Tools in OneNote. Watch the video introduction and this video that walks you through how teachers are using one of the Learning Tools in their classroom. Take some time to explore the Immersive Reading tool in OneNote. (Click the "try it out" button). In 3-4 paragraphs on a Google Doc - write about your experience trying out the tool and how it addresses emergent literacy needs discussed in the readings in Task 3. Before you leave your Google Doc, click on the blue Share button in the top right corner and make sure it says "anyone with the link can view" and click Done. Insert this Google Doc onto your Communication and Literacy webpage. Please use the insert tab - don't just copy/paste the link.Make sure to publish your page once you are finished.

TASK 5: HOW IT ALL FITS TOGETHER

Grade value: 8% of total grade Time Estimate - 1-2 hours

During the first unit you read: Meyer, A., Gordon, D., & Rose, D. H. (2014). Chapter 4: Universal Design for Learning. In Universal Design for Learning: theory and practice (1st ed., pp. 83–108), Cast Incorporated. You'll continue to refer to this chapter as you complete this task. You may need to log back in to the account you created in Unit 1. If you have any trouble accessing the chapter, please let me know.

Another resource that might help you with this task is the document about Person First language published by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities which you read in Unit 1. Please reference this resource as you complete this task to ensure you are using appropriate language.

In Unit 2, you connected concepts of AT for mobility and accessibility with one or more of the three UDL principles. Open that same Google Doc and begin a 3rd entry at the TOP of the document. (You'll probably want to read over what you wrote for the last two units - the writing doesn't have to flow from one unit to the next but rereading it helps you from being repetitive.)

For this unit, I'd again like for you to choose one topic from the readings and videos we used this week: communication or emergent literacy. Review the 3 principles of UDL: providing multiple means of representation, action & expression, and engagement. It's my hope that you almost immediately see how your selected topic from this week relates to all three UDL principles. But you need only write about one. Maybe you want to talk about how an AT resource that you found while you were working on your Task 4 project is a great example of providing students multiple means of engagement with a complex reading activity. Maybe you're really interested in ways AT (and specifically AAC tools) can support communication and you think this is an excellent example of multiple means of representation.

[The short version of the assignment : in 3-4 paragraphs, draw a connection between what you read/viewed this week (your favorite topic, not all of them) and one or more of the 3 UDL principles.]

Once you've completed your writing, make sure to insert it on your Communication and Literacy page, and don't forget to hit the Publish button!

That's it! You just have one more set of tasks to complete and then you have completed the entire semester. Almost there!! This week's tasks are due on Thursday, June 26th at the end of the day. Please make sure to email, text, or call me if you have questions or concerns at any point in these tasks. The final set of tasks will be posted by Thursday, June 26th at noon. As a reminder, our last day of class is Wednesday, July 3rd. There is no final exam for our course.

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