Online Pen Pal Program Uses Assistive Technology Word Prediction to Help Junior High Students with Disabilities Chat with University Students to Improve Writing Skills

Barbara Wollak, M.S., CCC-SLP at Highland Park Junior High, MN

Dr. David Koppenhaver, Professor, Language, Reading, and Exceptionalities Department, College of Education, Appalachian State University, NC

Breaking Down Traditional Learning Barriers

Mrs. Barbara Wollak and Dr. David Koppenhaver created this unique learning email exchange program to break down the typical writing barriers for students with autism and learning disabilities. They used email, video email, a blog and a supportive word prediction assistive technology tool, called Co:Writer. This approach has served students well on many learning fronts giving students with disabilities new opportunities for reading, writing, and communicating with a real audience.

E-PAL Exchange

For five years, university students at Appalachian State University, NC, have participated in an email buddy exchange with students in the Inclusion Program at Highland Park Junior High School, MN. This online program informally called "e-PALs" helps students with disabilities communicate through authentic writing experiences with college students. Many students who participated were diagnosed with autism; this method was particularly engaging for them. The e-PALS program is the brainchild of Mrs. Barbara Wollak, M.S., CCC-SLP at Highland Park Junior High, Saint Paul Public Schools, MN and Dr. David Koppenhaver, Professor at Appalachian State University, NC. Mrs. Wollak and Dr. Koppenhaver believe that it's never too late to teach a child how to read, write, or communicate.

Now in junior high, students in the program are working independently and making considerable progress with literacy. They are taught to begin their emails with a greeting, respond to questions, ask new questions, and end with a salutation. Mrs. Wollak said, "Having a college e-PAL is extremely motivating. The Highland Park students consider their epals good friends. One student wrote, "A pen pal is a friend you can talk to if you are sad or happy.'" Another wrote, "When I don't feel like playing with my brother, I can always write to my pen pal." "The exciting thing is to see the skills carried over into speech," she summarized.

Joey's Success—Watch Joey's Video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8MZuxx2WpM

Mrs. Wollak, featured in this video with her student Joey, said, "Many students with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) have

visual memory as their strength. Last year Joey, age 15, who is diagnosed with autism, could read some sight words but had not learned how to decode unfamiliar words. He had difficulty comprehending what he read and wanted to copy text instead of writing for himself, which involves transferring his thoughts from his brain to paper." Joey also had difficulty answering and asking questions. Mrs. Wollak started him with Clicker, a picture supported word processor, to teach him the idea of writing instead of copying. She quickly moved him to Co:Writer, a word prediction tool that supports writing activity in anything written in a word processing application, such as an electronic greeting card or email. She said, "Co:Writer works great in our Internet browser, which was critical for our e-Pals program. The speech feedback gives Joey the reinforcement he needs to self-select words and independently edit what he has written."

Joey's mother, Mrs. Veronica (Ronnie) Getter, said, "Mrs. Wollak has created a truly wonderful program for my son. At home, we see a new, happier kid! I didn't think it would work, but it did. For Joey's first semester, he wrote three-word prompted responses; after interacting with his e-PAL and using word prediction, he now writes a paragraph showing action, desire, emotion and reflection. His vocabulary is expanding and his ability to communicate is rapidly growing. He is becoming very social and tells me jokes. This experience has helped him gain self-confidence, independence and self-esteem. When we address the individual needs of a child, we see them rise, beyond our expectations. That's what Mrs. Wollak has done for my son! I hope more educators and families will follow this great example of using new technologies and strategies to engage students who need extra support."

Dustin, another student with the diagnosis of ASD, could not read sight words and had no letter sound correspondence. Co:Writer helped him make the leap from learning the first letter of a word to writing the word. Mrs. Wollak said, "Co:Writer is so good at word prediction that once Dustin was able to get the first letter, the tool would usually predict the word he wanted to write."

Mrs. Wollak believes this e-learning interactive approach, along with a balanced literacy program, provides the necessary tools, supports and dialogue to help students comprehend what they read, write and think.

Students at NC Appalachian University and the Highland Park Inclusion Program, along with their parents contribute to a blog called Virtual Authors. Mrs. Wollak posts a new topic each week related to current events or student interests. The blog provides additional opportunities for authentic reading and writing and question-answer relationships. Students take turns generating questions and creating posts using free Web 2.0 technologies. Through this unique e-learning exchange the college students learn about the interests and literacy skills of diverse adolescents with disabilities. They discover how using Web 2.0 tools and assistive technologies in real-life interactions helps students learn.

About Barbara Wollak

Barb Wollak is a speech and language pathologist for the Saint Paul Public Schools, MN. She works directly with students at Highland Park Junior High and is also on the district's assistive technology team. Barb is the director of the AAC Camp for teens at Camp Courage and is coordinator of the Literacy Session at Camp Courage, which is under the direction of Drs. David Koppenhaver and Karen Erickson. Barb co-teaches "Effective Literacy Instruction for Students with Moderate to Severe Cognitive Disabilities" at the University of St. Thomas.

View Mrs. Wollak's blog at: http://www.hpjh.blogspot.com /

About Dr. David Koppenhaver

Dr. David Koppenhaver focuses on developing literacy skills in children and adults with developmental disabilities. He presents in various workshops and lectures and writes papers and books about his work with K-12 students and their families. Dr. Koppenhaver continues to seek new ways to engage students in problem-solving processes (social constructivism) and integrate technology using student learning activities. A manuscript has been published by the American Reading Forum, April, 2007 about the technology-supported e-PAL interactions in this article.

Written by Valerie Chernek with Barbara Wollak June 2009

Related Links

1. http://www.donjohnston.com/wollak-epal/index.html