This quick move to emergency remote teaching has left educators scrambling to figure out how to use digital tools, online resources, and apps to continue their teaching at a distance. Unfortunately, across the board, educators have not been prepared to teach well with technology, let alone teach remotely with technology. In some teacher preparation programs, pre-service teachers are not provided with any opportunities to engage with technology in meaningful ways. MORE

The participants: Large district: Dr. Daryl Diamond, Director of Innovative Learning, Broward County Public Schools, FL. How do you approach purchasing education technology tools? They not only look at how the product would fit with their learning standards and curriculum, but the product must also work within their LMS. What role do learning goals play when searching for the best edtech? Then, learning goals drive the decision. MORE

Matt Huenerfauth (right), director of the Linguistic and Assistive Technologies Laboratory at the Rochester Institute of Technology, records video and motion-capture data from someone performing American Sign Language (ASL). The technology behind the cooking rats in “Ratatouille” and the dancing penguins in “Happy Feet” could help bridge stubborn academic gaps between deaf and hearing students. That reading deficit slows their learning in every other subject. MORE

New report highlights 10-step plan to applying Universal Design for Learning online. According to a new report, incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in online courses not only benefits students with disabilities, but can have significant benefits for all students, ultimately increasing retention and improving learning outcomes. In other words, educators need more than just assistive technology to create a UDL-friendly online course. MORE

Include : Demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to inclusiveness and respect for diversity in the learning community. As librarians, we are committed to serving every child and respecting diversity across our learning community. The webinar clarified the need for flexible and inclusive tools for increasingly diverse classrooms in order to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn and succeed both in school and at home. MORE

The sudden shift to online or hybrid learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has created plenty of challenges for students, schools, and parents. But how can schools and families follow an IEP when learning moves online? The physical learning space is important, as well. MORE

There is a dearth of evidence to help teachers make informed choices on how to allocate time to asynchronous vs. synchronous online learning. All online learning requires executive function skills , which allow us to plan, work toward goals, solve problems and be creative. MORE

But a common problem prevented that: some faculty have been slow to catch up with technological advances, and many wait until students ask for accomodations rather than having accessible materials from the start. “I I think the onus is still placed on the student with a disability” to ensure they have learning materials that they can benefit and learn from, says Kwong. That’s especially concerning to her, given assistive technologies alone won’t always help. MORE

When it comes to troubleshooting for her children’s remote learning, it seems like Barbara Lopez has done it all. There has to be somebody sitting next to him helping with the technology and getting him engaged in what’s going on. on how students learn braille via remote education. “I MORE

“A lot of people worry that technology will take the place of the teacher, but I think it’s exactly the opposite,” said math teacher Kaswell. This is a list of kids I need to check in with, maybe because they’re learning the English language, or because I’ve observed something where they need a little more help,” Kaswell said. Kaswell’s class is known as the STEAM lab, for science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Sign up for our Blended Learning newsletter. MORE

In a recent post I touched upon the subject of designing for accessibility in e-learning. The things is, there are millions of people out there who are living with some sort of disability, and they all should be able to access online learning content the same as everyone else. Just because someone is color-blind, has a hearing impairment or needs a wheelchair to move around, it doesn’t mean that they are unable to learn or can’t achieve stellar academic results. MORE

Not only did Caleb never return to his local school, but he learned little throughout his elementary, middle and high school years — which included hundreds of hours struggling through computer lessons in math, science and social studies. They are often placed in separate classrooms within public schools and spend large numbers of hours on computers using technology that is not aligned with their specific needs. At school, he uses an online program called MobyMax. MORE