NBHS Project MEET: SPED Professional Development

MEET Content Specialist-Andrea Moniz

MEET TPD- Cindi Tougas

CLASP (http://www.massnetworks.org/clasp/about.html) The Curriculum Library Alignment and Sharing Project is working to provide a database* of lessons aligned to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. There is also a software program available through CLASP for lesson planning.

TrackStar (http://trackstar.hprtec.org/)

A simple to use tool for creating online lessons such as scavenger hunts. You provide the Web sites and some "fact finding" or guiding questions and your lesson is near complete.

Marco Polo (http://marcopolo.worldcom.com)-A database* of quality lessons for teachers. Emphasis is on quality not quantity.

VES (http://www.ves.ws/portal.html) This is a free set of interactive tools and resources. The Massachusetts Department of Education is promoting the use of VES by educators as a productivity and communication tool. One of the more helpful components of VES is the Virtual Hard Drive. Basically the Virtual Hard Drive gives you your own online storage space for documents and files. Currently each VES user has 50 MB of storage space.

GEM (The Gateway to Educational Material) (http://www.thegateway.org/)-Another site providing resources for educators. This may or may not have information on your particular topic.

Quia (http://www.quia.com)- Create your own online activities to supplement your lessons. Great for vocabulary re-enforcement. (No longer a free service!)

RubiStar (http://rubistar.4teachers.org/)Online tool for creating general rubrics for a variety of topics.

Teacher Web (http://www.teacherweb.com) An online tool for teachers who want to create their own basic Web pages. Limited choices, but E-A-S-Y!

Babel Fish (http://world.altavista.com) A free online translation tool can be helpful in making content more accessible to students whose first language is not English. The downside is that the translation is a word for word translation.

Universal Design

CAST -Provides resources for understanding Universal Design

ReadPlease-A free downloadable program that provides text-to-speech.

Massachusetts DOE

DOE Tech-DOE's site regarding technology in education for the commonwealth.

Massachusetts K12 Instructional Technology Stds.-NEW standards that are expected to be implemented by teachers in grades K-12. Teachers are expected to assist students in acquiring these technology competencies.

Teacher Technology Links

www4teachers.org -Excellent tech resources for teachers

Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - One of the original "Gurus" in technology integration.

Teach-nology -Don't miss the "Rubric Generators"

EdHelper- A large collection of lesson ideas

The WebQuest Page-The definitive WebQuest Resource

Education-World - Terrific articles and resources on a variety of educational topics.

Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners in a Digital World
SPED Department Professional Development
Project MEET
MEET Content Specialist-Andrea Moniz MEET TPD- Cindi Tougas March 2002
Searching Basic Searching Techniques Using Search Engine Math Use a (+) or a (-) sign whenever you use more than one keyword. architecture +american architecture +american -victorian A plus sign is attached directly (no spaces) to the word or phrase you want to include in your search. A minus sign is attached directly (no spaces) to the word or phrase you want to exclude in your search.
Quotations When searching for topics with words that must be kept in an exact order, such as a phrase, or a name made up of two separate words you should use quotation marks. Examples: "white house" shakespeare +"midsummer night's dream"
For further assistance on searching: Searching the Web http://www.newbedford.k12.ma.us/srhigh/tougas/techbits/searchweb.htm
Best Practices
Aligned to the Curriculum Frameworks Active ("Hands-On", Interactive, Kinesthetic Learners) Collaborative (Grouping) Constructive (Applying new knowledge) Reflective (Good way to assess individual knowledge with collaborative learning.) Accessible Content to All Students (Universal Design)
Sample Spotlight Lesson Hunt For Family-Created by Andrea Moniz

Links
Week One
CLASP (http://www.massnetworks.org/clasp/about.html) The Curriculum Library Alignment and Sharing Project is working to provide a database* of lessons aligned to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. There is also a software program available through CLASP for lesson planning. TrackStar (http://trackstar.hprtec.org/) A simple to use tool for creating online lessons such as scavenger hunts. You provide the Web sites and some "fact finding" or guiding questions and your lesson is near complete.	Filamentality (http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/) This tool allows you to create a variety of lesson formats. A whole spectrum of online formats from a very basic "Hotlist" to a more involved "WebQuest" are available to you for lesson plan creation depending on your instructional objectives.
Week Two
Marco Polo (http://marcopolo.worldcom.com)-A database* of quality lessons for teachers. Emphasis is on quality not quantity. VES (http://www.ves.ws/portal.html) This is a free set of interactive tools and resources. The Massachusetts Department of Education is promoting the use of VES by educators as a productivity and communication tool. One of the more helpful components of VES is the Virtual Hard Drive. Basically the Virtual Hard Drive gives you your own online storage space for documents and files. Currently each VES user has 50 MB of storage space. GEM (The Gateway to Educational Material) (http://www.thegateway.org/)-Another site providing resources for educators. This may or may not have information on your particular topic. Quia (http://www.quia.com)- Create your own online activities to supplement your lessons. Great for vocabulary re-enforcement. (No longer a free service!) RubiStar (http://rubistar.4teachers.org/)Online tool for creating general rubrics for a variety of topics. Teacher Web (http://www.teacherweb.com) An online tool for teachers who want to create their own basic Web pages. Limited choices, but E-A-S-Y! Babel Fish (http://world.altavista.com) A free online translation tool can be helpful in making content more accessible to students whose first language is not English. The downside is that the translation is a word for word translation. *Database- A searchable collection!
Additional Links
Adobe Free Acrobat Reader for PDF files Universal Design CAST -Provides resources for understanding Universal Design ReadPlease-A free downloadable program that provides text-to-speech. Massachusetts DOE DOE Tech-DOE's site regarding technology in education for the commonwealth. Massachusetts K12 Instructional Technology Stds.-NEW standards that are expected to be implemented by teachers in grades K-12. Teachers are expected to assist students in acquiring these technology competencies.		Teacher Technology Links www4teachers.org -Excellent tech resources for teachers Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - One of the original "Gurus" in technology integration. Teach-nology -Don't miss the "Rubric Generators" EdHelper- A large collection of lesson ideas The WebQuest Page-The definitive WebQuest Resource -Cindi T.'s WebQuest Collection Education-World - Terrific articles and resources on a variety of educational topics.
Special Education Resources
The U.S. Dept. of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services National Center to Improve Practice in Special Education Federal Resource Center for Special Education University of Virginia Curry School of Education's Internet SPED Legal Resources		ADD/ADHD Resources LD Online Special Education Resources for K12 Success For All Students With Technology-(Part of a course assignmnent, but it makes some excellent points!) How To Plan For Differentiated Instruction

Created for New Bedford High School Project MEET Dissemination Activities 3/02 New Bedford High School Project MEET