CENTER for OUTREACH SERVICES
Deaf Educators Network
The Deaf Educators Network (DEN) is a community of practice group that welcomes ALL educators, service providers, and administrators in programs serving deaf and hard of hearing students using any communication mode (including both visual and auditory methods) and any method of instruction.
What’s New Now?
Check out the Autumn 2009 issue of Updates in Deaf Education. This online newsletter contains information about events and items of interest to educators. You will need Adobe Reader to view the newsletter. You can check out past issues of the newsletter by clicking on the link on the right sidebar. In this month's issue:
- ASL Classes for Parents and Others: How to Start a Video Conference Class
- Resources and News:
- Communication Plan Sample Form
- State Library of Ohio Deafness Collection
- Early Childhood Conference
- Assessment Services for Students
- Alternate Assessment
History
The Deaf Educators Network began in the 1980s as the Special Education Hearing Impaired Supervisors Meeting. Program supervisors from the “big 8” districts and smaller programs met quarterly to disseminate information to program directors about serving students with hearing loss. As the years went by, the group changed its title; its most current title is Deaf Educators Network, or DEN.
Special Education has changed over the years. As programs for students who are deaf and hard of hearing decentralized, the attendees at meetings began to change. While some supervisors continued to attend the meetings, more teachers, audiologists, interpreters, and other educators began to come as well as or instead of administrators. As the people attending meetings changed, the needs of the group changed. Meetings became sharing opportunities, with occasional outside experts offering specialized training.
Evolution into an Online Community: Creating a Community of Practice
The newest challenge facing schools is how to best serve all students in spite of dwindling financial resources and fewer specialized personnel. Many people who want to attend the Deaf Educators Network meetings are unable to travel due to a host of reasons; substitute personnel are unavailable, out of district travel has been curtailed due to budget restrictions and many administrators are reluctant to leave their districts for the day. In 2008 it was decided that the Deaf Educators Network could best serve its members by becoming an online Community of Practice.
What is coming?
Check this page frequently; it will be updated with new information regularly. If you received an email for the newsletter, your email address is already in our database. If not, please join our mailing list.