Learn how popular two-way web tools can be used to create interactivemultimedia content for your students, parents, and community!Understand the benefits and drawbacks of popular tools such as blogs,wikis, and Google Docs - and understand when to use each one. Manyexamples and educational models will be shared. This session alsoaddresses the pedago…

Many educators are exploring revolutionary new online tools with theirstudents: blogs, wikis, podcasts, and more - including social toolslike ning and twitter. But it is more important for educators andstudents to become part of an online learning network than to masterany of these specific tools. Participants will hear how oneteacher-turned-educat…

Explore Google's latest tools in a fun, faced-paced session that answers the question: is Google really improving access to the world's information? As consumers and instructional leaders, the Internet is a major source of information for educators. Google is the primary entry point for most people into the vast resources available on the Internet,…

This fast-paced, high-energy presentation explores the implications forliving, teaching, and learning in a world of infinite knowledge - wheretoday's tools support learning everywhere and all the time. Theproliferation of high-speed Internet access, the near ubiquity ofmobile communication devices, and the efficiency of today'scollaborative tools h…

Matt sits down to talk to us and gives us an overview of his three McREL sessions from the conference, talks about open source software, putting your district money towards bandwidth, and remembers the good old days of the movie filmstrip in the classroom. During our conversation Matt mentions Stellarium. Find out more about it at www.stellarium.or…

Classroom Observation Techniques & Software Get more from your classroom observations You know that to be an effective instructional leader, you should conduct regular classroom observations. But what should you look for when observing teachers? How should you track progress and use your observations to coach teachers? How can you determine if your…

Research that says that professional development is most effective when it aims to create professional learning communities — places where teachers learn and work together to apply research to improving student achievement. By providing ongoing professional development and support for teachers, McREL can help you create professional learning comm…

Matt Kuhn focuses on six major research findings from McREL’s meta- and factor-analyses on principal leadership. It also includes an introduction to the concept of shared leadership, balanced leadership, and the Balanced Leadership Frameworkâ„¢ in the context of leading educational technology initiatives. This session will help participants devel…

Steve Hargadon discusses the safe and educational uses of social networking and the new tools that make it easy to establish collaborative learning communities. Useful links from the presentation OpenOffice.org Knoppix Curriki MIT Open Course School 2.0 Ning - create your own social network www.stevehargadon.com…

Dr. Thornburg gives his keynote presentation, Forget About the Future, It's the Present That Concerns Me, at the TCA 2008 conference. For many years the presenter has shared visions of the future with educators around the world in the hope that this would influence educational practice. This was a mistake. We don't need to prepare students just for…

How to integrate Augmentative Communication (AAC) devices into the curriculum can be a daunting task to teachers and teams who aren’t familiar with this technology. Kelly Fonner presented 8 lessons that she has learned over the years, to assist teachers and teams in the integration process. Click on the link below to listen to an interview in which…

Scott Marfilius digs into the area of writing, breaking it down into its component pieces and helping teachers to examine exactly where their students are struggling. They then examined which technology tools might support the writing strategies that could be put into place. This presentation was based on the new TATN training module that was devel…

Therese Willkomm presented and all-day, hands-on lab that introduced many of the participants to tools and materials that would allow them to create basic modifications that could really impact their student’s lives. Each participant made a business card switch, created a battery-device adapter, scored, snapped, and bent acrylic, and learned about …

I’ll admit it. I’m the first one to fall for a gadget or gizmo that beeps, whirrs, or is just the latest and greatest in state-of-the-art electronics. (I said fall for, not necessarily purchase – that stuff’s expensive!) However, Eileen Garza’s presentation reminds us that there is a lot of items that we can use with our students on the Autism Spec…

Randall Jose and Erika Andersen, from the University of Houston, School of Optometry, shared information about Project DOVES low vision rehabilitation service by Region 4 and the Center for Sight Enhancement. In addition, we discussed teaching strategies for students with low vision, in addition to the use of assistive technologies. Click the follo…

Did you know that WYNN would allow you to surf the ‘net, read a webpage aloud, and allow you to highlight and mask passages? How about editing the text you find on the web? Bonnie Hill and Pauline Anacki, from Freedom Scientific/Learning Systems Group shared those topics and much more during their presentation. For more information about WYNN, visi…

Sue Zapf and her co-presenter, Nicole Alexander, shared how they are implementing a creative writing program in their life skills classroom. It is a multidisciplinary approach, as Sue is the Occupational Therapist for the classroom and Nicole is the classroom teacher. Creative writing provides a means of expression for their students and they have …

Catherine Wyatt from Mealtime Partners, Inc., presented some amazing technology that will allow a user with limited mobility to eat using 1-, 2-, or no switches at all! This innovative solution provides independence for anyone with a physical disability. For more information, you can visit the Mealtime Partners website by clicking here, or calling …

The implementation of NIMAS (National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard), looks a little bit different, depending upon which State you happen to be in. Cecilia Robinson, an Education Specialist with Region 4, discusses how NIMAS is being implemented in Texas. If you’d like to learn more about what NIMAS is and where it stands today, pl…

Kate May is not only an Assistive Technology Teaching Assistant (click here to listen to her interview from the TATN 2006 Conference), but also Prentke-Romich’s representative at the TATN 2007 Regional Conference. Kate has a broad expertise in Augmentative Communication, working with many different devices and has a unique perspective on AAC use. C…

Writing with Symbols 2000 (WWS2000) is a powerful talking word-processor with PCS symbol support. Lynn Guthrie presented a 2-block, hands-on presentation about WWS2000 that showed that it offers all of those features, plus the capability of adding word banks, grids, and creating environments. Click the following link to listen to the interview in y…

This podcast interview is actually a 2-for-1! Hindie Dershowitz was kind enough to sit down and discuss her two TATN Conference presentations. The first, “Blank Stares of IEP Team Members…” was co-presented with Joyce Waggoner and focuses on providing training and resources to IEP teams so that they can make educated, informed decisions about AT Co…

Jim Durkel, from the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, shares some of the newest assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments. To learn more about the items that Jim discusses, please visit the American Printing House for the Blind website by clicking here. Special Note for Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments:…

Welcome to the second of Jim Durkel’s two presentations at the TATN Regional Conference. In this interview, Jim shares ideas and resources for students with visual impairments in the science class. Initially, science may seem like a very visual subject. However, Jim shares that scientific observation uses sight, as well as all of the other senses t…