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"Research shows that students with ADHD can concentrate better when they're allowed to fidget (here's a link to the study). But what if this becomes a distraction for the rest of the class? We received hundreds of Facebook comments from teachers, parents, and students with great ideas for letting students quietly fidget, and here are some of our favorites:"

"Believing in students is not simply telling them that you believe in them. These words matter only if they are true and if you demonstrate them by your actions. There is no way to fake it, because kids have built in crap detectors (a phrase taken from Neil Postman, and Charles Weingartner, in Teaching As a Subversive Activity), and they can tell if you don't mean it. Here are some ways to express it."

"Professional development is evolving. Slowly but surely, schools and organizations are attempting to move away from the typical sit-and-get workshop and creating formats that promote problem solving and boost participant engagement. This has led to a rise in PD that makes educators the drivers of innovation."

"As I prepare for another afternoon of district-provided professional development activities, I always make sure that I bring plenty of work to do (papers to grade, lesson planning, etc.). This isn't because I have a bad attitude and hate professional development (PD). A great PD event can really energize me to improve my classroom instruction. However, the sad fact is that the majority of PDs I attend are repetitive, simplistic, or downright boring. I bring other work to do so that I don't get irritated when I feel that my time is being so carelessly wasted."

I really like how this resource provides examples for how assistive technology is used with students at a variety of different age and education levels. It really serves to demonstrate the scope of assistive technology and how it can be used with such a wide variety of students.

This resource provides examples of AT all across the board from pencil grips to voice recognition software. Schools are now required because of FAPE to provide students with AT that are in need. The challenges for schools in that area are lack of training and funding. However, the article does provide many success stories that make AT worth it. AT can be as simple as having a student in a regular education classroom take notes on carbon paper so that the student with learning needs can focus there attention on listening and get a copy of the notes later. This resource makes AT reachable to all educators whether you have the funding and training or not. There is no excuse not to meet the AT needs of your students. I plan to use this resource in the future with my students.

Rutgers University professor Maurice Elias serves as director of the Social-Emotional Learning Lab and coordinator of the Expert Advisory Group to the NJ Coalition for Bullying Awareness and Prevention. He is also academic director of Rutgers' Civic Engagement and Service Education Partnerships program. [Dr. Elias discusses the history and trends in Social and Emotional Learning and Character Development in this video.)

"Student Engagement: Resource Roundup Keeping students captivated and ready to learn throughout the year is no small task. Here's a list of articles, videos, links, and other resources that offer strategies and advice for keeping them engaged in learning."

"You've got every device under the sun in front of you. Now what apps are you going to use? Here are the apps or app categories that I recommend you test for your school. There are lots of apps, and these are just my opinion based on what I've used with my students or successfully tested."

"Now, almost two decades later, I wish I'd known a few things about myself, about teaching, and about my students. Some of what I wish I'd known could have been shared with me -- some I just had to live and learn from. So I offer this reflection both for new teachers as well as for those who support them. And so if you work with a new teacher, I'm hoping you might stop by their room in the next few days and share some insights from your own experience. And if you are a new teacher, then I'm hoping these reflections might help you feel validated, hopeful, and resourceful."

"One day, in front 36 riotous sophomores, I clutched my chest and dropped to my knees like Sergeant Elias at the end of Platoon. Instantly, dead silence and open mouths replaced classroom Armageddon. Standing up like nothing had happened, I said, "Thanks for your attention -- let's talk about love poems.""

"As a society and within our educational institutions, discussions about bias, diversity, discrimination, and social justice tend to happen in middle and high schools. We've somehow decided that little kids can't understand these complex topics, or we want to delay exposing them to injustices as long as possible (even though not all children have the luxury of being shielded from injustice).