Yes, you read it right! After the time spent learning about the applications and opportunities presented by Kurzweil last night it was time to do some investigating at school today. As I am fairly new to the school, I do not have a handle on the "where" and the "whom" when it comes to assistive technology and programs in our building.
Interestingly enough, one of my peers from class was on a similar mission and we revealed something that says a lot about what is needed in terms of technology and programs and consideration for identifying person(s)responsible for overseeing the location/use of such applications in a school setting.
Thus, the can of worms has been opened. Much to my delight, there were two of us "working the case" and by the end of the day we had recovered one under-utilized flashdrive- so much so that the password is no longer readily available- and one missing hard drive-the ONE that contained Kurzweil in our Learning Centre...
The class on Wednesday was a bit of a wake up call for me. Although I was aware that Kurzweil existed in my school, I had no idea the options and opportunities that it holds for so many students and teachers.
The whole experience (class and one day of investigative work :) does leave me wondering how we hold trained individuals accountable for ensuring that the assistive technology in our schools is utilized to its utmost potential? Does being trained carry any responsibility with it? Are we responsible for building capacity with the staff while working to strengthen programs for students using what we have learned? What happens if the PST or classroom teacher has a student that would benefit but because of level of comfort or lack of time to plan etc. they "choose" not to use this tool?
Perhaps this issue needs to be considered when it comes to annual performance evaluations for school staff? Looking specifically at what training staff members have received and what they have done to enhance teaching practices or strengthen programming for students directly... I guess then the consideration of how to measure that comes into play and arguably so as how do we measure effectiveness, success? It is personal and subjective and so... the can of worms will remain open for tonight...
Perhaps my peer and I will have success reinstating Kurzweil to its rightful place -assisting students, in the coming days at LRHS... more to come! :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Very interesting Karen. Perhaps things will change now that there are others at the school who are excited about Kurzweil. We have done a number of trainings at the school but it requires someone at "ground zero" to make it happen. This is all part of the "Milieu" issue:)
I am glad you found the program. I am also new to technology and the Kurzweil program is great. We are just introducing this program to a student. It is so rewording because he will be able to do the same work and work independently with very little support. Great blog and reflections. I enjoyed it very much!!!1
Hi Karen
I am also new to my school and discovering who, what, where and the how-to's can be a can of worms. However, when you begin to find out who (as in my case) you will find that those individuals involved are a great resource and support for you. The what will come in time through doing courses such as 5163 and 5173. The where sometimes can be an issue because no to schools are alike, not all schools have the necessary materials and not all schools keep track of what they have and where it goes. Having Ian and Paula in the same school where I teach is a tremendous help to me because they already have the background knowledge on the what, who, where and how-to so I am extremely luck and grateful for their support because without it I do not think that I would be as calm as I am with all of this information that we are being presented with. We need to take it one class at a time and keep on working with those who we know have more experiene and knowledge than us. It is only then that our lives will become easier and we become more evolved.
Karen, I am glad you are there and you and Ceri can make things happen.I know I took this program back and made a difference in many LD students' academic careers. Unfortunately only things happen when the person that is trained wants to help others learn a program. I used to be there.
Post a Comment