The+Blogroll+(and+other+food+for+thought)

What is a blog?
 A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger."

Why are blogs included in this wiki?
 These are blogs on special education and/or assistive technology issues. Generally speaking, if you are interested in these two topics, you will probably find these blogs interesting. Each contains, on further investigation, links to very useful technology solutions, intervention ideas, and other education blogs. The links below will direct you to a particular blog entry that resonates on the topic of AT and Transition. (We must remind you, however, of our disclaimer at the bottom of this page!)

===[|Toolbelt for a Lifetime: Learning How to Learn Assistive Technology] ===


 Ira Socol shares the text of his 2007 CSUN presentation,on his [|SpeEdChange] blog and it goes something like this: //"Toolbelt Theory" suggests that we must teach our students how to analyze tasks, the task-completion environment, their own skills and capabilities, an appropriate range of available tools… and let them begin to make their own decisions....The goal is to empower students to continuously assess their changing needs and the ever changing technological environment that surrounds them, and allow them to build their own toolbelts of appropriate solutions to their life challenges.//"

===[|Slow Down and Let Students Accommodate for Life!] ===


 Lon Thornburg's blog is called [|No Limits to Learning]: Celebrating Human Potential through Assistive Technology. In this post, he tells the story of introducing tools to scan textbooks and other materials into text files to allow students with print disabilities access to the text with audio support. It goes like this: "//...We had momentarily forgotten to slow down take a breath and allow ourselves to lay a foundation... We decided that the number one goal was to help these students with print disabilities develop a life skill of being able to use these tools for things they would need to do like reading news, accessing web sites and filling in online forms, spelling correctly, etc.//" ==== Here is another good story from Lon Thornburg, [|Accessible Instructional Materials - Shift Happens] He talks about the importance of getting student "buy in " on use of access tools. Here is a brief excerpt: "//If I were the student supposed to use this new way of access and my first introduction to it was this passage, I would tune out just like that - snap." I said. "Why not let the student listen to or find something they want so you get the excitement and buy in//?" ====


 <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif"> **[|100 Helpful Web Tools for Every Kind of Learner]**: From the College-at-Home blog, here are some great online tools that you can use to cater to your individual learning style, no matter what that is.

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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif"> The [|October 23rd post in **Karen Janowski's Blog Teaching Every Student**], is called //Introduction to AT: Parent and General Educator Resources, a//nd it links to terrific resources, old and new. //Her most popular post is [|**Free Technology Toolkit for UDL in All Classrooms** - Spread the Word!],// which was recently converted into an equally helpful wiki //called [|UDLTechToolki]t.// <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif">

CAST: "Teaching Every Student" http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/

//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; color: rgb(16, 101, 34)"><span style="color: rgb(41, 112, 55)">Disclaimer: This site and information, links, and resources contained herein, are intended as a forum for information and communication only and should not be interpreted to mean endorsement by PATTAN or any of its transition partners. Unless otherwise stated, information on this website is not intended to represent the policies, positions, or intentions of PaTTAN or any state agency. //