Available at http://differentiatingrwnecc08.wikispaces.com/

This is a SETSIG sponsored workshop.

Technology provides a new opportunity to improve the reading and writing skills of all students across all grade levels. In an age of learning standards and adequate yearly progress (AYP), students in K-12 education are consistently being challenged to demonstrate increasingly complex performance in a variety of academic areas. Students come to the classroom representing a wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, skills and abilities. Responding to the educational needs of all students, teachers and school systems are often faced with the reality of finding the means to provide the necessary supports and motivators to successfully engage the student in the curriculum.

The purpose of this workshop is to provide participants with hands-on experiences using accessible desktop and online technologies that can provide needed supports for diverse learners in acquiring independent learning skills. Specifically, the technologies used in the hands-on activities during this workshop will help teachers understand how to differentiate instruction to meet the individual needs of students within the areas of reading and writing. Each presenter brings a broad range of experiences related to strategically integrating technologies in the classroom to support students in acquiring learning and literacy skills. Furthermore, the presenters have conducted research related to using technology to support students in the classroom and will ground the workshop within the findings of this research and evidence from the larger literature base. Each participant will gain knowledge and understanding not only related to accessible technologies but also an understanding of the research that has been conducted to support the use of these technologies. Through hands-on activities and examples of the practical application of these technologies, participants will develop the skills necessary to quickly and effectively implement these accessible tools in the classroom. The tools that will be used are MSOffice, Inspiration, Kidspiration, Natural Reader, Word Web and “no cost” online tools.


At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will

1) gain insight into the challenges that students have in reading and writing and the accessible technologies that can support effective research-based instructional strategies in the classroom,

2) learn how to use accessible desktop and online tools to differentiate their instruction to support literacy (reading and writing) skills for all students,

3) gain an understanding in how to assist diverse learners in acquiring independent reading and writing skills by using accessible desktop and online tools;

4) identify no cost and low cost, and other technologies that are readily available and accessible that can support students' learning skills within reading and writing;

5) understand the steps that they could be taken to improve literacy skills in their schools using accessible desktop and online tools.

Outline

Morning

Introductions (15 minutes)
PowerPoint Presentation: Overview of The Accessible Desktop and Online Tools to Differentiate Instruction in Reading (45 minutes)
Hands-on Activity 1: Tools to Support Reading Comprehension in the Content Areas (30-45 minutes)
Hands-on Activity 2: Universal Instructional Strategy in Using Visuals for Content Vocabulary Instruction (30-45 Minutes)
Review of Tools and Strategies (15 minutes)

Lunch

Afternoon
PowerPoint Presentation: Overview of The Accessible Software and Online Tools to Differentiate Instruction inWriting (45 minutes)
Hands-on Activity 3: Tools to Support Organization of Writing in the Content Areas (30-45 minutes)
Hands-on Activity 4: Universal Instructional Strategy in Using Accessible Tools for Writing (30-45 Minutes)
Review of Tools and Strategies (15 minutes)

Recap of the Day

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Presenter Background

Kathleen H. McClaskey, President of Ed Tech Associates, is an educational and assistive technology consultant, with over 24 years experience as a teacher, technology integration specialist, K-12 technology director and professional developer. She is graduate instructor at Plymouth State University and Cambridge College teaching both online and onsite courses in educational and assistive technologies. In her consulting business, she offers onsite consultation and professional development services and workshops to schools on using desktop and online technology tools to improve outcomes for diverse learners and in leveraging technology investments for student achievement. She is a frequent national and regional workshop presenter and professional development trainer on topics that include technology for diverse learners and the role of technology to improve outcomes for all students. In 2007, EdTech Associates was awarded a New Hampshire Math and Science Partnership grant that includes an inquiry-based science model using Universal Design for Learning principles. In the past six years she has presented at the TRLD Conference, the International Dyslexia Association Conference, LDA of America Conference, the National Education Computing Conference (NECC 2005 and 2007)and numerous regional and state conferences in the northeast. Please visit her website for a complete listing of presentations and workshops that she has given. www.edtech-associates.com

Brian Wojcik is the Coordinator of the Special
Education Assistive Technology Center (SEAT) at Illinois State
University. As an educator, Brian has been integrating technology to
meet the needs of students with diverse learning needs for over a
decade. In his current position, Brian works with over 2000 pre-service teacher education students annually and over 1500 practicing education professionals developing strategies to learn and integrate technology into the classroom to support the learning needs of a variety of students. He has presented internationally on the topics of assistive technology, pre-service teacher education, technology integration, intervention and intervention assessment, and curriculum technology supports.

Sean J. Smith, Ph.D., Associate Professor, is a faculty member in the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas with over 20 years experience as a teacher, technology integration specialist, researcher, and the developer of technology-based solutions for teachers and students, especially those with learning challenges. For the past nine years, he has been on faculty at the University of Kansas where he has authored over 30 articles and chapters, been a co-author in a Best Selling Introduction to Exceptional Learners textbook (see Turnbull and Turnbull’s Exceptional Lives), collaborated with fellow researchers in securing over six million dollars in federal and state grants to develop, research, and implement the use of technology across the K-12 and higher education setting, and served on various National Boards including the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Learning Disabilities, Teacher Education Division, and the Technology and Media Division. As a past Co-Editor for the Journal of Special Education Technology, Dr. Smith has focused attention on technology integration and most recently completed a year long Post-Doctoral Fellow with the University of Florida’s Center Personnel Studies in Special Education (COPSSE). Dr. Smith is a frequent regional and national workshop presenter and is currently the State of Kansas Assistive Technology Facilitator for the Kansas Infinitec Coalition focused on technology integration for ALL Learners. For a copy of his vita and more information on his work, please visit the his website located within KU’s Department of Special Education: http://soe.ku.edu/sped/faculty_staff/SmithSean.php