Raised eyebrows is the usual reaction we get when we tell people we have a Career Connections lab at the Tennessee School for the Blind.  But the fact is, for over six years instructor Ken Johns has been using Applied Technologies curriculum and materials to offer his students a wide range of experiences they might not have had otherwise.

The lab has over 20 Career Pathway Units (CPUs) ranging from Aerospace to Digital Photography to Robotics Technology to Structural Engineering.

"The technology curriculum is a dynamic, hands-on program of study that teaches students about the development and applications of technology and the effects technology has on individuals, society, and the environment," said Johns. "Our goal is to create excitement, amazement, and thrill that is shared by others who work with technology on a daily basis. The entire curriculum is computer driven with activities and lessons that allow the student to explore the three main areas of study: Communication, Transportation, and Production."

Back in 2001 when Applied Technologies was first approached about amending our curriculum to meet the needs of visually impaired students, we sat down with Johns and asked what needed to be done.  He explained that he had access to very large monitors and Braille printers but what he really needed was for the students to be able to manipulate our delivery software, Media Cruiser, with the keyboard only.  He also indicated that content and assessments delivered by Media Cruiser needed to be read to the students.

"Our philosophy has always been that we want students to read," said Jarratt Bryan, Applied Technologies' long-time Development Manager.  "So we had always avoided providing narration to go along with the content we were delivering.  Our materials encourage actively learning about a topic through hands-on applications.  Having a computer read to a student is very passive, from the student's perspective, and doesn't encourage active reading."

But given that all students at the School for the Blind had varying levels of sight impairment, Applied Technologies tweaked Media Cruiser so it could be run via keyboard, and created "special needs" versions of the CPUs Johns was interested in putting in his lab.

"When I was putting together my list of CPUs, I purposefully didn't consider the students' sight impairment," said Johns, who's been with the School for the Blind since the early 1990s.  "I do my best to treat them like I would any other student, and that's what they want.  So in choosing which CPUs I wanted in the lab, I thought back to what my interests were at that age.  I never once considered what a blind child could or couldn't do.  I just picked CPUs that had a lot of great hands-on activities."

And his choices seem to resonate with the students.

Renee, 16, said she liked learning about lab safety in the Electrical and Plumbing CPU.  "I also enjoying making the index card structure," she said, referring to an activity in the Structural Engineering CPU.  "Mine held 45 pounds," she added with a smile.  Renee also said she liked that the courseware was delivered via computer and that it accommodated for the needs of the students.

One of the reasons the class works so well, said Johns, is because he can make any change to the content he needs to with tools like Media Editor and Test Author's Toolbox.  (Media Editor comes with every CPU and enables teachers to add, edit, or delete the content delivered via Media Cruiser.  Test Author's Toolbox allows teachers to edit the various computer-based assessments that come with each CPU.)

"I like that I'm not locked into anything," said Johns.  "I can delete what's there and create my own content if I wish to do so.  The flexibility is a great asset."

And given his students' disabilities, flexibility is a must.  Johns has had to make changes to various things over the years as he determined what would work better for students with visually impaired students.  For example, in the CAM/CO₂ CPU, students are to use Mastercam to draw splines, or lines that define the shape of their CO₂ car.

"I kept trying to figure out how these kids could do something like this and then it hit me--pegboard!" said Johns.  The former Industrial Arts teacher cut pieces of pegboard into the shapes of the templates the students draw in with Mastercam and had students define the shape of their splines by placing pegs into the pegboard.  Johns then replicates the shape in the software for the students.

"Once the CNC machine mills out the car, the students are able to feel the shape of their car based on their design, which is a really exciting thing for them," he said.

And even though some of the careers covered in his lab will never be available to visually impaired students, the knowledge and experience they gain going through some of the activities is still very valuable, said Johns.

"I've got one student who asked me if we had a course that could help him fix various items around his house," said Johns.  "I pointed him to the Electrical and Plumbing CPU."  Johns explained that the student learned the content and only needed help being "guided" around the partial stud wall that accompanies the CPU.

"He of course had to be told which wire was which color, but once he has that information, he can wire a switch, light bulb, or junction box without a problem," said Johns.

Based on the success of the technology lab in Tennessee, the Kentucky School for the Blind recently invested in a lab of their own.  And with their new teacher, Bo Mullins, an alumni of the Kentucky School for the Blind, in place, they're hoping to be just as successful as their neighbor to the south.

The Agriscience Planning Guide, Volume 8, has recently been completed and we will start mailing copies out soon.  If you can't wait to get your hands on it (and really, who can't!?), please email us and we'll be sure to get your copy to you ASAP.

One of the new things you'll find in the Planning Guide is the Small Engines PAC (Pathways for Agriscience Careers).

The Small Engines PAC immerses students in the function, uses, and basic maintenance of small engines.  The mechanics of small engines are supported with related scientific and mathematical concepts alongside hands-on experience with basic troubleshooting and maintenance that anyone can benefit from.  The course provides a solid foundation for future education in engine-based industries, including many automotive and engineering fields.  A large variety of careers related to small engine design, manufacture, and use are presented, indicating the pervasiveness of the small engine in our lives.

As we do at each year's HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) National Leadership Conference, Applied Technologies sponsored a scholarship to a deserving HOSA member.  This year's scholarship recipient, presented in Dallas, TX in June, is Nayansi Plasencia, a former Boca Raton High School (FL) student who's currently enrolled at the University of Florida.

Her senior year, Nayansi was the Treasurer of HOSA. She was in the Spanish Honor Society for two years, the French Club for four years, and the National Honor Society for three years.

The following are excerpts from Nayansi's essay, written when she was still at senior at BRHS:

Upon reaching the United States, I set many goals for myself which with hard work, commitment and much sacrifice I have progressively been accomplishing. I adapted to a new country, assimilated into a different culture and learned a new language. Last year, I became a true American when I received my United States citizenship. Soon I will accomplish my goal of graduating from high school with high credits. I am proud to be ranked eleventh in my graduating class of 530 only eight years after arriving from Cuba. Since my freshman year, I have volunteered 81 hours at the Community Hospital and have been babysitting my sister in order to help my parents. During my summer vacations, I attended the Summerbridge program. Still, I have the most important goals ahead of me and they include: gaining acceptance into a major university, fulfilling my lifelong goal of becoming a doctor and making a difference in the medical field.

I owe a great deal of gratitude to my parents who had the foresight to seek freedom for our family and to my new country that graciously accepted me and gave me the freedom and opportunity to reach all my goals. If I had not left Cuba, today I would not be setting my own educational and professional goals because Castro’s government would be deciding my future for me. The government would be selecting my school, field of study and place of employment. There, no matter how hard I worked, I would not become a doctor unless it was the government’s plan for me to do so. As I anticipate with excitement my high school graduation and all the possibilities that lay ahead of me, I can’t help but imagine the anxiety my Cuban classmates must be feeling as they await their “assignments” from the government.

While our Health Science Foundations course is updated frequently, we also send our licensed users annual CDs containing each year's new edition of the Instructor's Guide and the web-based course.  And as the 2008-2009 school year is upon us, these new editions are going out the door as we speak.

One of the newest and exciting features of the course is a user's forum and discussion board.  Here, licensed users can exchange ideas, network, and ask questions and receive answers.

We've also updated our free demo of Foundations to include a lesson from the Academic Foundations standard.  This standard--a review of anatomy and physiology as well as diseases and disorders associated with the 12 systems of the body--was added throughout the spring.

Additionally, we've added a new case study to our DVD.  All four segments can been watched by clicking the links below.

First, we visited Kandy Callaghan at Nature Coast Technical High School in Brooksville, FL.  We invite you now to watch the video segments on each Health Science Education product line:

• Foundations video

• Career Pathway Units video

A few months later, we visited Richardson High School in Richardson, TX and spent a few days with Director of Health Science Becky Saba and her students.  We produced two segments from this visit:

• Career Preparation with Pathways - In the first segment, Becky and her students discuss how the Applied Technologies Career Pathways Units help the program be more diverse, how it helped the students decide on health science careers, how it helped them have more meaningful clinical experiences, and how it helped them compete and succeed in HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America).

• Program Implementation/Teaching Method - In this segment, Becky describes how her program grew from a class of 12 seniors to a full four-year program.  She also explains how she facilitates her class as "12 labs are going on at the same time."

If you would like a DVD version of these segments, please let us know.