Friday, March 5, 2010

Tools for Life!

Georgia Assistive Technology Project (Tools for Life), directed by Christopher Lee is a website that special educators can refer to for guidance in the areas of assistive technology and how it applies to making education accessible to students with learning disabilities. The Tools for Learning page has several tabs that discuss various signs of learning disabilities in the areas of reading, writing, math, and social skills. In addition, there is an assistive technology tab that provides information on how to address needs triggered by various learning disabilities. This website will be of particular use for me in my current setting as I continue to learn how to best accommodate junior high students with learning disabilities through assistive technology as well as informing parents/guardians of students with learning disabilities of helpful resources. http://www.gatfl.org/LearningDisabilitiesGuide/tabid/456/Default.aspx

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

AT Training Online

ATTO stands for Assistive Technology Training Online Project. This site provides links to four categories of learning modules—FACT; Foundations, Adapting computers, Curriculum, and Technology for special populations. This site is especially useful for both new and seasoned special educators. Learning modules that address topics such as rationale for and description of assistive technology (AT), weaving AT into the curriculum, AT developed to meet the needs of a variety of individuals, and AT as it specifically relates to computers. This modules presented in this website could be presented at teacher in-services or simply as a resource for special and general educational staff to refer to as needed. *For more information about the Assistive Technology Training Online Project or to view the learning modules, follow the link below: http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/ATBasics.php
WETA (the PBS TV station in Washington D.C.) provides a broad educational website known as LD online. This site is directed toward education professionals and parents can refer to for information about learning disabilities and ADHD. I find this site particularly useful when I need to know more about how to meet the needs of students with ADHD as there are a lot of students with ADHD in my junior high resource class. There is a page on this site that provides links to various articles, videos, books, and a question/answer forum aimed specifically at informing its readers about assistive technology for students with learning disabilities and ADHD. http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/technology

For parents of children with learning disabilities:

Greatschools.org is a website where members can ask questions and get feedback on a variety of educational topics. In this website, there is a section devoted entirely to learning disabilities and links to services, programs, and articles that parents can access. The link below is will take you to an article that can be downloaded called, E-ssential Tips: A Parent's Guide to Assistive Technology written by Marshall Raskind, Ph. In his article, Dr. Raskind explains what assistive technology (AT) is and how it can benefit children. He also provides information on how to appropriately select AT devices and services to meet the needs of the child as well as how and when AT will be used. This site is also useful for teachers because it is a resource that can be referred to in order to gain insight into the benefits and uses of AT from the perspective of the parent. For more information about this article and site, follow the link below: http://www.greatschools.org/LD/assistive-technology/parents-guide-to-assistive-technology.gs?content=784