Foundational Technology
Modular Technology
Instructional Support Materials
Each digital backpack contains a foundational technology as well as a variety of modular
technologies and support materials that teachers can adapt for the lesson, age group,
and individual students’ learning needs.
provide the greatest amount of flexibility and student use. Also consider
time efficiency. We quickly learned that
camcorders with built-in memory were
more time-efficient than camcorders
without internal memory, for example.
We also learned that supplying instructional materials using various media
(text, audio, video) and on various
platforms (paper, laptop, and iPod) led
to the greatest use. And we discovered
that providing and encouraging the use
of digital technology supports (such as
premade software tutorials) advanced
just-in-time learning, independence,
and problem solving.
Third, as with any lesson, you
should aim to strike a balance between instructional design and
instructional management. Even
the greatest digital backpack and lesson design can fail if you don’t give
students appropriate instructional
management. For instance, one
problem we noted was that students
wanted to develop such sophisticated products that they missed their
delivery window. When designing
instructional support materials,
consider including support for project management. It’s important to
include project goals, timelines, and
planning templates.
We encourage a backward design process infused with the UDL
framework for creating backpacks
to fit your needs. This process starts
with the desired learning outcomes
and then moves through designing
specific tasks and determining the
resources you need to facilitate these
outcomes. The key is to develop an
initial digital backpack that provides
for targeted learning but maintains
sufficient flexibility and scalability to
be useful for multiple teachers and
students.
For example, in our media-driven
digital backpack for the Freedom
Center, we first considered the content
outcomes and the process objectives
students would need to achieve these
outcomes. Like any instructional plan,
the design was balanced with the
time and space constraints we had to
work within, including the school day,
transportation time, and the physical
space of the Freedom Center. Once
we defined these instructional guide-
posts, we planned the instruction,
including a storyline and the tools
and media the students would need to
gain content information and technol-
ogy support. This planning resulted
in the use of digital videos, podcasts,
and various digital and paper project
documents. To meet student needs at
various levels, this information had to
be engaging, accessible, and flexible.
Finally, we planned a project workflow
that scaffolded student work and proj-
ect completion. As with any instruc-
tional plan, you can make adjustments
during the project to ensure comple-
tion of desired outcomes.
James D. Basham, PhD, is an assistant professor in special education at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, USA. His research focuses on innovative solutions and strat- egies for engaging all learners,
the use of technology, and Universal Design for
Learning.
Ernest Perry is the architect of the Digital Learning Environ- ment at the National Under- ground Railroad Freedom Cen- ter in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, where the digital backpack was developed and launched. His
work focuses on social enterprise, education reform,
and informal learning.
Helen Meyer is the director of the FUSION Center, a STEM education and outreach center at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. She is also the proj- ect director for the Woodrow Wilson Ohio teaching fellows
program. Her teaching includes masters- and doc-toral-level courses in teaching and learning.
