Using ICT to Support Students who are Deaf

2 Professional Development and Support: Why? Isolation Unique and common problems Affirmation Pace of change in education Policy of integration Parental expectations and awareness Professionalism Educational partnership

3 Professional Development and Support: How? Through the Internet: Access to expertise/information On-line courses Chat rooms Message Boards Mailing lists Sharing of resources Other: Support groups in education centres

4 A teacher of the deaf may need: The facility to individualise teaching and learning materials New and exciting ways of learning to motivate students Administrative tools to help with planning, record keeping etc. What else?

5 A Deaf Student Two specific areas of need: Acquisition of language Development of a communication system

6 A Deaf Student Has difficulty in acquiring language in the same way as the hearing student and may have a poor vocabulary May have difficulty in developing a communication system May have difficulty learning at the same rate as hearing students May have a below average reading age and have difficulty coping with text books written for their chronological age

7 A Deaf Student Will need much reinforcement Very often has low confidence and/or self esteem May have memory problems May have difficulty with writing May need extra support in class and extra time spent on a topic

8 A Deaf Student May have difficulty moving from the concrete to the abstract May not seek assistance when needed May have difficulty expressing ideas May have difficulty keeping track of what everyone says in a class discussion May have difficulty socialising with hearing peers

9 Memory Triangle Most people remember Lecture Reading Hearing Seeing Demonstration Watching a video Seeing it done Giving a talk Group work Project work Cross-curricular work Teaching others 5% 10% 20% 30% 50% 70% 90%

10 Memory Triangle Lecture Reading Hearing Seeing Demonstration Watching a video Seeing it done Giving a talk Group work Project work Cross-curricular work Teaching others 5% 10% 20% 30% 50% 70% 90% COMPUTER ICT facilitates Active Teaching and Learning Methods

11 Memory Triangle Most people remember: 10% of what we read (difficult if the deaf student has literacy problems) 50% of what we see and hear (a problem for deaf students) 90% of what we do (can benefit deaf students a great deal)

12 Common types of ICT use Teaching tool Learning tool Administrative tool A source of educational content A collaborative tool A medium of communication A student’s functional aid (assistive technology) A medium of creative expression

13 How can ICT help the teacher? Facilitates individual instruction Facilitates individual learning Facilitates provision of additional support in mainstream classes To vary teaching methods and add variety to lessons Can be used as a source of professional development and support

14 How can ICT help the teacher? Reinforce basic skills Design programs to meet the needs of students Facilitates communication Locate resources Assessments Record keeping Preparation of notes Research

15 How can ICT support deaf students? Opens up new methods of communication for deaf students Very visual medium-pictures and animations Not dependent on the spoken word Can extend the use of language and reinforce vocabulary Can extend the understanding of concepts Allows deaf students to access information thus increasing confidence, independence and self- esteem

16 How can ICT support deaf students? Facilitates independent learning and collaborative learning Promotes active learning Allows students to work at own pace and level Allows students to produce high quality, professional looking work Students may more readily accept feedback from a computer than teacher

17 Types of ICT Educational software Interactive resources Software for communication (e.g. voice recognition) Technology for speech synthesis (e.g. Dynavox)

18 Types of ICT Interactive white boards Digital cameras Videophones, videoconferencing Text messaging, , Internet Laptops, portable writing devices

19 Software / ICT Resources Watch for: Sound dependency Compatibility with listening devices Appropriate visual presentation Use of icons / captioning

20 Where can ICT help? CD-ROM and multimedia software – both commercial and “home made” to provide access to visual information Reinforce language, vocabulary or concepts Word processors and predictive software programs to help develop writing skills Presentation software to visually display information for projects, web pages, etc.

21 Where can ICT help? Presentation of information in new ways to organise thoughts – planning and organising programs, spreadsheets, databases Communication technology to facilitate communication between deaf and other students The Internet has transformed the lives of many deaf people by allowing access to information and by facilitating communication