The Nanaimo E-Text Project

The Nanaimo Student Services District Resource Team shares the vision of creating enabling environments for their students. Theirs is a story of dedicated teamwork that has for years been strong in its support of assistive technology solutions for students in the Nanaimo school district.  This team, comprised of a vision resource teacher, enrichment/gifted resource teacher, speech language pathologist, and special education teacher demonstrate talent and leadership through participation in technology projects.

Their participation in the SET-BC Accessible Books project resulted in the creation and use of accessible books for instructional purposes as well as literacy support. The team took the concept of accessible resources and applied it to their shared vision of meaningful, engaging, accessible instructional materials for their students.

• Students and teachers produced and narrated accessible books in English and French to support literacy experiences for all students.
• The ABC Rap Books, created and narrated by SLP Amy Fleming, are an example of the dedication and talent the team brings to their resource creations.
• Jennifer Elgie and Debra Hagen designed and recorded Power Point presentations that students play again and again to lessen anxieties and learn to participate in social interaction and recreation activities.

The current Nanaimo E-Text Project is creating interest among teachers and administrators on Vancouver Island. Initially, the student services team set out to ensure that all schools became familiar with literacy software for reading and writing support. Later, the team wanted to ensure that the grades 4-12 curriculum resources were readily available in accessible e-text format for all special needs and print challenged students in the Nanaimo school district.

Beginning in 2004, with the purchase of Kurzweil for all of their schools, Nanaimo moved closer to their goal to make curriculum content accessible to all students via the Kurzweil integrated reading and writing environment that is rich in customizable auditory support. From 2004-2006 the district support team, with support from district administrators, provided instruction with release time for teachers and teaching assistants to learn about the use of assistive technology in their instruction.

In 2006, the Nanaimo Student Support Services department acquired the alternate format electronic text resources for all BC recommended curriculum materials from PRCVI (the BC Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired) for grades 4 through 12, and was ready to launch their secondary school literacy blitz in the fall of 2006.

The blitz included:

• Information sessions focusing on how technology can support reading in every secondary school,
• Schools purchase of the basic screen reader application, Text-Aloud, for both classroom and at home reading support,
• District workshops to introduce students to screen readers for reading support – What are they? How do they work?,
• Awareness of copyright issues pertaining to alternate format materials.

Students, parents, teachers, and teaching assistants attended the district workshops to explore screen readers. The goal was to raise awareness of the e-text resources and reading support available through the advances of technology.
 
"Reading a textbook in 2007 can be different than the way it was in 1950."

Jennifer Elgie and Jan Thorsen continue to provide information sessions to groups such as School Support Teachers, Aboriginal Educators, Alternate School Educators, Literacy Resource Teachers, and the district technology department.  Current plans are underway to present ‘The Nanaimo Project’ to the Trustees of School District #68 at their Education Committee Meeting.

It is always a pleasure for the Nanaimo-based SET-BC consultants, Sharon O'Dornan and Jane Rondow, to work with the Nanaimo School District Team to bring creative technology solutions to the students on Vancouver Island.