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Last Stop, Cambridge!! Wait.... Waterloo!!

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Well, we did it! We wrapped up our Section 68 visits yesterday with a trip to Waterloo. (After initially going to the wrong Kidsability in Cambridge! ) We spent the morning with Kellie Bell, who works half time supporting students with augmentative communication needs (ACS) and half time teaching a kindergarten class. Once again, our team really enjoyed the opportunity to connect with colleagues outside of our building and to see what tools, approaches and questions we have in common, as well as to learn more about the ways in which our schools are distinct. We had the opportunity to learn a bit about some of the low tech writing tools being used at Kidsability, including a velcro based writing/reading resource, that could be adapted for a number of literacy levels and focuses. And, as we have found in our previous school visits, teachers at Kidsability expressed the same interest in the development of an online sharing platform, as has been expressed in Windsor, Ottawa, Oshawa and To...
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Westward to Windsor

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Just two week after returning from Ottawa, Deb and I headed all the way to Windsor to visit J ohn McGivney Children's Centre School Authority. And I can say with certainty, that it was worth the 4 hour drive!  We really have found, throughout this journey, that we come away from each school with something new; whether that means novel questions for reflection, important professional connections, or ideas for technology and tools, each school authority has helped to share our TLLP process and, I hope, its outcomes. In our quest for knowledge, Windsor did not disappoint! In addition to the wonderful professional dialogue and collaboration, Deb and I were blown away by the 21st Century initiatives and tools. From robotics kits for each classroom, to smart use of tech in waiting areas, to ongoing capacity building for staff, to a MIND BLOWING outdoor playground, John McGivney really sets the bar high in terms of technology to engage and support teaching and learning.  We had a ...
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Another Awesome Adventure

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After weeks of anticipation and planning, the TLLP team visited the Ottawa Children's Treatment Centre (OCTC), in Ottawa! It was a bit of a whirlwind, flying in on Thursday evening and home by Friday night, but it was definitely worth it. After reaching out and connecting with Mari, the school's principal, we made arrangements to visit OCTC. Deb, Allison and I spent the better part of a day touring, observing and collaborating with both the principal and school liaison teachers. As was the case for our previous school visits, a lot of interesting and important dialogue came to light during our time at OCTC. Two of the most salient pieces were, 1) differences in delivery model, 2) the need for PD specific to section 68 schools, and 3) feelings of isolation and desire for collaboration between the six section 68 schools. Service Delivery Model Niagara Children’s Centre School Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre 60 students in six classrooms 30 stude...
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Road Trip to Oshawa

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In our last post, I talked about our team's exciting realization that we have enough money left in the TLLP to visit the other Section 68 schools in the province. Since then, we've been busy reaching out, making connections and doing a bit of travelling! Last week, Deb, Allison and I were thrilled to visit Campbell Children's School in Oshawa. We were thoroughly impressed with the warm, welcoming and positive atmosphere from the second we walked into the school. From Janet, the school's principal, who scheduled time to chat with us about student population and delivery models, to Shaun, the 21st Century Teacher,  who enthusiastically demonstrated and shared a number of innovative tools and gadgets, to the classroom teams who welcomed us into their rooms to observe all of the teaching and learning going on- this school is a great place to be! With regard to technology, we viewed a number of tools that could greatly enhance our students' access to writing. Of partic...
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March Madness

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Today, our TLLP team  met to discuss progress of our project. Given that we are already well into March, we used this as an opportunity to review our budget, to look at what we've been able to accomplish so far, and to discuss our next steps. We spent a good part of the day reviewing and continuing to build our resource bank through Choose It Maker and identified the need to collect video documentation of the benefits we are seeing in our students’ literacy development. We also looked at devoting more time to exploring all the features of Grid 3; while Deb has been able to develop a familiarity and proficiency with this software, Allison and I have focused more on Choose It Maker. We are hoping over the spring, to extend our tech comfort level with the Grid 3 program. In discussing our budget, we were quite pleasantly surprised to learn that there is still quite a bit of funding remaining for PD and release time. This realization led us to the next part of our TLLP journey:...
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Sharing is Caring

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When we first geared up for our TLLP in the spring, Deb and I were fortunate enough to attend the TLLP conference, where we networked with a number of colleagues. One of the people we found we had a lot in common with, in terms of project interests, was Vipin, a teacher at Bloorview School Authority in Toronto. This week, Deb and I visited Vipin's classroom to chat about TLLP progress and to see how his project is already benefiting the learning  and engagement of his students. After a tour of the school (which is an AMAZING facility), we had an opportunity to share updates from our own TLLP and to discuss some of the challenges as well as breakthroughs, we have encountered along our TLLP journey. Following this, we sat in on Vipin's circle with his kindergarten class, so we could see his project in action! Vipin's TLLP focuses on the use of ActiVote, a student response system and its potential to increase participation and engagement in students with disabilities. Usin...
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Making New Friends- November 27th

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An exciting byproduct of our relationship with Bridges, has been the opportunity to connect with other educators and therapists who have students utilizing eye gaze technology. Last week, the three of us had the pleasure of visiting Glenwood Special Day School, in Hamilton, Ontario. Glenwood is similar to our setting in that it is a dedicated school for children with special needs. They differ from us, however, in that as a Section 68 School Authority, our school is not affiliated with a school board, whereas Glenwood is part of the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB).  As well, Glenwood's student population tends to be adolescent aged students whereas we most often serve students at the elementary level. Finally, whereas our school's mandate is to determine and implement strategies that will enable student success in community school settings, Glenwood generally sees students who have not been able to thrive in their community schools and often complete their edu...
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