Resources (Websites/Blogs) « Education – Special

Websites and Blogs, Reading Skills Apps
Related to Special Education

• 100 Useful Tools for Special Needs Students and Educators
  With all of the new trends and tools in education technology, there’s no reason for special needs students and their teachers and parents to be left behind. This list of 100 useful tools can help anyone with a learning disability like ADHD, dyslexia or test anxiety, as well as students with visual or hearing impairments, use the Internet and other technology systems to help them with reading, math, organization, social skills, and more.
• Anna Foundation for Inclusive Education
  A non-profit organization dedicated to the enhancement of the educational experience of students with developmental delays participating in inclusive education.
• Assistive Technology Rocks! (Cecilia Garcia blog)
  An article asking the question "Why is inclusion important both to the student with special needs and the culture of the class?
• Barto’s World
  This personal blog, written by a special-education teacher, shares information about teaching children with special needs to help them become more creative thinkers.
• Bilingual Special Ed
  Claudia Rinaldi writes this blog, which includes article and book reviews, findings from industry conferences, news, suggestions, and more.
• Child Mind Institute
  An independent nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children struggling with mental health and learning disorders.
• Developments in Special Education Law
  Attorney H. Jeffrey Marcus runs this blog, which focuses on federal and New York State law that pertains to special education.
• Do 2 Learn – A Website with Resources for the Special Education Classroom
  Provides thousands pages of social skills and behavioral regulation activities and guidance, learning songs and games, communication cards, academic material, and transition guides for employment and life skills.
• EdTech Solutions
  Karen Janowski, an assistive and educational technology consultant, writes this blog. She states that her goal is “to remove the obstacles to learning for all students.
• Free Resources From the Net for Every Learner
  The blog is exactly what its name says: A compendium of resources for teachers. There are videos, curriculum, books, apps, and more.
• Harbor House Law Press
  Develops user-friendly publications about special education law and advocacy.
• IEP Advocate 4 You (Carol Sadler blog)
  A professional parent advocate assisting parents of disabled children in school meetings and helping them understand their rights under IDEA, 504, SST and ADA.
• KPS 4 Parents
  Anne M. Zachry is the author and moderator of this blog, which aims to “enlighten and empower all responsible adults to ensure that all children, regardless of disability, receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education.”
• No Limits to Learning
  This assistive technology blog guides teachers and educators through the use of technology such as the iPhone, web applications, and software.
• Personnel Preparation Programs (Personnel Improvement Center)
  Search this database to find community colleges, four-year colleges and universities, school districts or regional resource centers that will prepare you to work with infants, children and youth with disabilities and their families.
• SMD Teacher
  Alicia has been teaching children with multiple disabilities for 14 years. Her blog shares her experiences, as well as reviews, activity and game ideas, curriculum, project ideas, technology links and ideas, useful blogs, and more.
• Special Classroom
  Gillian, a teacher of students with multiple disabilities, provides a lot of useful tricks and teaching strategies on this blog.
• Special Education MangoMon Blog
  This blog is an offshoot of MangoMon, which discusses online curriculum for all types of students. The Special Education blog offers numerous resources for special-education teachers and parents, technology reviews, ideas, useful Web sites, and more.
• Special Education News
  In-depth, timely news related to educating students with disabilities.
• Special Education Strategies and More
  Michelle, a special-education teacher in Florida, created this blog as a means to help “teachers and parents of children with special needs to find positive strategies that promote academic, social and emotional growth.”   
• Special Needs – Teacher Resources
  Inform yourself about curriculum strategies and classroom management for students with different learning needs. We have resources on everything you need to know about teaching special needs students effectively. You'll find information for teaching students with ADHD, Autism, Asperger's, Giftedness, and Handicaps. 
• SpeEdChange (Ira Socol blog)
  A prolific blogger and writer on AT and special ed issues.
• http://survivingspecialeducation.com 
  Blog and podcasts done by a Special Needs parent who is also a Special Education attorney working to help other people survive special education. 
• Teacher Ponders
  This blog was originally created to track one teacher’s question to become a special-education administrator. Now this blog is used by Liberty Rose, a special-education teacher and mother to an autistic child, to share her experiences and frustrations.
• Teacher Tube: Sharing & Searching for Special Education Videos (MangoMon – 7/27/10)
  Teacher Tube is a free resource where teachers can go and either view or post educational videos. The videos are geared either toward teachers for professional growth or toward students for teachers to incorporate into their lessons. Many districts block YouTube because of questionable content, where as Teacher Tube is typically unblocked because the nature of all of the videos relates to education.
• Teaching Learners With Multiple Special Needs
  This resource-rich blog aims to help “teachers of learners with severe, profound, intensive, significant, complex or multiple special needs.”
• The Life That Chose Me
  Daniel Dage is a high-school special-education teacher and is the father of two boys with ASD. His blog is personal and heartfelt, and it shares his experiences with special-needs children, both as an educator and as a parent.
• The Wrightslaw Way – to Special Education Law and Advocacy
  “Eligibility for Special Ed: Grades, IQ Scores, Evaluations,” “Assistive Technology for the Struggling Notetaker,” and “Changing Schools and IEPs – Tips for Civilian & Military Families” are some of the topics you’ll see on this blog, which focuses on legal issues and advocacy for special education.
• Universal Design For Learning (UDL Resource)
  This site hosts information about Universal Design for Learning, and shares free and low-cost digital tools that facilitate a UDL approach to learning, as well as tools to support learners with access challenges. 
• U.S. Department of Education Releases Guidance on Civil Rights of Students with Disabilities (12/28/16)
  The U.S. Department of Education released three new sets of guidance today to assist the public in understanding how the Department interprets and enforces federal civil rights laws protecting the rights of students with disabilities. These guidance documents clarify the rights of students with disabilities and the responsibilities of educational institutions in ensuring that all students have the opportunity to learn.
• WrightsLaw
  Reliable information about special education law, education law, and advocacy for children with disabilities.

Reading Skills Apps:

• Apps That Support Literacy Instruction
  Part 7 of “There’s A Special App For That” series on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad apps for students with special needs. (Scroll past chart with 7 building blocks of literacy to access Part 7’s apps.)
• Reading Remedies
  This app is like having shelves of assessment books and binders of "go to activities" in your pocket or at your fingertips. This is a great site for reading teachers or parents of struggling readers.
• Top 12 Reading Comprehension Apps (Reading Rockets)
  Apps that provide practice with specific comprehension skills, including sequencing, differentiating between fact and opinion, developing word awareness (through ant¬onyms, synonyms, and homophones), as well as several mind mapping apps (some free).
• Word-Attack Apps for iPhone, iPad
  Good apps for improving a reader’s word-attack skills (some free).