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"The Peer Collaboration program is designed to assist students who have needs within their classroom environment. The program pairs a peer with a student who is struggling with a particular course, has trouble staying focused, has difficulty building relationships with classmates, or any other obstacle a student may face on a daily basis. Placing peers into classrooms with students who are struggling allows collaborating peers to build their empathy and leadership skills. Additionally, having more leaders in the classroom allows the teacher to focus on all students, balancing his or her time with each student. Peers learn to collaborate with their fellow students as well as with the classroom teacher. Classroom students learn to collaborate with their peers and gain a new understanding of the material, learn to build friendships, and overcome obstacles, eventually leading them to success."

"This textbook is the result of over a year of collaboration between several individuals. Garth Holman, the Social Studies department chair and 7th grade world history teacher envisioned this project as a way to engage students through the use of technology and help them see the "big picture" that is often lost, or ignored, in history classes. Beginning in the summer of 2006, Garth began working with a student teacher, Michael Pennington (Currently teaching at Chardon Middle School). Another member of this project was Angie White, an intervention specialist at Beachwood Middle School (now at Hilltop Elementary in Beachwood CIty Schools). Angie provided a strong knowledge of curriculum differentiation and techniques to include students of varying abilities. A project of this nature, allows students to disseminate knowledge in a digital format that is congruent to the world in which they live. Our students are digital natives and this new technological paradigm allows for the democratization of knowledge. Wiki technology and the ability to instantaneously communicate across cultures and physical boundaries means that nothing our students create is isolated. We not only want our students to learn, but understand how the puzzle pieces fit to create the world in which we live."

Thinking Blocks was developed by Colleen King in 2003 to help students who were struggling with math word problems. Before creating Thinking Blocks, Colleen was using problem sets from Singapore Math texts in a course for accelerated students at a math enrichment center. The model drawing approach in these texts gave upper elementary students a path to more advanced concepts and algebraic reasoning. Colleen sought a more flexible solution for struggling learners and designed a model drawing application called Blocks. The first group of students to test the program often made comments about how smart they were when using Blocks and how Blocks made "their brains work better". Colleen observed students who were reasoning, understanding, and problem solving. Her students were using thinking Blocks. Today Colleen uses Thinking Blocks and, more generally, the Singapore model drawing approach with students who have very diverse mathematical backgrounds. While the concept of modeling word problems is most closely associated with Singapore Math, Colleen has found it to be compatible with all elementary math programs."

"Macomb County's E3T Universal Design for Learning professional development team is dedicated to providing teachers with the tools and strategies they need to remove curriculum barriers and increase learning opportunities for EVERY learner.  E3T teams learn to create flexible curriculum that meets the needs of a wide range of students including gifted students, struggling students, students for whom English is a second language, disadvantaged students, disengaged students, in short, all of the students who comprise today's classrooms. E3T is based upon an instructional framework called Universal Design for Learning or UDL. UDL is a research-based approach to teaching, learning and assessment that draws on brain research and new media technologies to respond to individual learner differences and interests.   E3T teams efficiently and "

"This workshop will discuss the second and third year of utilizing iPads and iTouches district wide to support students eligible for special education.  Learn from our mistakes, our many, many mistakes!  Hear the details of how students have used the devices successfully in our new split model - both 1:1 with students receiving special education services and shared across the day during direct instruction with special educators.  Funding, logistics, and in-depth details will be covered.  Case studies will be used to outline the process and the academic successes of students.  iPad utilities and apps utilized will be demonstrated and student work will be shown.  Key successes will be highlighted, as will areas of the deployment needing improvement."

"For years, students with significant support needs (SSN) received little or no literacy instruction as their education programs focused on life skills, social skills, and vocational training. The little literacy instruction they did receive relied on teaching methods that we now know helped them learn simple component skills in isolation. For example, students matched upper and lower case letters or learned a limited set of sight words. Unfortunately, this instruction never helped students with SSN learn how to read or write to gain or convey meaning. A series of changes in education laws, along with the efforts of students, families, and educators, have raised expectations for academic achievement for students with SSN."

"The KidTools software is made for children to support their success in school, home, and community. The software provides two programs to help students. KidTools helps students with behaviors by targeting behaviors, to change, making behavior plans, following agreements, and self-monitoring. KidSkills helps students get organized, learn new information and pass tests, plan to get homework done, and work on projects with other students. eKidTools and eKidSkills are for elementary students. iKidTools and iKidSkills are for intermediate/middle school students. The tools are easy to create and can be printed for use. All you need is a Windows platform computer and a place to save the tool records. "

Introducing Pearson HTMLbooks™. Now every child can achieve maximum benefit from Pearson K-12 basal Student Editions. Pearson HTMLbooks are fully compatible with assistive technologies. The versatile digital design makes them ideal for students with disabilities who may have an Individual Education Plan/Program (IEP) and/or 504 plans. Pearson's HTMLbooks deliver the core content found in Pearson textbooks, which provides equal access to all students. They also are perfect for students who need additional support at home.

Introducing Pearson HTMLbooks™. Now every child can achieve maximum benefit from Pearson K-12 basal Student Editions. Pearson HTMLbooks are fully compatible with assistive technologies. The versatile digital design makes them ideal for students with disabilities who may have an Individual Education Plan/Program (IEP) and/or 504 plans. Pearson's HTMLbooks deliver the core content found in Pearson textbooks, which provides equal access to all students. They also are perfect for students who need additional support at home.

"When looking for apps for students on the autism spectrum (ASD), it is important to look at all educational apps and not just those that are tagged as autism apps. They have many of the same learning needs that other students have. This list was developed to provide apps based on common learning characteristics and traits that are typical for students with ASD. It is important to remember that all students learn differently and selecting apps should be based on the unique learning needs of the student. This list is only a sampling of apps available for each skill area. This is not, nor is it meant to be a definitive list. This list is intended to give you a starting place and a rationale for picking certain apps."

"The iPad offers tools for providing multiple means of representation as well as tools for students to have a variety of options to express their learning. Because it is such a cutting edge technology, it also has the added benefit of engaging students in learning. Simply put, it is a trendy and attractive tool - one that students desire to use. It has the power to be assistive without marking students look different when using it. If we can leverage this technology, the potential to support all students is tremendous."

"Ohio's Accessibility Manual is a comprehensive policy document providing information about the accessibility features of Ohio's State Tests for grades 3-8 and high school in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. The manual helps to define the specific accessibility features available for all students, students with disabilities, students who are English language learners and students who are English language learners with disabilities. Ohio's Accessibility System features are made up of accommodations for students with disabilities and English language learners as well as other features including administrative considerations, universal tools and designated supports."

Make Pictures and Text Come Alive and "Talk." small recorder (1.67" W x 4.48" H x 1.44" D). How It Works Attach a special sticker to any book page, worksheet, game board, or flash card, scan the sticker with the MiniTR Recorder and begin recording. When you have completed the recording, it is ready for instant playback. Record pages of text, test questions, classroom instructions, or any materials that need to be read back to students. The MiniTR can hold up to 25 minutes of recordings. Each student will be empowered to read along, hear instructions in your own voice, and interact with individualized lessons. Support students who are nonverbal by prerecording words, phrases, and sentences. Then let the student use the MiniTR playback feature as a "voice." Features The MiniTR Recorder is ideal assistive technology for students with special needs. It is USB compatible, allowing you to backup or download your recordings. It has a built-in, high-quality speaker and comes with a headphone jack for private listening."

"This workshop will discuss how Chittenden Central Supervisory Union(CCSU) uses an AT Assessment Plan (ATAP) based on the SETT framework to support students with multiple or severe disabilities to enable increased access to the curriculum and independence.  The ATAP and the process of implementing it will be discussed.  Several extensive case studies will be reviewed.  How those ATAPs were revised in subsequent years to continue supporting students will also be covered.  Case studies include students with visual impairments, autism, learning impairments, speech impediments and physical disabilities.  Learn how one district is making a difference for its students with severe or multiple disabilities!"

"Creative Book Builder is a fantastic app that allows students to create books in epub format, which can then be exported to iBooks and shared with others. There are a variety of instructional uses for this app, from using it as a publishing tool for project-based learning to a summative assessment at the end of a unit.  Students can embed images, audio files, video files, and write text.  The advantage of an epub document over a PDF document is that all of the media will be preserved and available for readers to interact with when the final product is published.   Depending on how you use Creative Book Builder with students, this app can help students complete tasks that align with every level of the revised Bloom's Taxonomy.  Explore the different ways this app can be used at each level of Bloom's Taxonomy."

Most students with autism hate to write. Even simple writing assignments require skills in language, organization, sensory, and visual motor areas. I Hate to Write is a new book from autism consultants Kathy Oehler and Cheryl Boucher that helps teachers look at the writing process through the eyes of a student with autism. By focusing on the four aspects of writing that are most problematic for students with ASD - language, organization, sensory, and visual motor skills - teachers will learn new ways to help students with ASD become happy, successful writers.

TAP*it is the first ADA compliant interactive learning station designed to recognize the difference between an arm resting upon the screen and a finger or assistive device intentionally tapping an image. Providing an optimal interface for teaching students with special needs at their own pace, TAP*it reinforces skills that can be transferred to other computer-based learning applications utilizing the Internet, educational software or communication devices. Accessible to students with physical or learning disabilities TAP*it is within reach for students using wheelchairs, walkers or other mobility devices, providing full access to the screen with easy adjustments that adapt to individualized needs. Worries about navigation are eliminated as users can maneuver up to the workstation and have full reach capabilities. Motorized adjustments provide easy accommodations With the touch of a button, the TAP*it platform can move up or down and the 42" interactive LCD panel can be tilted from 0 - 90 degrzees. These adjustments make TAP*it infinitely more accessible to physically challenged students and their instructors than stationary wall-mounted boards.

"Ever wonder what it would be like if we let our students pick the tools we use in class? This collection of web 2.0 tools is just that- a list of tools and ideas for what students see as being useful for their learning in and out of school. To begin the project, 8th grade students were engaged in a conversation about what school would look like if all of the rules we currently had were disbanded. They were no longer bound by walls, schedules, age restrictions or standardized tests. No technology was outlawed. It was a bit of a hurdle for them...after eight years of the current school arrangement, it was difficult for them to imagine anything else. With a little encouragement and a push they rose to the occasion, and here are the tools they think we ought to consider using. As this is a dynamic site, there may be some entries in need of editing. We will get to them! We left the duplicates in for emphasis as well as different points of view. Enjoy!"

"KidTools and KidSkills are new kinds of software to help students take control of their learning, behavior, and problem solving to improve success in school. The tools are research-based and have undergone extensive testing with actual students in classroom settings. These software programs include a library of tools provided as easy-to-use templates for children to personalize and use independently in school and other settings. There are two levels of tools in each of these programs. eKidTools and eKidSkills are made for elementary students with some reading abilities, ages 7-10. Within eKidTools, there is a set of PictureTools made for preschool/primary children that do not require reading abilities. iKidTools and iKidSkills are made for intermediate/middle school students with reading abilities, ages 11-14. Because these tools are all related, children can move up and down the levels to use the tools that best fit their skills and needs. "

Anyone heard of this?

Why? * To increase participation and achievement for ALL students including those with significant disabilities * To position ALL students to take advantage of emerging educational technologies in inclusive learning environments. What? * The integration of interactive white boards (SMART Boards), SMART Solutions (e.g., SMART Table, SMART Document Camera, SMART Sync) and other mainstream technology (IPADS/IPODS, Nintendo DSi) with assistive technology for use during whole and small group instruction in all educational settings. The key is including ALL students using a Universal Design for Learning Toolkit (technology, traditional teaching methods,pedagogy) in their current educational setting to ensure meaningful academic and social participation. How? * By using SMART Boards and other mainstream technology as well as assistive technology to facilitate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Differentiated Instruction (DI) so that learning environments, opportunities and activities are accessible by diverse groups of learners. Understanding how the Participation Model can extend UDL and DI so that the learning and participation of students with the most significant learning challenges are increased and enhanced.

"It allows students to play the classic game of Concentration by themselves or against a friend while they practice numbers, geometric shapes, multiplication facts, fractions, decimals and percents. The activity can be played in one of two modes depending on the level of the student - hidden (covered windows) or visible (glass windows). This allows students to focus on the match itself without having to also remember where the cards are located. "