1. 1 Classrooms as Learning Portals: Teachers & Students as Learners Harold Johnson Kent State University 330 672-0735 hjohnson@kent.edu “Join Together” K20 Deaf Education Project

2. 2 Presentation Focus Compelling, I2 application w/ an well defined, nation wide, K12 population of underserved, minority students, i.e., deaf/hard of hearing. Existing, nation wide, online community of learners and a network of K20 critical change agents. Existing funding structure w/ exceptionally strong additional funding opportunities Existing and emerging multimedia data based of technological, instructional and assessment “best practices.” Existing collaborative network of universities, K12 schools, agencies, organizations and businesses. ….there is one key component missing from this profile,…i.e., the actual use of existing and emerging I2 technologies and resources

3. 3 Problems…of deafness & deaf education The primary problem of… –…students who are deaf/hard-of-hearing (d/hh)… is not too little hearing, but too much isolation from peers, meaningful learning opportunities and high expectations for academic performance. –…K-12 deaf education professionals … is not too little effort, but too much difficulty in collaborating with peers, in sharing effective instructional practices and accessing needed learning resources. –…deaf education professional preparation… is not too little innovation, but too much theory that is not grounded in the day-to-day instructional practices of the nation's most effective professionals for students who are d/hh.

4. 4 Solution… Reduce the interpersonal and informational isolation. Recognize the instructional excellence. Foster collaboration. “Evolve” the current K20 classroom of four walls and a door…a door that is frequently closed…into 21 st Century “learning portals” in which students AND teachers work with an online community of learners in the application of academic content to solve increasingly abstract and complex “real world” problems.“Evolve” the current K20 classroom of four walls and a door…a door that is frequently closed…into 21 st Century “learning portals” in which students AND teachers work with an online community of learners in the application of academic content to solve increasingly abstract and complex “real world” problems

5. 5 Strategy… –Establish a K20 online community of learners for deaf education. –Use the community of learners to design and implement a K20 Virtual Professional Development School (VPDS). –Use the VPDS to… …provide technology support to the community of learners; …document K20 best practices in technology applications, content instruction and assessment protocols; …identify, understand, share and support the nation’s most innovative and effective teachers, i.e., Master Teachers; and …pilot innovative designs for teacher preparation, teacher recruitment and content delivery. –Ground the course work and field experiences of new teachers in the knowledge base and learning opportunities that are developed by the VPDS.

6. 6 Accomplishments… Since 1999, the Association of College Educators – Deaf/Hard of Hearing (ACE-D/HH) has been awarded three PT3 grants (Preparing Tomorrows Teachers to use Technology) (http://www.pt3.org/)http://www.pt3.org/ –1999-2000 [$167,000] Foster information sharing and collaboration between the nation’s 75 deaf education teacher preparation programs [DETPP] –2000-2003 [$2,100,000] Foster the development of instructional technological competence by the faculty and preservice teachers at the nations 75 DETPP. –2002-2006 [$1,500,000] Foster the development on an online community of learners to ground the preparation of DETPP preservice teachers in the “best practices” of the nation’s most innovative and effective teachers of students who are d/hh, i.e., Master Teachers. This third grant is entitled “Join Together: A Nationwide On- Line Community of Practice and Professional Development School Dedicated to Instructional Effectiveness and Academic Excellence within Deaf/Hard of Hearing Education.” An overview of Join Together grant can be found at: http://www.deafed.net/activities/InspJTOverview/1- openingpage.htm http://www.deafed.net/activities/InspJTOverview/1- openingpage.htm

7. 7 Accomplishments…(cont.) Since the onset of the “Join Together” grant over 100 individuals from… 32 states and the District of Columbia 37 colleges and universities that prepare individuals to become teachers of students who are d/hh 15 K12 schools for the deaf 19 K12 public school programs serving students who are d/hh –have…(see the next slide)

8. 8 Accomplishments…(cont.) –have used Web based technologies and resources to… …establish a nation wide support system for the use of web based video conferencing technologies. …document K12 “best practices” in technology applications, academic content instruction and assessment protocols. …identify, understand, support and share the instructional expertise of the nation’s most innovative and effective teachers of students who are d/hh, i.e., “Master Teachers.” Note: Join Together currently has 94 Master Teachers from 26 states…identify, understand, support and share the instructional expertise of the nation’s most innovative and effective teachers of students who are d/hh, i.e., “Master Teachers.” Note: Join Together currently has 94 Master Teachers from 26 states …ground the preparation of new teachers of students who are d/hh in a knowledge base of K12 “best practices” and the instructional practices of “Master Teachers.” …develop and pilot… –“regional” vs. “stand-alone” models of deaf education teacher preparation; and –strategies to recruit and support a more ethnically diverse population of teachers of students who are d/hh –the use of Jason Expeditions to enhance science learning and teaching within K20 deaf education

9. 9 Collaborative Opportunities … The ACE-D/HH “Join Together” (JT) grant has two more years of funding to complete its work.ACE-D/HH “Join Together” (JT) grant Much of the success of the JT grant is dependent upon the effective, innovative and sustainable use of home, school and university IP based video conferencing systems, e.g., iVisit and Polycom viewstations. While the JT grant has been designed to assist K12 Master Teachers and deaf education teacher preparation program faculty in obtaining and using IP based video conferencing systems, the commercial Internet is often unable to provide the bandwidth and quality of service that is needed to meet the speech reading, audition and signing communication requirements of individuals who are d/hh. As such, the JT grant provides a compelling application for the potential that Internet2 holds for the entire K20 education community. However, in order for this Internet2 potential to be realized, a number of issues must be addressed.

10. 10 Collaborative Opportunities…(cont.) Internet2 issues to address… 1.…the K20 deaf education on line community needs to become better informed concerning existing and emerging Internet2 technologies, applications and collaborative opportunities; 2.…empirical evidence is needed to establish the ability of Inernet2, vs. the commercial internet, to meet the speech, audition, and signing communication needs of individuals who are d/hh; 3.…a nation wide collaborative system is needed to facilitates Internet2 linkages between K20 deaf education institutions; and 4.…a collaborative grant opportunity is needed to move the current K20 deaf education Virtual Professional Development School from the commercial internet to Internet2. Question… How do we move from opportunities to realities?