When curriculum materials are considered in a school or district, what consideration is given to instructional and assistive technologies? What about assessment options? Find out about integrating technology and universal design for learning principles into the selection process. To help assess your current technology use and chart a course toward increased technology implementation, consult the EdTech Locator.

Related Resources

2003 State Policies on Assessment Participation and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) has been tracking and analyzing state policies on assessment participation and accommodations since 1992. The purpose of the current analysis is to update information on these policies that was last reported by NCEO in 2002 (based on 2001 data). The current analysis of states' 2003 participation and accommodation policies found that state policies on participation and accommodation continue to evolve, and that they have become more detailed and specific than in previous years.

National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)

A Homegrown Design for Data Warehousing

"A district customizes its own process for generating detailed information about students in real time." Terry Thompson, superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township in Indianapolis, IN, and Karen Gould, the district's assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, describe the integrated district-wide data system that has provided a wealth of useful information to administrators, teachers, parents, and students.

The School Administrator

A National Primer on K-12 Online Learning (PDF)

Although many have shown enthusiasm for online courses and online learning, teachers, administrators, and other school and district staff oftentimes do not know what to do online or how to implement it. This primer provides helpful advice for educational professionals in developing and advancing online learning.

North American Council for Online Learning

A Principal's Blog

Read how one principal communicates effectively with her students on her blog. Also view other forward-thinking articles from the Alabama Best Practices Center.

A Virtual Supervision Model

This short article discusses how principals and other school supervisors may be able to use video technologies to observe classroom practices. The resource considers a context of competing responsibilities that administrators often face and how the use of such technology might allow administrators to complete remotely tasks that once required physical presence.

techLearning.com

Access and Equity in Online Classes and Virtual Schools (PDF)

The focus of this Issues Brief is to increase the awareness of the importance to students, teachers, and administrators of making online courses accessible to meet your legal obligations. This Issues Brief references civil rights legislation in the United States, but the issues of access and equity are relevant to all online programs.

Accessibility Resources

This is an extensive list of resources linking to information on making computers and software more accessible to persons with disabilities.

Human-Computer Interaction

Art Education 2.0

Learn to explore ways of using technology to promote effective art education practices, encourage cultural exchanges and joint creative work, and support artistic projects, curricular activities, and professional development opportunities with Art Education 2.0. Discussion forum topics include taking art to the hearing impaired and computer art programs for middle school students.

Assessment and Accountability: Technology Key to Schools' Reform Efforts

This article descibes the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act on school data needs and the role technology can play in fulfilling those needs. Education leaders agree the new measures will force them to track and analyze student performance data more carefully than ever, and technology will play an important role in the process. Access to eSchoolNews.com requires free registration.

eSchool News

Assessment Instruments for Linguistically Diverse Populations

This handbook provides a list of tools available for the assessment of communicative and academic skills of multicultural and linguistically diverse student populations. The format provides information of grade level and age appropriateness of assessment instruments.

Best Evidence Encyclopedia (BEE)

This website presents information on high-quality evaluations of educational programs, including "educator's summaries" of research on educational programs and full-text reviews on each topic.

Building Level Assessment: An Equity Manual

This manual identifies a variety of equity related assessment instruments that schools can use to develop questionnaires which will provide an opportunity for teachers to assess themselves and to allow faculty, parents, students, and/or support staff to assess their schools for equity. The item banks can be used by school districts to guide their development of local assessment instruments.

Classroom 2.0 LIVE Conversations

Classroom 2.0 LIVE Conversations are community-scheduled opportunities to talk on specific topics with other members of the Classroom 2.0 using one of the online voice/video/sharing programs. Using this wiki page you can find discussions to participate in, or schedule to host additional ones.

Classroom Observations: Digital Data Observation in the Palm of Your Hand

Kevin Silberberg, TICAL Cadre Member, discusses current tools used for collecting data during classroom observations and how a handheld computer can transform this important activity. Issues addressed in his presentation include sample checklists, project goals, charts in Microsoft Access, and porta data, a tool to make classroom observation easier.

TICAL

Closing the Gap: AT Resources for Children and Adults with Special Needs

Closing The Gap highlights hardware and software products appropriate for people with special needs, and explains how this technology is being implemented in education, rehabilitation, and vocational settings around the world.

CoSN Ed Tech Resources

Search The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) site for products and services to support and nurture leadership development, advocacy, coalition building, and awareness of emerging technologies.

The Consortium for School Networking

CoSN Small District Technology Leadership Wiki

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) is a voice for K-12 education leaders who use technology strategically to improve teaching and learning. The objective of this wiki is to provide a space for collaborative work around topics regarding effective planning for and use and implementation of technology.

Creating an Effective Virtual School Program

This article explains how administrators can turn their ideas into reality and implement virtual schools. The article lays out the initial choices that must be made, and delves into important topics such as accountability and finding the right teachers for virtual schools. 

District Administration

Creating and Connecting: Research and Guidelines on Online Social – and Educational - Networking (PDF)

Share this survey from NSBA with your administration. Discuss how to address the recommendations about school policies and social networking.

Crunching the Numbers

This article is a mini resource center which discusses everything you need to know about data warehousing.

techLEARNING.com

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