May 2004 — Applications

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Interactive Whiteboards Enhance the Learning Experience for Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing Students

By Phil Mackall

The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center in Washington, D.C., has a mandate to provide exemplary education to deaf and hard-of-hearing students from two schools on the Gallaudet University campus: Kendall Demonstration Elementary School (KDES) and the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD). This includes providing teachers with the knowledge and resources to do their job, as well as working with parents, administrators and support personnel to teach students nationwide.

For several years, the center provided computers, printers and network connections to educators at KDES and MSSD. Unfortunately, only a few teachers took full advantage of the technology and used it in their instructional processes. As a result, students were not acquiring the skills needed to succeed in the increasingly technology-dependent work environment.

The center's Information Systems and Computer Support (ISCS) unit determined that teachers not only needed to be taught how to use technology, but also its value in the classroom. Since there were a few cutting-edge teachers using technology already, ISCS wanted to create a mechanism that would allow teachers to share their successes and setbacks with other educators. The ultimate goal was to provide deaf and hard-of-hearing students with the technology skills they need to compete in the workplace. The underlying principle is that teachers cannot help students achieve technology literacy unless they are technology literate themselves.

Empowering Students

The TecEds (Technology in Education Can Empower Deaf Students) project was created by ISCS to meet the needs of students and teachers. The program was developed with consideration for the requirements of adult (deaf and hearing) and student (deaf) learners in a typical classroom or computer lab setting.

To teach using a computer, instructors must project the computer image onto a large screen at the front of the classroom. However, since much of the U.S. deaf population communicates using American Sign Language, visual contact must also be maintained. This means teachers cannot be at the back of the room or sitting at a desk to control computer applications; instead, they must be at the front of the room where the whole class can see the sign language.

As the TecEds project staff investigated projection options, they became aware of the SMART Board interactive whiteboard. The SMART Board interactive whiteboard is a large screen located in the front of the classroom with which teachers can project computer-based information and control the computer while still facing students and remaining in full visual range. The big difference from traditional projection screens is that the SMART Board interactive whiteboard is touch-sensitive. The SMART Board interactive whiteboard also has a feature that gives users the ability to write in electronic ink over any computer application. At any point during a lesson, teachers can pick up a stylus from the SMART Pen Tray and write on the board, either with the stylus or with their finger. All annotations are seen on the SMART Board interactive whiteboard and can be saved for future use and test review.

Using SMART Board interactive whiteboards, teachers at KDES and MSSD are able to use a computer in the classroom while remaining at the front of the class where students can see and understand sign language. As a result, classes are more productive and students have an easier time understanding the concepts being presented.