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It used to be that my students learned to write by writing on paper. Sometimes they wrote in notebooks and sometimes they wrote on single sheets, but no matter how they wrote, I was the intended audience. In most cases, I was the only person who ever saw that writing. Sometimes their parents would take the time to read through their notebooks and papers as they came home or at the end of the school year. Sometimes they would read their writing aloud to the class. But in most cases, unless I posted their writing on a bulletin board in the hallway, a very limited number of people had access to that writing. Wow! Has that changed! Now, my students regularly write on their blogs, not just for me, but also for their parents, grandparents, other relatives, friends and potentially the whole world to see. When they write a tweet, they have the potential of all of our Twitter followers seeing what they write, and since many of our followers are classroom groups, that number is potentially far higher. Not exactly the same as writing in a notebook. Their audience now exists in places they have never been and may never visit.

Students in elementary school are not too young to benefit from 1:1 technology. Care must be taken, however, to ensure that the benefits of 1:1 are maximized for young students without taking away physical books, manipulatives, and opportunities for physical movement. 1:1 is all about students having ubiquitous access to technology when it is beneficial; it certainly does not mean that students will use technology for every single minute of their classroom experience.

Here is our collection of interactive whiteboard games for educators on PBS KIDS. Students will enjoy participating in these collaborative, fun and engaging experiences, while exploring curriculum from trusted programs such as Curious George, Super Why and Arthur. Like our programs, all of our games are age-appropriate and vetted by educators.

The I-RtI Network is a State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) initiative of ISBE and is administered under a multi-year grant awarded to Lee/Ogle Regional Office of Education 47 in June 2011. The overarching goal of this initiative is to: Improve the learning and performance of all students in grades K-12 by building the capacity of Illinois public school districts and schools to develop, use, and sustain a multi-tiered system of research-based curricula, instruction, intervention, and assessment. The services of the Network primarily involve the delivery of high quality professional development based on adult learning principles and consisting of training, technical assistance, and coaching. For more information and to access numerous RtI-related resources, including a schedule of regional Networking Meetings that are open to all school and district teams, please go to http://www.illinoisrti.org/i-rti-network.

designed for learners in grades 3 to 6 and struggling middle school students.

3 Tools, 1 Unique Process Our teaching tools all use our unique collaborative writing and voting process. BoomWriter is perfect for any classroom or group and is ideal for various subjects, including ELA, History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects!

10 entertaining and educational mini-games for 3rd Graders! Help them learn multiplication, grammar, geometry, division, and more all while they are playing fun and engaging mini-games. They won’t even realize they’re learning important 3rd grade concepts as they fly spaceships, race cars, and throw darts.

"Kevin can be far more involved in group activities. He can converse with his peers, participate in class discussions, and do his homework, no matter where he is. This has increased his ability to be an independent member of the school and the community."

traditional assistive technologies have converged with consumer technologies

today's smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices come equipped with universal access functionality, making it possible for users to deploy built-in or easily downloaded assistive technologies.

free add-in for Microsoft Word,

Word Talk 

accessed by customizable keyboard shortcuts

Some ways that I use SMARTboard in my classroom: With my morning message. After students read my morning message, I often include a “ps” that invites them to come up and respond to a question or graph. To watching BrainPOP movies and playing the quizzes. To go over math problems. To create charts. To look at maps or photographs. To view interactive websites. To prepare for tests (way more exciting on a SMARTboard!). As a math tool (for example, elapsed time, protractor, graph paper). With Inspiration software (for class brainstorms, spelling word sorts, etc.).

Flashnotes allows students to upload their lecture notes and sell them to other students who need more help or resources. The rating system allows the best note takers to get more business and the general pool of knowledge expands as students continue to share their work with one another.

Study Blue’s main attraction is that it is mobile. Whether standing in line for coffee, riding the train, or waiting at the dentist, a student can easily access their class work and prepare for an exam. The social aspect also helps students find other people studying similar subjects, capitalizing on a different set of notes and study guides.

Despite the rising popularity of tablets, Google’s Chromebook may snatch the competition in the lower grade school classrooms. The laptops have a few distinct advantages over the apple iPad: -They are less expensive -One-button-push easy setup -Easy to control settings and restrictions -Offers the traditional keyboard for fast typing and note taking -Hardware fixes are easier and less costly

Traditionally, teachers arranged desks in rows, and expected quiet behavior, while lecturing and administering tests. Technology encourages discussion and critical thinking by way of community based data collection

Computers are extremely patient and uncritical when children make mistakes---marvelous characteristics which make them quite effective for young children¹s learning. Not only that, the newer interactive software allows young children to explore and experiment in a safe environment where there is no wrong answer and where a child may experience success, sometimes for the first time.

Both verbal and nonverbal children can use the computer as a communication tool. Software provides both subjects and purpose for conversations for those who are able, and willing, to speak.

Despite the challenges, incorporating technology into education still has proven benefits, especially when it comes to personalized learning. From math games that adjust the level of difficulty as players progress to electronic books that talk and respond to the tap of a finger, products that personalize the learning experience for students often benefit their understanding. An interactive game is more engaging than a book, so technology often promotes more practice and review in areas requiring memorization, such as spelling, math and geography. This frees up time in the classroom so educators can focus on skills like problem solving, character development and critical thinking.