Contact: Maridith Geuder
More than 30 teachers from four North Mississippi communities are continuing training at Mississippi State to help them teach youngsters with communication disabilities.
Teachers from Tupelo, Starkville, West Point, and Webster County will be on the university campus Friday [Feb. 26] to learn more about state-of-the-art communication software.
Sponsored by the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability, the program is part of Steppingstones from Technology to Action and Results--STAR--a two-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
"Our goal is to help schools design technology-based approaches to allow students full participation in the classroom," said project co-director Janie Cirlot-New.
Participating school systems have received a computer equipped with communication software such as Write Out Loud, a program that "speaks" the words that are typed, and "BoardMaker," a program that uses pictures for low-technology communication displays.
This week's session will focus on communication software developed by IntelliTools.
"The software can be used by students with a variety of disabilities that affect communication," Cirlot-New said. "Our project provides teachers the tools to help students reach their goals. We don't see technology as a replacement for teaching, but as a way to enhance good teaching."
Already, teachers are seeing a difference in some of their students.
"We've noticed that one of our students who was non-verbal is responding beautifully," said Barbara Iles, principal of West Point's Fifth Street School. "We've seen an amazing improvement."
Project STAR will expand to Choctaw County and Lousiville schools, with training sessions for participating teachers beginning during the summer.