Atomic Learning invites you to attend the third (and final) webinar in a series of show and tell panel discussions. As did the previous 2 panel discussions, this webinar will allow you to learn more about the impact of iPads on students with special needs, provide the opportunity for you to ask about implementation tips or app features, and share what you have learned from your experience. The stories being shared may be in the form of classroom experience, a white paper, or a case study about a specific student's special needs.

Last month, Atomic Learning hosted the first in a series of three show and tell webinar series. The webinars allow you to learn more about the impact of iPads on students with special needs, provide the opportunity for you to ask about implementation tips or app features, and share what you have learned from your experience. The stories being shared may be in the form of classroom experience, a white paper, or a case study about a specific student's special needs.

We are excited to welcome back previous panelists:

Participants in the iPod/iPad Use for Students with Special Needs Atomic Catalyst course are learning how iPads can help their special education students succeed. One recent participant had this to say: 

I knew I had a lot to learn about the iPad, but had no idea how much!  The feature I have been asking for, but apparently to the wrong people, is the guided access.  So many times students who don't have good motor control accidently get out of an app, and then there are the students who would rather be doing something else. 

Want to learn more about using the iPad with special needs students? Check out our upcoming free webinar series: Webinar Show & Tell: The iPad Meeting Special Needs. 

• Megan Shanley from Albuquerque Public Schools and author of assistivetechworld.net.
• Gayl Bowser Coordinator of the Oregon Technology Access Program and assistive technology consultant.

There is a lot of buzz about using iPads with special needs students, but what does it mean for your students? Atomic Catalyst offers 6-week long instructor-led course on using iPads for students with special needs. One participant in a recent iPod/iPad Use for Students with Special Needs session shared:

I have had my iPad for about a year and never realized there were so many accessibility features.  As a Speech Language Pathologist, I work with a wide variety of students, so I believe I would use several of the features with different students.  Those that I was most excited about were the Assistive Touch and the Guided Access features.

The iPad has been an inspiration for students with special needs. We have posted stories in the past of students unlocking their full potential with technology, and we want to continue to share success stories through a series of three free webinars.

The webinars will allow you to learn more about the impact of iPads on students with special needs, provide the opportunity for you to ask about implementation tips or app features, and share what you have learned from your experience. The stories being shared may be in the form of classroom experience, a white paper, or a case study about a specific student's special needs.

The Pacer Center has produced a great video series called Assistive Technology in Action. Learn how a student with cerebral palsy uses her Dynovox to communicate at home, at school, and even at the mall!

Need help learning how to use assistive technology products? Atomic Assist has more than 5,000 tutorials to help you make sure your special needs student can reach for the stars! 

Guest Post by Bill Lester, a passionate educator and traveling teacher.

The idea of using technology in the mainstream classroom is something that has been known by teachers for quite a long time.  It started out as trying to have a good mixture of “plugged-in” and “unplugged”, but now it’s all about the different strategies so that the students are staying “plugged-in” to technology as long as they can during the learning process.  This is even true for ESL students who have sophisticated translators at their disposal.  However, there isn’t much conversation about how to use technology in the Special Education classroom. 

This video shows the final project from a recent "iPod/iPad Use for Students with Special Needs" Atomic Catalyst course.

Guest post by Sarah Fudin, University of Southern California

In the not-so-distant past, children with disabilities were not guaranteed an education. It wasn’t until the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s that advocacy and legislation were inspired, and teachers, community members invested in school districts and other education personnel began to become familiar with how special education works. Special education has come a long way since then, and with technological advancements and an evolving culture that embraces diversity, we are coming even closer to a fully inclusive, equitable educational environment for all students.

What is special education?

In honor of National Disability Awareness Month, Atomic Learning along with assistive technology partners Crick Software, PALM, and TextHELP are encouraging educators to take a pledge to provide accessible instruction to reach all learners. 

 There are 6.5 million children with disabilities in the U.S, and about 95% of publishing output is not accessible. As one disabled student shared,

I would get really frustrated and angry when the teacher would not give me the materials I needed. I would get tired more quickly," said Laura."I could be more independent when the materials were made accessible."

A recent EdWeek blog article reflects on a report from the US Department of Education's office regarding an increase in complaints about special education, setting a record for having received more complaints than ever before in a three-year period. The article states:
 

Every educator impacts students, but are they able to effectively reach ALL their students? Anyone working with students with disabilities who fails to provide accessible instruction and materials is inadvertently building barriers to learning.

In honor of National Disability Awareness Month, Atomic Learning is encouraging educators to take a pledge to provide accessible instruction to reach all learners. The pledge can be found at: http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/pledge.

A Facebook cover photo has been developed to show support for providing accessible materials, those who submit the pledge will receive the cover photo by email, it can also be found here.

A recent EdWeek article highlighted how children with learning disabilities affect the achievement gap. Without helping those students, it is nearly impossible to narrow the gap. Providing proper professional development and assistance for educators is key to make sure students of all abilities can succeed.

Atomic Learning provides special education teachers and paraprofessionals anytime, anywhere answers to questions about the assistive technology tools and devices students are using. Training tutorials also provide a tool to help keep general education teachers informed on the devices students need to be successful in the general ed setting.

Atomic Learning’s Assistive Technology Professional Development Solution provides over 5,000 online video tutorials on common assistive technology software and hardware. Just-in-time training on accessibility features build into Microsoft® Office, Apple® iPad™, Windows® and Mac operating systems is also included.