A new report on assistive technology and universal design for learning…
Last week I attended one of my favorite national conferences, the annual National Technology Innovators Conference in Washington, DC. Many wonderful presentations, national speakers, and thought provoking discussions. The opening drew from a recent NCTI Issue brief that was shared in draft format and just released, http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/2009/11/16/rpt-innovation-for-assistive-technology/. Exciting to see that universal design for learning is one of the five top trends noted in this report!
I always look forward to this conference and know that I will leave with information about future trends and emerging innovations. This was certainly no different than previous years. I was excited to hear that social media continues to be a force we must contend with and find ways to use for leveraging information. As a tool used often by students, social media offers freely available tools that can be used to collect and share best practices in learning technologies.
The promise of technology for the future in education was also underscored in the messages delivered by newly appointed national education technology director, Karen Cator. Her mention of the importance of access and reaching all students were especially important to this attendee. I’m excited that Dr. David Rose will be offering wisdom to the shaping of the Education Technology Plan and the importance of considering evidence based practices such as universal design for learning. Ms. Cator closed with a request asking for stories and examples that they can review as they draft this future plan. Consider sharing at https://edtechfuture.org/ Share your story!
Tags: Assistive Technology, Learning, Technology, universal design for learning