Motivational Monday

Webinar Wednesday: Apps, Extensions, and Tech Tools for ADHD Brains: A Learning Guide

In this hour-long-webinar-on-demand, learn the most popular and effective technology tools for students with ADHD, with Janet DeSenzo.

Students don’t learn material that fails to engage them. Kids, especially those with unreliable attention and focus, lose interest quickly if the curriculum feels inaccessible and intangible. Many schools today are responding by using technology tools and the Universal Design for Learning approach.

Here, learn about the most popular and effective technology tools for students with ADHD and learning disabilities. Geared for educators, parents, and clinical professionals, this webinar will explain how to maximize students’ learning through the use of apps and tools for Chromebooks, iPads, Windows, and Macs. Teachers will also pick up lesson plans and strategies for incorporating technology into their UDL classrooms, and learn why educators are shifting the focus from accommodating students with ADHD to creating a more accessible, engaging curriculum.

In this webinar, you will learn about:

• Great Chrome apps and extensions for helping differently wired students
• iPads apps designed to maximize your child’s learning, plus the many tools built into the iOS operating system
• Tools offered by Microsoft that can assist with organization and productivity
• How to set up a Universal Design for Learning classroom, and how it supports all types of learners

Play this free webinar and download the slide presentation of "Apps, Extensions, and Tech Tools for ADHD Brains: A Learning Guide," plus get more strategies from ADDitude via email.

Meet the Expert Speaker:

Janet DeSenzo has been working in the field of assistive technology for more than 15 years. She started working with college students at the university level, assisting students with disabilities as the coordinator of Disability Services at a state university in New Jersey. From there, she started her own educational consulting company, JanTech Educational Services, which she still owns and operates. Janet is currently an assistive technology specialist and technology integration specialist in the Vernon Township School District of NJ. There, she helps find technology solutions for students with special needs and assists teachers with integrating technology into their everyday lessons.

Motivational Monday

Free Copy of Assistive Technology in Special Education by Joan Green

Could you use some help learning about the many ways the computers and mobile devices you already have can help children and adults improve communication, literacy, learning, and productivity? Be one of the 1,500 professional to receive a complimentary postage prepaid copy of the book Assistive Technology in Special Education by Joan L. Green. This updated resource guide will make your life easier and save you time and frustration as you read through the chapters that pertain to your situation. This opportunity to obtain  a complimentary copy of the book was made available in recognition of Better Hearing and Speech Month during the month of May. If you are not eligible for this offer, the book is now available on Amazon.com and its retail price of $45.00 has been reduced to $28.92- a 36% discount!

Yes! Please send me this gift when this limited print run is available!

Webinar Wednesday: Assistive Technology and the Writing Process

Writing - whether it's sentences, paragraphs, or essays - is a multistep process including brainstorming, organizing, drafting, and editing. All these tasks can pose access barriers for students with a wide range of physical, cognitive, and learning challenges. Watch the recorded webinar hosted by AT Coalition about tools and strategies to support all the steps in the writing process. To download the PDF, visit the link here!

Source: AT Coalition

Student with Dyslexia Discovers What It’s Like to Read: Emery’s Story

Emery is a 6th grade student with dyslexia. She thought she would never learn how to read. Emery would get angry at herself because she could not understand the words she was reading or read like other kids. At the age of 7, Emery was diagnosed with dyslexia. With the support of her family and dyslexia resources like the Bookshare ebook library and Scottish Rites, Emery’s reading and school experience pivoted 180 degrees. Using specialized audiobooks from Bookshare, she was able to learn how to track, decode, and understand that there was more to reading than word-for-word. She finally discovered what it was like to read for everyone. In this touching video, hear the before and after of Emery’s reading experience, as well as the thoughts and insights of her parents, Brandy and Mac.

Please share Emery’s story with others. If you or someone you know has dyslexia, or struggles with reading due to reading barriers like a learning disability, blindness, vision loss, or cerebral palsy, learn how Bookshare ebooks can make reading easier.

Bookshare is an ebook library for people with reading barriers and is FREE for U.S. schools and students with qualifying disabilities. Source: www.bookshare.org

Webinar Wednesday: What’s in your Bag: AT/AAC tools and Teaching tips

Date: May 9, 2019

Time: 3:30-4:30

Description:

What is in your bag of tools when you walk into a classroom?  Literally.  In this hour-long webinar, we will look into my toolbox I have carried with me around the world when working with AT/AAC users in and out of the classroom.  We will also talk about those non-tangible tools, teaching tips and tricks to add to your toolbox to help students succeed whether in the therapy or the classroom.

 

Learning Objectives: In this webinar participants will be able to...

• List three tangible items to add to a toolbox
• Describe two teaching tips for student engagement
• Implement one teaching strategy to increase student engagement

Presenter:

Sharon Redmon is a SpEd and GenEd teacher with over 20 years of experience.  She holds a Masters of Science degree in Adaptive Education: Assistive Technology and an Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP) license from RESNA. Sharon's passion for AT and especially AAC began with her first teaching job in WI where she became involved in WATI and continues today as a leader in the WI AAC Network created by an AAC Communicator.  Sharon has been an AT specialist for a WI and WA school district, ECSE teacher (low incidence population), SPED/ABA/Autism coordinator/teacher, high school and kindergarten teacher and now ATP in private practice. Her classroom experience in WI, WA and overseas schools, has given her a unique perspective on how UDL, AT, and AAC intertwine.  She is excited to be back in Washington State and working with individuals of all ages and abilities to access communication and their environment.

Registration Information:
Create an online registration

Contact: e-mail Sue Wright at the SETC office to register, wrightsu@cwu.edu