Latest and Greatest @ Key Center

This page is devoted to sharing with the community the many ways in which Key Center consistently strives to set high expectations, create opportunities and expect success for our students.

"I'm Determined" Grant

Key Center recently won a mini grant offered by the "I'm Determined" project sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education. The grant is to investigate the use of video modeling with students with moderate to severe disabilities. Key Center received an iPad 2 and will begin creating training videos to help our students succeed at vocational tasks and social skills. The project is to be piloted in two classrooms - Trevor Thibeault's and Von Sutton's.

TAPIT

Key Center recently purchased a TAP-IT, which stands for Touch Assisted Platform for Interactive Technology. The TAP-it, which is made by Smart Ed services is an amazing, giant touch screen that is mounted on a rolling stand that also goes up and down and can tilt. Smart Ed recently visited Key Center and video taped teacher Jill Hunt using the TAPit in her Quest class. Watch the video!

iCommunicate

Four Key Center teachers are participating in some Action Research to determine the plausibility of using an iTouch interactive device with the ProLoQuo2Go "AP" loaded on it to enhance the communication of students with moderate to severe disabilities. The teachers completed their training on March 23 and have started using this device in their classroom. Follow the progress of this research in the BLOG we have started - Breaking All Barriers.

Adapted PE Equipment

Key Center volunteer handyman extraordinaire, Mr. Lee Jost has created an amazing adapted PE device for our students. Using a standard gait trainer as a frame/platform, Mr. Jost created a device which will allow students with more severe physical challenges to participate in sports such as soccer, t-ball and basketball along with their more physically able classmates. In addition to this, he also created a fantastic bowling assist device. Watch a demonstration of these amazing devices.

Wiimote Interactive White Board

Key Center teacher, Beth Curtis, has pioneered the use of a Wiimote Interactive Whiteboard (WIAB)in her classroom. What is that, you ask? Using an LCD projector, a Wii game system remote, an InfraRed pen, Smoothboard software, and the existing static whiteboard in her classroom, Beth created an interactive teaching tool for her students. This allows the students to more actively participate in lessons. The Smoothboard software installed on Beth's FCPS laptop works together with Wii remote and the IR pen to mimic the interactive experience created by traditional, and far more expensive interactive whiteboards.

Beth has noted that when she uses the WIAB in her classroom that her students are more engaged and work harder to overcome their often severe physical limitations in order to participte in the lesson. They exhibit competitiveness, pride, eagerness and endurance not often seen when receiving traditional lessons. Building on Beth's experience, we now have Wiimote Interactive Whiteboards in 10 classrooms. Watch this short clip of a student using one.