Integrated
Technology Services
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ITS
TechTalk - Winter 2003-2004 |
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Bill
Reeder |
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Cheryl
Temple |
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Jim
Phifer |
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Featured
ITS Staff Member |
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Featured
TOPS Teacher |
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ITS
Staff News
by
Bill Reeder
Recent
and Upcoming Major Presentations:
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Nancy
Icke, Rachel Perella and Cheryl
Temple presented a session entitled “Writing
by Dictation” at the Closing
the Gap International Conference
in Minneapolis, MN, on October
16, 2003.
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Nancy
Icke and Cheryl Temple presented
and conducted a panel discussion
addressing researchers who develop
technologies for students with
disabilities at the U.S. Office
of Special Education Programs
(OSEP) Technology Project Directors'
Meeting on Nov. 6, 2003.
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Ellie
Stack, Cheryl Temple, and Bill
Reeder will present “Making
Assistive Technology Integration
Work, School By School, Teacher
By Teacher, Student By Student” at
the 9th Annual Educational Technology
Leadership Conference in Roanoke,
VA on December 9, 2003.
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ITS
Baby News |
Jeannie
and Chuck Boyer welcomed their first
child, Samantha, to the ITS baby
brigade on September 10, 2003. Our
newest announcements bring the ITS
pending baby list to two. Congratulations
are in order for Ellie and Ian Stack,
who are expecting the birth of their
first child in March and Rachel and
Mark Perella, who are expecting the
birth of a brother or sister for
almost two-year old Liam in April.
Stay tuned… |
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Assistive
Technology Certificates |
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Congratulations to
our newest recipients:
Fonda
Greene, Rose Hill ES
Shari
King, Greenbriar West ES
Lisa
Miller, Robinson Secondary
Leslie
Robey, Bush Hill Center
Cecilia
Zama, Luther Jackson MS
These
staff members have completed
at least five academy credit
courses in the FCPS Assistive
Technology strand. If you
would like further information
about the Assistive Technology
Certificate Program, consult
the FCPS Academy Course Catalog
or contact Cheryl Temple
at Cheryl.Temple@fcps.edu. |
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Upgrading
Your Home Computer to Windows XP?
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by
Jim Phifer |
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Featured
ITS Staff Member
Shelly
Lawrence
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It's
in the genes... Shelly Lawrence
comes from a family of educators.
Her father taught and coached at
the junior high level while her mother
taught Kindergarten. She grew up
in Princeton, Illinois, a rural central
Illinois town (no famous university,
but they do have a Wal-Mart). Shelly
earned a Bachelors Degree in Education
and Masters Degree in Special Education
and Administration from Illinois
State University. Teaching jobs moved
her from the booming metropolis of
Depue, Illinois, population 1,500
to Peoria, Illinois, to New York
City (population - well, you know).
This move was truly ironic as she
had once told her parents she would
never drive in the big city - and
she meant Peoria!
Shelly spent the next 15 years following husband Dave around:
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Three
years in NYC teaching children
with learning disabilities
at The Gateway School of
Manhattan.
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Three
years in Brussels being
a mother to son Will and
traveling.
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Four
years in suburban Philadelphia
where she held a special
education resource position
at one Chester County Vo-Tech
high school for two years,
and then established a
similar program at the
other Chester County Vo-Tech
high school for the next
two years.
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Five
years in Fairfax County:
two years teaching at Armstrong
Center followed by establishing
the Autism program at Armstrong
Elementary School.
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Always
interested in technology, Shelly
worked closely with Diane Zink, the
Armstrong ITS case manager, and then
became a TOPS teacher. The opportunity
to apply her technology skills full-time
by working at ITS was a dream come
true. Shelly is responsible for 15
schools.
Since Will plays on two baseball teams and both Dave and Will umpire,
Shelly is a confirmed baseball widow and when not at work can usually
be found at a ballpark. Vacation next summer will be a trip to
Cooperstown, NY, to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame and to watch
Will play in a week-long tournament. Go Great Falls Grays! Other
interests include digital photography, cooking, needlework, and
golf. |
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TOPS
Teacher
Debbie
Spitzer, Cardinal Forest ES
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As a Learning Disabilities
teacher in Fairfax County Schools for
over 20 years, I find that technology
is like a welcome second pair of hands
in my classroom. I cannot imagine a day
without using technology in even the
simplest ways. Every time I am introduced
to a new curriculum idea my first thought
is what adaptations and resources are
available through technology? Which software
will compliment this program? How can
I improve upon this for my students?
Although
students on my caseload rarely have
difficulties with a standard keyboard,
they frequently don’t know
their letters let alone have keyboarding
skills. Color-coded stickers are
on some of my keyboards for those
students who need that extra bit
of help. As a TOPS teacher having
the Mavica digital camera in a classroom
is an easy way to make any room a
visual classroom with just one click.
It is also a great communication
device with parents. I frequently
will sneak a shot of a hardworking
student titled, “See, we really
are working hard….” and
send a quick e-mail to parents at
their workplace. They always are
very appreciative.
I've
set up computers with both the Early
Learning and the regular Lexia for
students and placed symbols such
as apples or computer-cutouts on
the computers. Children find the
corresponding symbol on their desks
and rotate daily to the correct station.
The programs are self-monitoring
and keep a record for me to go back
and check. I've combined these programs
with Word Study and seen positive
results. This frees me up to go over “sorts” with
students not on the computers. I
do similar things with Kidspiration
only the students on the computers
are doing the sorts, freeing me up
to go one-on-one with students seated.
For
the past few years I've found increasing
opportunities to use digital photography
to teach Social Studies. I've visited
South Dakota and taken pictures of
buffalo and the Plains Indians, the
southwest and photographed the cliff
dwellings and hogans of the Pueblo
Indians, and most recently, through
a grant, taken pictures in Richmond
and Alexandria specifically targeted
to SOL objectives. For children with
reading and auditory difficulties
these pictures are priceless. They
want to check out the pictures again
and again, especially the buffalo!
They will understand the difference
between the Plains Indian and their
environment and Indians of the southwest!
Every
year is a bit different. Some years
we are using Boardmaker, Lexia, Math
Plus, Co:Writer and Get Utility,
while other years it’s the
Imagination Express Software, Inspiration
and PowerPoint. Whatever the individual
challenges of my caseload, I know
that technology will be there as
my extra set of hands. |
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