Rachel's+Page

Cited.org Self-assessment:

Overall I'm a developing tech. I selected "managing IEPs" and "communication with parents" as my top priorities for improvement. In reviewing the cited.org resources linked to the areas, I selected the following resources in order to improve my skills in these target areas.

1. __Managing IEPS:__
 * [|Behavior chart generator] : This is a free tool to assist in the creation of behavioral datasheets. I currently spend a great deal of time creating behavioral datasheets. I would like to try to use this program in order to create consistency and to work more efficiently.
 * [|Online grade book] : I am interested in experimenting with an online grade book as I have never tried this. In the world of severe special education, I feel that this could help me to remember to collect data on all student objectives.

2. __Communication with Parents:__
 * [|Online calendar] - This is a free online calendar to help manage classroom assignments and activities. I would like to start using a tool like this (or even my google calendar which I currently never use) to streamline my organization and scheduling. This could also provide a means of communication to parents as I could share certain calendars with them.
 * [|Case study on technology implementaion] - Great article profiling a school that has successfully used technology to increase communication between teacher, parents, students... I would like to immediately implement some of these strategies, especially those that increase communication between home and school.

3. Additionally resources that I found interesting:
 * [|Online floor plan tool]
 * [|Managing technology article]
 * [|Note creator]
 * [|Lesson plan tool]
 * [|Newsletter tool]

For our web 2.0 project, I've created a wiki for my classroom that focuses on managing IEPs. In the future I hope to also use this wiki to increase communication with parents by giving parents access to their student's information. Please visit my wiki:

Rachel's Class Wiki

Due to confidentiality, the parts of the wiki may be private after I share it at class.

I've elected to make this wiki as a way to manage all students IEP objectives and goals. As my students work with different staff in different environments throughout the day, we sometimes find it difficult to find consistency. By having a place to record where and when to work on specific objectives, as well as online tools to target the objectives, staff can more reliably and consistently target all IEP objectives. Additionally, this can serve as a platform to store documentation on the student that all staff and parents require access to (such as a behavior management plan).

This wiki serves the dual purpose of also increasing communication with parents. By allowing parents to access their student's information, they can see what the child is working on at school. Often times the parents want "homework" for their child, and this is a great place to start. Parents and staff alike can also post questions or ideas to the wiki discussion.

Finally, the wiki will provide a place to find additional resources and training material. This will include access to tutorials, training videos, and helpful articles/websites.