#Teaching Tools     Special Education Resources on the Internet     Northernlight

 IT and Special Education Needs      Integrating Technology into the Classroom

 Other Findings     Website Evaluation Form

I began my website analysis by searching through the suggested pages of "inquiry learning" listed on Chip Bruce's home page. Feeling the necessity to focus on research for my final project, my search consisted of appropriate software, teaching methods, and technology for students with behavior disorders. Following the links below, I found specific issues related to the topics, and will discuss the ease and merits of each, following each listing. http://directorysearch.mozilla.org/Reference/Education/Special_Education/
 
 

Disclaimer: CAST does not necessarily endorse these products or consider them all to be fully universally designed. CAST applauds the inclusion of universally designed features in these products and wishes to illustrate some of those features for educational purposes.

Although no curriculum or software program yet exists that is totally universally designed, some programs demonstrate incremental steps towards that goal. Currently available resources include supported learning tools and instructional software with some universally designed (UD) features. Below is what we believe will be an ever-expanding list. Follow the links for: an in-depth description of each program links to publishers' websites, links to examples of the program's UD features, and customization tips in the Teaching Strategies section of this website. Programs are listed alphabetically.

Critique: This link offers detail on each suggested product listed, and gives a small explanation of how items can be adopted in a special education setting. Because many other programs and products are on the market, I found the list limited, with no further links to other offerings for special education uses.
 
 

Special Education Resources on the Internet (SERI) is a collection of Internet accessible information resources of interest to those involved in the fields related to Special Education. This collection exists in order to make on-line Special Education resources more easily and readily available in one location. This site will continually modify, update, and add additional informative links. If you know of other resources that should be included here, please send the URL to horner2@ix.netcom.com

Critique: In searching through Nick Burbles pages, I found the above links to a number of places of interest, which should be helpful when finalizing my project. However, I was somewhat disappointed that Special Education was not displayed as an obvious link on this page and required typing the words into the finder. Although computers in the regular classroom was a constant theme, research on behavior disorders and the use of computers was sadly lacking.
 
 

http://www.northernlight.com/nlquery.fcg?qr="inquiry-based+learning"

http://www.northernlight.com/nlquery.fcg?qr=%22inquiry-based+learning%22

http://www.northernlight.com/nlquery.fcg?dx=&ho=&st=&la=&qc=&po=&si=&us=&xd=&or=&qb=&qf=&qt=&pu=&qu=&d1=&d2=&rv=&jt=&it=&in=&dr=&qr=special+education+and+computers

1. Special Education Distance Education Resources 40% - Directories & Lists: Lists of Distance Education Resources the Study of Special Education Independent Study Programs in the United States Video Base Special Education Programs On-line Computer... 07/08/97 Educational site: http:/ / poole.sped.wmich.edu/ SPEDdistedwww introdistedsped.html

2. LOCATING SPECIAL EDUCATION MATERIALS IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS LAB By Dr. 40% - Directories & Lists: Karin Duran LOCATING SPECIAL EDUCATION MATERIALS IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS LAB The Instructional Materials Laboratory has a variety of resources which can be useful in... 06/12/97 Educational site: http:/ / library.csun.edu/ kduran/ imlsped.html

3. United States Department of Education Office of Special Education and ...40% - Articles & General info: Rehabilitative Services 600 Independence Avenue, S. 05/18/97 Commercial site: http:/ / www.empowermentzone.com/ bl_ed.txt

4. Special Education- Required Courses 40% - Directories & Lists: Requirements a Major in Special Education Bachelor of Arts Degree Special Education/Elemen... Education Certification (90... hours, plus additional concentration requirements) PREREQUISITES- 6 hours... 04/16/9 Educational site: http:/ / www.msj.edu/ academics/ Education/ SpecCat.htm

5. Evaluation and Instructional Services for ESLL Program/Special Education Student...40% - Articles & General info: Evaluation and Instructional Services ESLL Program/Special Education Students This section, developed with personnel from the Special Education Section of the Office of Instructional Services... 09/23/96 Personal page: http:/ / davinci.pixi.com/ ~sped/ esll.html

6. Special Education 40% - Articles & General info: SPECIAL EDUCATION ADD InfoNet(Attentio…Deficit Disorder) ADD InfoNet is a comprehensive computer- based information resource service on the Internet. Date Not Available Non-profit site: http:/ / www.chill.org/ csss/ sc/ compass/ special.html

7. Alaska Division of Legislative Audit 35% - Directories & Lists: Back to Digest Summary Return to 1995 Year Audit Report List Return to Legislative Audit Home Page November 28, 1994 Members of the Legislative Budget... 01/08/98 Government site: http:/ / www.legis.state.ak.us/ legaud/ web/ pages/ audits/1995/ 1424.htm

 8. Accomack County Public Schools PO Box 330, Accomac, VA 23301 35% - Articles & General info: Superintendent Dr William A Owings(757)787-5754 Assistant Superintendent Michael T. 08/08/97 K-12 school site: http:/ / www.pen.k12.va.us/ go/ VDOE/ Directory/ cos.txt

9. Education 1995-96 Graduate Bulletin 35% - Articles & General info: Education In the College of Education Electronic portrayal of information on graduate policies and programs at SDSU is subject to unauthorized modifications beyond the University... Date Not Available Educational site: http:/ / libweb.sdsu.edu/ GB9697/ 9596/ ED.html

10. SPECIAL EDUCATION 35% - Articles & General info: Assess Br Ch Cla Pre Tr Visual Spe Assistance Director: Director Specialists: and If you are an administrator responsible engineering special education... 02/22/99 Commercial site: http:/ / www.esc12.net/ PROG.SERV/ Spec.Ed/admin.asst.html
 
 

Critique: Although I found Northernlight.com to be an enormously interesting site, with a vast amount of material available for educators, I again discovered that entering key words "behavior disorders and computer assisted instruction" along with numerous variations of the theme, led me to little useful information. It would be helpful to have more research sites available, with successful teaching methods, products, curriculum, and behavior modifications for these special students. Unfortunately, it would seem that all too often this growing population is ignored in the educational picture.
 
 

Critique: This website was notable for the fine list and superb links to technology in the special education class. Overall, I was pleased to see how well thought out the ideas on this page were presented, and discovered a number of stimulating and thought-provoking links while scanning the site. The single drawback to the page was that a number of important links seemed to be out of order at the time of my search.
 
 

Peer relations have also improved in some classrooms. As one teacher reported, "Technology gets students turned on and it gets them pulling together and working as a team much more effectively than anything else."

The effect on students in special education classrooms was particularly note-worthy, and sometimes surprised their teachers. In one classroom, the teacher found that her special education students were more willing to read in order to complete their projects than in traditional reading groups. A preschool teacher of children with special needs reported:

Technology has literally changed the flavor of my classroom. It's such a motivator

for my special needs children, and I am getting oral language from children who

were previously nonverbal. . . My kids just love it! They love being in control, they

develop a sense of autonomy, competence, and soon begin relating with peers,

giving them a sense of belonging.
 
 

Critique: Unfortunately, while searching this site, I came across so little on special education and computer technology that overall, the information given was not useful for my research. However, I was appreciative of the anecdotal approach above, and will be able to use the quotes for my final project.
 
 

A questioning toolkit...Love the idea, especially from K on...although I believe that rote and basic tools are important, getting kids to find the right questions and the tools to search for answers generates the type of creativity that makes for great minds, and great solutions. The website above is a wonderful resource for bringing about the types of critical thinking that help students find answers in this highly complex society. If I were teaching a regular ed. classroom, I would find this site invaluable for setting up rubrics. As it stands, with the few verbal students I have, I still am able to make use of a variety of categories. The sites that branched off and/or lead up to this url were very exciting reading in that, after a number of years outside the mainstream of education, I could once again, envision methods that truly engage students and teachers alike in the search for knowledge. This is the sort of learning that higher functioning EBD students could benefit from, yet sadly, are not getting.
 
 

I found the special education section somewhat disappointing, as too few research sites were offered for students with behavior disorders and the use of technology. The url cited above gives a general outline of positive benefits, yet I feel the need for more information. My area of interest is incorporating technology into self-contained EBD classrooms in order to develop skills, and offer an exciting learning environment for students with conduct disorders. Leading up to this point were a variety of sites, such as the ERIC search, where I found some research for my project. With the advent of guns in schools and so many children lost in the system, it is imperative that educators look at students at risk in a different light. Basically, we have to capture their minds and keep both our society and them safe, along with developing their talents and minds. I will make use of this outline for my project, and keep searching through these areas for pertinent information as my project evolves.
 
 

Your name: ___________________________________ Date:___________

Name of tour site: _____________________________________________

URL of tour site:______________________________________________

PRIVATE

1. When you were on the tour, could you tell where you were at all times?

YES

NO

N/A

2. Throughout the tour, could you always get back to the beginning?

YES

NO

N/A

3. During the tour, could you go to any area that you wanted to, or did you have to visit places in a certain order?

YES

NO

N/A

4. Was there a map of the virtual tour site available for you to use for navigation?

YES

NO

N/A

5. While you were on the tour, could you use any type of virtual reality to view places in 3-D?

YES

NO

N/A

6. If there were photographs on the tour, were they easy to see?

YES

NO

N/A

7. When you first entered the tour, could you choose from different options or paths to take?

YES

NO

N/A

8. Was there a virtual guide to help you along the virtual tour?

YES

NO

N/A

9. Were there any links to other Internet resources that would better help you understand the subject matter of the tour?

YES

NO

N/A

10. Was there a place to ask questions or leave feedback about the tour?

YES

NO

N/A

11. Did the tour encourage you want to learn more about the topic?

YES

NO

N/A

12. Did the tour allow you to visit a place that you would never be able to visit in real life?

YES

NO

N/A
 
 

Critique: This could be a useful form for middle or high school students in making appropriate selections for website research. Offered by a fellow student, I initially had planned on using it for my "inquiry learning" search, yet found a number of questions too limiting or not applicable to my findings.