Strengthening Instruction for Students with SPECIAL NEEDS: Best Technology Tools, Strategies and Resources (Grades K-12)

Presented by Toby Karten
Award-Winning Teacher, Presenter and Author of Building on the Strengths of Students with Special Needs (ASCD), Inclusion Strategies & Interventions (Solution Tree) and Inclusion Strategies That Work! (Corwin Press)

Specifically Designed for Grades K-12: General Education Teachers, Special Education Staff and Other Related Staff and Specialists and Interventionists Who Work With Students with Special Needs

Practical digital tools, highly effective classroom strategies and helpful tech resources that strengthen learning for students with special needs
Powerful ways technology supports IEP goals with learner-specific adaptations, strategies and resources
Engaging, easy-to-use tech tools to help remove barriers for students across IDEA categories and LRE continuums
High-yield online academic supports for literacy, mathematics and content area instruction to help students with diverse learning needs who have fallen behind during COVID-19 catch up

Although not required, participants will benefit from bringing their own fully charged wireless device.

Practical Ideas and Strategies

In this unique NEW seminar, you will be equipped with the best, most current tech tools for enhancing learning for students with special needs. Award-winning special educator, presenter and author, Toby Karten will share numerous classroom-tested tech tools, strategies and helpful resources designed to advance the academic and social-emotional learning of learners with special needs. Toby will share the most effective low-tech and high-tech tips, tricks and clicks to save you valuable time and help you develop plans with “how to” and “who for” implementation steps. You’ll learn learner-specific online strategies to more efficiently document how and when services, accommodations and modifications are given so that progress toward a student’s IEP goals is continually monitored online. This seminar is appropriate for general and special education teachers and related staff who are seeking proven ways technology can best be used to strengthen the learning for students with special needs.

Ten Key Benefits of Attending

Make Best Use of Technology to Enhance Learning for Students with Special Needs
Learn a wide variety of practical tech options with interactive websites, visuals for academic vocabulary, virtual tools, Chrome extensions, and more to strengthen the learning for your students with special needs
Explore Savvy Ways to Increase Students’ Academic, Social and Communicative Skills
Discover the best tech tools for different populations of learners to help them more effectively process, retain and apply learning
Help Your Students with Special Needs Who Have Fallen Behind Catch Up
Expand your personal repertoire of high impact tech tools and strategies to advance the knowledge and skills of students with special needs who have fallen behind during COVID-19
Strengthen Your Instructional Planning and Assessment
Learn dozens of online strategies, tools and resources to more effectively plan for, document and assess students with special needs
Monitor Interventions and Student Progress Toward IEP Goals More Efficiently
Document how and when services, accommodations and modifications are given using digital portfolios, easy-to-implement tech tools, collaborative record-keeping, and learner profiles for more efficient progress monitoring, feedback and reflection
Enhance Your Students’ Specially Designed Instruction
Learn practical, effective ways technology can help provide instruction that matches each student’s specially designed instruction with appropriate scaffolding and adaptations
Plan High Impact Lessons with Multi-Tiered Learning Targets
Learn innovative ways to use whole class, small group and individualized instruction with linguistic and nonlinguistic digital tools, strategies and resources that promote increased engagement and ongoing independence for students with special needs
Establish Appropriate Online Procedures to Match Special Learning Needs
Learn timesaving tech tools and high-impact ways to align your practices to the characteristics and baseline levels of students with specific differences; dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autism, emotional, sensory, and developmental, speech-language, and physical skill sets, and more
Capitalize on the Strengths, Interests and Preferences of Your Students with Special Needs
Discover a variety of the best online activities and tools that honor concrete, representational, abstract, and virtual ways to “do it, see it, link it, and own it” with visual, auditory, kinesthetic-tactile modalities, art, music, and movement
Receive an Extensive Resource Handbook
Each participant will receive an extensive resource handbook packed with online instructional techniques, digital tools and helpful tech resources to strengthen the instruction for students with special needs

Outstanding Strategies You Can Use Immediately

Practical ways to make the best use of high-tech and low-tech tools to increase learning for students with special needs
Ways to incorporate the best tech tools to help students who have fallen behind during COVID-19 catch up
How to facilitate a learning environment with tech norms and protocols for engagement and accountability
Ways to use technology tools and resources to develop more confident, self-regulated learners
Online and offline supports for learners who may be more distractible and inattentive
Proven ways to match digital tools to the literacy levels of students with special needs
Dozens of ways to interest and motivate students while building confidence and competence to independently use technology tools
Ways to more quickly match synchronous and asynchronous digital tools to the literacy and math levels of students with special needs to increase access and fluency
Strategies to capitalize on student strengths by “checking in” with students online with special needs before they “check out” offline
Ways to make the best use of cutting-edge tools for smoothly and effectively managing technology-infused K-12 differentiated lessons
How to develop and reflectively nurture positive relationships with your students with special needs
Ways to use technology to build social and emotional skills to increase peer connections and self-efficacy
How to include whole-part-whole instruction, e.g., tiered supports, small groups, centers, stations, forums, cooperative learning, and ongoing inquiry-based, project-based learning
How the right tech tools can make your teaching environment motivating, fun and engaging for your students with special needs

A Message From Your Seminar Leader

Dear Colleague:

It has been my experience in the classroom as a special educator, my work as an inclusion coach and as an educational consultant that the learning successes of students with special needs are largely dependent on the preparation of educators who deliver instruction with the essential knowledge and skills that address the individualized levels of each student.

I have designed this seminar to share with you the most effective digital tools, strategies and tech resources I have found to strengthen the learning experience of students with special needs. During our day together we will explore practical ways students with learning or attention differences, emotional, social, or behavioral needs, or communication, developmental, physical, or sensory differences can best be supported to succeed in all learning environments. Together, we will explore the what, how and why for certain best practices and how specific digital and online tools work better for students with specific differences and the scaffolding and resources that will make that happen. We will venture well beyond simply familiarizing you with these great tools to show you highly practical ways to best utilize these to equip you to more effectively reach students at their specific levels. Yes, there are obstacles and challenges, but there are also readily available solutions!

I look forward to meeting you at the seminar and sharing numerous outstanding digital strategies and resources you’ll be able to use immediately to increase the success of your students with special needs.

Sincerely,
Toby Karten

P.S. I have successfully used a variety of technology tools to create engaging lessons for students in inclusive classrooms to accelerate their learning. I can’t wait to share these with you, since teaching students with special needs is my passion.

Who Should Attend

Grades K-12: General Education Teachers, Special Education Staff and Other Related Staff and Specialists and Interventionists Who Work With Students with Special Needs

Special Benefits of Attending

Extensive Resource Handbook
Each participant will receive an extensive digital resource handbook specifically designed for this seminar. The handbook includes:

Best practices and digital tools for lesson planning, instruction and assessment for students with special needs
Tech tools and paired strategies to support and empower students who have special needs to better handle academic demands; e.g., reading, writing, mathematics, and K-12 curriculum
Ways to use digital tools and other feedback to support each learner’s social, emotional and behavioral needs and skill sets
Hands-on, minds-on, online resources and strategies across the content areas that support access and accountability for students with special needs in grades K-12

For in-person seminars, registrants will also receive a printed copy of the resource handbook as long as their registration is received in the BER office at least 15 calendar days before the event.

Share Ideas with Other Educators
This seminar provides a wonderful opportunity for participants to meet and share ideas with other educators interested in making the best use of technology to strengthen their program for students with special needs.

Consultation Available
Toby Karten will be available at the seminar for consultation regarding your questions and the unique needs of your own program for students with special needs.

Semester Credit Option
UMASS Logo Up to four graduate level professional development credits are available with an additional fee and completion of follow-up practicum activities. Details for direct enrollment with University of Massachusetts Global, a nonprofit affiliate, will be available at this program.

Meet Inservice Requirements
At the end of the program, each attendee will receive a certificate of participation that may be used to verify hours of participation in meeting continuing education requirements.

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