Technology

Frequently Asked Questions

Written By:
Dr. Harley Hamilton
Technology Specialist Atlanta Area School for the Deaf
hamiltonh@apachemail.aasd.k12.ga.us

Question: How do I get equipment, software, etc…?

Answer:
1. Contact your Technology Specialist, Principal, or Special Ed. Director
2. Contact RESA at http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/informationresources/resas.html
or GLRS at http://www.glrs.org/
3. Apply for grants.

There are several resources for grants. Here are links to a few...

grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm

www.governor.state.tx.us/Grants/index.html

gcs.ed.gov/

polarisgrantscentral.net/

Question: What do I need to know about technology and who can help me?

Answer:
1. The Georgia Department of Education Technology website is a good start go to http://techservices.doe.k12.ga.us/edtech/edtech.htm The InTech program is excellent.
2. Check with your Technology Specialist.

Question: What are the basic technology skills I should teach my deaf children?

Answer:
1. Check with your Principal for the skill list used at your school. The QCC now has a technology section, which can be very useful to peruse.
2. Specifically for deaf students, the use of email for written communication and reading caption TV are very important. A study from Gallaudet estimates that 90% of the print that deaf adults deal with is in an electronic format (i.e., email, websites, caption TV…). Caption TV in particular is important because reading captions is different than reading a book. The text is only present for a short time, may be a summary or spoken jargon… This area can not be emphasized enough. Consider what your students spend a good bit of time at home watching TV.

Question: How do I find information on training?

Answer:
Visit the DOE website and scroll down to the Technology Training centers section. Many courses are offered. InTech is especially valuable. http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/

Question: How do I find materials such as videos?

Answer:
Harris Communication offers the most complete catalog of videos for the deaf. http://harriscomm.com
Also videos of signed storybooks are now available from

Visual Storyreading Program
Kansas School for the Deaf
450 E. Park Street Loathe, KS 66061
913-791-0573(v/tty)

Also from Gallaudet
http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/Literacy/srp/srp.html

and the California School for the Deaf- Riverside
http://www.cde.ca.gov/csdr/

Question: Where could I go to find caption videos?

Answer:
To borrow caption videos, Caption media can be accessed at http://www.cfv.org

Question: Is there computer software available, and where can I find it?

Answer:
Gallaudet University has a program called "Software to Go" which reviews software. Also Gallaudets on-line English Works program is available. Link to http://clerccenter2.gallaudet.edu/stg/accessible.html#software for a listing of software made accessible for the deaf.

Language software for the deaf is available at www.windmillworks.com and www.computermice.50megs.com

Question: Where can I go to find out about caption decoders?

Answer:
Caption decoders are available from Harris Communications http://harriscomm.com