With classrooms ‘going Google,’ educators have to understand both the advantages and disadvantages to using such a platform.

Guest Bio: Ting Sui is a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI), and coordinator and assistant professor of the teacher preparation program in visual impairments at San Francisco State University. Her experience includes working with students of all ages with visual impairments and multiple disabilities including deafblindness. Ting began her teaching career as a paraprofessional in the Deafblind Program at the Perkins School for the Blind and later taught at the Jewish Guild for the Blind, NYC Department of Education, and currently in local Bay Area school districts. Ting’s research focuses on communities of practice to support TVIs' technology use. She also provides consulting support in the following areas: development of educational technologies for learners who are visually impaired, community education to design and deliver accessible instruction, and educator trainings to facilitate accessibility and technology integration in the classroom. (www.tplus.education)

In talking about students who have significant cognitive disabilities, we often hear that statement “should I be teaching grade level content?”  PaTTANpod guests help us answer that question.

 

Pamela Mims is the Associate Dean of Research and Grants as well as Associate Professor of Special Education in the College of Education at East Tennessee State University. She received her PhD in Special Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Prior to her time in academia, Dr. Mims served as a teacher for students with severe, multiple disabilities for 7 years. Her areas of interest/research include: students with significant intellectual disability and autism, access to the general curriculum, and systematic instruction. Dr. Mims has numerous publications including peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and curriculum on the topics of systematic instruction and access to the general curriculum for students with significant disabilities. She has spent extensive time writing extended content standards for state departments of education, as well as training educators and administrators on alternate assessments within the United States.  She recently served as the Principal Investigator on an IES SBIR Research Grant, Access: Language Arts. which focused on developing and researching technology supports for access to grade aligned language arts for students with low incidence disabilities. Dr. Mims continues to conduct research and provide professional development nationally and internationally.

Ginevra R. Courtade is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Special Education at the University of Louisville. Dr. Courtade has worked in the field of moderate to severe disabilities for 20 years. Her work focuses specifically on teaching academics to students with moderate to severe disabilities and preparing teachers to instruct students in the general education curriculum using evidence-based practices. She has numerous publications to her credit,

Kelly Fonner, a consultant and trainer in assistive technology joins PaTTANpod to unpack a particularly useful AT tool available.

Kelly Fonner, MS is a self-employed consultant and trainer in assistive and educational technology. She has a BS in Special Education from Millersville University & an MS in Educational Technology with emphasis in Rehabilitation/Special Education Technology from The Johns Hopkins University. Her continuing education & research is in the area of Adult Education & Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. She holds an Assistive Technology Applications Certificate of Learning from California State University - Northridge. Kelly has been a teacher, para-educator, instructional media specialist, assistive technology specialist in early education, school & university settings. She has worked for the PA statewide AT project & has been an instructor in university courses. Since 1986 Kelly has presented at schools, conferences, & to families in 48 states and internationally (Australia, Canada, South Africa). She speaks on a wide-range of topics including educational accommodations, augmentative communication, computer access, electronic literacy, study skills, AT assessment & implementation strategies. Each year, she works with approximately 50 school-based teams supporting students’ implementation of AAC & literacy implementation in the classroom. Kelly is also the relative to individuals with CP, Aspergers, and acquired disabilities, which impacts her perspective on the field.

Dr. Codding and Dr. VanDerHeyden published an article titled ‘Belief-Based vs Evidence-Based Math Assessment and Instruction: What School Psychologists Need to Know to Improve Student Outcomes.  The article tacked some of the philosophical beliefs that have been instilled in educators and compares them to actual findings from quality educational research. This is part V of a 5-part series addressing conceptual understanding and procedural knowledge.

Dr. Codding and Dr. VanDerHeyden published an article titled ‘Belief-Based vs Evidence-Based Math Assessment and Instruction: What School Psychologists Need to Know to Improve Student Outcomes.  The article tacked some of the philosophical beliefs that have been instilled in educators and compares them to actual findings from quality educational research. This is part IV of a 5-part series addressing executive function.

Dr. Codding and Dr. VanDerHeyden published an article titled ‘Belief-Based vs Evidence-Based Math Assessment and Instruction: What School Psychologists Need to Know to Improve Student Outcomes.  The article tacked some of the philosophical beliefs that have been instilled in educators and compares them to actual findings from quality educational research. This is part III of a 5-part series addressing anxiety in mathematics.

Dr. Codding and Dr. VanDerHeyden published an article titled ‘Belief-Based vs Evidence-Based Math Assessment and Instruction: What School Psychologists Need to Know to Improve Student Outcomes.  The article tacked some of the philosophical beliefs that have been instilled in educators and compares them to actual findings from quality educational research. This is part II of a 5-part series addressing fluency and automaticity.

Dr. Codding and Dr. VanDerHeyden published an article titled ‘Belief-Based vs Evidence-Based Math Assessment and Instruction: What School Psychologists Need to Know to Improve Student Outcomes.  The article tacked some of the philosophical beliefs that have been instilled in educators and compares them to actual findings from quality educational research. This is part I of a 5-part series.

Guest, Dr. Kim Gorgens shares insight into the intersection between traumatic brain injury and the juvenile justice system.

For those of us in classrooms, we may find struggles with ensuring assistive technology is being used effectively to access the learning.  Guest, Dr. Caroline Musselwhite, an assistive technology specialists, joins PaTTANpod to help practitioners understand how to help students utilize AT effectively.