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SOFTWARE GRANTS COULD MAKE SPECIAL ED TEACHERS' LIVES EASIERSeptember 9, 1999Super School Software plans to unveil this month a new three-pronged plan to help educators teach students with disabilities and track their progress. The plan is part of an overall campaign to put technology into the hands of teachers and put the teachers in touch with one another via the Internet. Building on the "JB Barber Technology in Education Grant Program," which has been underway for the past two years, Super School Software plans to expand its special education grants in January to 25 new teachers, according to Super School President Bob Barboza. The grants will allow special education teachers, paraeducators, speech language specialists, school psychologists, school principals and special education administrators to explore and evaluate Super School's specialized computer software free. The products include a program for creating individualized education plans, new authentic assessment tools, new and updated informal screening tests, portfolio assessment software for special education and other teacher productivity tools. The software is designed for use with both Macintosh and Windows-based computers. By making the tools available to special ed. teachers and others, Super School will be able to gather feedback to demonstrate that special education instructors and administrators can show growth in student performance. "In addition, a worldwide network of special education personnel will be able to collaborate with other teacher researchers that are working towards the same goal," the company says. The second part of Super School's new effort will involve parents for the first time. The company has not determined how many parents the plan will involve, and Barboza says it is still looking for suggestions on what kind of support will be helpful for families of students with disabilities. The program will center on a new product called "My Diary," which helps children take notes and practice writing at home with parents. More details on that program are expected by November, Barboza said. Finally, Super School is working on a program to help teachers share lesson plans in a central, Internet-based pool. As reported, several education-related Internet sites are taking this approach, but few address the specific needs of special ed. teachers and paraeducators. Super School's "Lesson Plan Designer Plus" software helps teachers write lesson plans and comment on their effectiveness in a uniform manner so other teachers can apply or adapt the plans to their own classroom projects, Barboza says. The program includes 42 templates for different writing styles. Teachers using the program will be encouraged to submit the plans to a central Internet site that will be maintained by Super School. The growth of the Internet has given Super School its impetus, Barboza says. Teachers in both public and private schools are now able to do things they previously could not, despite the limitations of school district red tape or low funds. "By doing the Super School project, we can do all of the creative things we've always wanted to do, without the restrictions," he notes. Super School Software is comprised of a group of teachers, researchers and software developers with the single focus of making life easier for teachers. The company recently teamed up with two other education-related software companies - Jay Klein Productions, of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Hi Tech of Santa Cruz - in an alliance to expand Super School's research efforts. They lined up the Compaq/Windows School Connection, the Apple Partner Program and computer hardware manufacturer Iomega as corporate sponsors. The group introduced its first collaborative product, the "Teacher Tools Success Pak" this month, featuring one compact disk with software produced by all three companies. It is available through educational supply catalogs, Barboza says.8 |
