Special Ed in the 21st Century

Great blog with very current postings related to legal issues and special education shared by Amy Chayefsky.

A special education legal resource discussing case law, news, practical advocacy advice, and developments in state and federal laws, statutes and regulations. Postings include insight and sometimes humor from Charles P. Fox, a Chicago, Illinois attorney who is also a parent of a child with special needs, and other guest authors.

This is a fantastic resource for exploring Web 2.0 technology for special needs students. Take some time to browser through the archives and her links to other sites. Peggy

Excellent blog by Karen Janowski, Assistive & Educational Technology Consultant. Outstanding links, videos and resources on her site.

Wonderful video clips where students can record and practice their speaking. Good for improving literacy as well as English speaking skills. Any student who does not like reading aloud would enjoy! Latest: a clip from Despicable Me!

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Research paper on the use of Smartboards with E/BD adolescents-very positive results.

Very informative research paper on the use of Smartboards to help adolescent special education students (E/BD) develop appropriate social skills.

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!

This article provides some great suggestions for teaching these important skills. I first heard about the article on a great teacher podcast by Todd Watson, LD Resource teacher in Peoria District, AZ. Listen to his podcast--it's a wonderful way to communicate with his parents--positive, informative, encouraging and educational! Podcast #1 for 08-09: http://applepodcast.peoriaud.k12.az.us:16080/weblog/twatson/

Excellent, practical suggestions for helping students learn organization and study skills. Targeted for LD students but valuable for all students.

This is a fantastic podcast where Tracy shares her successful experience creating a radio show with her special ed high school students. It's worth trying with your students!

This is an inspiring podcast interview with Tracy Pariseau, Sanford HS, Maine, teacher who works with emotionally disturbed students on IEPs. She shares her experiences creating a student radio show with her students.

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Shahnaz Khan believes in working in an inclusive classroom, with activities appropriately differentiated. In this programme, we see how she works with her KS1 class at Bangabandhu Primary School, in Bethnal Green to recognise speech in text. Shahnaz adapts her teaching style to encourage all the children to participate, and uses differentiated questioning to ensure every pupil benefits from the lesson.

One of the videos featured this week on Teachers.TV-15 minutes. There are some good links on the resources page for special education.

It's Special Educational Needs Week on Teachers TV and we are showing your favourite SEN programmes. Differentiation in Action shows how you can differentiate tasks in the classroom to aid inclusion. The primary (Wednesday 4pm) episode looks at how puppets and text can be used to recognise speech in a KS1 class. The secondary (Tuesday 7.30pm) episode follows a history lesson where differentiation is used to great success and the pupils assess their own achievement as well as discussing which teaching styles they prefer and their preference for mixed achievement groupings. Also on this week is Being Different May be Cool, (Friday 7pm) an honest look at the challenges of dealing with children on the autistic spectrum through the lives of three autistic brothers and their mother.

Looks like some great shows on the Special Educational Needs Week programming this week-Teachers TV in the UK. This is an excellent site to bookmark and join their email list to be notified of new programs. Great videos for teachers.

A resource to help you navigate the roads of Autism-Excellent AZ resource site but also many additional resources and an online message board for posting advice, questions, etc.

Excellent resource site for Arizona Autism support shared by Amy Chayefsky.

Valuable information and resources provided by the Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities. Shared by Amy Chayefsky.

Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities The GCDD is Arizona's state planning council for people with developmental disabilities and is authorized under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (P.L.106-402). The mission of the Arizona Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities is to work in partnership with individuals with developmental disabilities and their families through systems change, advocacy and capacity building activities that promote independence, choice and the ability of all individuals to pursue their own dreams.