LAPTOP LEARNING STRATEGIES

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LAPTOP LEARNING STRATEGIES INFORMATION
NIGHT YCDSB PILOT PROJECT ST. AUGUSTINE CATHOLIC
HIGH SCHOOL
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AGENDA
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INTRODUCTIONS
Lynne Oliphant Department Head, Special
Education Angela Wheeldon Learning Strategies
Teacher Mary Talamo Information Technology
Teacher George Smith Special Education
Program Consultant
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RATIONALE
Students with learning disabilities often have
difficulty in the following areas

• Reading and Writing skills
• Organizational skills
• Time management skills
• Memory skills
• Test writing skills
• Note taking skills

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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES
Traditional accommodations

• More time to complete work and tests
• Alternate formats for learning printed materials
  (e.g. audio tapes)
• The use of computers or scribes for written work
• Teacher made graphic organizers to structure
  assignments and information

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PRESENT BARRIERS TO DELIVERING ACCOMMODATIONS
Barriers

• Audio taped versions of materials are not always
  available
• Limited access to technology in the schools
• Scribe availability is not readily accessible
• Inconsistent use of graphic templates across the
  curriculum
• Technology has not been user friendly
• Technology poses problems to those students with
  poor keyboarding, fine-motor, and eye-hand
  co-ordination skills

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OVERCOMING BARRIERS THROUGH THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY
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WHY INTRODUCE LAPTOP LEARNING STRATEGIES?
Through the integration of technology, we hope
to

• Increase overall student achievement
• Increase in the use of technology in many
  different environments
• Decrease student frustration levels and number of
  academic barriers
• Increase in student motivation to learn and be
  successful
• Prepare students for post secondary
• practice

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ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS TO THE PROGRAM
Teacher Training

• Series of software workshops offered this year
  and next
• Access to consultant support

Curriculum Development

• Curriculum writing team to write lesson by lesson
  plans
• Parallel BTT and GLE curricula to emphasize
  integrated approach

Resources

• 10 laptops
• 10 software packages (Kurzweil, Dragon, WordQ,
  Inspiration)
• Site based equipment

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SOFTWARE DEMONSTRATION
George Smith, Special Education Program
Consultant (Sec), to give software demo
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BTT and GLE COURSE DESCRIPTION
Students are required to take 2 courses Grade 9
Business Information Technology and Grade 9
Learning Strategies.
The intent is that the skills and content learned
in the BTT and GLE courses will be used to
facilitate success in all of their courses
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HOME ACCESS
Recommended Hardware Processor Pentium
IV Memory 256 MB 512 Monitor 17 Hard Disk
Space 40GB Operating System XP
Professional Sound Card On board should support
at least 16-bit or higher Other Items Floppy
Drive, CD ROM, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, USB Key
Flash Drive, Scanner, Printer
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POST SECONDARY SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS
Research has shown that all colleges and
universities in the province of Ontario provide
support for students with learning disabilities.
Students with learning disabilities will not
receive modifications. They can, however, expect
accommodations at the Post-Secondary level.