Online Assistance-Resources for students with Learning Disabilities
By Joan Thormann
Volume (2004-2005) November (No. 3)
This article provides excellent resources for students with Learning Disabilities. The author has organized the Web resources in to the following
Groups:
• Databases of resources
• Lists of assistive technology centers
• Journal articles and conference proceedings
.With the help of special education assessment educators can find out strengths and weakness of students and technology interventions that are helpful.
Knowing what keywords to use in databases is important in finding products that might be beneficial for a particular student. For example, using the keywords” learning disability” brings two products.
List of assistive technology centers are number of online lists of organizations that educators can visit to talk with someone who has experience in using technology with students who have special needs.
CSUN Center on disabilites holds conferences relating to technology with students with disabilities. The conferences are informative and exciting events with more than 3oo presentations and 15 exhibits.
1. If I am not able to attend conferences on students with disabilities, is it possible for me to get the information?
Yes, I would be able to read online speakers’ speeches.
2. What journal should I subscribe that could keep me updated on the technology that could assist my students with learning disabilities?
I could subscribe to JSET. Their articles are well researched and contain variety of topics on specific types of software for specific types of disabilities, discussion of policies, teacher training issues.
Web Sites
Alliance for Technology Access (ATA): http://
www.ataccess.org/community/
centers.lasso
Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental
Access (CATEA): http://
www.assistivetech.net
Closing The Gap: http://www.closingthegap.
com/ctg2/members2/FAQ.lasso
CSUN Center on Disabilities conference proceedings
Web site: http://www.csun.edu/
cod/conf/proceedings_index.htm
Journal of Special Education Technology:
http://jset.unlv.edu/
RESNA Technical Assistance Project: http://
www.resna.org/taproject/at/
statecontacts.html
Talking Word Processor: http://
www.assistivetech.net/search/
keywordProductDisplay.cfm?product_ID
=32727&searchTerm=learning%20disabl
ed" \t "_self
TechACCESS of Rhode Island: http://
www.techaccess-ri.org
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Journal #9-Signing Science!
Signing Science!
By Judy Vesel, PhD and Cindy L. Anderson, PhD-Volume 32 May (No. 8).
• This article informs us that there is technology tool called EnViSci Network that maximizes learning of science for50,000 or more students who are hearing impaired or hard of hearing. This network is a group of ten standards-based curriculum units for grades 3-8. Each unit contains Web site where students can do research and share topics on science related materials. EnViSci Network makes materials more accessible to students whose first language is sign, has created starter set if signed units. These units are the same for they are hearing or hearing impaired. The student hearing impairment would click on Sign It! This calls up “Andy”, the default signing Avatar character to Sign the entire text block. Students can increase or decrease the signing speed. As shown by comparing students’ pre- and post- unit scores, knowledge of the material increased largely for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. These educators reported the addition of signing allows:
• Increased access to the Web-based material and their ability to work independently.
• Students expand their science knowledge and get really excited about material.
• Students can review materials as often as they need to.
• Signing makes the students feel more like their hearing peers. They too can access the material on the Web.
• Teachers can move quickly, and they can do more than interpret the site.
• Signing Avatar helps standardize the signs teachers use in classrooms.
1. How would I find out the most advanced and updated technology tools for my students with special needs? I will read ISTE journals regularly and update my information in this area, as well as attend seminars and conferences that are held for students with special needs.
2. How do I encourage my special education students ‘ parents to provide EnViSci Network for their children at home ? I will set up a meeting for my students’ parents and invite the expert in the field to explain the benefits of this system.
Resources
Dallas Otolaryngology. (2003). Facts
and myths regarding deafness. Available:
http://cochlearimplants.dallasoto.com/
facts/deaf_facts.html.
EnViSci Network: http://www.enviscinetwork.
com/
National Academy of Sciences. (1996).
National science education standards.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. Public Law
107–110 (January 8, 2002). Available:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/.
SigningAvatar software: http://www.vcom3d.
com/
U.S. Department of Education. (2001).
Twenty-fourth annual report to Congress on
the implementation of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act. Washington,
DC: Offi ce of Special Education Programs.
Available: http://www.ed.gov/about/
reports/annual/osep/2002/appendix-a-pt1.
doc.
What’s the Weather? and Are We Getting the
Oxygen We Need?: http://signsci.terc.edu/
By Judy Vesel, PhD and Cindy L. Anderson, PhD-Volume 32 May (No. 8).
• This article informs us that there is technology tool called EnViSci Network that maximizes learning of science for50,000 or more students who are hearing impaired or hard of hearing. This network is a group of ten standards-based curriculum units for grades 3-8. Each unit contains Web site where students can do research and share topics on science related materials. EnViSci Network makes materials more accessible to students whose first language is sign, has created starter set if signed units. These units are the same for they are hearing or hearing impaired. The student hearing impairment would click on Sign It! This calls up “Andy”, the default signing Avatar character to Sign the entire text block. Students can increase or decrease the signing speed. As shown by comparing students’ pre- and post- unit scores, knowledge of the material increased largely for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. These educators reported the addition of signing allows:
• Increased access to the Web-based material and their ability to work independently.
• Students expand their science knowledge and get really excited about material.
• Students can review materials as often as they need to.
• Signing makes the students feel more like their hearing peers. They too can access the material on the Web.
• Teachers can move quickly, and they can do more than interpret the site.
• Signing Avatar helps standardize the signs teachers use in classrooms.
1. How would I find out the most advanced and updated technology tools for my students with special needs? I will read ISTE journals regularly and update my information in this area, as well as attend seminars and conferences that are held for students with special needs.
2. How do I encourage my special education students ‘ parents to provide EnViSci Network for their children at home ? I will set up a meeting for my students’ parents and invite the expert in the field to explain the benefits of this system.
Resources
Dallas Otolaryngology. (2003). Facts
and myths regarding deafness. Available:
http://cochlearimplants.dallasoto.com/
facts/deaf_facts.html.
EnViSci Network: http://www.enviscinetwork.
com/
National Academy of Sciences. (1996).
National science education standards.
Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. Public Law
107–110 (January 8, 2002). Available:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/.
SigningAvatar software: http://www.vcom3d.
com/
U.S. Department of Education. (2001).
Twenty-fourth annual report to Congress on
the implementation of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act. Washington,
DC: Offi ce of Special Education Programs.
Available: http://www.ed.gov/about/
reports/annual/osep/2002/appendix-a-pt1.
doc.
What’s the Weather? and Are We Getting the
Oxygen We Need?: http://signsci.terc.edu/
Journal #8 Learning Mastery--Students Teaching students
Learning Mastery--Students Teaching Students By Luke Noble, Jonathon Fiely, and Scott Le Duc Learning & Leading with Technology September 2001 Pg. 18-21
This article discussed an innovative program called Learning Mastery which a high school in Olympia, Washington developed. The primary goal of Learning Mastery is to help students to prepare for lifelong learning, not just the workplace. It supports the key idea that if students feel passionate about what they are doing, they will continue to be self-motivated to improve themselves throughout their lives, and explore the experiences presented to them in more detail.
Learning Mastery’s is self sustaining in the classroom itself. First, they are taught the basic skills of a field or process. Second, they research and find their own resources to enhance projects on which they are working. Third, as their knowledge of their subject increases, they start to help teach newer students who are pursuing similar areas of study. This program not only allows students to help teach, but it also gives them an opportunity to develop leadership skills in the classroom. As a result, the teacher has more time to work closely with individual students.
Among the resources that students were able to develop as a result of their participation in Learning Mastery were student-made manuals for software programs and interactive Web pages that teach something useful to the class. It is important to point out that the teacher always remains a resource to his students. He gives guidance when needed, though he encourages students to try to figure out their problems themselves or to seek guidance from fellow students before asking for his assistance.
As students start to teach and help each other, they learn to be self-reliant, in addition to the valuable communication skills they develop, such as public speaking, technical writing, and interviewing. Learning Mastery lets the teacher be open to new ideas and does not limit the teacher to a specific lesson plan. The students develop contracts that guide their work and hold them accountable for what they do. The program is flexible, allowing for these contracts to be changed to fit new situations as they occur.
1. How can I help my students to develop learning skills and demonstrate those skills in the classroom?
You can use the application of mastery learning based on Benjamin Bloom's Learning for Mastery model, with refinements made by Block. It is predominantly a group-based, teacher-paced instructional approach. Students learn by cooperating with their classmates and some mastery learning strategies require students to work independently, rather than with classmates. Please see the following websites for more information: http://www.funderstanding.com/mastery_learning.cfm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastery_learning http://www.humboldt.edu/~tha1/mastery.html http://learningmastery.org/ http://www.topschools.com/Retention.htm
2. How can help to encourage my students to make life time goals?
There are a variety of methods to help students to set goals but what is more important is developing a plan to periodically assess those goals and evaluate progress towards reaching those goals. Here are a few website that offer some proven suggestions to help our students to set and realize their goals.
http://www.topschools.com/Retention.htm http://specialed.about.com/od/worksheets/ss/goalsetting_3.htm http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr200.htm
This article discussed an innovative program called Learning Mastery which a high school in Olympia, Washington developed. The primary goal of Learning Mastery is to help students to prepare for lifelong learning, not just the workplace. It supports the key idea that if students feel passionate about what they are doing, they will continue to be self-motivated to improve themselves throughout their lives, and explore the experiences presented to them in more detail.
Learning Mastery’s is self sustaining in the classroom itself. First, they are taught the basic skills of a field or process. Second, they research and find their own resources to enhance projects on which they are working. Third, as their knowledge of their subject increases, they start to help teach newer students who are pursuing similar areas of study. This program not only allows students to help teach, but it also gives them an opportunity to develop leadership skills in the classroom. As a result, the teacher has more time to work closely with individual students.
Among the resources that students were able to develop as a result of their participation in Learning Mastery were student-made manuals for software programs and interactive Web pages that teach something useful to the class. It is important to point out that the teacher always remains a resource to his students. He gives guidance when needed, though he encourages students to try to figure out their problems themselves or to seek guidance from fellow students before asking for his assistance.
As students start to teach and help each other, they learn to be self-reliant, in addition to the valuable communication skills they develop, such as public speaking, technical writing, and interviewing. Learning Mastery lets the teacher be open to new ideas and does not limit the teacher to a specific lesson plan. The students develop contracts that guide their work and hold them accountable for what they do. The program is flexible, allowing for these contracts to be changed to fit new situations as they occur.
1. How can I help my students to develop learning skills and demonstrate those skills in the classroom?
You can use the application of mastery learning based on Benjamin Bloom's Learning for Mastery model, with refinements made by Block. It is predominantly a group-based, teacher-paced instructional approach. Students learn by cooperating with their classmates and some mastery learning strategies require students to work independently, rather than with classmates. Please see the following websites for more information: http://www.funderstanding.com/mastery_learning.cfm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastery_learning http://www.humboldt.edu/~tha1/mastery.html http://learningmastery.org/ http://www.topschools.com/Retention.htm
2. How can help to encourage my students to make life time goals?
There are a variety of methods to help students to set goals but what is more important is developing a plan to periodically assess those goals and evaluate progress towards reaching those goals. Here are a few website that offer some proven suggestions to help our students to set and realize their goals.
http://www.topschools.com/Retention.htm http://specialed.about.com/od/worksheets/ss/goalsetting_3.htm http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/students/learning/lr200.htm
Journal #7Classroom 2.0
Classroom 2.0 – Video Conferencing
Video Conferencing technology lets individuals at two or more locations to communicate with each other at the same time. With software, a camera and connection to Internet, any body can change a computer into video conferencing center. This technology is an effective tool for enhancing students’ knowledge of different subjects. For example, teachers are able to use video conferencing to bring into classrooms live animals, rain forest and aquarium. By doing this, students learn characteristics, behaviors, habitats, and diets of these animals and their relationship to their environments.
SOME BENEFITS OF VIDEOCONFERENCING
In addition to bringing experts into the classroom, interactive video Conferencing has other benefits:
• Students who are visual and auditory learners can benefit tremendously
• This technology encourages multiple classrooms at various locations to collaborate.
• Video Conferencing makes students eager to learn.
• Students can improve their communication skills by practicing as well as observing themselves and other individuals correspond.
• When students prepare for the conferences, they develop their research skills.
• Students practice graphing and other skills as they create pictures, graphs, or drawings for use during video conferences.
I followed on the following threaded discussions:
1) An individual who is in charge of Multimedia/Communication center of a school, asking for advise on what technology she needs to purchase for that space, if it is intended for video conferencing and video publishing. Since, their final mission is to run a student produced news show with the possibility for live feeds of morning newscasts.
2) The above individual received the following suggestions:
• To purchase equipments that might be replaced frequently within her budget, since technology equipment quickly become obsolete.
• Encourage students to submit photo/video stories from their cell phones via MMS. The volunteer editor of the day would then convert these into feeds that could be picked up and used anywhere on the school internet or any where.
Video Conferencing technology lets individuals at two or more locations to communicate with each other at the same time. With software, a camera and connection to Internet, any body can change a computer into video conferencing center. This technology is an effective tool for enhancing students’ knowledge of different subjects. For example, teachers are able to use video conferencing to bring into classrooms live animals, rain forest and aquarium. By doing this, students learn characteristics, behaviors, habitats, and diets of these animals and their relationship to their environments.
SOME BENEFITS OF VIDEOCONFERENCING
In addition to bringing experts into the classroom, interactive video Conferencing has other benefits:
• Students who are visual and auditory learners can benefit tremendously
• This technology encourages multiple classrooms at various locations to collaborate.
• Video Conferencing makes students eager to learn.
• Students can improve their communication skills by practicing as well as observing themselves and other individuals correspond.
• When students prepare for the conferences, they develop their research skills.
• Students practice graphing and other skills as they create pictures, graphs, or drawings for use during video conferences.
I followed on the following threaded discussions:
1) An individual who is in charge of Multimedia/Communication center of a school, asking for advise on what technology she needs to purchase for that space, if it is intended for video conferencing and video publishing. Since, their final mission is to run a student produced news show with the possibility for live feeds of morning newscasts.
2) The above individual received the following suggestions:
• To purchase equipments that might be replaced frequently within her budget, since technology equipment quickly become obsolete.
• Encourage students to submit photo/video stories from their cell phones via MMS. The volunteer editor of the day would then convert these into feeds that could be picked up and used anywhere on the school internet or any where.
journal #6 Software Review
Behnaz Shahzadi
Inspiration /Kidspiration
My responses to the 3 questions:
1. I liked using Kidspiration as a visual learning tool to facilitate learning the concept of four seasons (Earth Science Standard) to my first grade students. I found this software very user friendly or very simple and fun to use. I know that children would be very excited to use Kidspiration as well. Furthermore, features like the icons on the screen are very obvious; Picture View makes it easy for children to see their ideas and information.
In addition, Talking Interface assists children to read new words. The libraries of symbols are set in categories and saving work is simple.
2. I will incorporate Kidspiration in my instruction as it will assist my students in the following ways:
• Brainstorm ideas with words and pictures
• Classify and organize information visually
• Create stories and make daily journals
• Concept mapping and how different ideas are related
3. I liked the tutorial video on Kidsiration at Atomic Learning web site. The video was short and very easy to follow. It showed a computer screen with an instructor indicating features of the software. This was accompanied by an arrow pointing to each segment the teacher was explaining. Atomic Learning is a website that provides online learning and technology training via short, easy-to-understand tutorials at anytime and anywhere. As a special education teacher, I would like to make Atomic Learning available to all my students. These tutorials are specifically very useful for students with special needs. As long as they can see the computer screen, or hear the commentary and operate the keyboard and mouse students can benefit from Atomic Learning. Another major benefit of the system is that any learner can replay any tutorial as often as necessary.
iMovies
1. I am very glad to be able to learn to make an iMovie project within 1-2 hours in the last class setting. I found the software to have a lot features that are easy to learn. For example, I made title, transitions, sound effects, music and ending for my 3o second movie, as well as I was able to edit my movie effortlessly.
2. Teachers can use iMovie to maximize students’ learning of many different subjects, including biology, math and science.
For example, educators can utilize this technology in teaching science theories to students by capturing steps of making hypothesis, designing an experiment and making observations. In addition, iMovies assist students in the process of revisiting, reviewing, and reflecting upon variety of concepts.
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