Are you looking for technology tips and tricks for educators? You have come to the right place! Techie Toolbox is made by teachers for teachers! Here you will find a variety of information including workshop presentations, teacher blog updates, resources, and more. If you have stopped by and can't find what you need, click the discussions link above and tell us. We would LOVE to hear from you! We have a wide array of educators in our PLN, Personal Learning Network, and can find what you need.
Effective educational software, autism, aspergers, visuals:
Templates for interactive stories, games, matching boards, token boards, timers, and first-then boards, as well as the soon to be released scene cue display and topic board templates are accessed from the second core area of the program, Lesson Builder.
All interactive lesson formats can be printed out, and Pix2Go allows you to use any of the over 10,000 images from the image library for projects designed specifically for table-top use.
An introduction to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for students 5-10 years old is addressed in this module.
Designing quality programs for students who have AAC needs involves engineering communication environments, organizing and training team members, and developing appropriate lessons and materials. Strategies for achieving these goals will be presented.
"download site for the Don't Laugh At Me Program (DLAM) curricula, videos, and CD for use by teachers, administrators, parents and other educational advocates and practitioners. " Curriculum provided for grades 2-5 and 6-8 in downloadable PDF
Outstanding wiki by Michelle Dodd, AU, repository of useful online links tips and tools for educators working with diversity.
Vocational, Life skills and Transition Programs
For students seeking career exploration, community involvement and whole of life learning. Useful links and tools for Students, Trainers & Educators
Challenger TAFT (Technical and Further Education)
There are some fantastic resources shared on this wiki created by Michelle Dodd forstudents, trainers and educators in vocational, life skills and transition programs.
"Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles and techniques for creating inclusive classroom instruction and accessible course materials. At its core is the assertion that all students benefit when they are given multiples ways to take in new information, express their comprehension, and become engaged in learning."
"An online library of free videos for learners everywhere - our goal is to gather a set of resources to help you learn just about anything, meet people who make a difference in their communities, and even discover new parts of the world. Next Vista for Learning wants to post your educational videos online, too. Everyone has an insight to share and yours may be just what some student or teacher somewhere needs!"
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.
On Monday morning, he joined his younger sister, Rachel, on a stage at the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall and became a graduate of one of the nation's top high schools.
Thaller's story is familiar to many students with learning disabilities who must work two or three times harder than their classmates, often with less results.
He repeated kindergarten, then first grade, until he was in the same grade as his younger sister. But he continued to lag far behind his peers. By the time he reached sixth grade, he was still reading on a first- or second-grade level.
Low scores on cognitive tests prompted many medical professionals and educators to say it would be impossible for Thaller to ever attend college. Many suggested he pursue a diploma with fewer requirements or transfer to a special school with a less academic focus.
A major breakthrough came in middle school. Thaller's mother would read him chapters from the Harry Potter series at night. He was so impatient for her to get to the next chapter that he started reading ahead, pushing himself to understand the vocabulary and follow the story.
Just received an email from SchwabLearning.org about the transfer of all of their documents to greatschools.net. This has always been an invaluable resource for teachers and parents on topics related to special needs children.
New website location for SchwabLearning.org-excellent resources for special needs/special education. 400+ SchwabLearning.org articles are now available in their new home - the Learning Difficulties section on GreatSchools.net!
"The UDL Curriculum Toolkit is a web-based platform that allows for the development and publication of web-based curricula and other content built according to the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)."
Our name, Connective Technology Solutions, reflects what we do best - seeing the connections between hardware, software, and solutions on how they can be utilized together. Most important is how they can address the needs of individuals from teachers and support professionals to students. We provide professional development, training, support and educational materials connecting current technology and the solutions enabling everyone to succeed.
Dan Herlihy is a national conference presenter on topics ranging from Creating Access on the Fly, Working with High and Low Incidence Disabilities, Creating Access to the Arts and Using Digital Images in the Classroom as a Teaching and Learning Tool. He is also an IntelliTools Training Specialist, and has written books and articles on technology integration, as well as producing CDs of educational activities for students. His expertise is in taking diverse technologies, and connecting them together to provide solutions for access.
The purpose of this group is for members to share information, news, resources, and ideas for using the iPad, iPod Touch, and iPhone in special education.