ITS TechTalk - Spring 2003-2004

• ITS Staff News

• AT Certificate Recipients

• Web Resources

• ITS Staff Member, Meaghan Tracy

• TOPS Teacher, John Foley

• Co:Writer 4000

• Writing Using Assistive Technology on the SOLs

ITS Staff News

by Bill Reeder

Recent and Upcoming Major Presentations:

• Colleen O’Hara will be presenting “Integrating Technology into the Reading and Writing Curriculum for Students with Special Needs” on February 28, 2004, at the VCLD Symposium in Williamsburg, Virginia.
• A number of ITS staff will be attending an assistive technology summit that is sponsored by Don Johnston, Inc. and will be held on March 4-6, 2004, in Chicago, Illinois.
• Cheryl Temple and Sandy Morrissette will be making a number of presentations at the annual Optimal Match Conference which is sponsored by the Mediterranean Association of International Schools, March 12-13, 2004, in Madrid, Spain.
  

ITS Baby News

What would an issue of TechTalk be without baby announcements! Our latest are: Kathy and Brett Spar, who are expecting a brother or sister for Isaac in July, and Ashley Evans and her husband Tom, who recently announced that Hayden and Garrett will have a third sibling to join in the fun scheduled to arrive in late August. In case you’re keeping score, don’t forget Ellie Stack (March) and Rachel Perella (April). Congratulations and best wishes to all!

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Assistive Technology Certificates

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Web Resources

by Ellie Stack

Each year the Internet becomes a bigger and more helpful resource to classroom teachers. To help FCPS special education staff keep up with this information, ITS has a Web Activity Development Team that collects and develops web resources. Below you will find some of them. Applications for joining the Web Activity Development Team will be sent out later in the Spring. Until then, happy surfing!

Visual Timer
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/wyngatees/Media_Webpage/Teacher_Tools/Countdown_Timer/Countdown.html
This site provides an online visual timer that can be used for any timed activity.

Jefferson Labs
http://education.jlab.org/solquiz/
The site has put together SOL practice tests in math, science, and technology using questions from the 2000, 2001, and 2002 Virginia SOL exams. Students in the third grade and up can choose question sets ranging from 10 - 20 questions.
**All questions on this site are copyrighted by the Virginia Department of Education and are used with permission.

Consumer Jungle
http://www.consumerjungle.org/
Explore the world of consumer education with printable classroom materials and interactive student activities at Consumer Jungle. Sponsored by YACET (Young Adult Consumer Education Trust), this site offers activities for using credit cards, living on your own, safe surfing on the web, buying a car, and buying a phone. There are areas for teachers, students, and parents.

Essay Punch
http://www.essaypunch.com
This site walks students through the steps of prewriting, thesis development, outlining, introductory paragraph writing, organization, etc. Editing features are also included. The file which is developed at the site can be saved to a word processing document or an email.

(Related sites include Paragraph_Punch, English_Grammar, and the Reading_Comprehension_Connection)

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Using Technology at Edison High School

by John Foley, Edison HS

Edison High is full of technology. This includes a SMART Board interactive whiteboard in almost every classroom, a wireless network, digital cameras and mobile computer labs. Mr. Foley teaches mathematics, science, and career exploration and uses technology every day in his classroom. His favorite piece of technology is the digital camera because it increases student interaction and understanding of the subject matter. He uses digital movie cameras to record classroom demonstrations, to provide lesson plans for the substitute, to allow for independent learning stations, and to create movie projects.

Using the digital camera to record demonstrations and role playing activities is a beneficial teaching strategy. For example, after recording the students, Windows Media Player is used to watch the demonstration and to create a lesson plan. By using the lesson plan and the digital recording, Mr. Foley is able to explain more thoroughly what is happening on screen. Additionally, students are able to critique themselves effectively with technology using features such as "pause" and "rewind." This allows for the students to have more exposure to the lesson by being able to repeat it often and therefore increase their understanding.

Before digital cameras and SMART Boards were used in the classroom, substitute teachers often have difficulty effectively teaching the class because they did not have a full understanding of the expectations and the material. Now, with the help of technology, Mr. Foley leaves not only lesson plans, but an actual recording of himself teaching the class. Using the digital camera to record and the SMART Board to display the information, he gives instruction to the class in much the same manner as if he were actually there. His students enjoy this teaching method because there is no disruption to their routine in his absence. Additionally, it allows them to watch the lesson repeatedly for better understanding if necessary. Having the technology to allow the same delivery method of teaching whether the teacher is present or not, reduces confusion and keeps the class on track.

Technology also allows for a more creative approach to classroom instruction for students as well as the teacher. By creating digital movies, the students can reflect their own individuality into the material and have fun while learning. One of the movie projects that has been the most beneficial to Mr. Foley's students is when the class created a news studio. The class searched the Internet for news articles about the concepts being studied. Using Co:Writer and AlphaSmarts to assist them in their writing, the students wrote scripts for the news program, recorded the scenes, then used the classroom computers to piece together the footage and add captions and music. Since the technology allowed them freedom to explore the Internet, use digital cameras, and receive writing assistance, the students were able to walk away with, not just an understanding of the material, but also an understanding of how technology improves their lives.

Teaching is both challenging and rewarding. However, technology provides tools for reaching the students, creating excitement in the classroom, and increasing understanding, making the challenges a little less daunting. Additionally, the use of technology offers the rewards of seeing a student understand a concept for the first time and getting excited about school. Mr. Foley believes that technology has improved his teaching skills and has helped prepare his students for the world they face.

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Co:Writer 4000

by Meaghan Tracy

Co:Writer 4000, the talking word prediction program designed to help students express their thoughts in writing with less frustration, has been improved! Don Johnston, the maker of the software, created a NEW feature called Predict as Needed. This tool has been added to promote more writing independence for students with diverse writing abilities. It allows the students to write on their own but have access to Co:Writer 4000 for help with single words or sentences. The program invisibly follows along with the writer until prediction is activated by hitting the right arrow key.

In addition to this great feature, Don Johnston has included over 140 Topic Dictionaries in Co:Writer 4000. These powerful vocabulary tools are lists of words grouped together by a specific topic or content area ranging from History to Sports. New Topic Dictionaries are posted monthly at http://www.donjohnston.com/downloads/downloads.htm and can be easily downloaded. In addition, custom-made Topic Dictionaries are simple to create using the Topic Dictionary Toolkit. Complete directions can be found in the Co:Writer Help Menu. Web sites, textbooks, worksheets or anything that can be saved as a text file can be added to the program.

These new and improved features of Co:Writer 4000 may help to ease students' apprehension toward writing and allow them to write well constructed sentences using content-specific words.

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Writing using Assistive Technology on the SOLs

by Jennifer Carr and Rachel Banner

For years, students have been using technology to access the curriculum with devices such as AlphaSmarts, computers, and augmentative communication. Teachers are utilizing software programs that assist students in writing, reading, and math. With increasing demands being placed on students to meet state standards for writing, there is a greater need for technology to be integrated into the classroom setting and carried over into the testing environment.

Assistive Technology and the Standards of Learning

SOL accommodation: Visual Aid (#4)

SOL accommodation (non-standard): Dictation to a Scribe (#25)

SOL accommodation: Respond by Word Processor (#21)

SOL accommodation: Augmentative Communication Device (#22)

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