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Theme:

• High-Leverage Practice (HLP) 21: Maintain and Generalize New Learning

Articles:

• Using STEM to Generalize Learning for Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH)
• Takeaways from the 2025 Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC)

News from RMTC-DHH:

• TA-Live! High-Leverage Practices: HLP 21
• A Thank You to Districts who Completed See the Sound: Visual Phonics and Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons Paired with Visual Phonics
• Tea with the Teachers
• Coffee with the Contacts
• Listening and Spoken Language Strategies: Thinking Outside the [Theme] Box

Teacher Spotlight

• Kasey Hutchinson and Amy Kuespert
• Pinellas County Schools

Expanded Skills Spotlight

• Bluffing: Never Have I Ever
• Standard(s): SP.PK12.DH.3.5a, SP.PK12.DH.5.5

Teacher Toolkit:

• LiveBinder of Tools for High-Leverage Practices (HLPs)
• Loan Library Resources

Did You Know?

• Innovation and Connection Conference
• Celebrate Innovation in Deaf Education: Join The Silent Garden Lecture 2025
• Educational Interpreter Project: Summer Institute Is Coming
• NTID Regional STEM Center (NRSC) STEM Academy
• Applications Now Open for LOFT 2025
• 2025 Deaf. Blind. Limitless. Conference

Upcoming Events

High leverage practice (HLP) twenty-one focuses on teaching students how to maintain and generalize new learning. This practice is highlighted in Florida’s Expanded Skill Standard SP.PK12.DH.2.3a, which states, “identify previously learned academic vocabulary, skills, or content in new contexts and concepts (CPalms, 2025).” A key aspect of helping students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) generalize their learning is identifying the ultimate goal behind the lessons. Students need to understand the “why” behind what they are learning and how it connects to their lives. This approach, often demonstrated in real-world learning, authentic learning, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and project-based learning, emphasizes the relevance and application of lessons. It also aligns with transition instruction, which is required for students aged 12 or older, but can be beneficial even earlier in a student’s academic journey.

STEM activities offer a great opportunity for generalizing skills across a variety of contexts. For instance, learning how to fly a drone provides a practical setting for students to practice math skills like calculating speed, velocity, and angles, graphing, and conducting data analysis. These activities also integrate geometry and measurement, while promoting critical thinking and problem-solving. Additionally, students can explore real-world careers related to drones, such as in engineering, technology, or aviation, linking the learning to future transition goals. When you add art and it becomes STEAM, students can learn about synchronized drone shows that are replacing fireworks in many areas. 

Another example includes coding and programming. Students can learn to create simple apps or games, which not only strengthen their problem-solving and computational thinking skills but also integrate lessons on logic, algorithms, and mathematics. These activities also help students practice teamwork and communication skills as they collaborate on projects, further solidifying their ability to generalize learning in both academic and career-oriented settings.

Here are some useful resources for implementing real-world learning:

• Digital Promise: Real World Learning
• Real World Learning: Client Connected Projects
• DeafVerse: Choose Your Adventure

Additionally, NTID’s Regional STEM Center (NRSC) offers STEM training, and NTID Youth Outreach provides STEM activities:

• NTID Youth Outreach STEM Activities

Summer camps are another valuable, research-based way for students who are DHH to generalize and strengthen skills outside the traditional school environment. Resources to help find summer programs:

• National Deaf Center: Summer Programming
• RMTC-DHH’s Frequently Asked Question: What summer camp options are there for children who are deaf/hard of hearing?

Furthermore, the NRSC offers a no-cost STEM Academy for DHH students in 12 states, including Florida:

• STEM Academy Information

By integrating these resources and activities, students can see first hand how their academic skills transfer to practical, real-world applications, helping them connect their learning to potential future opportunities.

Takeaways from the 2025 Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC)

The RMTC-DHH team had the opportunity to attend the 2025 Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) last month. Between great sessions and a jam-packed vendor hall, there was a lot to take in! Here is a look at a few of the big takeaways from the conference!

Almanack - Once you sign up for Almanack (for free) it will build lesson plans from state standards, including Florida’s Expanded Skills Standards. It will even make resources based on those standards. 

Brisk Teaching - “Get help with curriculum, feedback, differentiation, and more — right from the apps and websites you already use.” This free chrome extension has a plethora of tools for planning, evaluating, and even differentiating instruction right in the apps teachers are using for instruction. 

Diffit - Diffit helps teachers create and export student-ready activities based on existing curriculum or standards. Teachers can re-level, translate, add images and more to make content accessible. Zero student data collected. FERPA compliant.

Google Labs - Google Labs is where Google is a research prototype playground. There are a myriad of apps in the lab that are applicable for teaching a number of Expanded Skills Standards including “Learn About” and “Say What You See.” The tools are in testing so new features are added regularly. It’s important to note that if you find something that is tremendously helpful, make sure to share with friends to increase the traffic on the app which lets Google know it’s useful.

MagicSchool AI - Educators use MagicSchool to help lesson plan, differentiate, write assessments, write IEPs, communicate clearly, and more. And now use MagicSchool for Students to drive student outcomes and build AI literacy with responsible AI experiences built and monitored by teachers.

SchoolAI - SchoolAI offers an innovative educational platform that enables teachers to create interactive AI chats with historical figures, such as Laurent Clerc, for their students. The platform also includes a variety of integrated tools, such as subject tutors, escape rooms, and topic explorers. Additionally, SchoolAI provides valuable resources for educators, including lesson generators, IEP generators, and rubric generators.

Teacher Server - Created by the University of South Florida, Teacher Server has hundreds of topics for educators from which they can have lesson plans built. Have more than one grade in your classroom? This is a tool that may be helpful, as lesson plans can be generated for multi-level classrooms.

Quizizz - Assessments for daily practice or testing with an option to add accommodations, like extended time. Teachers can use up to 20 quizzes for free.

Received from Fresno State University.

Fresno State University is thrilled to look ahead to The Silent Garden Lecture on Saturday, February 22, 2025. This year, Fresno State University is honored to spotlight an extraordinary contribution to the field of Deaf education: "58-in-mind," a groundbreaking resource offering multilingual teaching strategies for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students.

This work, brought to life through the dedication of its authors and the Gallaudet University Press, is a testament to their commitment to advancing educational practices. By compiling decades of research, insights, and strategies into one accessible resource, they have gifted educators, families, and professionals with a tool that will help shape the future of multilingual education for the Deaf community.

Join Fresno State University as it celebrates their achievements and explore the transformative potential of this resource at the upcoming lecture. 

Registration for The Silent Garden Lecture is free.

To learn more and register please see: bit.ly/silentgarden2025.

RMTC-DHH provides Tech Notes as a free resource to teachers, professionals, and families around the state in order to pass along potentially useful information and expand the knowledge and opportunities available to educators and families of children who are deaf/hard of hearing. This email was funded by the Florida Department of Education Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services through federal assistance under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B funds. The information included does not reflect any specific endorsement by any parties involved.