By Tommy Navickas
"At Illinois State there is a strong sense of collegiality and collaboration where faculty members are able to put aside things such as rank and tenure and talk as professionals about what we are really here for: what is best for students. That in itself has been an inspiration during my experiences here." — Brian Wojcik, coordinator, Special Education Assistive Technology Center
(February 13, 2008) Wojcik has now been the coordinator of the SEAT Center for almost seven years and is as encouraged today in the Center's ability to have an impact on teacher education as ever. "We are focused on the training components related to adult learning, learning about technology, technology integration, and the relationship between pedagogy and use of technology within the classroom," says Wojcik.
The SEAT Center is unparalleled in the United States, having a significant role in providing all teacher education candidates with competencies in assistive technology (AT). The most prominent of these programs, the Instructional Technology Passport System, Competency H (ITPS-H), began in 2003 and is a two-stage module for pre-service teacher education students to develop foundational knowledge and skills with regard to AT. The first stage focuses on an introduction to assistive technology across domain areas and on the implementation of AT for learners with disabilities. Stage two engages teacher candidates in the use of these technologies through hands-on experience.
Wojcik says that his students help him to gain a renewed perspective on the application of assistive technology use in classrooms. "I have and continue to try to create experiences that allow teacher education students to construct their own knowledge and make learning meaningful to them," said Wojcik, "resulting in assistive technology skills that can be pragmatically implemented with K-12 students." This level of instruction for pre-service educators and the scale in which assistive technology training is implemented is unique to Illinois State. "When I speak to other teacher education programs about what we are doing and how it is being applied they are in awe of ISU," said Wojcik.
Wojcik is often asked to speak about how far AT has come and how it can be implemented in every classroom. He points out that schools are sometimes hesitant to get on-board with assistive technology because of misconceptions regarding the costs or other factors. "It no longer takes an $8,000 piece of equipment for each learner with AT needs. In fact, I could name at least 20 free programs that allow for text to speech access. Much more technology is now readily accessible to every teacher and student than ever before." Wojcik promotes this awareness among administrators, faculty members, parents, and students alike.
Wojcik's current research focuses on examining multiple areas of AT. At the moment, most of his research efforts are centered on his dissertation. Wojcik is examining the practice of AT service delivery in K-12 schools and how this practice is beginning to shape the role of AT practitioners in schools settings. The research focuses on an analysis of a pioneering listserv, in existence since 1998, which is composed of over 1,800 AT practitioners and leaders. The intent of the research is to discover major themes related to AT service delivery in K-12 schools directly from the "voices of those who are practicing the use of AT with students with disabilities on a daily basis." In addition to working on his dissertation, Wojcik is involved in other research and scholarly pursuits including using technology in preschool environment to scaffold instruction for diverse learners, investigating different professional development strategies in building capacity within schools systems for effective AT service delivery, and developing a comprehensive curriculum for AT knowledge and skills development for undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs.
Wojcik is also interested in looking at what he calls "a phenomenon of ambiguity happening in technology." As he explains, "Technologies that traditionally have been used with students with disabilities are now being used with students that are at risk or to support students with different learning styles. The lines are beginning to blur between what is AT, what is instructional technology, and what is good practice with technology."
One piece of technology that is commonly used by individuals with reading disabilities is called the Kurzweil 3000. The software program allows a user to take a scan of print text and after a few seconds responds with an auditory narration of the words. Kurzweil 3000 also provides supports to encourage engaged reading and increased comprehension of the text. Recently, similar technology was released to be run on a mobile picture phone, making access to the printed word portable for those with reading difficulties. Both technologies were designed by Ray Kurzweil who is speaking at the Founder's Day convocation this week to mark the end of the 150th year anniversary celebration for Illinois State University. Since he was in high school, Kurzweil has been actively involved in the field of technology through invention and authorship. He has made significant contributions in the fields of optical character recognition (OCR), text-to-speech synthesis, speech recognition technology, and electronic keyboard instruments. Wojcik, along with his special education colleagues, will be hosting Kurzweil at the SEAT Center during his visit to campus.
While Wojcik admits a part of his involvement in AT is attributed to a "geeky interest in technology," he believes that AT promises to advance the ability of all learners to succeed.
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