Embracing Technology to Empower Students with Special Needs

(Grades K-12) / Flex Course

PDI Course Number: 140T02 / UCSD Course Number: EDUC42374

Course Description

Do you have students with diverse learning needs and disabilities? Are you looking for ways to use technology to empower your special needs students? This online course begins with a discussion on the critical role technology plays in special education and how teachers must break the cycle of inaccessibility students with special needs face. Differentiated instruction and Universal Design for Learning are explored as teaching strategies for meeting the various needs of students. Teachers will learn about digital accessibility and be provided with many practical strategies for creating accessible learning materials. From there, teachers are provided with various technology tools that can be used to support students with challenges in verbal expression, communication, written expression, reading comprehension, math, and executive function. Teachers will also learn how to create a sensory-friendly environment for students with sensory processing disorder as well as learn about strategies and tools for teaching social-emotional learning to students with special needs. Finally, teachers are provided with tips for keeping students safe online and tools for promoting digital citizenship. By the end of the course, teachers will have a deep understanding of how to create accessible classroom content and become more familiar with technology tools to empower students with special needs. This course is worth 3 ⅓ semester units/5 quarter units (50 hours of training) from University of California San Diego (UCSD) Division of Extended Studies. For detailed information on university credit, click here.

"I received a lot of useful content through the readings and practicing with the apps and websites presented. I am now using Wakelet, Edpuzzle, and have improved my instructional strategies with these resources." - Dianna DeCaro