Deaf-initely Accessible? Exploring best practice working with and supporting deaf students.

We’ve added a new workshop to the Investors in Inclusiveness conference programme. If you join us on 31st May, in addition to engaging key note speakers, a range of workshops, and the opportunity to network with key influencers and policy-shapers, you’ll also have the option to attend this workshop, scheduled just after lunch to run concurrently with our graduation ceremony.

Yvonne Waddell and Veronica Nelson of NATED Scotland will lead this 30 minute session, asking: Is your college providing the best service it could for the needs of deaf students? This interactive and informative session will cover deaf and communication support awareness, what good practice looks like in context, and how NATED Scotland can support, advise and work with your team to ensure you truly match the needs of your deaf students.

You will be able to sign up for this workshop on the day.

Click here for more details about the conference, and a link to the booking form.

FREE ICT and Inclusion exhibitions in June 2013

ICT and Inclusion is Scotland’s leading annual exhibition with a focus on the use of ICT to support learners with additional support needs. BRITE is excited to once again partner with CALL Scotland on this event, which this year, will be held at:

• CALL Scotland, University of Edinburgh, 18th June 2013
• Thistle Hotel, Glasgow, 19th June 2013

Up to 20 of the UK’s leading suppliers of software and technology to support learners with additional support needs will take part in the exhibition and give short presentations on their latest products.

There will also be short presentations by staff from BRITE, CALL and local schools, colleges and services, illustrating the use of technology to support learning.

The days are free to attend and run from 9.00 until 4.00 pm. Lunch is provided for people who book in advance.

Though ICT and Inclusion is aimed mainly at staff from schools and colleges, equipment and software on display may be of interest to adults with disabilities and the people who support them.

For more details about the venues, exhibition timetable, exhibitors and online booking visit www.ictandinclusion.org.uk

Investors in Inclusiveness conference – Friday 31st May 2013

This free event brings together practitioners and policy shapers throughout Scotland (and beyond) to:

• Hear from leading educators and innovators in the field of Inclusion
• Learn more about the new CharterMark Investors in Inclusiveness® (IiI)
• Participate in two themed workshops (from a choice of 8) which explore the IiI quality standards
• Receive up-to-the-minute news on the Scottish Government’s current review of Student Support funding (including DSA)

Delegates will be able to engage with policy makers, practitioners and fellow professionals in a series of keynotes, presentations, question and answer sessions, case studies and workshops.

Refreshments and lunch will be served during breaks throughout the day, giving opportunities to network with peers, speakers and workshop facilitators – and to enjoy the state-of-the-art facilities at the Coatbridge College Conference Centre, where this event is being held.

Click here to register

® Investors in Inclusiveness is a registered trade mark of The BRITE Initiative

DART2 Workshop 1: Assessment for Assistive Technology

Thanks to Margaret McKay, Inclusion Advisor at Jisc RSC Scotland, for this report on what happened at the first DART2 workshop in Scotland on February 7th 2013 at the College Development Network, which looked at assessment for assistive technology.

Assessment

The first sessions were presented by Rohan Slaughter (Head of Technology at Beaumont College) and Mike Thrussell (Assistive Technology Coordinator at Henshaws College).

They spoke about the importance of assessment, highlighting the skills and knowledge required by assessors and the importance of working in partnership with other stakeholders (the learner, family, carers, health professionals and relevant others).

Margaret McKay of Jisc RSC Scotland highlighted theoretical perspectives that underpin the assessment process, and the importance of placing the student at the centre of the process in order to find the best fit between the learner and their environment.

Guest Blog: Disseminating Assistive Roles and Technology

Margaret McKay, Inclusion Advisor at Jisc RSC Scotland, provides some background to the DART2 Project. Check back soon for Margaret’s overview of what happened at the first DART2 training event to take place in Scotland.

The Disseminating Assistive Roles and Technology (DART2) Project is one of 33 initiatives funded by Jisc Advance FE and Skills Project.

Launched in response to the Government’s pledge to improve learning across the UK, DART2 provides free training for those involved in providing assistive technology support for disabled learners, and aims to create a culture of collaboration across post-16 learning providers in FE colleges in the UK.

This initiative, coordinated by a consortium of Independent Specialist Colleges is led by Beaumont College, National Star College and Henshaws College. It is also supported by NATSPEC (The Association of National Specialist Colleges), the College Development Network, and by the Jisc Regional Support Centres and Jisc Techdis.

The project aims to provide a partnership and collaborative approach to:

• Improving Assistive Technology (AT) practice in the sector;
• Enable the replication of the innovative Assistive Technologist role;
• Produce Assistive Technology case studies for the sector.

Book review: ‘Learning Styles and Inclusion’ by Gavin Reid

Carol Boyle, Mentor and Development Officer at The BRITE Initiative, finds accessible and practical content in this book by internationally recognised educational psychologist, Dr Gavin Reid.

Learning Styles and Inclusion by Gavin Reid (SAGE Publications Ltd, 2005) provides practical examples of how to make learning more effective and how to recognise the needs of learners, as well as those of the teaching staff.  Importantly, the key point being made in the book is that learning styles can provide teaching staff with an opportunity to identify the needs of individual learners and at the same time recognise the needs of all the learners in the classroom.

My favourite part of the book was the introduction of practical activities which I could adopt and use with my learners as they begin to realise that they learnt in different ways, but also could adapt to the various learning environments.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about learning styles and their impact on the learner and their learning environment – which can then be manipulated to help learners achieve their goals.  It is not a complicated book with lots of jargon – it’s extremely easy to read and use.

Learning Styles and Inclusion on Amazon.co.uk (includes a ‘look inside’ preview)

Seen at BETT 2013

BETT – the educational technology exhibition and conference – is massive.  In a new venue this year, it felt smaller, but the organisers assured us that there were more exhibitors than last year.

Unusually, Apple products took a back seat as the show seemed to be overrun with Windows 8 tablets, laptops and laptops which turn into tablets (or is that tablets which turn into laptops?).  I spent about a day and a half at BETT and I’ve picked out my highlights below.

Audio Notetaker v3

Audio Notetaker is a great piece of software and with version 3 Sonocent have made some useful changes and additions.  The interface is less cluttered as less-used features are hidden, but can be displayed when required.  Colour coding your audio now only requires pressing the relevant number key, in previous versions you needed Ctrl + 1, Ctrl +2  etc.  Another tweak which makes the software easier to use is that you no longer need to select the text pane to add your notes, just typing and the cursor will move there.