Itinerant Tools and Treasures

!	Documenting Student Work

Objective

Explore methods for documenting student work. Share your favorite strategies in the discussion forum.

Content Information

Often itinerant teachers provide academic assistance to support a student's comprehension of concepts and new vocabulary. This is very important in the middle and high school grades since students' exposure to more complex vocabulary and concepts is ongoing. The general education content area classroom teachers often do not have time to teach reading strategies to our students who commonly are language delayed. (Although, this approach would benefit many other students as well.) Students in middle and higher grades are reading different kinds of materials and for different reasons than students in elementary grades. The secondary setting is much different from when the student was "learning how to read."

Writing Records

One method often used by itinerant teachers for documenting support is the use of Communication Logs or notebooks. These are used for communication between the itinerant teacher, the student, the classroom teachers and families. Many school systems are integrating the use of schedule/communication books that students carry throughout their day and home. These books are great for students to learn to organize tasks, remain on schedule, and keep track of notes between service providers.

The use of digital personal assistants (PDAs) are very beneficial. The Dana is a device with a full keyboard that uses the Palm Operating System (OS). It is a great tool for students in higher grades who are fully included or mainstreamed to both do work and keep themselves organized with the data book, to do lists, and other programs on the device. Because it is a very durable device and not as small as a Palm or other handheld, it is very practical to use for extended reading and writing activities.

Digital Documents

Documenting student work using digital cameras and scanners. By "digitizing" student work you can make a digital portfolio showing progress over the course of a term or year. Often, the paperwork an itinerant teacher reviews with a student goes back to the general education classroom teacher. The itinerant teacher does not keep a copy of the work. It is not always possible to make a copy. Using a digital camera or portable scanner, an itinerant teacher can "digitize" the paperwork. Then, the teacher has a file to refer to for assessing, planning, and sharing progress.

If a digital camera is used, the file will be an image of the document. If a scanner is used, the file could be an image or if OCR software is used, a text version of the document can be saved. Using these tools allow the itinerant teacher to very quickly and easily build a portfolio of student work. The files can be brought into other documents or programs and demonstrated to families and other teachers.

Capturing Interaction

The e-Beam and Mimio are portable electronic white board devices. These devices creates an electronic field over any whiteboard. The digital marker holders communicate with the capture device so that all work written on the board is "captured" in digital form. Older versions of the Mimio needed to be connected with a cable to a computer. A new version is wireless. This version has a capture card (memory) like a digital camera uses. A teacher can attach the Mimio to the board, write the day's lessons and notes and capture all the work. The work can then be downloaded into a computer for use in a student portfolio or printed out for the student to bring home.

Since itinerant teachers do not have a board all their own, it is important to have a way to capture notes, examples, diagrams, etc. These devices give an itinerant teacher freedom to use a white board at their many locations and not lose track of work done! Capture work samples, notes, and assignments, never to be lost when the next person using the workspace allocated for the itinerant services erases the board.

Digital Pens are another option. The one I've used, there are a few kinds, is the ioPen by Logitech. This pen has memory inside and a sensor that tracks where the pen (using real ink) writes on special paper. The paper has a barely visible grid used to track where the pen is on the papaer and other sections that can be checked which saves the data into the pen. After teachers, students, or notetakers write on the paper and save data to the pen the pen can by synched with a computer. A digital copy is then saved and can be printed out, shared with others via email or a digital portfolio. Check into this technology at the Logitech website.

Collaboration Activity

Option 1 - In the Support for Deaf Students in General Education Bulletin Board at Deafed.net, describe how you document work done with your students. What is required by your school district or individual schools?

Option 2 - In the discussion forum, discuss how you could use a digital camera or digital whiteboard in documenting work with a student. What other new technologies could help make your life easier?

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The Florida Deaf Education Professional Development Online Community (FL DEPDOC) is made possible in part by a grant from The Theodore R. and Vivian M. Johnson Scholarship Foundation. The Resource Materials and Technology Center for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (RMTC: D/HH - FDLRS) is funded by the State of Florida, Department of Education, Division of Public Schools and Community Education, Bureau of Instructional Support and Community Services through federal assistance under IDEA, Part B and state general revenue funds.