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Amazing description of the life of Michael Phelps in his earlier years as told by his mom--what a tremendous example of overcoming challenges and also an important statement to educators about teaching to student strengths and not trying to make them all fit into a conforming mode. Stresses need to find what students CAN do and not focus on what they CAN'T DO. Also great example of importance of parent advocacy and high expectations along with belief in them.

Powerful narrative story based on an interview with Michael Phelp's mom who is now a Middle School principal--wow, did he overcome his earlier challenges! Great story to share with students!

"Out of Print highlights the sea change underway in the multi-billion dollar U.S. K-12 instructional materials market enabled by recent technology and intellectual property rights innovations. With a focus on the ultimate impact on student learning, the report provides examples of lessons learned from recent digital and open (OER) content initiatives by leading states and school districts and offers comprehensive recommendations for government, industry, and educators to ensure that the inevitable shift to digital instructional materials improves student achievement and engagement and efficiently uses scarce resources."

"MeMoves™ is an engaging combination of music, movement and images that decreases stress, improves mood, and enhances one's ability to focus. An enjoyable meditation in motion, MeMoves™ creates an optimal environment for learning and living."

This is an incredible resource for all kids but especially for autistic spectrum kids. Listen to the interview on Seedlings/EdTechTalk with the developers and you will be inspired and motivated. It recently received a Parent's Choice Gold Award and even has an iPhone app. :-) Seedlings recording will be posted here: http://edtechtalk.com/seedlings

The main focus of Zane Education's website is to provide an online subscription service providing on-demand access to what is arguably the largest and most comprehensive catalogue of dedicated K-12 educational videos available anywhere in the world. To supplement student learning requirements, we also provide online testing in the form of interactive multiple-choice quizzes so that the student is then able to test himself or herself on what has been learnt in each video.

"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."

"The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in mathematics were created to help all students become prepared for the demands of future careers and life in an age of technology. Similarly, students with moderate and severe disability will need these skills to meet these changing expectations. Although mathematics instruction could focus on a few of the earliest mathematics skills throughout the students school career, research presented in this article shows students with moderate and severe disability can learn skills that align with the grade level of their chronological age while also practicing early numeracy skills. This article provides teachers with a 6-step approach to providing instruction to students with moderate and severe disability aligned to the new CCSS."

A fantastic podcasts that focues on Assistive Technology but the tools are great for all teachers and students. It's well worth checking out since it won an award for "Best Professional Development Podcast." :-)

A.T.Tipscast is a regular podcast that focuses on assistive technology and provides some awesome resources. This podcast won the award for "Best Professional Development Podcast" in the 3rd Annual Teachers' Podcast Awards.

The AT Tipscast

He had to work hard. He often woke up early to study before school and studied for hours in the evening. He went to summer school and retook tests.