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 Assistive Technology Conference - Scottsdale, AZ)
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
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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).
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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
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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 Evidence for Success Disability Conference, aka AzTAP Assistive Technology Conference - Scottsdale, AZ)
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).
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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.
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Date & Time: June 8th or 9th, 2020 (date and time TBD)
Location: We-Ko-Pa Resort and Conference Center, Scottsdale / Fountain Hills, AZ
Cost and registration for conference: Please visit https://aztap.org/conference/registration/