Technology Tools for the Trade This educational technology PowerPoint was designed as a resource tool for Deaf and Hard of Hearing teachers, support staff members (SLPs, OTs, PTs, social workers, psychologists) and parents. These software tools can be integrated into the curriculum on a daily basis to support language, literacy, and writing. Implementing these technology programs will enable students of any age to develop and strengthen their skills in the content areas. This program addresses the following ILLINOIS STATE GOALS: State Goal 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes. State Standard 3.B: Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific purposes and audiences. Benchmark 3.B.1.a: Use prewriting strategies to generate and organize ideas. Benchmark 3.B.1.b: Demonstrate focus, organization, elaboration and integration in written compositions. State Standard 3.C: Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes. Benchmark 3.C.1.a: Write for a variety of purposes including description, information, explanation, persuasion and narration. Benchmark 3.C.1.b: Create media compositions or productions which convey meaning visually for a variety of purposes.

Technology Tools for the Trade: Supports that Enhance Language and Literacy for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

The Tech Toolbox: Boardmaker Writing with Symbols Intellitools Classroom Suite Intellimathics Intellipics Studio Intellitalk III Overlay Maker with Intellikeys Pix Writer Kurzweil Kidspiration/Inspiration SOLO Co:Writer Write OutLoud Write OutLoud with Co:writer Interactive White Board

Boardmaker Mayer-Johnson Company Boardmaker is an electronic collection of color and black and white picture communication symbols (PCS) organized within the following categories: animals, clothing, descriptors, food, home, health, leisure, office/school, people, places, social comments and actions. The staff uses these picture symbols to create visual supports throughout classrooms and for activities, visual cues/prompt systems, communication boards, picture exchange systems, stories boards, and much more. These PCS are also used by the staff within other technology programs to serve as a visual support systems.

Boardmaker

Writing with Symbols Mayer-Johnson Company In Writing with Symbols, the symbol processor mode is used most; you write with symbols simply by typing. You can: choose which symbols are shown, find alternative symbols for a word, choose which words have symbols, rename a symbol to have the text you want, personalize the vocabulary, add your own pictures. The staff uses this program to provide students with literacy support, to reinforce syntax/grammar forms, and to provide sequencing opportunities for students.

Writing with Symbols

Intellitools Classroom Suite Intellitools/Cambium Learning Inc. Intellitools Classroom Suite is a multimedia program comprised of the following software tools: Intellitalk III is a talking word processor with auditory feedback which allows you to read, delete or print text; other features include a variety of voice and speech options. Intellipics Studio is a program which allows you to create multimedia activities; you can use the pictures in the Intellipics picture library as well as scanned or digital images, or clip art images to enable students to make the images move, grow, or multiply.

Intellitools Classroom Suite (cont.) Intellimathics allows students to explore mathematical concepts such as decimals, place value, fractions, and geometry through manipulating two dimensional objects and interacting with graphs, geometric shapes and numeric toolbars to name a few. The DHH staff uses Classroom Suite to have students access literacy extension activities; to reinforce concepts from the across academic areas and community based training; and to give hands on learning experiences via personalized/individualized activities

Intellipics Studio

Intellitalk III

Intellitools Software Overlay Maker allows you to design your own keyboard overlays for an Intellikeys (an alternate keyboard); You can create keys showing letters, words, phrases and/or pictures. Classroom Suite allows you to create and use a custom overlay for each activity which is generated automatically. The DHH staff uses overlays with the Intellikeys for students with motoric issues to access various computer programs and activities related to the curriculum; overlays are also used for grammar activities (e.g. sentence formulation) and sequencing activities.

Intellitools Overlays with Intellikeys

Pix Writer Slater Software Inc. Pix Writer is a talking word processing program designed for emerging readers and writers which allows a person to compose written documents even if sound symbol relationships, spelling skills or the alphabet is not fully developed. Person selects buttons consisting of words and graphics from the bottom of the screen while the word and the graphic are written at the top of the screen; words are also spoken as text/graphics are being written; various speech and voice features are included.

Pix Writer (cont.) The DHH staff uses Pix Writer to provide students with writing opportunities accompanied with literacy support, to reinforce syntax/grammar forms, phonetic concepts as well as practice oral language skills and sentence formulation.

Pix Writer

Kurzweil Kurzweil Education Systems/Cambium Learning Inc. Kurzweil is a comprehensive reading, writing and learning software [program] for any struggling reader, which reads out loud scanned documents and allow the student to highlight, take notes and look up vocabulary words as s/he is reading. Our new literacy curriculum is currently being scanned into Kurzweil; the district already has portions of the Social Studies curriculum and a collection of picture books and novels have been scanned into Kurzweil for staff and student use. The DHH staff offers these Kurzweil files as an additional auditory and visual support to aid in reading comprehension and fluency for their students.

Kurzweil

Kidspiration & Inspiration Inspiration Software, Inc. These programs are used for creating and modifying concept maps, webs, diagrams, knowledge maps and other graphic organizers. It integrates diagrams and outlines as tools. Kidspiration provides auditory support. Its a powerful visual thinking and learning tool that helps you and students brainstorm ideas, organize information, develop concepts and plan.

Inspiration

Kidspiration

SOLO Don Johnston Incorporated SOLO is a set of four software tools that offers support with the reading (comprehension and fluency) and writing (planning, organization and mechanics) process to struggling readers and writers. The four software programs, Co:Writer, Write OutLoud, Read Outloud and Draftbuilder are able to interact with each other or work independently in order to meet the students individual needs in skill development and assignment completion. All components of SOLO have auditory support and word for word highlight tracking for all built in assignments, student writing, its spell check feature, and its built-in dictionary.

SOLO: Co:Writer Co:Writer is a writing software program that incorporates word prediction and auditory feedback to assist struggling writers. It is designed to work with a word processor or other text program (e.g. Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.). Features include choosing the dictionary size, creating your own topic dictionaries, arranging guesses, and a varied speech menu. The DHH staff can utilize this program to support struggling writers with spelling difficulties which often hinder written expression. The auditory support that Co:Writer provides helps the student identify the target word so that s/he can move along in the writing process. Use and reference to topic dictionaries enable students to include more substantial vocabulary in their writing.

SOLO: Write OutLoud Write OutLoud is a talking word processing program. Features include: Variations in text, background, speech parameters and functions, and highlighting. It works as a great partner with Co:Writer. The DHH staff can utilize this program to provide students with auditory feedback during the writing process to in that they are more readily able to monitor their writing, especially in the area of syntax and semantics.

Write OutLoud with Co:Writer

Interactive Whiteboard The whiteboard is a large, wall-mounted touch screen that students can access via a pen- mouse. It works with many of the technology tools already available to the students along with its own multimedia notepad. The whiteboard is interactive in that the students can have the visual and the auditory modalities presented in a large venue. Integration of the whiteboard into the curriculum allows for increased comprehension in literacy and language, along with supporting the writing process. Utilizing the whiteboard enables students to make more meaningful connections to the text and their world.

Interactive Whiteboard

Technology Opens Opportunities for Language Skills !