Using Technology for Emergent Literacy and Language (UTELL)

Project Details

The project, Using Technology for Emergent Language and Literacy (UTELL) will facilitate early language and literacy development by promoting shared conversation around meaningful literacy experiences through the use of technological supports. These technological supports include the use of digital imagery to illustrate family-created stories in book format and the adaptation of interactive 'talking books' to guide and support shared conversation around both published and created books. The talking books will be developed to guide interactive reading and used either with published books or with books created with digital imagery (to capture conversation provoking pictures) by individual families receiving early intervention services. Talking book technology will be used to record narrative and questions to elicit interactive reading. The use of these technologies embedded in meaningful literacy experiences will promote the language and literacy development of young children with disabilities.

The UTELL research team will collaborate with and provide training about using the digital imagery to support meaningful literacy experiences and interactive reading activities to intervention staff at two early intervention sites serving children birth to three with disabilities, Up-to-Three and Weber-Morgan Early Intervention. The UTELL research team will be guided by parents and program staff as they adapt the technologies and evaluate the effectiveness, usability, and feasibility of the technological supports and activities on parent-child conversations and child language development. The UTELL research team will provide continuous program improvement throughout the project activities and prepare a packaged guide with example materials for the use of the technological supports in meaningful literacy experiences upon completion of the project.