Test Calls are Coming!
Hello to all you SRVOPers out there!
We are SOOOO close to arranging for test calls that I can hardly stand it! We were able to make test calls here on campus from Polycom to Polycom and we were even able to call our internal videophone! Tiffany made one test call to an outside videophone and that worked too!!!! I was jumping up and down and almost crying! I felt like I had passed a language test without knowing the language!
Tiffany has been busy scanning, copying and pasting, and creating ASL packets to go with the stories we will be doing. We will experiment with using our online learning software called Desire 2 Learn. I will be creating usernames and passwords for each teacher/interpreter or each program. Desire 2 Learn will be the place where you can download Reading Resource Packets, ASL Packets, Power Points of the vocabulary to use in your classroom, and hopefully many, many other things that will impact student and family learning.
Our hope is that you use the ASL packets to send home to families so they can learn and practice with their children! As part of our data collection, we will be asking you to ask families which packets they used and what signs they learned. This information will help us continue to advocate for the funding of SRVOP!
On a final note this week, we will be experimenting with student blogs on the blog as well as teacher and student vlogs (videologs). In trying to achieve that endeavor, I hope you can view this short video clip. It plays in Windows Media so hopefully everyone has access to that program. Please, please, provide comments! I promise they will get better!
Thank you for your patience with us! We can’t wait to get started!
Uncategorized | Comment (1)Two Weeks… Shame On Us….
Well, things have definitely been flying around here, most of all–time. It’s been two weeks without a post and it’s been on three different places on my to-do list–that should tell you how busy we have been. Here at WSD, it’s been Spirit Week and tonight is Homecoming! Every day, staff and students have been dressing up:
Monday–Wacky Day, Tuesday–Nerd Day, Wednesday–Western Day, Thursday (and my favorite)–Rock Star Day, and Friday is Terrier Color day! On Thursday, most of us went back in time and re-lived the wild 80’s! Ahhh, good times! In fact, here’s a picture of some of our leaders at WSD–i’m in the middle.
It's Rock Star Day!
As far as SRVOP goes, we are SOOOOOO close to having everything up and running! I’m so excited. Dana (one of our tech gurus) has been working hard connecting things, showing us how to start up and set up the system. What’s left is getting our Polycom working and making some test calls.
I’ve heard from many of you and gotten some applications. We can’t wait to work with you this year!!!
Slowly by Slowly…
Welcome back to school everyone! I hope you’ve had wonderful summers!
The studio is really coming together. Dana returned to work on August 31 and has been helping us hook all the machines together. We had a couple of glitches, but they are slowly being resolved. For example, the studio takes A LOT of electricity. We were in there one day running the three studio lights and the air conditioner and blew a fuse! EEK!
Terry, Kirk, and Al have been helpful in thinking of solutions so we can run everything that needs to run. Hopefully a couple of heavy duty 25ft surge protectors running to a different outlet will solve the electricity issues!
One of our flat screen monitors didn’t have the right type of connections that we needed. Dana scoured the campus and found us a different one that works!
We will all be working hard next week to power up the machines, install any needed software, and start making test calls as soon as we can!
Tiffany has been busy creating beautiful ASL packets to go with each story! We are hoping to load these into our Desire 2 Learn online class system so all of the SRVOP participants can download them, copy, and send home to families to increase ASL in our students’ home environment.
We are also reviving our Reading Resource Packets created by our very own Cathy Corrado! And we hope to have vocabulary power points that you can use with your students in class.
Have a great weekend everyone! We hope to get back to our Monday post next week!
Uncategorized | Comment (1)Our Brilliant Mary Clarify! We will miss her!
August 31st was Mary Clare’s last official day with us. In honor of her last day, I asked a few people to send me a note for her. Here are the responses. If you want to add your response, email me ( donna.sorensen@wsd.wa.gov ) or leave a comment below!
Our Mary Clare!
From Howie Seago:
Mary Clare,
It’s because of you SRVOP lasted so long and thrived so well. With your consistent dedication, gentle support, elegant poise and most of all, great sense of humor, you impacted the lives of so many Deaf children, their families and my own.
You were….
The Brains and Beauty behind the camera,
The Nuts and Bolts, (and Glue) that held the program together and move it forward,
The Girl Friday, er Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, who made SRVOP succeed for many weeks, months and years
The Meats and Potatoes that nurtured many a young Deaf mind and soul,
The Ice to my Fire.
To paraphrase William Hodding Carter, Jr:
There are two lasting legacies that I hope we have given to the Children of SRVOP and their families:
“Roots”…a foundation of Deaf identity
“Wings”…a love of reading, to discover stories that ignite the imagination and the heart.
Again to paraphrase, Forest Witcraft:
A hundred years from now, it will not matter what your bank account was, whether you owned a house, whether you drove a Beemer or Vette, (though your Shadow matters!), whether you vacationed in exotic places, whether you hobnobbed with the fashionable elite, the world is indeed a little better because you were important in the life of a Deaf child like….
Darren,
Maliki
Yesenia
Andy
Randall
Caroline
And many more…..
Heartfelt Thanks and Warm Hugs from us all.
Have even more fun as you roar off on your bike into the next exciting chapter of your life.
….Just remember us in your trailing dust!
With much thanks and appreciation!
Howie
From Nancy Hatfield:
As the third key person to join the Shared Reading Video Outreach Project team (after Howie Seago and Gretchen Savage), MaryClare logged more years with SRVOP than anyone. Consider her the official SRVOP historian! Besides knowing the name of every child, teacher, parent, and tutor who has touched SRVOP over the years, she knew how to run all the videoconferencing equipment, mixers, lights, you name it–and, in a pinch, she could even jump in a conduct a bookreading session! She also was expert at creating the PowerPoint book adaptations used in the sessions. Besides all this, MaryClare was the consummate professional, always ready, cheerful, and assertive in making sure every SRVOP detail was managed well. It feels strange to refer to our “MaryClarify” in the past tense. We already miss her.
From Tiffany Gay:
Adieu Mary Clare
I first met Mary Clare when she interpreted the staff challenge course training for Deaf Teen Leadership camp in 2007. She had on a leather biker jacket and boots that reflected her love of riding. I immediately liked her and felt she was someone who was always there no matter what. Since that time, she has supported me in my transition of becoming the director of DTL, giving me a lot of ideas and guidance as I learned the kinks of finding support for the program. Mary Clare has her heart in the right places and because of that; so many children’s lives are touched and changed. She proudly showed me her studio when I visited in Renton and I was immensely impressed by the set up and admired her ability to maneuver all of the equipment. When I got the Program Specialist job, my first thought was, how in the world am I going to keep with the magnificent Mary Clare? Now I know, she will always be there with her enduring guidance and support no matter what. Thank you Mary Clare, for all you have done for SRVOP! I am honored to continue the fire you have lit and pass it on as I continue on this journey with SRVOP.
From Donna Sorensen:
I remember on my first day of work in Renton, I asked Mary Clare, “So, what are you feeling knowing that your job is moving to Vancouver at the end of the year?” Her response, “Well, I have a year to prepare for it.”
This is the Mary Clare that everyone knows and loves—always looking on the bright side.
I tried hard to learn all her data-keeping systems, all her tricks for getting the technology to work, remember where all the SRVOP sites were, who the students were, who their teachers were… But really, how do you cram 11 years of knowledge, experience, and history into one fast-flying year? She never let up, though. She was determined to tell me everything, show me everything and if she couldn’t, she made sure I knew where to find the information when I was ready to retain it.
All the while, smiling and laughing along the way. SRVOP is definitely more because of her. There’s a poem I love called Bits and Pieces ( http://www.seltron.com/ace/other_artists/bits_n_pieces.htm ). It says that you are made up of everyone who has ever touched your life. Mary Clare, think about all the people you have touched as you worked for SRVOP. We are all so much more because of you. Thank you!
If you want to add your memories or farewells to Mary Clare, please send me an email donna.sorensen@wsd.wa.gov or add a comment below!
Uncategorized | Comment (1)Introducing Me!
Hello! My name is Tiffany Gay, I’m the new Program Specialist and I’m truly excited to be here! I have so many ideas and am ready to roll up my sleeves and figure out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to teaching students literacy in ASL and English. I am a native of Vancouver, Washington and it’s nice to be back at home after living in the Puget Sound area for 2 years teaching high school and sub teaching here and there. There’s nothing like home sweet home, especially when the ‘Couve has everything within a reasonable driving distance! Before returning to the Northwest in 2005, I attended Gallaudet University where I got my Bachelors in Elementary Education and Spanish (¡Sí, leí español!). My six years on the East coast consisted of nothing but wonderful experiences which I bring with me as I move on to new chapters in my life.
I first considered applying for the Program Specialist position in the early summer when I found out the position was open but didn’t apply right away because I was putting my focus on the Deaf Teen Leadership camp in Randle, WA then I was out of the state for the rest of July. When I returned, I had a heart-to-heart talk with my family because as much as I loved staying at home caring for my son, my heart desired to work with students again. With the full support from my family, I applied for the position and got the job!
Teaching and Learning is something that I’ve always felt passionately about. Without learning, there is no ‘life’ and to learn, we have to have teachers who are always there with their everlasting endurance. “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” said so perfectly by William B. Yeast and with this quote in mind, I am determined to not just teach for learning, but to teach for a life-long desire of learning.
SRVOP is going to be an interesting challenge with all the new technology equipments to maneuver, and I’m lucky to have such a wonderful boss with whom I will be learning everything with as we go along. I look forward to the next year and to inspire students from across the state to enjoy story-sharing and story-reading in ASL and English. I welcome you to email me at tiffany.gay@wsd.wa.gov with any questions, feedback, ideas or just to say Hi!
As a closing reminder, please read every day, for yourself, to your students, to your child. There is nothing more critical than the ability to read!
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
~Frederick Douglass
A New Program Specialist!!!!
I am so excited to welcome Tiffany Gay as our new SRVOP Program Specialist! I’ll let her introduce herself in the next post! It’s nice to have another piece of the puzzle in place as we get ready for the school year!
The biggest change in the studio is the blue screen. It’s up and it looks fabulous. Now if we could just figure out how to hook everything together and get it up and running. I have a few leads that I’m following so hopefully soon, I’ll be able to report that connections are happening! Also this week, I want to get the History page up. I think it will be a great way to honor all who have been involved with SRVOP up until this point. Look for that soon.
The Big Blue Screen
By the way, this screen was donated by Composite Components Company. I called and talked to Kay Erland and when I told her I worked for the Shared Reading Video Outreach Project, she asked if I was Gretchen who was the last person she had spoken with over 10 years ago. When I told her my request, she responded that she could donate the chromakey fabric to schools and thought she had one exactly like we had in Renton! We only had to pay for shipping.
Thanks Composite Components Company!
The Studio
One day late….
Well, my committement to this SRVOP blog is to post something every Monday. I failed to do that yesterday. I was in Seattle attending a Partners in Prevention meeting where we focused on a developing second DVD.
The first DVD “Protecting Your Deaf Child from Sexual Abuse: A Parent’s Guide” was absolutely amazing! Howie Seago was involved with many talented Deaf adults and young Deaf students. This DVD is free to parents and to Deaf and Hard of Hearing programs. Please contact me if you want a copy of this DVD. It was produced from start to finish in partnership with Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services ( ADWAS at www.adwas.org )
While this DVD was aimed for parents, our second DVD will be aimed at teenagers. They face so many challenges and right now with technology developing at lighting speed, sometimes the consequences of their actions are more serious than we would ever think! Sexting is the big thing right now–sending sex messages and pictures via cell phones. If you have any experience with seeing this or dealing with this, please email me! I want to talk to you! ( donna.sorensen@wsd.wa.gov ) We are working now to develop a “movie” script that will address that issue along with other issues such as cyberbullying, the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ of relationships, where can you go for help, and other issues that teens face.
If you know of anyone that might be willing to help us develop a script (on a volunteer basis) also contact me.
Next week, John (one of our computer geniuses) and I will start hooking machines together and installing software. I also know I have promised a photo of the blue screen that is now up. I promise next time. It’s on the camera and not my computer… to be continued! Thanks for reading!
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Upcoming History Page!
After attending the “goodbye Mary Clare” event at Puget Sound ESD, I realize there needs to be one place where the history of SRVOP is documented and all-encompassing. Toward that effort, I’m working on a separate HISTORY page to add to this blog!
So many people have worked for SRVOP, supported SRVOP, and even cheered from the sidelines. Every person who is or has been connected with SRVOP should be celebrated for their efforts! Look for a soon-to-come HISTORY page. If you have ideas of people who have been involved with SRVOP in the past, email me ( donna.sorensen@wsd.wa.gov ) and let me know how to include them.
This HISTORY page will be a celebration of how far we have come and an encouragement to keep going, growing, and suceeding in positively impacting Deaf and Hard of Hearing students around the state!
Uncategorized | Comment (1)Let there be…
LIGHTS!
Wow, with help from many others, the studio is taking shape. Everything has arrived and now just needs to be hooked together. After that, we’ll go online, make a few test calls and voila! The studio will be up and running!
There is a job opening for SRVOP Program Assistant. Please refer anyone you think would be a great addition to our staff to our website ( http://www.wsd.wa.gov/about/jobs.aspx ). This assistant would need to be comfortable and knowledgeable with technology including videoconferencing equipment and computer programs such as PhotoShop. We have other job openings as well so spread the word!
The lights look amazing, don’t they? The next step is for the blue screen to go up!
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Combined Summer Institute
Last week, I attended the Combined Summer Institute (CSI) in Yakima. This conference happens every year during the second full week in July (Save the dates for next year–July 12-15, 2010). CSI is a great way to network and add tools to your teaching toolbox. This year, my favorite session was about WORDS and BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE! This will be the focus of the SRVOP and TUTOR sessions! Our students need vocabulary–both in English and in ASL! I hope to take many of the ideas presented and adapt them to SRVOP!
My second favorite session was about WRITER’S NOTEBOOKS! There has to be a way to do Writer’s Notebooks online! That’s my next brainstorm–how can we incorporate writing into our SRVOP sessions without asking teachers to take on additional work? Hopefully this blog will be one way to accomplish that.
And as promised, here are a couple of pictures showing some progress in the studio. More equipment has arrived. Soon it will be time to starting installing programs and connecting wires and cables. Then it will be LIGHTS, CAMERA, and…. ACTION!
Here is the second TV that will help us adjust the Chroma-Key and lighting.
And with help, the first light goes up! Ahh, it’s starting to look a lot like a studio!
