SETDirect

SET-BC Direct: October 02/2000

Special Education Technology-British Columbia

Welcome to SET-BC Direct, an on-line newsletter for people who are interested in issues and resources regarding the use of assistive technologies in education.

SET-BC Direct is intended to help teachers and other professionals who have questions regarding the implementation of technology for students with special needs. Subscribers may also be interested in the SET-BC program itself; our model for service delivery and the projects we develop to better assist students with disabilities.

In this issue:

1. SET News
2. Pro-D Opportunities
3. Project Updates
4. Software Kudos
5. Web Travel
6. Partners

1. SET News
A Brand New Face! - SET-BC has redesigned its Website. SET-BC's new navigation-friendly website includes an enhanced Web Resource section, Program Info section, and the Technology Support Center. Visit setbc.org to view the new architecture! Feedback on the website is welcomed! Direct your comments & questions here.

Staff Changes - Elaine Ferguson is Provincial Coordinator of SET-BC while Mike Bartlett is away on a seven-month leave of absence. SET-BC looks forward to a dynamic, successful year under the able leadership of Elaine.

Region 2, Vancouver, extends a warm welcome to Mike Sheane who has joined their team as Assistive-Technology consultant. Mike was with the Region 2 office some years ago and hasn't had too far to travel.....just round the corner from the Adult Services Program. Mike will be replacing Nedra Post who is enjoying some time at home with new daughter McKenna Paige.

Region 3, Vernon, has hired Susan Sutton, an SLP who brings a youthful, energetic and knowledgeable background to SET-BC. Susan has recently been taking courses in Ontario and previous to that worked in the preschool system in Williams Lake.

Camp News - SET-BC had another eventful summer with three Technology Camps for the Blind and Visually Impaired, held at the Bowen Island CNIB lodge, and its first camp for students using Augmentative, Alternative Communication, held at the Lions Society Camp in Squamish. Go to SET Events for camp news.

2. Pro-D Opportunities
SET-BC works with leaders in the field of Assistive Technology and A-T Product Developers to bring professional development and training opportunities to SET-BC teams. Pro-d opportunities for 2000-2001 include:

September 28, 2000
Assessment of Children Requiring AAC Intervention
Videoconference @ Nanaimo, Vancouver, Vernon, and Williams Lake
Presented by Katja Hill MA,CCC-SLP, who teaches AAC courses at Edinboro, University of Pennsylvania.
Sponsored by Aroga.

October 20, 2000
"Reading and Writing: Speech-Language Pathologists Making a Difference"
ASHA Teleseminar @ Vancouver, Vernon and Kimberley
Presented by Nikola Wolf Nelson, PhD and Maureen Staskowski, PhD.

October 2000
Mountbatten Workshop @ PRCVI
by Tim McConnell of Australia
Tentative plans are in place; contact Anne Wadsworth @ PRCVI for info.

May 31-June 2, 2000
Odyssey 2001 Conference @ UBC, Vancouver
New Frontiers is the 4th Biennial Conference of Canadian Vision Teachers.
Go to http://www.setbc.org/odyssey for more information.

3. Project Updates
SET Flex is underway in six BC school districts. Go to SET Flex for more information.

Technology Inclusion Project (TIP) Followup - North Vancouver and Sooke School Districts are participating with SET-BC in a TIP resource development project Look for valuable strategies and resources in the upcoming months.

The Kurzweil Report has been presented to the SET-BC Provincial Resource Team. Procedures for SET teams to follow in order to access Kurzweil software are now under development.

4. Software Kudos
Sight Words and Super Phonics are software titles that teachers in BC are using for phonemic awareness and sight word development. Essential Skills Software www.essentialskills.net offers either title to the winner of this editions prize draw. To enter the prize draw, email cmcavoy@setbc.org. Contest ends Oct 30, 2000

5. Web Travel
www.37.com - A savvy SET-BC camper showed me this one - 37 search engines in one.
www.ipl.org - The first Internet Public Library complete with librarian services.

6. Partners
Lorna Klashinksy's star shone so bright when she was employed as a Teaching Assistant in the Delta School District that she has been hired as the Betacom Bridges sales representative for Western Canada. SET-BC looks forward to working with Lorna as she brings A-T resources, product information, and experience to our doorstep.

SET-BC is a Provincial Resource Program funded by the B.C. Ministry of Education. Its purpose is to assist school districts in British Columbia in meeting the technology needs of students with physical disabilities and visual impairments.

SET-BC Direct is copyright © 2000 by Special Education Technology-British Columbia. Excerpts used for the purposes of quotation must be attributed explicitly to Special Education Technology-British Columbia.

The information contained in this newsletter is drawn from sources believed to be reliable, but the accuracy and completeness of the information is not guaranteed, nor in providing it does Special Education Technology-British Columbia assume any liability. This newsletter is a public commentary for informational purposes only and does not represent an invitation to purchase or endorse products, and is not to be construed as a source of buy or sell recommendations.