When

Tuesday, April 26, 2022 at 11:00 AM EST
-to-
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 3:30 PM EST
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Where

 Online via Zoom

Contact

Sherry Conrad
Resource Materials and Technology Center - D/HH
800-356-6731
sherry.conrad@rmtcdhh.org
 

See the Sound - Visual Phonics Virtual Real-Time Training 

Virtual Real-Time Training for Florida Professionals Working with Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing

RMTC-D/HH is excited to bring back the virtual Visual Phonics training in real-time for Florida professionals!

Please join us for See the Sound: Visual Phonics presented by Sherry Conrad. This is a two-day virtual event in real time.

Participants for this training should be currently assigned to the instruction or support of students who are D/HH in Florida.

Participants will learn how to represent the sounds of English visually via hand movements and symbols. This training will provide methods for implementing the use of Visual Phonics in the classroom. Progress monitoring tools for tracking phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding will also be provided. Visual Phonics is not an additional curriculum but is a strategy that can be integrated into existing phonics-based curricula or interventions.

Please see the information below for the best virtual training experience:

  • Arrive early. RMTC-D/HH staff will open the room 30 minutes before we begin each day for sound checks, questions, and technical assistance with the tools we will be using throughout this training (Zoom, LiveBinder, Google Jamboard).

  • Make sure your Zoom is up-to-date. We will be using many features in the Zoom environment including the chat box, breakout rooms, captions, and reactions. Participants may also want to utilize the "pin" feature to keep a specific person in view, as we could have up to 27 people in the room at a time. An updated Zoom app will ensure participants are able to access all the features.

  • This training will require that you have your video on in the Zoom platform. Participants will be practicing hand movements and interacting with colleagues throughout this training. Please make sure you have adequate lighting so we can see your smiling face and your background contains only people and pets who are willing to be a part of our training. 

  • We will be using Google Jamboard and a LiveBinder during this training. The LiveBinder will hold most of the materials from the training. The Google Jamboard will be the interactive whiteboard during our collaborative breakout rooms. Participants must be able to switch between Zoom and Google Jamboard for full participation in this activity.

  • Plan to stay for the whole event both days. Participants who complete the training will receive additional resources to support implementation of See the Sound: Visual Phonics. Please make sure your school address is listed in the registration, as we are unable to ship to home residences.

Intended Audience: 

  • Teachers of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing (ToDHH)
  • Educational Interpreters
  • Program Specialists for D/HH
  • Staff working with students who are D/HH may include but not be limited to Speech and Langauge Pathologists, general education teachers, and exceptional student education (ESE) teachers.

Dates:

  • Start Date: Tuesday, April 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST (short breaks included)
  • End Date: Wednesday, April 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST (will break for lunch)

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of the See the Sound: Visual Phonics training, participants will be able to:

  1. identify and produce See the Sound: Visual Phonics handshapes and symbols representing the sounds of English;
  2. describe ways to use See the Sound: Visual Phonics during classroom instruction as well as in conjunction with progress monitoring tools; and
  3. demonstrate the use of See the Sound: Visual Phonics handshapes and symbols for activities related to phonics, phonemic awareness, and writing.

Attendees and completers will receive See the Sound: Visual Phonics materials. 

The sessions will not be recorded and transcripts will not be available after the event.

Automatic speech recognition captions will be provided in the Zoom environment. 

Trainer:

Sherry J. Conrad is a Deaf Education and Training Specialist with the Resource Materials and Technology Center for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing, a statewide discretionary project of the Florida Department of Education Bureau of Exceptional Student Education. Sherry earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Florida Atlantic University and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in severe and profound disabilities from Florida State University. Her education experiences include 2 years as an educational interpreter, over 15 years as an itinerant teacher for students who are deaf and hard of hearing in a small and rural district, and 2 years as a staffing specialist prior to joining RMTC-D/HH. After using Visual Phonics for many years, she became a certified trainer in August of 2014. Sherry’s current professional concentrations focus on strategies and interventions for students who are deaf and hard of hearing with significant cognitive disabilities, Universal Design for Learning, itinerant teaching, and quality IEP implementation and compliance. Sherry is currently a member of the Council for Exceptional Children, Division for Communication, Language, and Deaf/Hard of Hearing; the American Society for Deaf Children; and the Florida Educators for Students Who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (FEDHH), for which she was a board member for five years.

Follow Up Activity:

In order to earn a certificate of completion, participants must complete four weeks of phonics and/or phonemic awareness progress monitoring data collection for at least two students and enter the data in the FDLRS Impact Database (FID).

If you do not have an identified assessment, RMTC-D/HH recommends the following three free resources for progress monitoring data:

Technology Requirements:

Participants will need access to:

  • a newer computer (no more than five years old),
  • a high-speed internet connection (http://fast.com results should be over 5-10 Mbps.), and
  • a web camera with standard definition (480p or 360p) for effective participation.

In-Service Points:

If you wish to earn in-service credits towards the renewal of a Florida Educator’s Certificate, it is recommended that you contact your school district’s professional development office BEFORE beginning a course to verify the requirements you must fulfill. RMTC-D/HH will provide a certificate upon completion of the course and submission of any follow-up activity requirements in the FDLRS Impact Database (FID). The suggested inservice points for this training is up to 12 points based on attendance, completion of class assignments, and follow-up activities.
Register Now! 

RMTC-D/HH is a discretionary project funded by the State of Florida, Department of Education, Bureau of Exceptional Student Education through federal assistance under IDEA Part B and through a cooperative agreement with the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.

Activities and resources provided by RMTC-D/HH are available to professional staff who are currently working with students who are deaf or hard of hearing in the state of Florida.