Integrated
Technology Services
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ITS
TechTalk - Winter 2006
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Bill Reeder |
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Cheryl
Temple |
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Feature
Articles |
- SOLO by
Susan
Whitaker, Holmes MS
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AT and
FCPS Featured Nationally Online
by
Bill Reeder |
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Patricia
Addison, Director of Special Education, William
Reeder, Coordinator, Integrated Technology Services,
and Carmen Sanchez, Co-chair of FCPS Advisory
Committee for Students with Disabilities, were
featured in the December electronic publication
by The Family Center on Technology and Disability.
They were interviewed for an article, “Best AT Practices in School
Districts.” To view or download this article,
go to: http://www.fctd.info/resources/newsletters.
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School-based
AT Teams
by
Cheryl Temple |
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Assistive
Technology is one of the tools that teachers
can use in providing differentiated instruction
for all students. One
of the greatest potentials for the use of technology
is in the education of students with disabilities.
Assistive technology (AT) is often required to
help students access the curriculum, compensate
for their disabilities, and provide independence
in various settings. The majority of students
with disabilities are capable of being educated
in general education classrooms with their peers
who do not have disabilities. AT devices and
services can often reduce the barriers that prevent
many of these students from actively participating
in general education settings with their peers.
In order to enable more students
to benefit from AT, ITS case managers will be working
with staff at various schools to establish school-based
AT teams. The purpose of a school-based AT team
is:
- to empower school-based staff
to make initial decisions related to the AT needs
of students;
- to use school resources to
meet AT needs when all that is needed is equipment;
- to utilize the expertise
of Integrated Technology Services (ITS) staff
when AT support is needed;
- to involve more school-based
staff so that discontinued use of AT will not
be so prevalent;
- to improve student achievement
and high-stakes testing scores.
This Spring, specific
schools will be selected to establish an AT team.
This program will expand so that eventually every
school will have a school-based AT team. Various
school-based staff may be members of an AT team
such as: Technology Outreach Program Support
(TOPS) teacher, School Based Technology Specialist
(SBTS), appropriate related services staff, Inclusive
Schools Resource Teacher (ISRT), other appropriate
school-based staff and appropriate administrators.
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SOLO
- Don Johnston, Inc.
by
Susan Whitaker, Holmes MS |
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As a Speech/Language
Clinician, I work in many different classrooms. I
like being able to take what I learn at TOPS meetings
and share it with a wide variety of teachers and
students. This year, I have been working very closely
with the LD teachers and the ITS specialist at Holmes
Middle School to help the self-contained eighth graders
use SOLO, the new reading and writing software package
from Don Johnston. Our hope is that, with enough
practice, the students will be able to improve their
independent writing.
We have SOLO installed on the
computers in one of our labs. Students come every
week and work on writing five paragraph essays.
First they explored Write:OutLoud and then we added
Co:Writer. Finally we taught them to use Draft:Builder
and combine it with the other two components. Students
were encouraged to decide which parts of the program
were most useful for them. We have worked our way
through program glitches and now feel as though
the students can use SOLO independently. I think
SOLO helps these students in several ways: It helps
them to keep their writing organized. They know,
for example, that they are not ready to form their
drafts until they have five notes for each paragraph
topic. The other big advantage is the editing support
SOLO provides. These students use the Word Window
in Co:Writer and we have noted improvement in the
spelling on their papers. The auditory feedback
that the program gives them has helped them recognize
both spelling and grammar errors.
SOLO
takes time investment on the part of the students.
It has taken some patience and commitment from
teachers as well. Hopefully, though, it will
not only help more students pass their writing
SOL’s, but allow our reluctant
writers to become more successful and confident
communicators. |
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Featured
ITS Staff Member
Christine
Hamm
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Christine
Hamm is very excited to be a new ITS caseload manager
where she can combine her love for working with students
with special needs with her interest in technology!
Christine lives in Lorton with her husband Jerry,
her daughter Jillian, and dogs Dexter (black Pug)
and Sampson (Boston terrier). She is a proud graduate
of the University of Virginia, from where she has
a M.T. in Special Education and a B.A. in Psychology.
Christine has been a special education teacher for
the past five years. She most recently taught a primary
MOD/SD class and before that, 6th grade LD/ED at
Lane Elementary. She was a TOPS teacher at Lane working
with ITS caseload manager, Lisa Givens, where her
interest in all things assistive technology began.
Christine grew up in Alexandria,
VA and is a product of FCPS. She now balances her time
working with taking care of the newest family member-
Jillian Marie, born September 28, 2005. She also enjoys
reading, arts and crafts, and spending time with her
dogs. She and her husband also like to visit Charlottesville
and attend football and basketball games at UVA. Go
Hoos!
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