"Tech Up" Your Skills This Summer - Hit the Ground Learning Come Fall!

Summer is a great time to get up to speed with technology learning tools that can help a student succeed come fall.  Training is more relaxed and avoids the pressure of learning to use assistive technology while juggling other studies.

Your Technology Toolbelt

The overall goal of this individualized summer activity is to assemble a personalized "toolbelt" of learning technologies: a readily-available collection of tech tools from which students can pull to assist with reading, writing, math, organization, notetaking, and other tasks.  We will identify tools matched to the student’s specific needs, then provide skills training and application strategies so they can approach “back to school” with greater confidence and less anxiety.  This can be especially helpful for students just entering or already attending college.

Tools of the Trade

Just as a master craftsman relies on a variety of tools and an expert cook maintains assorted utensils, the successful learner should have a number of technologies in their “toolbelt”, know how to use them, and know which tool is best for a given task.  Though the assortment of tools may evolve over time to accommodate changing needs, such a toolbelt will serve an individual with LD through middle school and high school, into college, and beyond.

For example, a student who has difficulty reading will likely benefit most from an assortment of reading tools for different tasks and contexts: a simple text-to-speech utility like Natural Reader which speaks aloud Word documents or the Web while visually highlighting text; a more robust literacy & learning software like Kurzweil 3000 or Read & Write Gold to support reading comprehension and study; a utility that converts text to MP3 files that can be listened to on a smartphone or music player; an iPod app for listening to Learning Ally (formerly RFB&D) audiobooks on-the-go; and memberships in both Bookshare and Learning Ally for access to books in alternative forms.  The student would use a different tool depending on the material to be read and the purpose for reading it (e.g., a novel vs. a science textbook).  The goal is to equip the student with a well-thought-out collection of tools and provide the skills and confidence to use them.

For more about the philosophy behind creating a Technology Toolbelt, please see Ira Socol's excellent blog entries on "Toolbelt Theory".

Planning a Summer "Tech Up"

This summer focus is designed primarily for middle school, high school, and college students.  Services are provided in your home at times we mutually decide; some training and technical assistance can be conducted online via remote screensharing.

Please note:  This is not a replacement for a formal assistive technology assessment and report suitable for submission to schools or inclusion in the IEP process.  However, it does lay significant groundwork for such an assessment should one be needed in the future.

*See Services tab for hourly rate and related info

Ideas for Summer Tech Goals

To help get you thinking, here are examples of outcomes you might consider for AT learning tools:

Reading tools to:

• Reduce time spent reading
• Increase reading fluency
• Increase comprehension
• Build vocabulary

Study tools to:

• Aid analysis (identifying salient points)
• Create more effective study guides
• Improve recall and retention
• Collect and organize information for papers, reports, projects
• Improve focus

Writing tools to:

• Get ideas out of the head and onto "paper"
• Organize all those great ideas
• Produce written text
• Mitigate the effects of poor spelling and grammar
• Facilitate revising and editing

Notetaking tools to:

• Reduce time spent writing notes, increase time listening
• Make notes more effective for study and review
• Keep notes organized

Math tools to:

• Type math equations, even for complex math
• Create graphs and other math diagrams on a computer

Time & Task Management tools to:

• Increase awareness of time, and ability to plan
• Collect and organize "to-do's" and assignments
• Reduce wasted time (e.g., Internet surfing)
• Break larger projects into manageable chunks

Ready to Get Started?

Call or write, and let's discuss what you and your student would like to accomplish.