Virtual TA: We’ll Be There for You, Even When We’re Not There

1. Virtual TA: We’ll Be There for You, Even When We’re Not There Christy Kavulic, OSEP Elaine Mulligan, NICHCY Audrey Desjarlais, WRRC D. Jay Gense, NCDB

2. Overview • OSEP’s framework and definitions of TA • Ways to deliver Universal TA in virtual environments • Ways to deliver Targeted TA in virtual environments • Ways to deliver Intensive TA in virtual environments • Considerations for implementation • Discussion

3. A Quick Poll What’s the main reason you would like to learn about virtual TA? • Budget constraints limit travel for TA (Text 127132 to 22333) • Need to reach more TA clients (Text 127133 to 22333) • Pure curiosity (Text 127140 to 22333)

4. Conceptual Framework for OSEP TA&D Projects

5. OSEP Definitions - TA • Expertise provided in response to a client's defined problem or need in order to increase their capacity. OSEP has specified three categories of technical assistance—Universal, General; Targeted, Specialized and Intensive, Sustained. • Each category is important and should be employed strategically to achieve the desired outcomes of the project.

7. OSEP Definitions – TA Intensity Universal, General • Passive technical assistance (TA) and information provided to independent users through their own initiative resulting in minimal interaction with TA Center staff and includes one-time, invited or offered conference presentations by TA Center staff. • This category of TA also includes information or products, such as newsletters, guidebooks, or research syntheses, downloaded from the TA Center's website by independent users. Brief communications by TA Center Staff with recipients, either by telephone or email are also considered Universal, General TA.

8. OSEP Definitions – TA Intensity Targeted, Specialized • Technical assistance (TA) service developed based on needs common to multiple recipients and not extensively individualized. A relationship is established between the TA recipient and one or more TA Center staff. • This category of TA can be one-time, labor-intensive events, such as facilitating strategic planning or hosting regional or national conferences. They can also be episodic, less labor-intensive events that extend over a period of time, such as facilitating a series of conference calls on single or multiple topics that are designed around the needs of the recipients. Facilitating communities of practice can also be considered Targeted, Specialized TA.

9. OSEP Definitions – TA Intensity Intensive, Sustained • Technical assistance (TA) services, often provided on-site, that require a stable, on-going, negotiated relationship between the TA Center staff and the TA recipient. The TA relationship is defined as a purposeful, planned series of activities designed to reach an outcome that is valued by the individual recipient. • This category of TA should result in changes to policy, program, practice, or operations that support increased recipient capacity and/or improved outcomes at one or more systems levels.

10. New Ways of Thinking • No matter what type of TA you provide, there are ways you can enhance your reach • Moving from face-to-face to virtual TA requires thoughtful planning and a little bit of risk-taking • Virtual TA does not replace in-person TA; it adds an additional dimension • Ongoing discussion and collaboration are invaluable in achieving success with new approaches

11. Questions & Answers

12. UNIVERSAL TAWebsites, Publications, Videos, Social Media posts

13. Website Resources • Online tools & guides • Web versions of publications • Wikis • Data bases

15. Publications • Best practice guides • Fact Sheets • Dialogue Guides • Information Briefs • Newsletters • eBlasts

17. Videos • YouTube videos • ScreenR or other screen share applications • Recordings of webinars or live presentations

19. Social Media Posts • Blogs • Facebook posts of resources • Tweet links • Pinterest boards • Google Plus Hangouts

21. Questions & Answers

22. TARGETED TAWebinars, Hybrid Conferences, Collaborative Tool Development, Communities Of Practice

23. Webinars • Virtual ISN’T Face-to-Face • Instructional Design • Engagement Strategies • Facilitation Supports

24. Shifting to Hybrid:Virtual and Face-to-Face Conference • Engagement of virtual participants • AV equipment • Facilitation support • Balancing costs • Supporting resources • Back-up plan • Employ audience

25. Collaborative Tool Development • Real-time & Asynchronous • Desktop-sharing • Post and share • Develop agreed upon protocols for using tools

26. Establishing a Home Base:Communities of Practice • Assess community needs & orientations • Explore technology acquisition strategies • Appoint Tech Steward Citation: Wenger, E., White, N., & Smith J.D. (2009)

27. Questions & Answers

28. INTENSIVE TAapplications for building local, state, and national capacities

29. Discussion: Two Systems-Change Models • Distance Mentorship Program (DMP) • Web-based Strategies

30. Challenges being addressed • Implementation strategies • Anticipated outcomes DMP - Distance Mentorship Program

31. Web redesign efforts • Moving from “static” to “dynamic” • “Consumers” and “Producers” participation • Individualization tools • Focused capacity building Content-specific websites • Packaged resources • Tools for TA Web-based Strategies:

32. Next Steps

33. Implementation Considerations • Alignment to project purpose and other initiatives • Assess user orientation and readiness: TA provider, clients • Identify implementation infrastructure supports • Accessibility: security/firewalls, internet speed, individuals with disabilities

34. Accessibility Options Captioning tool on My TA&D

35. Audio Description Audio Description is a narration service that attempts to describe what the sighted person takes for granted -- those images that a person who is blind or visually impaired formerly could only experience through the whispered asides from a sighted companion.

36. Questions & Answers

37. Discussion • Which types of virtual TA would help my project reach more users? • In what ways will we need to change our customary TA approaches to adapt to virtual TA methods? • What supports or resources are available to help my project get started in using these new technologies?

38. Keep the Conversation Going • Tweet your ideas or discoveries using the hashtag #VirtualTA and we’ll collect them all to share with the network! • What the heck is a hashtag?https://support.twitter.com/articles/49309-what-are-hashtags-symbols • Here’s an example of how tweets are collected to make a story: http://storify.com/usedgov/duncan-and-posny-join-cec-for-twitter-town-hall

39. List of Resources Center for Disease Control. (n.d.). CDC Social Media Tools, Guidelines & Best Practices. Retrieved fromhttp://www.cdc.gov/SocialMedia/Tools/guidelines/index.html National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. (2011). Writing for the Web. Retrieved from http://nichcy.org/dissemination/tools/webwriting Wenger, E., White, N., & Smith J.D. (2009) Digital Habitats: Stewarding Technology for Communities. Cpsquare. Portland, OR. Edelman, L. (March 2012) Resources for Using Technology to Enhance Professional Development, Technical Assistance, and Dissemination Activities.

40. Contact Us: Christy Kavulic: OSEP email: Christy.Kavulic@ed.gov Elaine Mulligan: National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) email: emulligan@fhi360.orgtwitter handle: @DissemCoP Audrey Desjarlais: Western Regional Resource Center, Signetwork email: adesjarl@uoregon.edu twitter handle: @SPDG_Network D. Jay Gense: National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness email: gensej@wou.edu twitter handle: @DJG_NCDB