ATSTAR online training for AT assessment
As Sharon and Kelly mentioned in an earlier blog posting, we attended some interesting sessions at this year's Closing the Gap conference in Minneapolis. One of the sessions was on ATSTAR, an online curriculum for professionals (like most of us tuning into this blog). The idea behind the ATSTAR program is that we learn how to do what we need to do as supporters of AT use in classrooms.
Interested? Check out what they have to say for themselves, then visit the website:
ATSTAR is an acronym for Assistive Technology: Strategies, Tools, Accommodations and Resources.
Our vision is an inclusive educational system in which each student has access to the technology he or she may need to succeed, to learn, and to meet educational goals. We envision teams in schools across the nation – teams of teachers, administrators, educational specialists and parents – that know how to implement technology as an integral part of the educational process. The ATSTAR process is a 6-step model of assistive technology assessment.
This online curriculum improves educational outcomes for students with disabilities by helping teachers learn to use assistive technology in the classroom. Our core program is a series of online teacher training modules with supporting CD-based videos. The course is revolutionary in that it brings assistive technology expertise directly into the school and into the classrooms of individual students. ATSTAR prepares instructional staff at the school level to conduct assessments, collect data, and integrate assistive technology into the educational process. The program provides a network of ongoing support as educators learn to use technology to include students with disabilities in classroom learning activities.