Slide 1

1 Partners: Deaf Literacy Initiative, The Canadian Hearing Society & George Brown College November 24, 2010 LBS Capacity Assessment Report A Collaborative Partnership Deaf Literacy Initiative also gratefully acknowledges the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities whose support has made this research possible. Slide 2 2 LBS Capacity Assessment - Background Capacity Assessment: definition of capacity why a capacity assessment is essential Advisory committee members: DLI CHS, and GBC (additional support: AlphaPlus and MTCU) Hired Researcher: Dr. Sherida Ryan Slide 3 3 LBS Capacity Assessment - Process Research Assistant Survey (technology capacity) Interviews: Managers at LBS programs DLI Conference: 14 Deaf and DeafBlind Literacy Programs Mayfest in Toronto and Ottawa Data Analysis Research Technology for eLearning & eChannel (Gallaudet trip) Slide 4 4 LBS Capacity Assessment - Findings Environmental scan: Questions Asked What is eChannel for the Deaf: Vision and Want What current skills are available for a successful Deaf eChannel: Technical Capacity and Skills What are the Challenges: Budget, Demographics, Needs/Accommodations etc Slide 5 5 LBS Capacity Assessment - Findings eChannel for the Deaf Stream Vision: High Speed for Video Application use ASL on all screens Accommodate all needs (practitioners and learners) Include DeafBlind Want - Practitioner PD/Training: Teaching ASL/English, Principles of Andragogy, Essential Skills, Online teaching environment Standards for practitioner proficiency in ASL/English Common assessment consistent ASL/English assessment procedures and lesson planning etc Slide 6 6 LBS Capacity Assessment - Findings eChannel for the Deaf Stream Want Network Development: Sharing resources, training modules, teaching etc Slide 7 7 LBS Capacity Assessment - Findings Current Skills Technical capacity skills: All programs have access to unlimited high speed broadband 75% of learners have access to computers at home Most practitioners and learners rate computer skills at beginner to intermediate Slide 8 8 LBS Capacity Assessment - Findings What are the Challenges All programs report limited resources Time Budget Technical skills Technology (high speed, video streaming, IT support etc) ASL/English competencies Accommodating complex needs and accessibility Slide 9 9 LBS Capacity Assessment - Recommendations Development of an eChannel for the Deaf Stream (practitioners/learners) Establish a Deaf Advisory Committee Goals of eChannel: multipurpose, sensitive to deaf culture, employed for socialization, community building, e-learning, and PD Video application on all online environments Establish partnerships (literacy community and larger community) Develop PD for practitioners and ASL/English assessment toolkit First users of eChannel are practitioners Develop long-range plan for creation of educational content for learners Slide 10 10 LBS Capacity Assessment Next Steps Send final report to MTCU Follow up with MTCU for the next phase(s) Slide 11 11 LBS Capacity Assessment Questions & Wrap up Slide 12 12 Thank you!!!