Teacher and
Paraeducator Teaming for Student Success
DATE: July 12, 2016, 10:00 am EST - 45-minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: The Paraeducator Series will offer three
webinars designed to increase the knowledge and skills of paraeducators in
supporting students with disabilities in diverse settings. Combined, the focus
of the webinars is to prepare paraeducators to provide optimal support that
assists student’s learning success while facilitating self-dependence. This
series should be appealing to teachers who guide and supervise paraeducators
routinely as well as district special education trainers in their design and
delivery of professional development.
Part 2: This webinar session will address the essentials of
a winning teacher-paraeducator team to support students with disabilities.
Besides gaining greater clarity about teacher-paraeducator role
differentiation, participants will learn steps and processes to achieve
collaboration, communication and conflict resolution skills for learner
success.
Pediatric Seating
DATE: July 19, 2016, 10:00 am EST - 60-minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: This webinar will address the specific issues
of Pediatric Seating. Growth, of course, is key with this population.
Flexibility in a seating system is also required to accommodate orthopedic and
range of motion changes and medical interventions, including surgeries and tone
management. Positioning is also dependent on the mobility base, as many
children use adaptive strollers, dependent manual wheelchairs, self-propulsion
wheelchairs and power wheelchairs.
Choose and Learn
with Your Eyes Using myGaze
DATE: July 26, 2016, 10:00 am EST - 60-minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: Eye trackers are tools that measure how our
eyes behave. They monitor what we look at, for how long, and where our eyes go.
For many years eye-gaze technology has been used as an alternative-access
method for individuals with physical disabilities. It allows a person to
operate a computer or control the environment without having to drag a mouse.
And it is faster, easier, and more efficient than other access methods.
Recently, however, eye-gaze devices are used more and more in the classroom,
especially in environments that provide different methods to access content and
promote inclusion for learners of all abilities. That’s because eye-gaze
technology is more affordable and easier to setup and utilize. In this webinar
we will explore the myGaze device, a very popular eye tracker from Visual
Interaction. This device is user-friendly, simple to setup and calibrate, and
requires no training. It is small and lightweight and can be attached to most
monitors and laptops. Paired with a powerful mouse emulation software (EyeMouse
Play), myGaze can be used to control other software, navigate websites, access
learning materials, play games, and communicate. With specific software, it is
also a valuable assessment tool that can provide information about what a
student focuses on, what attracts his/her attention, and what he/she
understands. Workshop participants will view many examples of activities
created for various software applications and designed for eye-gaze users to
promote participation, engagement, and inclusion. Resources and strategies will
be shared with attendees. Materials for Classroom Suite will be posted to the
Classroom Suite Activity Exchange.
Fun Activities
Using Remote Controlled Devices
DATE: August 04, 2016, 02:00 pm EST - 30-minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: This presentation will include suggestions for
remote toys and devices that are easy to use and can be adapted for home and
classroom. In addition, ideas will be reviewed on what to consider when
purchasing devices using transmitters and receivers.
Intervention
Strategies for Self-injurious Behaviors
DATE: August 31, 2016, 10:00 am EST - 45-minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: Students with significant disabilities may
engage in a variety of unconventional behaviors causing injury to themselves
–-such as hitting, head banging, scratching, hair pulling, biting, or
screaming. These problem behaviors interfere with learning, inflict bodily harm
and cause injury. The webinar will discuss the function that it serves, the
contributing factors that trigger the behavior and how to observe and document
the behavior. In this session, both educators and families will learn how to
change the triggers, provide supports to the student and teach more appropriate
replacement behaviors.
Build the Brain
When it Counts: Stimulate Literacy Development with Enriching Experiences
DATE: September 13, 2016, 10:00 am EST - 45-minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: Build the Brain When it Counts series offers
three webinars to increase the knowledge and skills of educators to nurture
children’s executive function skills through the cognitive, literacy and
social-emotional thematic frameworks. The strategies and activities will
illustrate an invigorating learning process to put Pre-K to Kindergarten
children on a positive learning trajectory.
Part 2: Using the thematic framework of the ‘Literacy
World’, this webinar incorporates best-practice strategies to promote and
advance communication and literacy development of Pre-K and Kindergarten
students. A popular children’s book will serve as the focal point for exploring
the theme of literacy. Educators will learn how to design and deliver a variety
of enriching experiences to spark children’s sense of wonder and advance their
learning.
The Three Ps for
Behavioral Support: Preventive Strategies, Personalized Supports and Positive
Strokes
DATE: September 29, 2016, 10:00 am EST - 45-minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: The Paraeducator Series will offer three
webinars designed to increase the knowledge and skills of paraeducators in
supporting students with disabilities in diverse settings. Combined, the focus
of the webinars is to prepare paraeducators to provide optimal support that
assists student’s learning success while facilitating self-dependence. This
series should be appealing to teachers who guide and supervise paraeducators
routinely as well as district special education trainers in their design and
delivery of professional development.
Part 2: With the aid of classroom scenarios and
student-specific vignettes involving both general education and special
education settings, this webinar session will illustrate how to use the “Three
Ps” approach guided by the Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS)
model to eliminate or reduce problem behaviors. Participants will learn how to
use Preventive Strategies (P1), provide Personalized Supports (P2) and deliver
Positive Strokes (P3).
Speech Dude Tells
All: Tech Tools For The Special-needs Classroom
DATE: October 04, 2016, 01:00 pm EST - 60-minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: In this presentation, participants will be
introduced to a wide variety of innovative technology tools that can be easily
integrated into teaching and learning in the special needs classroom.
Participants will be given ideas for integrating tools into Common Core
instruction in ways that engage and motivate students with moderate to severe
disabilities. Note: Participants should access the webinar through the Google
Chrome browser
Apps Across the
Curriculum – Supporting Diverse Learners with Google and iOS
DATE: October 11, 2016, 02:30 pm EST - 60-minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: After first issuing 1:1 iPads, Chromebooks and
laptops, many schools are now implementing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
programs that provide more choice for educators and learners. Some are Going
Google with Chromebooks and Google Apps for Education (GAFE). How do you
support diverse learners on all devices, using free and low-cost Apps & AT
solutions? Join us for this session focusing on ensuring success for all
learners using the tools, features and apps available in Apple’s App Store and
Google’s Chrome Web Store. These free and low cost AT solutions support
personalizing education for students, as well as engaging and including all
students in a UDL environment.
You will learn about a number of built-in accessibility
features, as well as a number of free and low-cost apps, extensions, add-ons
and web resources to support your students in accessing textbooks, learning
materials (Handouts/Worksheets), research and study skills and completing
assignments using technology. AT and app solutions to support students with
learning disabilities (including Dyslexia), physical disabilities, low vision
or blindness, and difficulties with executive functioning, literacy and math
will be discussed. You will have a powerful toolkit for fostering access and
success across all platforms, devices, and subjects! Access to General &
Special Education with Digital Tools, AT, Apps & Resources for all students
will be discussed.
Build the Brain
When it Counts: Nurture Social-emotional Domain with Positive Behavioral
Approaches
DATE: October 17, 2016, 10:00 am EST - 45-minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: Build the Brain When it Counts series offers
three webinars to increase the knowledge and skills of educators to nurture
children’s executive function skills through the cognitive, literacy and
social-emotional thematic frameworks. The strategies and activities will
illustrate an invigorating learning process to put Pre-K to Kindergarten
children on a positive learning trajectory.
Part 3: Using a thematic framework of the ‘Emotional World’,
this webinar will illustrate a variety of enriching early experiences to foster
the social-emotional development of Pre-K and Kindergarten students. A popular
children’s book will serve as the focal point for exploring the theme of
emotions. Educators will learn how to design and deliver diverse activities to
advance student growth in self-regulation and problem-solving based on
neuroscience findings.
Apps and AT To
Support Executive Functioning
DATE: November 10, 2016, 02:30 pm EST - 60-minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: Executive function is often described as
difficulty with planning, behavior control/regulation, organization and
thinking skills. For individuals with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, learning
disabilities or a nonverbal learning disability, components of executive
functioning can limit functional capabilities in all areas of occupation.
Students struggle with planning, memory, organization and experience frequent
challenges with recalling the Who, What, When and Where of many tasks. In this
session you will learn about AT tools and Apps to support many executive
functioning skills such as time management, shift and flexible thinking,
emotional regulation, self-monitoring, planning and prioritizing, organization,
attention and focus, task initiation, and more! Join us for demonstrations,
examples, discussions and methods of implementation!
Accessibility
Features in Mobile Devices – What Is New in iOS and Android?
DATE: November 29, 2016, 01:00 pm EST - 60-minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: By law, mobile devices must include support for
persons with vision, hearing, learning, physical, and motor disabilities. For
example, did you know that you could set your device can be a “Switch” to help
persons with severe physical limitations live a full and productive life? In
this session, participants will be guided through the accessibility features
offered on iOS 10 and Android-based devices, and will be provided with
scenarios for applying accessibility features for personal and professional
productivity.
Taking AT Along to
Colleges and Universities
DATE: December 07, 2016, 10:30 am EST - 60-Minutes
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: When high schools and post-secondary programs
for disabled students work together to help with transitions that include a
student’s use of assistive technology (AT), continuity of the student’s AT use
is much more likely. The Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology in
Post-secondary Education (QIAT-PS) comprise a variety of on-line tools
available to improve assistive technology planning for transitions from K-12
education to post-secondary education. This session will explore the QIAT-PS
tools and offer examples of how they have been used.
AT Independence in
College: The QIAT-PS Student Self-evaluation Matrix
DATE: December 14, 2016, 10:30 am EST - 1-Hour
COST: FREE
DESCRIPTION: In this session, we will look at factors
students must consider when attending college, including accessing available AT
services and supports. A newly revised student self-evaluation matrix will be
presented as a strategy for preparing students for independence with AT during
the transition from high school to post-secondary education.
