New Words-App For Children With Hearing Devices
Friday, January 27th, 2012A new app enables children with hearing-aids and cochlear implants, to practice their listening and speaking with flash-cards and a range of speech sounds for each letter. Very cleverly, the app has parent tips for its use.
Read more >> New HOPE Words App for iPhones and iPads
Watch the video >> See the Hope Words App in [...]
Early Learning With Smart-Phones And Tablet PCs
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012Are you curious about what your child will learn when they start school? How will they learn, and with what? Computers, not books! Today’s toddlers are digital natives. Namely, they will grow up knowing how to use smartphones and tablet PCs, regardless of their social or educational background.
More preschoolers know how to use a smartphone [...]
Write-Up Of IDK’s Tech Event (Oct 10th, 2011)
Sunday, October 23rd, 2011Irish Deaf Kids held a technology and education event in Dublin on October 10th, 2011. The event proved to be invaluable for all attendees, and was put together to give parents, educators and other stakeholders in-depth insights to how deaf and hard-of-hearing (hoh) children can use digital tools to better communicate and learn in a [...]
Video Games: The Literacy Of Problem-Solving
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011“Video-games, and the type of learning and thinking they generate, may serve as a cornerstone for education and economies of the future”.
For children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, video-games offer great learning potential. Social and interpersonal skills can be taught, as can problem-solving abilities (which the children in question may have already).
Read the full piece: Is [...]
Communicate, Educate, Integrate – Technology And Deaf Children In Mainstream Environments
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011IDK is hosting a seminar, “Communicate, Educate, Integrate – Technology and Deaf Children in Mainstream Environments” on October 10th, in Dublin.
This FREE event is for everyone with an interest in hearing, communication, language, learning and supportive technologies for deaf children/students in mainstream environments.
No prior understanding of deafness or of the technology solutions reviewed, is required [...]
Technology Has Revolutionised Deaf Education
Thursday, September 15th, 2011The teaching of children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing has altered as a result of technologies such as cochlear implants and speech-to-text tools, according to a recent report from Project Forum, at the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, in the United States (see summary).
Technology Has Changed The Teaching Of Deaf Students
Notable findings [...]
Budgeting For Schools ICT Implementations
Monday, September 12th, 2011A recent news story cited the Virginia School for Deaf and Blind (VSDB), to show how an IT implementation can go wrong. One very surprising aspect of the story, is that it happened in the United States, which leads Ireland in the availability of technology and resources to deaf & hard-of-hearing children.
The story details how [...]
After A Cochlear Implant – The Real Work Begins
Thursday, September 8th, 2011In response to a mum’s recent mail, here’s what may be expected when a child’s cochlear implant is switched on for the first time.
After a cochlear implant is activated, a child can take more than a month to respond to sounds they hear. Then, “the real work begins”, families are told.
(Lights, Sound) Activation!
As the child [...]
What Tertiary Supports Do Deaf Students Need?
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011Statistically, more and more deaf and hard-of-hearing students are enrolling in mainstream tertiary institutions in the US (Raue & Lewis, 2011). The same is happening in Ireland, due to a convergence of factors that includes Trinity College Dublin’s DS3 (Deaf Support in Third Level) program.
Different tertiary education supports are needed for students who:
have hearing aids and [...]
What To Do If Your Child’s Support Hours Are Cut
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011The parent of a deaf student emailed IDK. Her child’s secondary-school teaching support hours were cut during Transition Year, when the regional SENO said this was not the case. A deadlock had resulted, so our advice was sought. Here’s what we suggested.
Get a statement of resource teaching &/or SNA hours at the start.
All arrangements with [...]