Loreburn+School

= = = School Based Technology Goal =

All staff will learn and use the Kurzweil program.

The Kurzweil Program is a computer based program which takes various forms of digital text and will read it aloud to students through a speaker or headphones. This program is also customizable for each student, allowing for changes in voice, pitch, speed and even language.

Our goal was to have the entire staff at Loreburn Central School able to use this program effectively in our school, specifically for a few students, but for the benefit for all the students. The main outcome is to have students bypass reading difficulties to attain success at comprehension and utilize and give a focus on the Auditory Learners in the classroom.

Highlights
We had met limited success with this program in the past, but this year, as more of the younger students became fluent in Kurzweil, they also became avid users of this program. Other students have also used this program on their own during independent research times in the computer room. This wouldn’t have been seen in the past.

Another great highlight was the use of the program to reach 3 EAL students who had come to LCS without knowing any English at all, and now, at least one is able to use the Kurzweil program for both English, Spanish and French.

Obstacles
We found technology itself being an obstacle. Computers were slow to initialize or were slow use. This became a point of contention with students who were hesitant already to use the program.

We also found it difficult to find time to all meet as a staff to share successes and concerns. The times that we were able to collaborate and share ideas, we were able to help and support each other. Next time, I would suggest using tutorials such as http://supportingtechnology.wikispaces.com/Kurzweil and the support materials there.