Rationale I am a firm believer in access and accessibility. Learning should be both accessible in terms of physical limitations, and in terms of availability. It should be a community effort, utilizing all resources possible. I have chosen 4002 455 Needs Assessment to work on the accessibility and access issues for my students. Reducing communication barriers between deaf or hard of hearing and hearing students is important to me, particularly within group projects. Reducing a dependency on Interpreter or c-Print services is one step closer to empowering students and reducing barriers to communication. Students view this course as a 'soft' course focussing on communication. Yet they often do not appreciate the barriers to true communication for all. As the first deaf faculty member employed at RIT outside of NTID college, I am well aware of the limited access in social situations for individuals. The utilization of Tablet pc's should level the educational playing field!!

Quick Facts Dept: Golisano College Department of Information Technology Courses Impacted: 4002 455 Needs Assessment # Students Impacted: 280 # Faculty Involved: 4 This project is funded in part by an HP Technology for Teaching grant.

Implementation (pedagogy) Currently taught in a traditional classroom, 455 Needs Assessment will make the shift to become a mobile technology road show! Instead of making treks to the Open Computing lab, the students will now be able to remain in the classroom. An online conference will allow students to share team documents as well as to post annotated course power points. The learning experience will become more focussed on 'quiet conversations' within teams, where teams can remain in the classroom yet still hold team conference meetings. The students can participate in their group projects, developing templates on the Tablet, and conducting their field-based research in the College. Most importantly, with the use of IM, any deaf learners will not be sign-language Interpreter-dependent: deaf and hearing learners can communicate via IM in the class or in the field.

Collaborative notetaking Implementation (technology) Tablet PC's will enable students to participate in their own learning by collaboratively taking notes. Students will be able to write on posted powerpoints, view each other's notes, and edit where necessary. This will enable students to see different note-taking styles, and to see different perspectives on the same lecture. The Tablets will also allow students to talk to each other without disturbing the entire class (backchannel chatter) as well as leveling the auditory playing field for deaf or hard of hearing students. Students will be taking their Tablets into the field to conduct their group project research. Software used will be chatware (Currently Trillian) with a potential addition of MS OneNote. Trillian Not as much spyware downloaded with installation, compared to other chatware systems.

Snapshot of student group work on Tablet Impact on Teaching Accessible education means empowering students to take control of their learning. The goal of this project is to utilize the Tablets to bridge cultural and communication gaps between hearing and deaf/hard of hearing students. Students will use technology to enhance group work, generate course notes collaboratively, and use IM to communicate, reducing dependency on Interpreter or c-Print services. Success would be students working together in the classroom and in the field for research, without communication barriers. Student feedback will be gathered to determine if the communication barriers are reduced or eliminated, and transcripts / course notes will be examined to determine if students ARE using the technology for work, and not just for socializing and playing! The issue of Backchannel chatter will be considered for future research. Back Channel Chatter What is back channel chatter, and why should we be thinking about it? More backchannel info A discussion of modes. Bridging diverse groups A different kind of diversity, but the intent is still there! IRC addictions!! Confessions of a backchannel queen! How it challenges us as teachers What happens when EVERYONE is doing it? Can we laugh?? What happens to social dynamics when we can't or don't laugh out loud?

Team interactions and group projects can be conducted in a variety of venues; unobtrusive but productive. Every student has a story to tell, and every student deserves to be able to hear that story. Learning, and related tools, should be accessible to all.

Impact on Student Learning One Year Ago - Students sat in a technology-free classroom, listened to lectures, ventured out into the world to conduct paper-based research in teams. They were bored, they could not always communicate with each other, and their group interactions were sporadic and chaotic. Today - Students are using the Tablet pc's for their group project. Collaborative notetaking is not as successful as one would wish, but the group communication barriers are eliminated, and the transcripts indicate genuine progress being made for assignments. One Year From Now - It would be lovely to see true collaborative learning. Certainly it is attainable in team environments, but, as one student pointed out, when one is paying $28,000 dollars for an education, assisting others in their learning is not always a priority. My definition of success? Students working together on class notes, group projects and in-class assignments, via the Tablet. The social environment is not compromised nor hindered by the use of IM, and group projects can be conducted in the field, without fear of not being able to procure an interpreter or c-Print operator. Surveys are being collected and compiled as pre and post comparisons. Peer evaluations will indicate a dis/satisfaction with the group process. Course evaluations will serve as an indication of success. Thusfar the data is indicating a reluctance to do collaborative notetaking, but a willingness to use IM for group work, as a documenting process as well as an access feature.

C. Beaton Contact Us Assistant Professor Catherine Beaton [email protected] (585) 475 4874 www.it.rit.edu/~cii

References & Publications Wilbert McKeachie: McKeachie's Teaching Tips (ISBN 0-395-90345-9) Sheila Tobias: They're Not Dumb: Stalking the Second Tier (ISBN 0-9633504-0-4) Margolis & Fisher: Unlocking the Clubhouse (ISBN 0-262632691) Why? They give me a 'different' perspective on classroom learning. As a deaf educator, I can relate to the 'disability' experience in the classroom. But each learner, regardless of ability, has a different perspective. The best 'awakening' article I ever read was 'Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh, back in 1990! I can translate that article to be for Black, Deaf, blind/Visually Impaired, or (insert politically correct label here!) students. These kinds of 'learning' enable me to see how students approach learning, technology, and the meshing of the two! Presentations and Papers: Co-Presenter, Give it Up! Control in the Classroom, LILLY conference, Ohio 2005 Author, Evolution of Ethics using Blended Learning, ITHET Conference, Santo Domingo, D.R. 2005 Co-Author, Reconnect, Don't Disconnect! Overcoming Social Barriers through Information Technology , SHHH International Convention, Washington DC. 2005 Presenter, F.I.T.L., Panel discussion on Classroom control and learning, NY,2005 Author, The Healing Power of I.T. 21st Annual PacRim Conference, Hawaii 2004 Co-Author, Cognitive Connections with the Real World for Learning, Cal-Ed/CAID California 2004 Co-Author, Perceptions and Reality of Web Accessibility, 20th Annual PacRim Conference, Hawaii 2003 Author, Perceptions of Blended Learning, 20th Annual PacRim Conference, Hawaii 2003 Presenter, Blended Learning, F.I.T.L, 2004 Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack A wonderful diversity read! Evolution of Ethics using Blended Learning A different twist on trying to reduce communication barriers!

This project supported in part by an HP Technology for Teaching grant.