Vision Statement
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The mission of ACCEPT Education Collaborative is to provide exceptional programs and services in order to minimize the effects of each student’s disability, while maximizing the student’s potential for learning and for becoming an active member of the community. Underpinning all of the ACCEPT’s educational programs is a commitment to provide each student educational environment that allows individuals to achieve success. Educational technology, embedded throughout the program, helps support the Collaborative’s mission to minimize the effect of the disability while maximizing the learning potential.
Customizing Learning Opportunities
Technology helps teachers to more easily differentiate the curriculum in order to meet diverse learning styles, needs, and interests. Arne Duncan (2011) compared technology to the printing press, saying that “Much like the printing press allowed people to learn from books as well as teachers, digital technology offers learners powerful new environments that include simulations, animations, scaffolded and guided practice sets.” Using multimedia tools, online learning tools, assistive communication devices, and computer-enhanced instruction, staff can create individualized learning opportunities to better meet each student’s needs. Sherer and Shea (2002) describe how technology allows teachers to make learning opportunities for students to do not only in the classroom, but also outside of school. This expansion of the learning terrain increases student engagement and improves in-class participation.
Creating Possibilities for Creativity and Collaboration
A technology-enhanced classroom creates many opportunities for working with peers, which is a vital skills for students to learn. Thomson (2008) cited a technology integration specialist as stating that utilizing web 2.0 tools shifts “the focus from individualized work to collaborative efforts, from individual learning to collective knowledge, from passive reception to active creation.” This latter aspect of “active creation” is also a powerful aspect of technology: it can provide an outlet for creative output. This is especially noteworthy, perhaps, for those students whose disabilities interfere with their creative expression in traditional mediums. Technology can give them a fluent voice, a steady hand, and a way to showcase their inner vision’s creations.
Bridging the Home-School Gap
Technology can serve to help enhance the flow of communication between home and school. This can be done through creating blended learning environments, using multimedia-enriched online course work that is consistent with the principles of Universal Design for Learning. Live blogging in the classroom can keep absent students up-to-speed and to help parents know what topics/lessons occurred during the school day. Digital access at home to the same visual reference cues that work at school may help students to generalize their learning. E-mail and video-conferencing can also help to keep communication flowing. Weekly classroom video blogs can give families insight into some of the week’s activities.
Increasing Student Engagement and Motivation
Having access to technology in the classroom can be a powerful motivator for students of today. Interactive White Boards, Student Response Systems, tablets, laptops, and a wide variety of interactive games and activities all help to catch the students’ interest. Technology can give the teacher the opportunity to catch the students’ attention and also gives the students the chance to be more active learners. Sherer (2011) wrote: “Today’s students are ready to participate. The members of the “Net” or “Millennial” Generation have been connected to the new technology throughout their development and they expect that teaching and learning will be more interactive, collaborative, and experiential, and that it will feature technological connectivity”.
Preparing for the Workforce
In today’s economic climate, jobs can be challenging to find. According to Akontaky (2011) “Americans with disabilities are experiencing a jobless rate more than 80 percent higher than the rest of America”. This frightening statistic highlights the urgent need to expand students’ marketable skill sets,such as increasing their independent, efficient use of technology, including tools and software. It also underscores the need to help students to learn to use technology to become more effective communicators and to organize their workflow.
Resources
Arkontay, A.J. (August 9, 2011). Americans With Disabilities Experiencing Record Unemployment Rate, Retrieved from http://www.specialneedsnewyork.com
Duncan, A. (June 01, 2011). Harness the Power of Technology. Learning & Leading with Technology, 38, 8, 10-13.
Sherer, P. and Shea, T. 2002. Designing courses outside the classroom: New opportunities with the electronic delivery toolkit. College Teaching, 50(1): 15–20. Retrieved from Taylor & Francis Online.
Sherer, P. (2011). “Using Online Video to Support Student Learning and Engagement”. College teaching (8756-7555), 59 (2), 56. Retrieved from Academic Premier.
Thompson, J. (2008). Don’t Be Afraid to Explore Web 2.0. Education Digest, 74(4), 19-22. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
The mission of ACCEPT Education Collaborative is to provide exceptional programs and services in order to minimize the effects of each student’s disability, while maximizing the student’s potential for learning and for becoming an active member of the community. Underpinning all of the ACCEPT’s educational programs is a commitment to provide each student educational environment that allows individuals to achieve success. Educational technology, embedded throughout the program, helps support the Collaborative’s mission to minimize the effect of the disability while maximizing the learning potential.
Customizing Learning Opportunities
Technology helps teachers to more easily differentiate the curriculum in order to meet diverse learning styles, needs, and interests. Arne Duncan (2011) compared technology to the printing press, saying that “Much like the printing press allowed people to learn from books as well as teachers, digital technology offers learners powerful new environments that include simulations, animations, scaffolded and guided practice sets.” Using multimedia tools, online learning tools, assistive communication devices, and computer-enhanced instruction, staff can create individualized learning opportunities to better meet each student’s needs. Sherer and Shea (2002) describe how technology allows teachers to make learning opportunities for students to do not only in the classroom, but also outside of school. This expansion of the learning terrain increases student engagement and improves in-class participation.
Creating Possibilities for Creativity and Collaboration
A technology-enhanced classroom creates many opportunities for working with peers, which is a vital skills for students to learn. Thomson (2008) cited a technology integration specialist as stating that utilizing web 2.0 tools shifts “the focus from individualized work to collaborative efforts, from individual learning to collective knowledge, from passive reception to active creation.” This latter aspect of “active creation” is also a powerful aspect of technology: it can provide an outlet for creative output. This is especially noteworthy, perhaps, for those students whose disabilities interfere with their creative expression in traditional mediums. Technology can give them a fluent voice, a steady hand, and a way to showcase their inner vision’s creations.
Bridging the Home-School Gap
Technology can serve to help enhance the flow of communication between home and school. This can be done through creating blended learning environments, using multimedia-enriched online course work that is consistent with the principles of Universal Design for Learning. Live blogging in the classroom can keep absent students up-to-speed and to help parents know what topics/lessons occurred during the school day. Digital access at home to the same visual reference cues that work at school may help students to generalize their learning. E-mail and video-conferencing can also help to keep communication flowing. Weekly classroom video blogs can give families insight into some of the week’s activities.
Increasing Student Engagement and Motivation
Having access to technology in the classroom can be a powerful motivator for students of today. Interactive White Boards, Student Response Systems, tablets, laptops, and a wide variety of interactive games and activities all help to catch the students’ interest. Technology can give the teacher the opportunity to catch the students’ attention and also gives the students the chance to be more active learners. Sherer (2011) wrote: “Today’s students are ready to participate. The members of the “Net” or “Millennial” Generation have been connected to the new technology throughout their development and they expect that teaching and learning will be more interactive, collaborative, and experiential, and that it will feature technological connectivity”.
Preparing for the Workforce
In today’s economic climate, jobs can be challenging to find. According to Akontaky (2011) “Americans with disabilities are experiencing a jobless rate more than 80 percent higher than the rest of America”. This frightening statistic highlights the urgent need to expand students’ marketable skill sets,such as increasing their independent, efficient use of technology, including tools and software. It also underscores the need to help students to learn to use technology to become more effective communicators and to organize their workflow.
Resources
Arkontay, A.J. (August 9, 2011). Americans With Disabilities Experiencing Record Unemployment Rate, Retrieved from http://www.specialneedsnewyork.com
Duncan, A. (June 01, 2011). Harness the Power of Technology. Learning & Leading with Technology, 38, 8, 10-13.
Sherer, P. and Shea, T. 2002. Designing courses outside the classroom: New opportunities with the electronic delivery toolkit. College Teaching, 50(1): 15–20. Retrieved from Taylor & Francis Online.
Sherer, P. (2011). “Using Online Video to Support Student Learning and Engagement”. College teaching (8756-7555), 59 (2), 56. Retrieved from Academic Premier.
Thompson, J. (2008). Don’t Be Afraid to Explore Web 2.0. Education Digest, 74(4), 19-22. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.