FEDHH has a new Board!
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Resource Materials & Technology Center:
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Outreach Services for the Blind/Visually Impaired
and Deaf/Hard of Hearing
207 San Marco Avenue 
St. Augustine, Florida  32084 
800-356-6731 (FL) 
State of Florida! graphic of smiling sun

How are you!?! (Please don't reply to that in email. Just shout it out loud from where you are sitting.)

Do you still have one of those interactive whiteboards hanging or propped up in your classroom? Does it say, "SMART" on it? If so, do you remember how to use it? Are you up to date with the latest versions of the software that works with it?!? If you are not, let me introduce you to...ME!!! Many of you know me (I'm sorry) and many of you don't. I'm Brian Newton. I'm a certified SMART trainer working for RMTC. Now, you can pay some company a boatload of money to send one of their trainers out to your district/school/classroom, or you can just use me! My training is a gift from the state of Florida. It's totally FREE!!! I can present to an entire district, a school, or even just one classroom! All that we ask is that you have at least one student who is deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH). If you are already convinced you are a master at all things SMART and would be better off without a training of that sort, I also offer a training on strategies using SMART products specifically with students who are D/HH.

If you are interested in either of these services, feel free to contact me at newtonb@fsdb.k12.fl.us.

I look forward to hearing from you!!!

T'care,
Brian
FEDHH has a new Board!

Elections for the Florida Educators of Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing were held February 8 - 19, 2016. Please congratulate:
  • President, Sherry Conrad, Okeechobee County I Love you sign in circle
  • President-Elect, Traci Clark, St. Johns County
  • Secretary, Katherine Kelly, St. Johns County
  • Treasurer: Julie Conger, St. Johns County
  • Webmaster: Jessica Mechoso, St. Johns County,
  • Past-President: Christy Sohn, Duval County
  • CEES Representative, Gail Strassel, Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind
Visit the FEDHH Facebook page or website for more information about resources and upcoming events
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Gallaudet University and its PhD in Educational Neuroscience program Proudly Presents a Distinguished Lecture - "Dyslexia, Phonology, and The Brain"

Date: Thursday, April 14
Time: 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Location: Gallaudet University, Library, Room B111
Live Streamed and Archived at webcast.gallaudet.edu
 
Come and learn all about the key factors in development of language and phonology & understand how the brain encodes language!
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Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss 3rd Annual Conference (2017)


The conference site is now confirmed! It is time to put the 3rd SSCHL Conference on your calendar! We are working to line up speakers for another awesome program including sessions related to students who use sign language, listening and spoken language and of benefit to educational audiologists along with teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing. 

The conference program has been specifically created for:
Teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing (itinerant and center-based), educational audiologists, speech language pathologists, university students in SLP/DHHT training programs, parents of school-age children with hearing loss.  

February 16 - PRECONFERENCE - Bridging Assessment to Instruction
[Limited to only 40 attendees per workshop for best interaction. Sign up early!]   
1:00 PM - 5:30 PM (4 CEUs): 
2 concurrent sessions:
  • Workshop 1: Bridging for Better Preschool Outcomes  - Karen Anderson & Laura Peterson
  • Workshop 2: Bridging for Better School-Age Outcomes - Lynne Price & Gail Wright
February 17 - full day of concurrent sessions and a networking social.

February 18 - half-day of concurrent sessions.

10 CEUs for the Fri/Sat Conference!

We have secured meeting space at the Park Inn next to Walt Disney World in the Orlando area in Florida. Enjoy the long President's Day Weekend learning, networking and having fun! Registration begins in May, so be sure to put it on your calendar! 
http://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/2017-conference/
FSDB Students Join #WhyISign Campaign
Posted on March 21, 2016

Students in Mandy Houghton's Deaf High School classes at FSDB came together on an impromptu and unrehearsed basis to create a video as part of the trending #whyisign campaign on Facebook. The video is open captioned for the benefit of those who do not know American Sign Language (ASL).

Houghton explained, "My DHS science classes did an impromptu project on a social media trending campaign called #whyIsign. This trend takes place at the same time as Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) conference, held March 13-15, 2016. The goal of #whyisign is to promote the importance of early language acquisition with ASL; the campaign is still trending on social media. You can find out more information about #whyIsign by exploring the hashtag on the Internet."

"With my students, we discussed the importance of being culturally aware of what happens in the deaf community - knowing even as high school students, they can still make a huge impact on lives of deaf children. It was humbling to see them lead their discussions with their thoughts and experiences with love and value of their language."

Go to http://www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/index.php/news/fsdb-students-join-whyisign-campaign/ to view the video on the FSDB website.
Sites and Apps!

Setting Language in Motion: Family Supports and Early Intervention for Babies who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing - Setting Language in Motion is a free, web-based resource developed as a collaborative effort between the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program of Boston Children's Hospital. It is based on the Building Blocks of Intervention webinar series created by the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program at Children's. The goal of Setting Language in Motion is to foster an understanding of the importance of early language acquisition that supports robust linguistic competence and conceptual development in children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Early intervention providers, deaf educators, early childhood specialists and allied professionals, parents, and other caregivers will benefit from this resource.

The Bug Chicks -
Kristie Reddick & Jessica Honaker are entomologists who teach about the incredible world of insects, spiders and other arthropods. They produce videos and resources for the discerning bugdork. (Note: The videos are not captioned.]

Classroom -
Classroom is a powerful new iPad app from Apple that helps teachers guide learning, share work, and manage student devices. Talk with your technology manager about setting it up for your school.



       Upcoming Events: SAVE THE DATE!



 
April 2016

April 7 - #DeafEd Twitter Chat
Time: 7:30 pm EST
Topic: guest host Tamara Samaripa discusses Leadership, Partnership & Role of Deaf professionals

April 14 - TA Live!
Time: 1:00 pm
Where: http://connect.fsdb.k12.fl.us/rmtc (Log in as Guest)

May 2016

May 5 - #DeafEd Twitter Chat
Time: 7:30 pm EST
Topic: TBD

May 12 - TA Live!
Time: 1:00 pm
Where: http://connect.fsdb.k12.fl.us/rmtc (Log in as Guest)