[senit] MLEs\VLEs

hi these are supposed to provide

You've picked up on a crucial point David. Suppliers of any Learning  
Platform should be able to demonstrate that they can offer tools that  
enable pupils with cognitive learning difficulties to do the kinds of  
things in your list.

Form what I've seen so far, very few indeed can do so, including many  
on the Becta approved list. Special schools need to shout very loudly  
to make sure our pupils' needs are taken into consideration, as there  
are real risks that the choices made now commit LAs and RBCs and  
individual schools to several years with a commercial supplier, who,  
once they have our contract, have minimal incentive to focus on  
positive developments for our comparatively large population of pupils  
who could do a lot for themselves despite little or no practical  
literacy skills.

Given the right tools such as symbols (and built-in symbol writing),  
photos, integral options to record sound and video clips built-in at  
every appropriate level, these pupils could be sharing messages with  
each other, commenting on each other's work, collaborating on projects  
within and beyond their school and home - essentially doing many if  
not all of the tasks you list. Many of the pupils would of course need  
to learn how to handle the tools, but as we all know, these children  
can and do learn some amazing things, our job is simply to keep the  
barriers to a minimum and use technology to give them a voice in the  
world, and to help them feel valued.

It will be fascinating to see if anyone turns the disability  
discrimination legislation against any of the software developers, or  
even against the LAs and RBCs who may commission a solution that  
ignores the needs and rights of their disabled students, should the  
VLE chosen prove to be inaccessible for them. Apparently, in our  
educational world now, every child matters.

Happy days,

Sean O'Sullivan
sean.frankwise at easynet.co.uk
Headteacher
Frank Wise School, Banbury
http://www.frankwise.oxon.sch.uk

http://www.parkroadict.co.uk

On 6 Mar 2008, at 21:44, david fettes wrote:

> hi these are supposed to provide
> students with the ability to;
> o	Create safe personal web pages and link to friends.
> o	Enrol and collaborate in personal interest groups
> and online courses.
> o	Subscribe to receive news on interests / concerns.
> o	Publish work on line.
> o	Save work in e-Portfolio.
> o	Access timetable.
> o	Access learning materials for
> courses and assignments.
> o	Check on assignments / targets.
> o	Submit work for assignments.
> o	Communicate with peers, mentors and
> teachers using email / messaging system.
>
> How does this translate to students who can not read
> or write any text but may be able to read or write
> symbols , or if not symbols- photos?
> David