Special Education Today Newsletter 1(47)
Here’s the news and info for the week of 9 May 2022
Well, howdy, and happy day after Mother’s Day. I encourage readers to read Heather Cox Richardson’s discussion of the history of Mothers’ Day. Yes, that variation in whether it’s the singular or plural possesive is intentional. Once you’ve read it, you’ll understand.
Status update
There were no unsubscribes, and just five new subscriptions. Sigh. Still growing, though...Yay!
Flashes of the electrons
Part of the reason the community has grown is that SET pals interacted with the magazine last week. I want to acknowledge them here.
Flashes of the electrons to Jane B., Betsy T., and Stewart H., who all provided comments last week. Thank you each for the contibutions. I appreciate the effort to engage in dialogue with me and with the larger community.
Thanks x, y, and z for dropping “likes” on posts recently. It’s wonderful that you found some of the content worthy of “liking,” and I appreciate the feedback.
People who have viewed the most posts over the past 30 days: Joel M., Clay K., Jane B., Carissa H., Dan H., and Betsy T.
Most frequent openers (10 or >) of email messages from SET in the last seven days include Clay K., Annemarie O., Mike G., Sheldon H., and A. R. Thanks for reading!
And a special flash to Betsy T., who shared repeatedly last week.
Thanks to y’all who have followed @speciadedtoday. Twitter’s a great way to keep up with what’s happening with SET. As I get a chance, I’ll push notices to followers of that TW account. Please help SET by retweeting those notices and posting your own tweets about content even when I don’t.
Table of contents
If your only connection with SET is reading this newsletter, you are missing the “breaking news” (teehee) that appears on the Web site throughout the week. This newsletter appears once a week. I post messages to the Web site [https://www.specialeducationtoday.com] multiple times during the week. Sometimes, I push one of those posts out via the email list, but you can see them all if you regularly visit the site.
The table of contents for the past week included four posts about teacher appreciation week and four others. Here is the list:
Be sure to check the SET Web site to keep current. You’ll find an HTML-formated version of this newsletter (much prettier than this funky version that comes in the e-mail) as well as any newer posts.
Commentary
I’ve had questions about groups that provide trustworthy information about technology, special education, and disabilities. Here are a few nominations:
Readers who are interested in the intersection of technology and disabilities are probably aware of one technology group that is affiliated with the Council for Exceptional Children, Innovations in Special Education Technology. As shown at its Web site, ISET provides a wide array of resources. Twitter users can follow the organization, too. (I am a member but I get no financial benefit from mentioning ISET here.)
CONNSense is another. This organization is funded by the University Of Connecticut A. J. Pappanikou Center For Excellence In Developmental Disabilities. CONNSense provides news, resources, opportunities to submit reviews of technological products, and more about assistive technology. Review its Web site.
Another is the Kellar Institute (KIHd) at George Mason University. It promotes research about, teacher education about, and development of technologies to improve opportunities for individuals with disabilities. KIHd describes its work as "improving the lives and productivity of children and adults with disabilities."
One more. The Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology (DO-IT) Center, located at the University of Washington, is known for its efforts to provide free resources about designing physical environments, instruction, and services using technology to improve education. As with ISET and CONNSense, DO-IT emphasizes evidence-based practices, but they have all consumed CAST's https://www.cast.org universal-design coolaide.
For the curious, this is not an exhaustive list. Also please see these additional resources from other institutions. Check on Washington state's Special Education Technology Center and Central Washington University's Special Education Technology Center (SETC).
Readers who know of other not-for-profit centers devoted to technology and special education: Please add links in the comments.
I end here with familiar recommendations: Wear your seatbelts (and encourage other passengers in your vehicle wear them, too). Wash your hands frequently. Prefer gathering in well-ventilated spaces. Get vaccinated and help others to do so. And, of course, teach your children well. ‘Till next time....
JohnL
SET Editor guy
Charlottesville
SET should not be confused with a product with the same name that is published by the Council for Exceptional Children. It predated CEC’s publication by decades. Despite my appreciation for CEC, this product is not affiliated with that organization.