Networking Technology and Equipment

The equipment for the ISMC speech teletherapy program is not complicated. Many school districts use the same equipment for the ISMC speech teletherapy program that they use for other distant learning programs.

Typically, a Polycom View Station™ SP128, Elmo Document Camera/Visualizer™, and a color television are the three pieces of equipment needed for transmitting a speech teletherapy session. The networking connection is a T1 line.

Both the site from which the speech-language pathologist broadcasts and the school receiving the speech teletherapy services have T1 connections. The cost for a T1 line varies per region in the country. However, schools that already have in place distant learning classes often have a T1 connection that can be used for the speech teletherapy program. Many hospitals and other facilities also have connectivity through T1 lines.

A Polycom View Station™ SP128 and Elmo Document Camera/Visualizer™ are placed at the site from which the speech-language pathologist broadcasts and at the site of the receiving school. A Polycom View Station™ SP128 is used because the speech-language pathologist can easily switch between cameras at the provider's site and the remote site (school site), and between the camera and Elmo Document Camera/Visaulizer™. An approximate cost for the Polycom View Station™ SP128 is $3,700. An Elmo Document Camera/Visualizer ™ allows the speech-language pathologist and students to visually exchange printed materials such as worksheets and storybooks, and to work with manipulatives. An approximate cost for the Elmo Document Camera/Visualizer™ is $2,000. Twenty-eight-inch color televisions are used at the speech-language pathologist's site and the school's site.

Information Technology Support

The contractual agreement between INTEGRIS and a school district requires that the school have on-site IT support for networking and equipment. However, the INTEGRIS IT staff is available to assist the school district's IT staff with purchasing, installing, and maintaining equipment, and with network connections. The cost for INTEGRIS IT support is in addition to the charge established for the speech teletherapy program.