AT Classes and Events - 2020
Scheduled Classes and Workshops
The following classes and workshops are open to the community at large.
March 2 through May 8 - Assistive Technology for Learning Differences
(10-week, 3-unit ONLINE course through UCSC-Silicon Valley Extension, Santa Clara, CA)
April 20 to May 8 - Technology for Students with Dyslexia: Matching Students with the "Right" Tools
(Dyslexia Training Institute's 4th Annual Dyslexia Virtual Conference - ONLINE)
June 8 or 9 - On Time, On Task, & Organized: Using Technology to Build Executive Function Skills
(2020 Evidence for Success Disability Conference, aka AzTAP AT Conference - Scottsdale, AZ)
Conference cancelled due to pandemic – session rescheduled as part of virtual mini-conference (see entry below)
July 20 - On Time, On Task, & Organized: Using Technology to Build Executive Function Skills
(2020 IHD/AzTAP Virtual Mini-Conference - ONLINE)
September 14 through November 20 - Assistive Technology for Learning Differences
(10-week, 3-unit ONLINE course through UCSC-Silicon Valley Extension, Santa Clara, CA)
October 5 through 30 - Beyond "Spellcheck": Using Technology to Bypass Spelling Problems and Improve Writing
(Dyslexia Training Institute's Fall 2020 Virtual Dyslexia and Spelling Conference - ONLINE)
Assistive Technology for Learning Differences
(10-week, 3-unit ONLINE course through UCSC-Silicon Valley Extension, Santa Clara, CA)
Technology can help struggling students leverage their learning strengths and bypass weaknesses to improve performance, independence, and self-confidence. In this online course aimed at teachers, learning specialists, educational therapists, and parents, you will learn about a wide range of tools to support students with learning disabilities, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), executive functioning deficits, and issues with processing information and memory. Through lecture, video demonstrations, and hands-on activities, you will learn:
- How various tools address specific learning needs.
- How to match students with appropriate tools.
- Practical strategies to implement technology solutions and integrate with curricula.
- How technology can facilitate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) practices in the classroom.
- Laws that govern assistive technology (AT) in education.
- Local, national, and online resources for AT information, equipment, and services.
SKILLS NEEDED: Students should have a basic understanding of the academic challenges faced by individuals who have learning disabilities, ADHD, and executive function issues. This can be satisfied in one of four ways:
- Professional experience addressing the needs of students with learning differences.
- or Completion of "Understanding Learning Differences" (EDTH.X309) or equivalent coursework.
- or Prior review of material on learning differences (provided by the instructor).
- or Other requisites may be approved in advance by the instructor.
TOOLS NEEDED: Hands-on experience with certain technologies is an essential part of this course. For these activities, students will need access to the following minimum tools:
- Computer: a PC with Windows 7 or above, a Mac with macOS 10.10 (Yosemite) or above, or Chromebook with latest Chrome OS.
- Google Chrome browser.
- Personal Google account.
- Ability to download and install free and trial software. Specific titles to be provided in class.
NOTE: This course is part of the Educational Therapy Certificate Program at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension. For more information, please visit:
www.ucsc-extension.edu/certificates/educational-therapy
________________
Dates: 10-week course begins Monday, March 2nd, 2020; ends Friday, May 8th, 2020
Times: This is a mostly asynchronous online course with 10 weekly modules and two synchronous online sessions during the first and last weeks (see links below for dates and times).
Location: Online; registered students will receive access to UCSC Extension’s Online Learning Center one day prior to the first class.
Tuition: $640
For additional information about course content: Please visit AT4LD.net
To Enroll: Please visit www.ucsc-extension.edu/courses/assistive-technology-for-learning-differences
Technology for Students with Dyslexia: Matching Students with the "Right" Tools
(part of the Dyslexia Training Institute's 4th Annual Dyslexia Virtual Conference - ONLINE)
Technology can help struggling readers and writers leverage their learning strengths and bypass weaknesses. Fortunately, diverse learners have access to an ever-growing array of technology supports to improve academic performance, increase independence, and build self-confidence. But with so many options and products to consider, how do you zero in on what’s "right" for a particular student?
This session will outline a practical approach for identifying promising tools by first matching a student’s abilities and needs with the appropriate technology "features" — that is, the generic functional capabilities that tools provide. Through lecture and demonstrations, Assistive Technology Consultant Shelley Haven will familiarize attendees with the technology features most commonly used to help students with dyslexia to:
- Reduce reading time and improve fluency (text-to-speech software, audiobooks, visual readability aids)
- Improve reading comprehension and retention (talking dictionary, translator, annotation tools) Generate and organize ideas into cohesive writing (outliners, diagrams, mind maps)
- Produce legible text efficiently (typing, speech recognition, PDF annotation)
- Take the dread out of writing mechanics (contextual spellcheckers, grammar aids, word prediction, word banks).
________________
This is one session of a three-week virtual conference offered by the Dyslexia Training Institute. The entire conference comprises 13 sessions and one student panel.
Conference registrants will have 24-hour access to all of the pre-recorded workshops for the entire duration of the conference. After viewing a workshop, registrants will be able to post their questions on the workshop's discussion board and have the questions answered by the experts. One to two Graduate Level Extension credits from the University of San Diego will be available. More information is available on the conference website:
www.dyslexiatraininginstitute.org/annual-virtual-conference.html
________________
Date: Monday, April 20th, 2020 through Friday, May 8th, 2020
Time: Available 24/7 during the conference duration
Location: Your web browser ;-)
Cost to register for entire 3-week virtual conference:
Early Bird: $175 (through 2/29/20)
Regular: $249 (3/01/20 and later)
To Register: Please visit www.dyslexiatraininginstitute.org/annual-virtual-conference.html
On Time, On Task, & Organized: Using Technology to Build Executive Function Skills
(2020 IHD/AzTAP Virtual Mini-Conference - ONLINE)
Many bright students struggle academically because of weak executive functions – the mental processes required to manage oneself and one’s resources to achieve goals. These include the ability to get started, stay focused, organize, plan, manage time, recall information, multitask, and self-regulate. Lacking such productivity skills, students may be mischaracterized as lazy, unmotivated, or not working to potential.
This updated version of the popular workshop will provide an overview of how technology, when coupled with thoughtful strategies, can support students with executive functioning deficits and help them build important life-long skills in different executive function domains:
- Focus (direct and sustain attention, manage distractions)
- Organization (materials, information, and ideas)
- Working Memory (manipulate mental information, retrieve from memory)
- Planning and Prioritizing (set goals, develop plans, balance priorities)
- Activation and Persistence (get started, sustain effort through completion)
- Metacognition (monitoring and analyzing one’s actions and thinking)
- Cognitive Flexibility (change perspective, adapt approach to fit circumstances)
- Self-Regulation (control impulses and emotions, respond appropriately).
________________
Key Learning Outcomes:
- Explain why technology to support executive functioning is most effective when coupled with skill-building strategies.
- Identify at least two key strategies that address challenges in each of the primary executive function domains.
- List two or more examples of technology tools that can support or enhance strategies in each of these domains.
________________
Date: Monday, July 20th, 2020
Time: 1:00 to 2:15 pm Arizona Time* (which is 1:00pm PDT, 2pm MDT, 3pm CDT, and 4pm EDT)
(*Most of Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time, and thus remains on Mountain Standard Time, MST)
Location: Your web browser ;-) (All conference sessions will be delivered live using Zoom)
Cost: $15 for single day of sessions (July 20 or 21); $25 for both days
For details about conference and to register: Please visit aztap.org/ihd-virtual-academy/program/
Assistive Technology for Learning Differences
(10-week, 3-unit ONLINE course through UCSC-Silicon Valley Extension, Santa Clara, CA)
Technology can help struggling students leverage their learning strengths and bypass weaknesses to improve performance, independence, and self-confidence. In this online course aimed at teachers, learning specialists, educational therapists, and parents, you will learn about a wide range of tools to support students with learning disabilities, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), executive functioning deficits, and issues with processing information and memory. Through lecture, video demonstrations, and hands-on activities, you will learn:
- How various tools address specific learning needs.
- How to match students with appropriate tools.
- Practical strategies to implement technology solutions and integrate with curricula.
- How technology can facilitate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) practices in the classroom.
- Laws that govern assistive technology (AT) in education.
- Local, national, and online resources for AT information, equipment, and services.
SKILLS NEEDED: Students should have a basic understanding of the academic challenges faced by individuals who have learning disabilities, ADHD, and executive function issues. This can be satisfied in one of four ways:
- Professional experience addressing the needs of students with learning differences.
- or Completion of "Understanding Learning Differences" (EDTH.X309) or equivalent coursework.
- or Prior review of material on learning differences (provided by the instructor).
- or Other requisites may be approved in advance by the instructor.
TOOLS NEEDED: Hands-on exploration of certain technologies is an essential part of this course. For these activities, students will need access to the following minimum tools:
- A computer with: A PC with Windows 7 or above (Windows 10 recommended), a Mac with Yosemite 10.10 or above, or Chromebook with latest Chrome OS.
- The Google Chrome browser.
- A personal Google account. (recommended: Google account specifically created for use with this course).
- The ability to download and install free and trial software. Specific titles to be provided in class.
NOTE: This course is part of the Educational Therapy Certificate Program at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension. For more information, please visit:
www.ucsc-extension.edu/certificates/educational-therapy
________________
Dates: 10-week course begins Monday, September 14th, 2020; ends Friday, November 20, 2020
Times: This is a mostly asynchronous online course with 10 weekly modules and four synchronous online sessions during weeks 1, 4, 7, and 10 (see links below for dates and times).
Location: Online; registered students will receive access to UCSC Extension’s Online Learning Center one day prior to the first class.
Tuition: $576 if you enroll by August 15th; $640 if you enroll later
(UCSC Extension currently offers a 10% tuition discount for all of their Fall 2020 remote learning courses if you enroll by August 15th)
For additional information about course content: Please visit AT4LD.net
To Enroll: Please visit www.ucsc-extension.edu/courses/assistive-technology-for-learning-differences
Beyond "Spellcheck": Using Technology to Bypass Spelling Problems and Improve Writing
(part of the Dyslexia Training Institute's Fall 2020 Virtual Dyslexia and Spelling Conference - ONLINE)
Poor spelling due to dyslexia or other learning challenges goes beyond simply misspelled words. It can dissuade students from using words they know but can’t spell, distract from their final written product, and feed low self confidence and writing anxiety.
While targeted instruction in phonics, spelling conventions, and word morphology can help students reach their spelling potential, such remediation has limits and the process takes time. Technology accommodations allow struggling writers to independently bypass poor spelling as they pursue longer-term remediation, and some tools can support or enhance remediation strategies. Assistive Technology Consultant Shelley Haven will discuss and demonstrate a variety of compensatory spelling tools that go beyond basic spellcheckers, including:
- Contextual spelling aids (identify and suggest corrections based on sentence context, grammar, and phonetic spelling)
- Homophone and confusable checkers (identify and distinguish between similar-sounding words like there/their/they’re and affect/effect)
- Typing echo (provide real-time auditory feedback of typed words and/or sentences)
- Speech recognition (leverage student’s often-better verbal expression and vocabulary)
- Word banks (leverage ability to recognize vs. recall correctly-spelled words)
- Word prediction (suggest list of words based on letters typed, phonetic spelling, context, and even writing topic).
________________
This is one session of a four-week virtual conference offered by the Dyslexia Training Institute. The entire conference comprises 9 sessions and one student panel.
Conference registrants will have 24-hour access to all of the pre-recorded workshops for the entire duration of the conference. After viewing a workshop, registrants will be able to post their questions on the workshop's discussion board and have the questions answered by the experts. Graduate Level Extension credit from the University of San Diego will be available. More information is available on the conference website:
www.dyslexiatraininginstitute.org/annual-virtual-conference.html
________________
Date: Monday, October 5th, 2020 through Friday, October 30th, 2020
Time: Available 24/7 during the conference duration
Location: Your web browser ;-)
Cost to register for entire 3-week virtual conference:
Early Bird: $129 (through 8/21/20)
Regular: $199 (through 10/05/20)
Late: $249 (through 10/20/20)
To Register: Please visit www.dyslexiatraininginstitute.org/annual-virtual-conference.html or