Fostering Collaboration Between K12 Technology and Special Education Leaders

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Fostering Collaboration Between K-12 Technology
and Special Education Leaders
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The Promise of Technology
Todays instructional technologies can provide
students with essential access to curriculum and
offer educators with new ways to personalize
instruction.
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Collaborative Leadership
Instructional Technology (IT) and Assistive
Technology (AT) leaders play crucial roles in
insuring that all students benefit from access to
instructional technologies. When IT and AT
operate independently the result can be . . .
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Impact of a Divided Approach

• Technology resources not leveraged district-wide
• Students have limited access to tools that
  address individual learning styles
• Lack of understanding of how system-wide use of
  accessible technologies can help all students
  achieve.
• Little pressure from educators for vendors to use
  Universal Design (UD) criteria

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Building Strategic Relationships
Accessible Technologies for All Students seeks to
bridge the divide between the general and special
education communities and demonstrate how
collaboration between them at the district level
can maximize the potential of education
technology.
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Collaboration will . . .

• More effectively leverage technology expertise,
  resources and political support
• Promote the system-wide use of accessible
  technologies
• Increase school capacity to provide
  individualized instruction for all students

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A New Conversation
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Accessible Technologies Initiative Activities

• Aggressive communications strategy aimed at
  district-level technology and special education
  decision makers
• Publications outlining K-12 accessibility and
  technology advantages and issues
• Self-assessment tools for school districts
• Professional Development resources

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Accessible Technologies Initiative Activities

• Web-based educators toolkit that will include
  checklists, slide shows and best practices
  www.accessibletech4all.org
• Case studies highlighting successes and
  challenges
• Survey of K-12 school district leaders to
  identify common issues and/or problems

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Self Assessment
The Accessible Technologies for All Students
Self-Assessment Tool addresses six factors that
are essential to creating the climate and
conditions necessary for ensuring that all
students have access to technologies that support
engagement with the curriculum and help
them to learn.
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Self Assessment
Self-Assessment Factors Vision Has your
district created a shared vision of technology
integration that helps all students to
learn? Communication and Collaboration Do
district leaders work across district and
department divisions to actualize their vision of
technology integration that helps all students to
learn?
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Self Assessment
Self-Assessment Factors Funding Does the
district have a sustainable process for acquiring
and deploying technologies that help all students
to learn? Professional Development and
Awareness Does the district support educators in
habitual use of technology to personalize
learning for all students.
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Self Assessment
Self-Assessment Factors Infrastructure Has the
district built and maintained a robust system
that supports teacher and student access to
technologies that improve learning for all
students? Instruction and Assessment Does the
district employ technology to raise and
demonstrate student achievement across student
populations?
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Join the Conversation!

• Sign up for the project enewsletter
• www.accessibletech4all.org
• Alert us to best practices linda_at_cosn.org

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About CoSN
Founded in 1992, the Consortium for School
Networking (CoSN), a national nonprofit
organization, is the countrys premier voice in
education technology leadership. Mission To
serve as the national organization for K-12
technology leaders who use technology
strategically to ultimately improve teaching and
learning.
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CoSN Leadership Initiatives

• Taking Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) to the
  Classroomwww.classroomtco.org
• Helping School Leaders Budget More Accurately for
  Education Technology
• 3D Vision to Know Do
• www,3d2know.org
• Enabling Educators to Think Strategically about
  the Use of Data Driven Decision-Making
• Cyber Security for the Digital District
• www.securedistrict.org
• Ensuring Security of School Networks
• Safeguarding the Wired Schoolhouse
• www.safewiredschools.org
• Resources to Help School Administrators
  Understand Internet Safety Strategies

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Special Thanks to

• Project Sponsors

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Consortium for School Networking
www.cosn.org1710 Rhode Island Avenue NWSuite
900Washington, DC 20036-3007