General Course Information

Title: NHAT Connect

Audience:  All K-12 Education Professionals (District teams of 2-3 members)

Dates: 

22/23 Cohort: October 2022 – May 2023

Twitter#: #NHATConnect

Attendance Commitment

Participants who fully participate in course sessions and complete course requirements will receive Contact Hours/PDPs at the END of the year. 

100% attendance is expected

Learning Activities

Connected Educator – Building your PLN

Tool explorations and Creations

QIAT Assessment of District Including AEM Process & Procedures  

Using SETT forms for the AT Consideration and Evaluation

Webinar Explorations

Final Project

Course Description

Educators are required to consider Assistive Technology for every IEP or 504 Plan, but do they have the knowledge and resources to effectively do so?  In this new era of remote teaching and learning, it is even more essential that today’s educators have the confidence and competence to leverage the power of technology to include and engage all students online or in person.  This course will provide Educators with an understanding of best practices in the fields of Assistive Technology (AT) and connections to Universal Design for Learning (UDL), as well as practical knowledge of the provision of Accessible Instructional Materials (AIM/AEM). Working collaboratively through hands-on activities, participants will learn, explore, create, apply, share and reflect on the power of available technologies and resources to enable all students, especially those with disabilities, to access the curriculum and improve their learning.  Tools for considering and assessing an individual’s need for AT will be explored as will district-wide processes for AT. Throughout the learning experience, participants will develop applicable skills that will impact the delivery of learning opportunities in their district / organization. 

Your course instructors will coach you through this engaging, interactive blended course that will include live training, synchronous and asynchronous online learning opportunities as well as the use of social media and online tools for ongoing collaboration and support (#NHATConnect). The course is designed to support educators over time as they are actively applying the skills, tools, and strategies learned.  Have fun while building your expertise to deliver inclusive educational experiences that engage ALL learners, and join us in spreading the word about Assistive Technology (AT).

Goals/Objectives

  1. Provide a systematic infrastructure in order to build state and local capacity to improve educational results for students with disabilities across New Hampshire through the use of Assistive Technology.
  2. Provide technical assistance of a specialized nature to the Department so that districts may effectively and efficiently identify, clarify and address responsibilities under State and federal special education laws. 
  3. Expose New Hampshire educators to a hybrid learning experience that utilizes a research based system of quality indicators to promote effective, efficient Assistive Technology services for students with significant disabilities. (Quality Indicators for AT Consideration; Assessment; Inclusion in IEP; Implementation; Evaluation of Effectiveness; Transition; Professional Development and Training; and, Administrative Support).
  4. Promote infrastructure development, compliance and implementation with fidelity of evidence based practices, through the five phases of implementation science (Exploration, Preparation, Integration, Scale and Optimization) in order to improve results for all students, including students with significant disabilities, who need Assistive Technology devices and services in order to be successful. 
  5. Develop an Assistive Technology training series focused on supporting families and the implementation of assistive technology based on the Dual Capacity Framework.  
  6. Understand State and Federal laws pertaining to Assistive Technology, including considering and evaluating the need for AT devices and services, legal obligations for ensuring access to the general curriculum, and providing accessible educational materials as defined by IDEA, Sections 504 and 508; Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2, Level AA (WCAG2.0AA) and both the National Education Technology Plan of 2010 and the 2017 update (released January 2017); Education Technology Developer’s Guide of 2015
  7. For educators and other stakeholders, demonstrate a practical understanding of AT, UDL and their respective Frameworks, Guidelines and Resources including: SETT Framework, QIAT Indicators, AT in the IEP, UDL Lesson-Builder, including Tools & Strategies for evaluation of the needs of students with significant disabilities.
  8. Demonstrate ability to access, create and use the Accessible Educational Materials services provided privately and through state and federal funding for students with print-based disabilities including: NIMAS, Library, Bookshare, Learning Ally, Open Education Resources (OER), Accessible Book Collection, AEM Center, captioning tools, image descriptions, document formatting, audio files etc. 
  9. Develop plans for next steps in the implementation of Assistive Technology in the classroom/school/district, including Student Assessment, Technology Implementation, Identification of available resources, plans for Professional Development and ongoing Dissemination of Information. 

Course Philosophy

We believe that adult learners learn best through meaningful hands-on activities and collegial sharing of information in a safe and supportive environment.  Information will be delivered to participants through: explicit instruction, hands-on activities, collaborative projects, multimedia and print-based tutorials, interactive videos, models and examples, live and online discussions, twitter chats, active use of online resources for ongoing sharing and discussion throughout the length of the course and beyond. 

Expanding the Professional Learning Network between Institutes and beyond: 

It takes a collaborative effort to successfully implement AT & UDL & AEM initiatives.  The support network needs to expand beyond the four walls of a building to be successful in keeping up with the constant advances in the field. Cross-sharing of resources and online discussions will be encouraged between the two institute groups of participants to expand the AT

Professional Learning Community. Participants will also be introduced to the larger national and international AT & UDL communities through participation in the following existing networks: QIAT listserv, UDLExchange, UDL-IRN, #ATCHAT #UDLCHAT, #EDTech, #inclusiveLN, EdtechTeacher, and others. Participants will be encouraged to find their own online support resources specific to their needs.

Resources and Readings

In this course, we will use online course management tools that are common in K-12 and FREE.  Possible Online sites/resources for class sharing:  Google Classroom, Twitter, Facebook, Wakelet, Zoom, answergarden.ch, Padlet, etc.  All course materials will be made available online. 

Readings along with Videos, websites, and  slideshows posted on course site: