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Principles of Technology Integration Plan

Every student deserves to receive a free and appropriate education regardless of their needs, abilities, disabilities, strengths, weaknesses etc. There are a great deal of aspects involved in regards to the "inclusion" of students with disabilities. Firstly, teachers and involved staff personnel need to have positive attitudes and beliefs regarding each and every student. It is imperative that the staff involved are not only committed to serving their students in the most appropriate way, but also that they are open to a collaborative environment where ideas can be discussed and thoroughly managed. Parental involvement and support of goals and objectives for their child is also a really important aspect in regards to his or her success in an inclusion classroom.

It is also critical for services, including speech, physical therpay, occupational therapy, mental health, etc., to be readily available to those students that require it. Physcial access within the classroom as well as any included areas within the school is also important in manintaining an environment that is conducive to the learning process. Having the proper technology including assistive tech, playground facilities, and learning devices also help to create a learning environment that benefits a wide variety of students.

School support is also very important when including students for several reasons. Firstly it is important that the principal know and understand the needs of the students with special needs so that they are there to support the classroom staff in any way they need. Having enough staff is also important because most children with disabilities require frequent feedback, 1:1 assistance, and varied instruction which can only occur if there is an adequate number of staff available. That staff should also be properly trained and informed of all the needs and difficulties of the students entering their classroom. This is to ensure that the most appropriate instruction and behavior managagment programs are being utilized. In addition, it is also important for staff to properly monitor and track each individual student's progress, which each teacher, TA, related service, and principal should be on the same page about.

Collaboration is also incredibly important among general and special educators. Being a special educator in a private special education school, I know how imperative it is to be on the same page with all of the staff involved. Every week, our team (speech, behavioral specialist, mental health, OT, TA, psychiatrist, etc.) meets to discuss concerns, problems, progress, etc. of each student in my classroom. I can't imagine not doing this every week. Team allows all of us a set aside time to discuss ideas, strategies, plans of action, etc. for students who are struggling in academics or behvaiorally. This is our time to problem solve and plan for programing, which is essential to a successful learning environment. Collaboration is also incredibly important within the general education setting as to ensure these same principles.

Finally, instructional method is probably the area that has the most affect on the students. Making sure that teachers have the proper tools, knowledge, and skills, select and adapt curricula and instructional methods according to individual student needs is critical. Each student is unique in their abilities, strengths, needs, and difficulties. If teachers do not adapt to each student, then the likelihood of that student being successfull is quite small. There are many different ways to impart information onto students including team teaching, co-teaching, small group instruction, and peer-tutoring. Some of these may work for most students or not, a teacher won;t know until he or she tries it. Fostering cooperative learning while incorporating a variety of learning styles and multiple intellgience can truly make a huge difference in a child's understanding of information and material.