IDK & Special Stories on TV3’s Ireland:AM Show
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010TV3’s Ireland:AM team invited Caroline Carswell from IDK, and Kate Gaynor from Special Stories, into the studio to talk about their “Birthday For Ben” book after Special Stories received a Moonbeam award in the US during late 2009. The video clip of the interview is online at the TV3 website.
Subtitled video clips are also available [...]
DeafHear Information Weekend March 5-7, 2010
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010DeafHear’s 2010 Information Weekend for families with newly-diagnosed deaf children is from March 5th to 7th, at the Heritage Hotel in Portlaoise.
This annual weekend fills up very quickly but a profile of the 2008 event is on the DeafHear website. Queries can be directed to DeafHear if wished.
Friday, January 29th is the booking deadline for this weekend, which [...]
Inclusive Reading of “Ben” Book At County Library
Monday, November 23rd, 2009Students from Tallaght’s Scoil Colmcille and Sacred Heart National School gathered at County Library for a reading of “A Birthday for Ben” on the Tuesday morning of November 10th.
During this interactive session the book was read by Elizabeth and signed by Christopher. At various stages, the kids stopped to learn the signs of key words [...]
Low-Cost Internet Video Streaming For Educators
Monday, October 19th, 2009A low-cost way of video-streaming to use and distribute information online has been described in the US by Thomas McNeal Jr. and Landon Kearns.
Their article, “Using Video Streaming: Setting up a Cheap System for Distributing Information to Teachers and Students” explores how to set up a streaming system, using tools readily available in classrooms.
Vintage computers [...]
IDK Celebrates National Volunteer Day At Libraries
Monday, September 28th, 2009To celebrate National Volunteer Day in association with Volunteer Centres Ireland, the first readings of the IDK childrens’ book, “A Birthday for Ben“, took place at two libraries in Dublin on Friday, September 25th.
In the morning the story’s creators gathered with volunteers and friends at Pearse Street Library to celebrate the release of the book, [...]
NDCS Moves Education Statistics To Centre Stage
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009The UK’s NDCS (National Deaf Childrens’ Society) campaigns for improved educational services on behalf of deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Its “Must do better!” campaign identifies how routine teaching services for deaf children can be improved now, and in the government’s 2020 strategy.
From autumn 2009, as a result of campaigns by NDCS and other entities, the [...]
Baby Books & Flash Cards For Language Teaching
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009The Usborne book range recently came to my attention, with a big bonus: free postage for books ordered by email from the representative in Ireland.
The “Baby’s First Flashcards” product would be excellent for language work at home, while being fun for babies and parents to look at and hold.
Infants from 3 months upward have the option of [...]
Gaps In UK Support Services Identified By NDCS
Thursday, December 11th, 2008The NDCS’ Must Do Better! report cover (June 2008) shows a child holding a cat and saying, “When I grow up, I want to be a vet. Will you let me?”
Deafness is not a learning disability, as this report on UK services attests.
Instead, a collaborative approach by parents & teachers is the best response to any [...]
UCC Fun Day For Deaf / Hard of Hearing Children
Monday, June 16th, 2008Just 15% of students in Ireland who are deaf / hard of hearing go on to study at third-level, according to AHEAD, which is working to increase numbers.
Deaf and hard of hearing children aged 6 - 12 from Munster are invited to a Fun Day at University College Cork on July 1st from 11.30am to 3.30pm.
The [...]
Using Software Tools To Teach Deaf Children
Saturday, June 7th, 2008Software and e-learning tools have massive potential in teaching deaf or hard-of-hearing children if they are adapted for full accessibility.
With the right software tools, deaf children can learn new vocabulary, numeracy and literacy skills, phonics and social skills in a structured way.
Strategic video games can be used by older deaf children to learn to make [...]