Technology in the Inclusive Environment
In the News
ADHD and Giftedness: What Do We Really Know?: http://www.familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,23-26128,00.html
Bill Gates Talks Up Wetware: http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=37013
Technological advances will one day allow computers to be implanted in the human
body -- and could help the blind see and the deaf hear -- Bill Gates said at
a Microsoft seminar in Singapore. .
Gifted/LD: http://www.ldonline.org/article.php?id=0&loc=24
This page has links to several articles.
Gifted LD - Just the Facts: http://www.hopkins.k12.mn.us/pages/north/ld_research/gifted_ld.htm
Logging on to Staff Development: http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A5370.cfm
A growing body of research indicates that information and communication technologies
make teachers’ lessons more interesting, more enjoyable, and more important
to their students....
Neuroscience For Kids Newsletter: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news96.html
Noisy Airplanes Affect Learning: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/noise.html
Report of Ritalin Risks Prompts a Federal Study: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/01/health/01ritalin.html?
A small Texas study suggested that Ritalin and other stimulant drugs given to
children might increase their risk of cancer later in life.
Special-Needs Students To Mix In:
http://www.courant.com/news/education/hc-mainstream0703.artjul03,0,3049470.story?coll=hc-headlines-education
When students return to Hartford's schools in September, thousands will find
new classmates beside them as the district moves to integrate students previously
assigned to self-contained special education classrooms into regular education
classes.
Your brain: Search engine, or calculator?:
http://news.com.com/Your+brain+Search+engine%2C+or+calculator/2100-1008_3-5768611.html
For years, cognitive theorists have likened the human brain to a computer that
completes tasks by breaking down complex problems into a series of small yes/no
decisions. A recent study, however, shows that the brain adjusts its thinking
as more data arrives.
Lesson Plans
Conservation lesson plans: http://www.greenwing.org/dueducator/lesson_plans.html
Detailed Elementary Curriculum Guide: http://www.ocup.org/units/phase1/ecu_project.pdf
Everything is Made of Something: http://www.mii.org/pdfs/study/StudyoftheEarth.pdf
Gateway to Educational Materials: http://search.thegateway.org/
Lesson Plans 4 Teachers: http://www.lessonplans4teachers.com/
Penguins: http://www.seaworld.org/just-for-teachers/guides/pdf/penguin-k-3.pdf
Weather Here and There: http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/edu/RSE/RSEred/WeatherHome.html
Whales: http://www.seaworld.org/just-for-teachers/guides/pdf/whales-4-8.pdf
Informational Sites
Certificates for Teachers: http://www.certificates4teachers.com/
Cornerstones: http://pbskids.org/lions/cornerstones/
Council for Exceptional Children: http://ideapractices.org/
Disabled Online Users Association: http://www.doua.org/index.html
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind Act of 2001): http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html
GT World: http://gtworld.org/gtspeclist.html
GT World is an on-line support community for gifted and talented individuals
and those who support and nurture them.
Hoagie's Gifted Education Page: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/
ixquick: http://www.ixquick.com/
John Hopkins Center for Technology in Education: http://cte.jhu.edu/aboutus_overview.html
Kart00: http://www.kartoo.com/flash04.php3
This is a search engine that gives results in a graphic format.
Parents of Gifted Learning Disabled Children: http://www.geocities.com/athens/1105/gtld.html
"The goals of our nationwide non-profit organization include supporting
parents, students, and educators as well as spreading information to increase
the awareness of GT/LD individuals."
The Resource Room - Free-Sprited, Structured Multisensory Learning:
http://www.resourceroom.net/index.asp
Resources for people who learn differently, or have learning difficulties or
learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia.
Rubrics for Teachers: http://www.rubrics4teachers.com/
Technology and Media Division Of The Council for Exceptional Children: http://www.tamcec.org/index.htm
Twice Exceptional Newsletter: http://www.2enewsletter.com/
There is a subscription cost to receive the newsletter, but a free sample is
available at the site.
Twice Gifted Website: http://www.twicegifted.net/ld.htm
United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (USSAAC): http://www.ussaac.org/pages/about.html
Universal Design for Learning - supported with Assistive Technology: http://homepage.mac.com/seilts/udl_at/index.html
Scenarios
DeafDigest presents two scenarios -
Scenario 1 - a hearing person and his company are dining
at a fancy restaurant, and he whips out is credit card to pay for the dining
check. The credit card company blocks it. Angry, the hearing man whips out his
cell phone and discusses the problem with the credit card customer service representative
and gets his credit cleared in few seconds. And the check gets paid, amid some
embarrassment.
Scenario 2 - a deaf man and his company are dining at
a fancy restaurant and the same thing happens. What if he does not have a TTY
pager with him to contact the credit card company via relay service, or what
if the customer service person refuses to accept a relay call?
Discrimination? Very definitely so. And the credit card
companies, more paranoid than ever, have been blocking charges even if the person
involved has been prompt each month with payments.
This is a true story published in DeafDigest. It took place in a football game many years ago. A deaf football coach was using signs to convey plays with his deaf quarterback. The referee came to the deaf coach and ordered him to stop using signs. Crazy referee? Yes, but the coach circumvented it by "communicating" with his assistant coach on the sidelines. The deaf quarterback "eavesdropped" on the conversation to get the play signals. The referee came to the deaf coach and ordered him to cease and desist. The coach replied "you cannot tell me to stop communicating with my coaching staff." The referee relented. And the deaf team won the game.
Discussion Questions
1. What aspects for the basic classroom experience would change with the incorporation
of universal design for learning principles into the curriculum?
2. What is meant by "appropriate challenge" when referring to the access provided by a universally designed curriculum?
This site began in March 1998 and was created by Janet Luch.
It was last updated on
July 22, 2005
Email to studyplans@yahoo.com.