Facilitate Parental Involvement: Ask Questions

Recently I read Daniel Pink's new book, To Sell is Human. Pink writes extensively about how individuals in the Education and Medical professions sell everyday by motivating people to take action that benefits them or others. He argues that asking questions is a the most efficient method to achieve a purchase than presenting the benefits. As I read the book I continued to reflect how transition assessment is much more than the data put on the Individual Education Plan. The process can facilitate parental involvement when initiated by the teacher. But can parent involvement be initiated by the parent? What if parents completed assessments and shared them with teachers and other service providers? Daniel Pink discusses that in todays world the seller does not have an advantage over the buyer when purchasing a product due to the availability of information. For example, when one purchases a car they can search the prices and consumer reports and have as much information as the car dealer. But does this equality of information exists in the area of special education? One could argue that many times the parent has more information than the service provider. Another argument could be advanced that neither service provider or parent has all the information needed. Parent Based Transition Assessments is a list of 42 assessments that allow the information from the assessments to be sent to multiple emails.

Sharing Picture Vocabulary created with Read&Write Chrome Extension

I have not received any compensation from textHELP, the creators of Read and Write Chrome Extension but I am grateful that they are currently offering this extension for FREE! I am sure I will find many uses for this extension but the one I am currently most excited about is picture vocabulary.  Given it is an extension it can be added to the personal accounts of students and with minimal training given to students and parents used over the summer vacation to increase and maintain vocabulary.  As I was creating a document for a student I realized that the document I created could be used by many more students if I shared my work.  Others can copy and make edits as needed.  No added work for me in sharing and if others shared their picture vocabulary lass work for me.  This led me to publish the Picture Vocabulary document 

to allow for the sharing of picture vocabulary created with Read and Write Chrome Extension. This is a great tool that works with google docs.  If you do not have it, get it now.  If you need help creating your own watch the following video:

Creating Picture Vocabulary with Read and Write Chrome Extension

After you have created a picture vocabulary list share with me at kurtis.broeg@gmail.com and I will add it to the list and please visit my Assistive Technology page.

New Assistive Technology Page on my website

Last December I was approached by Julie Freed, an Assistive Technology Consultant, to find a way to increase the use of Assistive Technology by empowering the special education teacher.  She was probably just trying to get me to stop pestering her about the use of google forms but I was persistent and or collaboration led me to the world of the QIAT list serve and another world of acronyms.  When I discovered WATI's ASNAT (Wisconsin Assistive Technology Institutes Initiative's Assessing Student Needs for Assistive Technology) I knew that I had found the tools to increase the use of technology and began an enlightening correspondence with Jill Gierach, Former director of the currently unfunded WATI.  All of which led to the production of an online version of the ASNAT and a presentation on April 16, 2013 at the Building Bridges Conference in Iowa City.  Please visit my new page.

Georgia Project for Assistive Technology: Assistive Technology Consideration Resource Guide Assessment

The Georgia Project for Assistive Technology granted permission for the sharing and updating of the Assistive Technology Consideration Guide which I converted into  a google doc for the purpose of assessing and encouraging the use of assistive technology(AT).  The content shows how AT can be used as a substitute for an accommodation and/or modification resulting in more independence for the individual with a disability.  The number of AT devices and availability are rapidly changing.  Please send me suggestions for additions as I have a limited knowledge of AT but want to promote the use of AT as I have seen the independence it can produce. The form can be found on my website along with the spreadsheet which can be copied for your personal use.

Dialogue IEP

Prepare a full draft prior to the IEP meeting or come to the meeting with a blank sheet?  As a teacher, this is a question that I have struggled with for years.  If I come with a completed draft am I discouraging the participation of the student, parents and the other members of the IEP team?  If I have a blank sheet am I doing my best to facilitate discussion?  For several years I have been sending home a draft, usually a week before the meeting, but often I feel that the draft has not encouraged participation in the process.  Karen Thompson, Director of ASK Resource Center, provided a solution by suggesting the development of a Dialogue IEP that would allow students, parents and others to prepare the draft together using the modern technology of google docs.  The framework of the Dialogue IEP is based on the Iowa IEP Transition Form with links to many resources to assist in the development of the Dialogue Draft.  Based on my research most IEPs contain these basic elements. This is a living document and can always be improved by input.  I suggest you make copies of all the resources in order to keep information confined to relevant parties but you are free to use the public resources.  Instructions on how to copy can be found on my website. Please send suggestions to kurtis.broeg@gmail.com.  Together we can transform the IEP from a required written document to a vehicle for collaboration.

ThatQuiz for Teachers - Great source for targeted instruction

Last week during professional development teachers were asked to share new technology they were using since our building became a 1 to 1 school.  One of the math teachers shared ThatQuiz for Teachers.  She stated that she was using it for assessment in her upper level math classes.  I was happy to discover that the site included all levels of math and allowed for targeted instruction.  The site allows the teacher to determine whether the assessment wil be graded or practice and whether the correct answers will be provided immediately after an incorrect response.  For example, I set up a practice test that focuses on distributive property and like terms for a student who struggles with these two concepts.   The difficulty levels vary greatly and there are test available in other subjects as well as the ability to create your own.

Teacher Questionnaire

In August I received a Teacher Questionnaire from Social Security Administration for the purpose of determining eligibility for a student that would soon be exiting special education services.  The survey requested that the student be compared to same age peers.  While faxing the survey along with all the other requested documents I thought about how more efficient it would be to convert the survey to a google doc form.  The actual survey requests frequency data and narrative responses in addition to a likert scale rating of 53 activities.  I have completed the conversion of the 53 activities.  I think this version of the Teacher Questionnaire can be used to identify needed specialized services, enhance collaboration through dialogue and be used to measure the effectiveness of services.  Please make a copy.