Ira David Socol

Ira David Socol, USA, All Sectors, Special Educational Needs

Ira David Socol is a Special Education Technology Scholar at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. He is also an Assistive Technology Specialist with the State of Michigan's Vocational Rehabilitation Agency. His research is focused on the use of technologies in ways that make classrooms fully inclusive at all age levels, with an emphasis on the use of free and ubiquitous devices and software whenever possible, because these are the solutions most likely to serve student needs throughout their lifespan.

An important part of his work is what he calls, "Toolbelt Theory." The idea that all learners need to assemble a variety of technological solutions which support their learning needs. This shifts the decision making to the student and helps the student learn how to analyse and choose technology now and throughout their life.

Ira uses assistive technologies himself to assist in reading and writing. He entered the field by searching for solutions to his own issues. Then completed the Assistive Technology Applications Certification Program at California State University - Northridge. He has presented a conferences in the US and Europe on his research, and is the author of one novel (The Drool Room) and one short story collection (A Certain Place of Dreams).

SpeEdChange
SpeEdChange looks at technological changes, structural changes, and pedagogical changes which can make the classroom, the school, the university truly inclusive.

Theme: universal Design, inclusion, special needs, multicultural, ICT, web 2.0

Latest Posts

Elke Das

Elke Das, The Netherlands, Primary, Education

Historian, teacher, teacher special ed, Mac.

elke's - currently offline
wat een juf ziet - "what a teacher sees"

Theme: in dutch, www2.0 in the classroom, special ed, mac

Harold Shaw

Harold Shaw, USA, Secondary, Special Education, English & History

I retired from the U.S. Coast Guard as a Warrant Officer in 1996. I am now a Special Education teacher who teaches English and co-teaches History at a small private school that serves students who have not been successful in the public school system.

Outside of playing on the computer and driving my learners crazy, some of the things I like to do run/jog (getting older, I am not as nearly as fast as I used to be), day hike, read (Tolkien, Brooks, McKiernan, DeLint, etc. or supernatural horror), just hang out with my wife Mary, our six cats, and a dog.

Resource Room 220 - currently offline
About teaching, Web2.0 and my opinions?????

Theme: shaw, web2.0, teaching, teacher, blogging

Melissa Given

Melissa Given, West Virginia, USA, Elementary 1-6, Special Education K-12, All Subjects - Technology Integration Specialist

I am a 24 year special education teacher veteran, Master’s Degree in Severe/Profound Handicaps and Preschool Special Education. I am a scrap booker and boater, wife of 26 years to the most wonderful man, and lover of 2 wonderful cats! Hence my avatar.

Melissa Given’s Technology Integration Specialist Sp. Ed. Blog
This site is an outlet for me to share educational technology resources with classroom teachers.

Theme: on-line resources, 21st century learning, technology, social bookmarking, digital storytelling, free teacher resources, global community

Lynn V. Marentette

Lynn V. Marentette, North Carolina, USA, K-12, High School, Tertiary, Graduate School

I'm a school psychologist and computer/technology student. I'm interested in how the use of interactive multimedia technology can support engaged learning. I maintain three blogs, which reflect my main areas of technology-related interest:

Interactive Multimedia Technology
This blog focuses on topics such as games in education, serious games, interactive multimedia applications for prevention and intervention, such as health promotion, stress management, and mental health, and exploring new ways that interactive multimedia can support efficiency in learning, cognition, and communication. This includes multi-touch technology on displays of all sizes, including interactive whiteboards.

Theme: interactive multimedia technology, serious games, multimedia, media, games and learning, intervention, multi-touch, interactive whiteboard, interactive displays, prevention, efficiency in learning, multimedia learning, visual learning, 3D, virtual reality, video games, games for health, games for social change, edutainment, therapeutic games

TechPysch
The posts on this blog are geared for psychologists, special educators, media specialists, educational technologists, teachers, speech and language therapists, and others who work in education or related fields. I look at ways that technology can be used to support important efforts in the schools, such as Universal Design for Learning, Response to Intervention, Positive Behavior Supports, and health promotion. I also touch on assistive technology, the use of technology in psychology, counseling, and related fields.

Theme: psychology, special education, education, universal design for learning, response to intervention, RTI, UDL, positive behavior supports, assistive technology, counseling, media, social skills, autism spectrum disorders, inclusion, educational technology, instructional technology, collaborative, PBIS, data-driven decision making, engaged learning, academic engagement, emotional intelligence, special needs, at-risk, dropout-prevention, universal usability, accessibility, coping skills, study skills, L.D., ADHD

Technology Supported Human-World Interaction
The posts on this blog reflect what I've been discovering during my mid-life return to higher-education studies. The topics in this blog include technologies that support human-world interaction on and off the desktop: ubiquitous and pervasive computing, human-computer-interaction, collaborative technologies, info-viz, usability, and interaction design. I sometimes post examples of things I've nominated for the "usability hall of shame".

Theme: usability, universal usability, infoviz, interaction design, usability hall of shame, human-world interaction, technology, ubiquitous computing, pervasive computing, HCI, ubicomp, collaborative technologies, 2.0, information visualization, research, interdisciplinary, off the desktop