Webinar to demonstrate assistive technology to support student literacy

On Monday, May 25 (7:00 to 8:00 pm), English Montreal School Board (EMSB) Assistive/Accessible Technology Consultants will hold a webinar for parents to demonstrate assistive technology tools for student writing support.

These days, using assistive technology (AT) for learning means that you can use it anywhere. That is especially important during these difficult times for students, their teachers and their families. Whether you use AT installed on a device at home or access it on the web, there are many options for students to continue to learn at home with the individualized support that they need.

EMSB Assistive/Accessible Technology Consultants Andrea Prupas and Olivia Colalillo usually work one-on-one in the classroom with their students. In order to enhance learning at home, they are holding a webinar for parents where they will demonstrate AT tools for student literacy support. To do so, they will use the Read&Write AT literacy tool that is available to all EMSB students. Topics covered will include: Text to speech (text is read out loud on the screen to support reading and listening comprehension); word prediction (words are suggested to support spelling); speech recognition (words are transcribed onto the screen as text to bypass spelling difficulties).

The EMSB is one of the first school boards in Quebec to provide specific AT consulting as its own service, providing direct support to students and teachers year-round, and has many self-contained classrooms where specialized assistive technologies can make a huge difference. “We can improve access to the curriculum, as well as provide important social and communication supports when we use these technologies,” says Prupas.

Attendees will require a computer/laptop with Google Chrome installed, internet access and the student’s EMSB email and password information.

Participants must register for this webinar. To do so, click on https://bit.ly/AT-ParentWebinar. Once you have registered, you will be sent a link to access the webinar. Registration closes on Friday, May 22. There is a maximum of 30 participants so please be sure to register to reserve your spot.