Multi-disciplinary sessions appeal to students’ creativity, are relevant to their everyday lives, and help them acquire important skills. These therapies are often used independently to treat individuals on the autism spectrum. In “Art, Music & Recreational Therapy: Incorporating Creative Approaches for Students with Autism,” experts presented on how these types of therapies are used to support individuals with autism by focusing on specific needs of younger and older students and targeting a variety of goals.
As education innovation advances, so does the frustration of all parties involved in K-12 purchasing due to out-of-date processes, poor communication, and difficulties identifying new opportunities. In “The K-12 Purchasing Renaissance,” presented by Nicole Neal, CEO, Noodle Markets, and hosted by Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO, edWeb.net, Nicole talked about K-12 purchasing, why it matters, and how the purchasing process can be improved.
More than 10 million American students struggle to read, but only 2.3 million are identified and even fewer receive special help; schools must provide support for struggling students by creating a culture of reading. In “45 Ways to Support Struggling Readers: A School-Wide Approach,” hosted by edWeb.net and sponsored by Learning Ally, Terrie Noland, Learning Ally National Director, Educator Engagement; and Kristy Mathieu, Kiker Elementary, Austin, TX, presented tips for how schools can support struggling readers.
School leaders can use online networks and communities for their own personal professional learning, and to support collaboration with staff across schools and districts. In “How Online Learning Communities Help Principals Collaborate and Succeed,” Shannon Holden, Assistant Principal, Republic Middle School, MO, presented on the unique possibilities that online collaboration offers for personal professional learning and within schools, and how school leaders can use edWeb.net for online collaboration with staff.
Communicating can be a challenge for certain individuals with autism. In “Communication Innovations for Individuals with Autism,” Howard C. Shane, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Center for Communication Enhancement and the Autism Language Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, discussed different types of communication displays, explained the Visual Immersion System™ (VIS), and talked about repurposing consumer products to provide Just In Time Communication to individuals with autism.
It is important to define and address literacy problems to ensure that struggling students learn and improve. In “Teaching Students with Literacy Problems—Including Dyslexia,” hosted by edWeb.net and sponsored by Brookes Publishing, Nickola Wolf Nelson, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Western Michigan University, reviewed techniques educators can use to teach their students with literacy problems.
Change is inevitable, and while it’s important to design lessons with an end result in mind, it’s difficult to prepare students for a future that doesn’t exist yet. In the recent edWebinar, “The Future Ready Challenge: Improve Student Outcomes in 18 Weeks,” hosted by edWeb.net, Dr. L. Robert Furman, Elementary Principal and author of The Future Ready Challenge, discussed tips to help educators prepare students for an unknown future.
edWeb is so excited to congratulate Michelle Luhtala, department chair at New Canaan High School Library in Connecticut, for being selected as a 2017 AASL Social Media Superstars winner! AASL’s Social Media Superstars program honors school library professionals who enrich the profession and its work on behalf of students by sharing information, expertise, ideas, encouragement, dialog and inspiration using a variety of social media channels.
Michele Borba, Ed.D., Educational Psychologist, author, and expert in bullying prevention and character development, was interviewed on Education Talk Radio for edWeb.net’s monthly show by Program Host Larry Jacobs along with Lisa Schmucki, edWeb founder, and Judy Galbraith, President and founder of Free Spirit Publishing. Michele, Judy, Larry, and Lisa discussed cultivating empathy and preventing bullying.
Ineffective professional development wastes teacher time, district resources, and most importantly, affects student results. In “Teachers’ Skills in the Digital Age and Personalized PD for Teachers,” hosted by edWeb.net and sponsored by 2gnō.me, Lynn Gershman, Educator at, 2gnō.me, explored issues in PD and the importance of personalizing PD for teachers.