Volume 6, Issue #3 for Week of 1/17/05

Compiled by David Grapka (mailto:David@Trecenter.org)

Technology Resources for Education (T.R.E.) Center TRECenter.org

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Note: Some links are time-sensitive. Access to some may require registration or free subscriptions.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Good leadership consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.” John D. Rockefeller

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING WEBSITES OF THE WEEK:

http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/archives/NELB.shtml You’ve joked about this for almost two year now, well, here it is – the official “No Educator Left Behind” website! It’s not only about UDL, but all other teacher related topics as well. Enjoy!
http://www.magicsearchwords.com/ A really cool shortcut site for searching the internet. Anc coming soon - Search Word Pro - Build Your Own Search Power Tools!
Sharp, D, Scott, S, & Wise, R. (2004). Cerebral Cortex, Vol 14(1), 1-10. Researchers in London have found that different perceptual conditions may involve different regions of the prefrontal cortex. Working memory may be strengthened or weakened based on the monitoring demands we put on it.
Yoo, S Paralkar, G & Panych, L. (2004) Journal of Neuroscience. Vol 24(6), 613-631. Researchers used fMRI scans to examine which neural circuits were involved in processing visual information in working memory versus auditory information versus both. No surprise to find that working memory is not as efficient in processing dual modes (auditory and visual together) as it is when handling just one. But, while most of the neural regions involved for the individual tasks were also involved in the dual processing task, there were actually NEW neural regions involved in the dual task that were not seen in either of the individual tasks. At least 4 regions were additionally involved when a person has to process both visual and auditory information at the same time. These new areas then could cause some of the cross modal working memory problems we see in students. From: Kathie Nunley's Educator's Newsletter: Mid-January 2005 Edition

ACCESS SOLUTIONS:

http://www.mpssociety.org/mps3.html Resources to help you deal with your students with Sanfilippo Syndrome (MPS)
http://www.lexrotech.com Here is some very useful looking PDA software for Paediatric therapy assessments. (from Aejaz Zahid)

ADMINISTRATIVE SOLUTIONS:

http://www.nasponline.org/publications/cq262assisttech.html Here is the AT handout that the School Psychologists’ Association recommends to teachers.

BILINGUAL SOLUTIONS:

http://clas.uiuc.edu Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services for Early Childhood (CLAS) collects, reviews and catalogs materials and practices developed for families and children representing culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
http://www.fln.vcu.edu/ld/ld.html The Instant Access Treasure Chest – the Foreign Language Teachers Guide to Learning Disabilities

COMMUNICATION SOLUTIONS:

http://www.bry-backmanor.org/picturerecipes.html

CONSULTING SOLUTIONS:

http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/onlinedictionary.html Site of the new IRIS Online Dictionary. It offers a quick and easy way to look up terms related to education and special education and their definitions. You can search terms in a number of ways, including searches by alphabet, keyword, or category. (from Kathleen McSorley)

DEPARTMENT SOLUTIONS:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?oref=login&tntget=2005/01/17/technology/17test. html&tntemail1 Measuring Literacy in a World Gone Digital The Educational Testing Service has developed a new test that it says can assess technology literacy. By TOM ZELLER Jr. (NYT) January 17, 2005
http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/tbi/guidebook.htm "Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guidebook for Educators" is now available to assist individuals with traumatic brain injury.
http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/idea/home.html A presentation was made to the Board of Regents on January 10, 2005 regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. It is available in PDF format for printing. Please share as appropriate.
http://www.nationaledtechplan.org/default.asp Guess what? No surprise here – the National Ed. Tech. Plan does NOT mention the words "disability", "universal design", "assistive technology.” You can search for the word “ALL” and get a few irrelevant hits. and just got a few hits, none of which seemed pertinent. Members of the QIAT listserve worked very hard to provide balanced input about the needs of ALL students, as requested by the feds, BEFORE the development of the plan, but now it is time to respond to what was eventually written. Please try, once again, to make your voice heard by visiting the call for action that is located on the WebAIM site at http://webaim.org/alert If we do not keep trying our best to actively advocate for the students we are most committed to, who will? (from Joy Zabala)

FUNDING SOLUTIONS:

http://www.schoolgrants.org/
http://www.att.com/foundation/
http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/content/lcif_grants_programs.shtml click here for info on matching grants and other awards.
http://www.grants.gov/Find Grants.gov provides the ability to search for Federal government-wide grant opportunities. To begin your search for grant opportunities, access Search Grant Opportunities. From Glynis Long, US Small Business Administration
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister/announce/index.html Check this daily to get the jump on your competition and have enough time to plan your proposal.
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/edgrants.html bookmark and then study this site for resources to support your technology initiatives and dreams.
http://www.storytellers.net/funding.htm Funding & Fund Raising with StoryTeller Programs. Many schools have a simple method to not only Fund their StoryTellers<