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I just learned about using live binders and I found this AT live binders that have some many great resources.

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This is a collection of blogs related to assistive technology that I highly recommend.

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This video does a great job of putting a face on AT

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Jason King Seminar 8 notes and questions

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Jason King Seminar 8 notes and questions

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Linda Washington/K-12 Using Assistive Technology for Math and Science.

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Linda Washington/K-12 Using Assistive Technology for Math and Science.

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This video demonstrates how technology can be used in math and science to engage students

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Assistive Technology for Learning and Cognition

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K-12 Using Assistive Technology for Math and Science

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This videos shows students and teachers options for using assistive technology for Math and Science assignments.

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Linda Washington?/Introducing iPods into Special Education

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Linda Washington?/Introducing iPods into Special Education

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This video is about how students use iPods as useful tools in Special Education

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Special School District of Saint Louis County

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Introducing iPods into Special Education

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This is a film I made about how we use iPods as useful tools and even adaptations in our Special Ed classroom. This classroom is at Special School District of Saint Louis County.

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Linda Washington/Waldorf's integrated way of learning.

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Linda Washington/Waldorf's integrated way of learning.

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This is a video of how Art and movement blend into academics at this K-8 school.

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Art and movement blend into academics at this K-8 school. Read more about the exciting curriculum at our Edutopia website: http://www.edutopia.org/waldorf-public-school-morse

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Jason  King / Assisitve Technology App for the blind

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Jason  King / Assisitve Technology App for the blind

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This youtube video shows several great free assistive technology apps for android phones.

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Assistive Technology ~ Applications for the Blind (Part 2)

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This youtube video talks about what Assistive Technology is. It is any thing or any tool that can make life easier and increase independence for people

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Assistive Technology for Adolescent and Young Adults

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Assistive Technology: Opening Doors to Independence

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Assistive Technology is any thing or any tool that can make life easier and increase independence for people with disabilities. It includes a wide range of tools. From simple magnifiers to complex computers, assistive technology can make a world of difference. Across California, there are many resources for learning more about Assistive Technology.

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The National Assistive Technology in Education Network is a valuable resource for learning more about ATs and resources that are available.

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Research has many benefits. It can help guide our decision making about AT for an individual student. It can help us determine what appropriate goals might be for a student's use of AT and reasonable criteria for success. Additionally, basing AT decisions on research helps comply with IDEA. IDEA requires us to use peer reviewed research as much as possible when selecting interventions to help a child advance appropriately toward attaining annual goals.

Section 300.302 of IDEA states that the IEP must include:

A statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be provided to the child, or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided to enable the child-IDEA, 300.320 (a)(4)

IDEA also states that AT can be part of special education, related services, or supplementary aides and services. It is logical to assume that this requirement in IDEA would apply to AT services as much as any other services provided to the student with a disability.

Knowing the research is invaluable in answering the tough questions we often face, such as:

Will providing a speech generating device to this child keep him from learning to talk?

Will using powered mobility keep this child from learning to walk?

Research Answers many Questions
Many AT service providers struggle to get others to use AT with their students. Sometimes these providers wonder why it is so difficult to convince their colleagues of the value of AT. Lack of training may be the reason. Ashton, Lee, and Vega (2005) conducted a survey of teachers and found that training about AT is critical. Respondents who had over 40 hours of training felt AT was essential to students' daily routine and felt comfortable in identifying and using AT to ensure educational access. Respondents without AT training felt AT was not important to students' daily activities, and they were not confident in identifying and using AT. Nearly 90% of the respondents felt preparation programs did not adequately emphasize AT use.

A study by Kelly (2009) found that AT was provided more often if parents are highly involved. Kelly reviewed the findings from a national study of AT use by students with vision impairments (VI) and found that 59 to 71% of students who could be expected to benefit from AT, did not receive it. This percentage did not improve over the five years of reported data. Kelly concluded:

AT not provided to majority of students with VI who could benefit from it.

AT more likely to be provided if parents are highly involved.

AT more likely to be provided if student is in residential placement.

Since most are served in local placements with itinerant support, need to insure that we are providing AT appropriately.

Another study answered the general question of whether AT works to help students make progress. Watson, Ito, Smith, & Anderson (2010) found that AT was an effective intervention to make progress on IEP goals. In fact, they found that AT's contribution was greater than any of nine other intervention strategies that were tried in the study. They also concluded a team approach is the most effective.
Does r esearch support the use of AT with students with severe disabilities?
Yes, in their book on Teaching students with moderate and severe disabilities, Spooner, Browder, & Mims (2011) found that research supports the use of AT for all of the following:
Does research support the use of AT with students with low incidence disabilities?
After a large review of evidence-based practices for students with severe disabilities, they concluded that there is research evidence to support broad application of AT for this population, that the largest body of research for these students is on the application of AAC to quality of life improvements, and that research supports teaching both low and high tech AAC.
The research that has been reviewed here is grouped under the following headings:
Yes, Bouck (2016) reviewed data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 comparing postsecondary outcomes of students with high incidence disabilities who reported receiving assistive technology (AT) in high school to those who reported not receiving AT. She found that 99.8% of the students who received AT graduated while only 79.6% of those who did not receive AT did so. 80.9% of students who received AT attended a post-secondary institution, while only 40.1% of students who did not receive AT attended a post-secondary institution. And 80% of those who received AT had a paying job after high school while only 50.8% of those who did not receive AT had a paying job. This data strongly supports the use of AT for students with learning disabilities.

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Research has many benefits. It can help guide our decision making about AT for an individual student. It can help us determine what appropriate goals might be for a student's use of AT and reasonable criteria for success. Additionally, basing AT decisions on research helps comply with IDEA.

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This YouTube video does a thorough job at explicitly explaining Assistive Technology.

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ITC - Understand Assistive Technology - Integrating Technology In The Classroom

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Where to go for free online teacher professional development: http://www.simplek12.com/upcoming-free-webinars/ Introduces what assistive technology is and who it benefits. Explains that it is typically grouped and referred to by categories. Touches on communication, computer access, special education, and hearing and vision aids, giving examples of each.

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This blog provides an up-to-date take on many resources that can be utilized in supporting students in the classroom.

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Voice Dream has become a well-known name in the assistive technology community because of Voice Dream Reader: a text-to-speech reader available for i. Now the developer has released a new app called Voice Dream Writer which aims to support writers with special needs. Voice Dream Writer has features that can benefit people with a wide range of needs including people with dyslexia and people who are blind or visually impaired. People without disabilities can also benefit from the app. For example, english language learners could benefit from spoken feedback and other features offered by Voice Dream Writer.

The text-to-speech feedback is designed to help writers find mistakes in their writing. The style of text-to-speech reading can even be changed to help writers focus either on spelling and grammar, or on content and organization. The app also offers easy access to an outline view that can help with organizing a document. Other features allow users to look up words phonetically or look up words by its meaning.

The text-to-speech feedback can be accessed as users type so they can verify that a word or sentence was entered as they intended. This helps writers identify words or phrases that looked correct, but upon hearing them read aloud sound incorrect. The app will also read back text that has been dictated to help users insure that their voice was transcribed correctly.

When it is time to review a document, Voice Dream Writer includes some very thoughtful features for editing. The app includes two customizable proof reading modes that use text-to-speech to help with the editing process. The first is designed to help writers edit the content of their document. In this mode words are read back using text-to-speech sound natural and smooth: as they would when reading a book with Voice Dream Reader. This allows writers to focus on the content and organization of their document.

The second mode reads text back in a somewhat choppy manner which allows users to focus their document at the micro level. This mode is ideal for editing spelling a grammar because the lack of flow with the text-to-speech voice makes it easier to focus on each word rather than the overall content of the text.

Each proofreading mode is customizable with options to announce misspelled words, spell homophones, and speak punctuation and capitalization.

Similar to Voice Dream Reader , Voice Dream Writer includes the ability to change the visual style of the app. Font size, character and line spacing, margins, text color, and background color can all be changed. Additionally, users can change the text to speech voice and speaking rate to match their preferences. Text-to-speech voices purchased in Voice Dream Reader are available in the Writer without an additional purchase. The pronunciation dictionary also syncs between the Writer and the Reader if both are installed on the same device.

Text files can be imported from iCloud Drive or supported third party services such as Google Drive or Dropbox. Unfortunately, users can only import text files and not Microsoft Word files. Documents can be exported as HTML, RTF, Microsoft Word, or Apple Pages format.

Click read more below to continue to read the review of Voice Dream Writer. Some of the most innovative and helpful features will be described below.

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Voice Dream has become a well-known name in the assistive technology community because of Voice Dream Reader: a text-to-speech reader available for i. Now the developer has released a new app called Voice Dream Writer which aims to support writers with special needs.

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I created a blog when teaching children how to blog that includes some Web 2.0 tools

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During this session of the Avengers, we focused on how music can be used to create social change. Protest songs from through the years were heard and analyzed to look for common themes.

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Lindsay Harrod/Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology

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Lindsay Harrod/Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology

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This youtube video goes through the top 10 reasons you should use technology in your classroom.  Teachers will not be replaced by technology, but teachers who don't use technology will be replace by those who do.  This was very interesting.

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Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education: iPad, Tablet, Computer, Listening Centers

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This youtube video shows how to access podcasts using itunes

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This video is an assignment I did during Methods for EDTL 4670: Implementing Technology in the Classroom. The video shows the viewer how to access Podcast using the iTunes Store.

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Website to help teachers access technology in the classroom at all grade levels.

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Technology Solutions That Drive Education

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When asked to name the three biggest challenges of using assistive technologies in the classroom, Tracy Gray of the American Institutes for Research is unequivocal in her answer. "Professional development, professional development and professional development," she says. "I can't stress it enough."

To equip teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively integrate these tools into their curriculum, educators recommend the following best practices.

Make It Ongoing

The occasional training session isn't enough, says Karen Heilbronner, director of secondary special education for California's San Ramon Valley Unified School District. Her district offers group and individual training to teachers and special education support staff year-round. (Check out the district's extensive library of assistive technology resources for teachers.)

Foster Peer-to-Peer Learning

Training can occur online, in-person or across district boundaries, Gray says, but teachers and resource personnel will excel if they have access to a community of practice to share ideas and learn from peers what works - and what doesn't.

Go Outside

Even a modicum of online research will reveal a wealth of resources - including lesson plans, templates, digital reading materials, and visual and audio supplements - that can help teachers incorporate assistive technologies and applications into classroom learning.

Let the Students Teach

Like all Millennials, special-needs students are digital natives, says Diane Moog, a teacher at the Montana School for the Deaf & Blind in Great Falls, Mont. Give them opportunities to play with, explore and demonstrate what these new devices can do, she says, and "chances are, they'll figure out and show you things you'd never figure out on your own."

Know What Works

Teachers and support staff need to be trained to recognize that technology is a tool, not a panacea. "Whatever technology you choose to use and however you choose to use it, make sure it has a purpose and that it truly meets the students' unique needs," says Robin Lowell, a math teacher for the Washington State School for the Blind in Vancouver, Wash.

For more information on how assistive technology is helping teachers and special-needs students, read our feature story "How Technology Is Helping Special-Needs Students Excel."

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How to Help Teachers Integrate Assistive Technology in the Classroom

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When asked to name the three biggest challenges of using assistive technologies in the classroom, Tracy Gray of the American Institutes for Research is unequivocal in her answer. "Professional development, professional development and professional development," she says. "I can't stress it enough."