The Virginia Board of Education Comprehensive Plan: 2018 to 2023 includes Assistive Technology (AT) as a means to help students use technology to engage in their learning. AT teams and specialists in school districts, help teachers and IEP Teams to determine and use AT in the classroom. The start of the new school year may… Read More Resources for Assistive Technology Teams
Professional Development Modules to Increase Communication
Communication looks different for everyone. Some may communicate using words, gestures, behaviors, sounds, refusals, and more. It can be different for each learner. Analyzing the form of expressive communication your student uses, can assist educational staff in designing a communication system with and for the student (Downing, Hanreddy, & Peckham-Hardin, 2015, pp. 60-61). Project Core,… Read More Professional Development Modules to Increase Communication
Low-Tech Solutions for High-Interest Instruction
Not all assistive technology involves computers, tablets, or software. Sure, it is fun to have shiny new devices that are full of bells and whistles, but the key is to utilize items that best support the needs of a particular student. Hamm, Mistrett, and Ruffino (2006) asserted that low-tech devices are often preferable for teachers… Read More Low-Tech Solutions for High-Interest Instruction
Free Resources for Students in Virginia
A great free resource for students is Find It Virginia, which includes many links to websites that students can use for literacy, learning, and research. Free to residents of Virginia are e-books and digital resources including newspapers, magazines, and encyclopedias for elementary, middle, and high school students. Under the Elementary/Middle School tab, try Kids InfoBits for researching… Read More Free Resources for Students in Virginia
My StoryMaker
My StoryMaker, (your computer needs Adobe Flash to use this website) is a free interactive program for writing short stories hosted by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Through visuals, the author selects the characters, items, objects and settings. By selecting feelings, actions, and interactions, the author guides the characters. The program fills in sentences based… Read More My StoryMaker
The Power of Writing to Strengthen Reading
It is often suggested that if learners struggle with reading they should do more writing! Students can benefit from multiple writing opportunities such as writing about books they are reading (with sentence starter prompts as needed), small -group, shared writing called Predictable Chart Writing, and Thinking Logs for mathematical writing. The Center for Early Literacy… Read More The Power of Writing to Strengthen Reading
Giving Students a Choice
Students should be empowered to select their own assistive technology. Even at a basic level, students can learn to exercise choice. User input significantly affects abandonment of assistive technology (Phillips & Zhao, 1993). Develop activities that can help increase capacity of students to self-assess and select their personal assistive technology solutions. Include them in… Read More Giving Students a Choice
