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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016
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Since the release of the first Open Hands, Open Access Modules (OHOA) in
September 2013, Project Reach: Illinois Deaf-Blind Services has been hosting
cohorts of learners, including teachers and other team members, who wanted to learn
more about deafblindness at a distance. In July 2014, new rules came into effect in
Illinois for providers of professional development credit for licensed teachers.
Because of the popularity of the OHOA modules in Illinois, Project Reach is aligning
the modules to fit within the standards of our system. There are a number of factors
involved in the process; below we will share two factors, and our interpretation of
these factors and how they relate to the OHOA modules.
1. All activities in Illinois have to align with the Learning Forward professional
development standards http://learningforward.org/standards#.VCoIIToo5jo
Of the seven standards, it was decided that the OHOA modules best align with
"Learning Communities - professional learning that increases educator
effectiveness and results for all students occurs within learning communities
committed to continuous improvement, collective responsibility, and goal
alignment". http://learningforward.org/standards/learning-
communities#.VFeeHvnF_eI With discussion boards and the option for student-
level cohorts, the OHOA community can be expansive or specific, but provides a
forum for all members to participate collectively.
Project Reach: Illinois Deaf-Blind Services
Michelle Clyne, Project Coordinator
mclyne@philiprockcenter.org
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