About TecEds

The Clerc Center has provided computers, printers and network connections to teachers for several years. However, only a few teachers were really taking advantage of the power of that technology. Because teachers were not using the technology in the instructional process, students were not acquiring the valuable technology skills they would need to succeed in the increasingly technology-dependent work environment.

In order to address the need for teacher training, the Clerc Center's Information Systems and Computer Support (ISCS) unit was providing training to teachers and staff on a one-to-one, as-requested basis. This was reaching only a small number of people.

There were a few cutting edge teachers using technology creatively and effectively with their students. However, there was no mechanism in place for sharing among the teachers and staff within a team or among the teams.

Students were learning technology skills from friends, their own self exploration and from the few teachers who were comfortable with technology. Unfortunately, there was no formalized way of providing instruction on these skills.

Around the nation, the same thing was happening, in public schools and in schools and programs serving deaf and hard of hearing students. See:

• Teachers Online but Disconnected Washington Post 3/18/2000
• Pilai, P. (1999), Using Technology to Educate Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in Rural Alaskan General Education Settings. American Annals of the Deaf, 144(5), 374-379.

The Clerc Center needed to develop and implement strategies to:

1. provide systematic, quality instruction on integrating technology into daily instruction to its teachers and staff;
2. share the knowledge gained in Clerc Center efforts with teachers and staff in other programs serving deaf and hard of hearing students; and
3. learn about and share the instructional technology activities already happening in those other schools and programs.

The ultimate goal: provide deaf and hard of hearing students with the technology skills (technology literacy) they will need to compete in the work world. The underlying principle: teachers cannot help students achieve technology literacy unless they, themselves, are technology literate.

In cooperation with the Gallaudet Development Office, members of the ISCS unit devised a plan which eventually became known as "TecEds" or "Technology in Education Can Empower Deaf Students".

The Training Lab

The first part of this plan involved establishing a training lab in the Clerc Center. Several factors were involved: some related to facilitating training for any group; some related to issues involving deaf and hard of hearing trainers/trainees.

Factors related to facilitating training

In searching for an appropriate setting for the training lab, several criteria were identified as important:

1. space for a large main training area and also space for breakout activities
2. easy access for both the elementary and secondary school personnel - direct access from outside, if possible
3. network connections are currently available or can easily be brought to the area
4. lockable storage room
5. restrooms within or close by the training lab*
6. a small kitchenette if possible; if not, a sink with counter space*

*Reasoning for the restrooms and kitchen facilities: if both are available, there is no reason for trainees to leave the training area and be late returning for training.

Luckily, an appropriate space was located in the basement of the Model Secondary School for the Deaf that met all the specifications. Some minimal modifications were required. The following kitchen items were purchased: garbage disposal, refrigerator, microwave, miscellaneous kitchen utensils (yard sales).

Factors related to deaf and hard of hearing trainers/trainees

Consideration was given to issues related to a fully visual environment - a must for instruction involving signed communication. Our decisions included:

1. Trainee tables and seats were arranged in a "U" shape with chairs facing toward the trainer, instead of the traditional "chairs in rows" or "chairs facing the wall" format. This facilitates communication among the participants and maintains a constant line of vision with the trainer.
2. Laptops were selected since they would allow easy viewing of the trainer and other participants; desktops tend to block visual communication.
3. A wireless network eliminated the need for wires running under, over and around the training area. The hub that communicates with the laptops is housed in a breakout room. Electricity was provided by outlets already in the floor of the chosen area. This, combined with laptops and easily moveable tables provides maximum flexibility in using the training areas.
4. A rear-projection SMART board was placed in the front of the training area connected to the trainer's laptop. This equipment allowed an easily visible touch input that worked well when signing, eliminated the usual beam from a projector to the projection screen, and allowed the room lights to remain at full power for easy signed communication.

Click on the Training Lab icon in the left column of any TecEds Web page in order to learn more about the setup and equipment used in the lab.

The Training

The second step was developing appropriate training. In any project developed by the Clerc Center, the idea is first tried out at the Clerc Center and then rolled out to the nation after the idea has been modified. The same approach is being used for the TecEds project.

The original concept for the TecEds project was to develop a course that would provide basic training on using a variety of tools (word processor, database, spreadsheet, graphics program, etc.). Clerc Center employees have a wide variety of skills. Trying to develop a systematic training course that would meet all needs would be difficult, especially considering the gaps that exist in skills. Serendipity stepped in and provided an alternative: the Futurekids teacher training curriculum (http://www.futurekids.com/). Futurekids is a commercial vendor "helping over 2000 schools in 75 countries worldwide use technology to transform education." They have a curriculum designed to do exactly what the Clerc Center wanted—provide teachers with skills in basic computer technology and relating those skills to classroom activities. It appeared to be, and has proven to be, comprehensive enough that even the more skilled computer users find enough new information to keep them interested in the training.

The question now was how best to deliver the course to a minimum number of people and reap the maximum benefit. After much discussion, the plan materialized. Set up a core group of teachers/staff who are trained. Choose one person from each academic team, one from the curriculum enhancement team and one from the student life team. Charge these representatives with the responsibility of sharing that knowledge with their teammates. Provide the representatives with support as they work with their teams - hardware, software and ISCS personnel to the extent possible.

Since we needed to reach our teachers and staff and those of our national constituents, the chosen representatives were also charged with evaluating the training delivered to them and to make recommendations for reaching out. During the second year additional training would be offered to Clerc Center folks and then, in the summer of the second year, training would be offered to teachers across the nation.

In addition to the formal training, Clerc Center personnel would be offered opportunities for sharing through on site discussion forums. Online tools (e.g., databases, resource libraries) would be created to facilitate sharing in-house and across the nation.

The Futurekids training curriculum requires 45 hours of in-class training to complete with some homework hours. For the Clerc Center, this is possible; for the nation, this is not practical at this time. The project personnel are investigating the power of videoconferencing to deliver this training, but this type of training will not be ready in time for the summer, 2001, national training effort. Therefore, the ISCS staff, based upon feedback from the TecEds representatives, have designed a project based week of training which will be delivered to 20 folks from across the nation and 4 personnel from the Clerc Center during late July and early August, 2001. During the last week of August and for one night a week for ten weeks in the Fall, 2001, training will be offered to 2 teachers from the nearby Washington metropolitan area and 10 teachers/staff from the Clerc Center. Originally the plan was to offer five training sessions during the summer 2001 at each of the Gallaudet University Regional Centers (GURCs). Unfortunately, the grant written for the necessary funding of this project was not accepted. The Clerc Center is investigating other ways to use the power of the GURCs to deliver training to more teachers and staff across the nation.

By sharing the combined knowledge of teachers around the nation, the Clerc Center envisions an empowered resource that can provide our students with the technology skills and knowledge needed to succeed when they seek future employment.

Click on Training icon in the left column of any TecEds Web page to read more about the training opportunities offered locally and to the nation.

Sponsors

Having a plan was great, but without funding, the project was impossible. With the assistance of the development office, grants were written to Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation ($100,000 over two years), NEC Foundation of America ($300,000), and to the Gallaudet University Combined Technology Fund ($80,000). Funds were awarded by Mitsubishi ($100,000) and Gallaudet ($73,450). To supplement these funds, requests were placed to Clerc Center administration for support. Funds from the ISCS unit and additional supplements from administrative allocations have allowed the project to succeed. An accounting of expenses for the first year is available as an Excel spreadsheet.

Click on the Sponsors icon in the left column of any TecEds Web page to read more about our sponsors.

Evaluation

The TecEds project is being evaluated in a variety of ways and with a variety of different goals. Some of the questions we are asking:

1. What is the best way to provide training to our teachers and staff?
2. Is the training making a difference and how?
3. Will what we do here work for other schools and programs serving deaf and hard of hearing students?

In future years we will be changing the focus to the students. Anticipated questions:

1. What is the best way to provide training to our students?
2. Will whatever we do increase the technology skills and knowledge of our students?
3. Will the anticipated increased skills and knowledge make the students more marketable?

Each of the questions has a multitude of smaller questions attached. Our first data gathering has dealt with training the teachers:

1. What skills and knowledge did they bring with them in FY2000?
2. What was the impact of the initial training on them and their team members?

The initial findings are that our Clerc Center population has a variety of skills with lots of gaps in what they know. As of this writing, we have gathered some initial data on what worked in the initial training, what needs to be changed and what else our trainees would like to see. We also have gathered some general information on the impact the training has made on the academic teams.

Click on the Evaluation icon in the left column of any TecEds Web page to read more about our ongoing evaluation of this project.