What are Executive Functions?

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Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D, director of professional services at the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), offers a description of executive functions that reflects the views of many experts: “Executive functioning involves activating, orchestrating, monitoring, evaluating, and adapting different strategies to accomplish different tasks…. It requires the ability to analyze situations, plan and take action, focus and maintain attention, and adjust actions as needed to get the job done.”

Executive functions are like being an air traffic controller who has to work with information, focus on thinking, filter distractions and switch gears in order to manage the arrival and departures of multiple planes on multiple runways at an international airport.   Children are not born with executive function but are born with the ability to develop this skill. Executive functions impact the following areas:

  • School Achievement by helping students remember and follow multi-step instructions, avoid distractions and adjust when new information is presented and problem solve.
  • Behavior by developing leadership, working on a team, decision-making, and empathy for others.
  • Good Health by helping students make positive choices about peer pressure, use of drugs, exercise and even food choices.
  • Work by increasing potential for economic success due to better organizational skills and ability to solve problems.

Executive function skills begin to develop shortly after birth and exhibit dramatic growth during the ages of 3-5 years. Executive functioning requires working memory, mental flexibility and self-control coupled with self-regulation.

How does a parent or teacher begin to develop this complex group of skills?   Young children begin by developing strong relationships at home and then school.  It is the job of parent and teacher to protect young children from chaos, violence and environmental stressors so that the brain is available to develop.  Parents and teachers should also foster social connections for the young child.  The young child should be challenged but not frustrated by complex skills.

A child’s executive functioning skills continue to develop throughout early adulthood.  The development of executive functions begins with children building positive relationships with adults in their various environments. It is never too soon to begin working on these skills.

For more information on Executive Functioning in young children:

www.developingchild.harvard.edu

Executive Function in the Classroom by Christopher Kaufman

 

Rebecca Blanton has been an educator for 32 years and served as the Principal of Coralwood School, the inclusion preschool in DeKalb County, Georgia from 2004 to 2012. 

 

Should I Send My Child to Preschool?

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Early education of the child is as crucial as any other stage. In the early years, all future education is illuminated for the child. 

                            Maria Montessori

 

 

There is a fair amount of controversy today about the benefits of day care and preschool. Should parents enroll their child in day care or preschool?  Is the child better off at home until kindergarten? Or should a parent consider preschool so that the child learns how to socialize and develop a foundation for learning? 

The questions and answers are complicated. Based on recent brain research, we know young children learn best when they learn from someone with whom they are intimately attached. The brain of a young child needs bonding and attachment to fully grow and learn.

When the option is to keep a child home or send them to a daycare or preschool with poorly trained personnel, then keeping the child at home is the right answer.  If parents find a preschool or day care with trained and well supervised teachers of passion and wisdom, then the child is generally going to experience developmental growth than if they spent the first five years of life in the presence of one caregiver who is not trained on brain development or child development.  Children need to be in environments that are stimulating to foster brain development and pre-academic skills.

You may be thinking “But I am an educated parent and will be able to provide many learning opportunities for my child.”  This point is well taken, but if your education is in business, finance, art, music, engineering or any number of other fields, you will be playing catch up on normal child development and pre-literacy and pre-math skills and development.   The best solution for any preschooler is a quality preschool coupled with parents who provide enriching learning opportunities outside the classroom, such as trips to the zoo, museums, cooking, attending music or dance classes, playing games and enjoying play dates with friends.

Research indicates quality preschool education can increase brain development.  With the pushing down of first grade curriculum to kindergarten, most teachers can identify students who have not attended preschool.  Social and academic expectations are much higher now than when the parents grew up.

When touring a preschool or day care look for the following:

  • Are the students happy?
  • Are the students engaged in meaningful play or just roaming the room?
  • Are the teachers interacting with the students or seated at a desk looking at a computer or completing paperwork?
  • Is the room inviting?
  • Are the teachers positive with the students?
  • Is the classroom organized into areas for play or learning?
  • Look at the teacher-student ratio.

 

Rebecca Blanton has been an educator for 32 years and served as the Principal of Coralwood School, the inclusion preschool in DeKalb County, Georgia from 2004 to 2012. 

Let Boys Be Boys: Meeting Their Instructional Needs

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Have you noticed the differences between boys and girls at the preschool level?

  • Boys occupy larger space on the playground than girls.
  • Girls express emotions through words; boys express emotion through action.
  • Boys are interested in objects and things; girls are interested in people and relationships.
  • Girls’ games involve turn taking and indirect competition while boys’ games involve bodily contact.

There are many more differences between boys and girls as most parents or teachers could enumerate.  This raises an important question:  why are boys being over identified as having disabilities or being medicated more frequently than girls? 

Unfortunately for boys, the teaching profession is a female dominant profession.  Most teachers are not trained in gender differences in learning and behavior.  I recently asked an Early Childhood college professor who teaches in a much respected program if any focus on the differences between the genders is incorporated into the curriculum. Her somewhat sheepish response was “no.”

Exemplary teachers differentiate instruction for all students including boys. What should a parent do if their son’s teacher son is untrained or is uninformed and has the same expectations for boys and girls?

 

 

Parent Tips:

  • Provide your teacher and the principal with research on gender differences.
  • Insist on teacher training or professional learning on gender differences.
  • Become a volunteer at the school and stay in contact with teacher.
  • Ask for parent training on developmental differences between the genders.
  • Be an advocate for your son.
  • Boys need parents and teachers to be “on the same team” more than ever before in our global society.

Teacher Tips:

  • Include plenty of movement or active play during the day.
  • Boys need to be physically engaged in building or constructing projects.  Remember– girls draw and boys build.
  • Capitalize on boys’ need for competition.  Have contests for cleaning up or building the tallest structure with blocks.

Boys do not need medication to learn; rather, they need a school day designed to meet their innate need for movement.  Boys are not “defective” girls.  Do not expect them to behave in the same way as girls.  Embrace their need for active engagement.

For more information on boys:

http://www.theboysinitiative.org/

Boys and Girls Learn Differently: A guide for Teachers and Parents    Michael Gurian

Rebecca Blanton has been an educator for over 30 years and is the proud parent of an adult son and the world’s most perfect grandson.

Boys Will Be Boys

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Boys are turning off and checking out of education beginning at very early ages.  This is not just an American phenomenon—it is a global issue.  Consider the following statistics:

For every 100 girls:

  • 250 boys are suspended from public schools
  • 335 boys are expelled
  • 217 boys are diagnosed with a disability
  • 324 boys are diagnosed with emotional disturbance
  • 189 boys are diagnosed with multiple disabilities

There is debate among the experts as to whether gender differences are a result of the environment or whether the behavior is embedded in brain development from birth.  The amount of research in this area has really exploded in the last 10 years.

Dr. Judith Kleinfield, Director of The Boys Project, stated: “Boys are in trouble not only boys of color, not only boys of poverty, but boys themselves”.  Boys also receive the majority of D’s and F’s in school.  Where once boys exceeded girls over the long run, they now compose the vast majority of high school drop outs and this affects the number of male college applicants and graduates.

Teachers are the primary adults to first suggest Attention Deficit Disorder not necessarily by name but by symptoms—can’t sit still, day dreams, does not follow directions and the list goes on.  If a boy lives in the United States, then he is three times more likely to be prescribed drugs to control his behaviors than in European countries.

Recent research negates the long held notion that boys and girls learn the same way due to the differences in boys and girls.  There are differences noted in the brains and development of boys and girls and how they process information.  There is more at stake here than the old question of “nature vs. nurture.”  Richard Whitmire in his book Why Boys Fail summed it up best by saying “The world has gotten more verbal; boys haven’t.”

Preschoolers today are confronted with challenges first graders faced twenty years ago. Boys prefer movement. This desire to seek out movement remains a constant during the preschool years and beyond.

Creating boy friendly classrooms is a matter of thinking about their strengths and incorporating activities that capitalize on those strengths.  Teachers need to find ways to engage boys by having them do activities in lessons that address their natural desire to move.  Boys require differentiated instruction to address their varied learning styles.

If you are the parent of a boy, begin to educate yourself by reading more on the topic:

  • Why Boys Fail                          Richard Whitmire
  • Why Gender Matters              Leonard Sax
  • Boys Adrift                              Leonard Sax
  • The Minds of Boys                  Gurian/Stevens

 

Rebecca Blanton has been an educator for 32 years and the Principal of Coralwood School in DeKalb County, Georgia since 2004.

Life is Like a Chocolate Covered Pretzel

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Like each of you, I wear many hats.  Lawyer, Advocate, School Foundation President, School Council Member, Room Parent, Chauffeur, Chief Cook and Dishwasher.  My favorite job is being the mother of three fabulous children:  a 17 year old daughter who is a senior in high school and ready to launch, or to launch me, whichever comes first; a 15 year old son who has a genius math and science brain that is clearly generation skipping; and a 12 year old daughter who could charm even the Grinch out of anything her little heart desired.

My oldest daughter is starting a new “Diffabilities Club” at her high school to support and foster inclusion.  As an enticement to join her club, she baked two pans of brownies to take to the Club Fair. 

Original Palmer House Brownies

Original Palmer House Brownies

These are no ordinary brownies.  These are to die for.  She uses the original Palmer House Brownie Recipe which was the trademark dessert from Chicago’s 1893 Columbian Exposition and includes a sinfully delicious apricot glaze.  Needless to say, this project took several hours to complete.

 

I had a late meeting, but arrived home in time to read and snuggle with my youngest.  When I walked in, something was crunchy under my feet.  I laid my purse on the counter and felt grit.  Table salt had been spilled everywhere! 

Then I saw the brownie mess—lids off the containers, half eaten brownies ground into the sea grass rug and salt poured onto an entire pan of the precious Palmer House Brownies. 

I looked up and saw my baker, aghast, assessing the damage.  She went postal, chaos ensued and my youngest ran for her life.  Really. **

I wish I could say that this was a freak occurrence in our household, but that would be a lie.  You see, like many of you, my youngest has special needs and requires constant supervision.  This was not, however, the time to remind her older sister of that responsibility.

But I had to laugh at the irony of the situation.  Here my oldest was baking brownies to solicit support for building an inclusive learning community, yet she was outraged with her special needs sister for impulsively ruining the brownies. She was completely oblivious to the obvious. 

Our household is the epitome of an inclusive learning community. Inclusion does not mean life is perfect, but it establishes a clear, foundational principle for the community:  acceptance of everyone for who they are, with gratitude for their unique gifts and tolerance for their areas of challenge. 

Yes, sometimes you get salty brownies.  Sometimes other family member’s “areas of challenge” put you over the edge.  Life goes on.  99% of the time we relish the combination of salty and sweet that results from living with a special needs child and each other.  We love chocolate covered pretzels which combine the same flavors as salty brownies, they are just more appetizing and somehow acceptable in our little inclusive world.  So, now that a few days have passed since the Great Brownie Debacle, life with Mary Clara is like a chocolate covered pretzel (or salty brownies, if you are desperate)– pretty darn yummy.

 

Janet Haury is the parent of a special needs child, a disabilities rights activist, a special education attorney and a chocoholic. 

**Editorial comment:  I am the 17 year old daughter.  My mother grossly exaggerated my response.  Actually, I rolled my eyes, muttered under my breath, and scraped brownie out of the kitchen rug without complaint.  That is my story and I’m sticking to it.

Parent Participation in IEP Meetings: Channel Your Inner “Columbo”

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Do you remember the 70′s detective series “Columbo”?  Columbo was a genius–a questioning, curiously odd fellow who clearly was originally trained as a special education parent advocate. 

“Really?” you ask. Yes, beneath his rumpled overcoat and humble exterior, Columbo was brilliantly astute and knew just the right questions to ask—and his timing was impeccable.  He was never offensive or rude, merely persistent in the face of arrogant and dismissive killers. 

So channel your inner Columbo, and imagine that the school district proposes to eliminate your child’s full-time aide.  Here is your strategy—ask meaningful questions to get information to adequately assess the proposal:

Why?  Why do you think my daughter no longer needs her full time aide?

How much? How much paraprofessional support is my son getting during each class period, during specials or connections, during lunch and recess and during transitions?

Why not?  Why not train the paraprofessional to perform this job correctly as programmatic personnel support if my daughter is “para” dependent instead of removing critical support from my child?

How much? How much training has the paraprofessional received regarding my son’s disabilities, IEP program, health concerns, behavioral plan and interventions, and academic programming, including AT support?

Who?  Who will help my daughter transition between the resource and general education classes?   Who will supervise her computer work?  Who will help her organize and pack up to go home, ensuring she has all assignments and materials?

Who? Who will make sure my son is hydrated and eats frequently as mandated by his medical plan?  Who will assist him with toileting and feeding?  Who will ensure that he gets to the school nurse in time for his medication?

Who? Who will help my daughter learn how to play the bells or trumpet or flute? Who will assist her on the playground or with adaptive PE goals?  Who will facilitate social interaction at the lunch table?

Who? Who will keep the data on all of these critical issues?

What?  What data supports fading or removing paraprofessional support for my daughter?

When? When was the data taken? What time of day was this data taken? By whom?

Who? Who analyzed the data and concluded that my son no longer needs his aide to make meaningful progress in his goals and to remain medically safe? 

How?  How does this recommendation allow my daughter’s medical plan to be implemented in accordance with doctor’s orders under the health plan, certification of medical impairment or medical information form on file as part of her OHI eligibility?

When?  When will the teacher have time to assist my son in staying on task, completing assignments, navigating the software on the laptop, and facilitating social interaction with his typical peers? 

Where?  Where is the updated observational data or evaluation that supports your proposal that removing supportive aids and services will help my daughter make adequate progress? 

Who?  Who observed my child? In what setting? For how long?

What?  What other options are available to assess the current arrangement before we change personnel?  May I observe?  May my professionals observe?

When?  When can I arrange observations by myself and our treating professionals?  What does the school handbook or Board of Education policy say about observations?

Why not?  Why are you not allowing me or my professionals to observe?  Why are we not allowed to observe for the same time and in the same settings as school district personnel?

Who else?  Who else might work successfully with my child in the classroom to assist him if this paraprofessional is not working out well?  Is there a male paraprofessional who might be more physically able to assist with transfers and positioning?

 

Then, use Columbo’s catchphrase, “Just one more thing.”

 

 

 

Why not?  Why not take data over the next grading period on my son’s behavior and all areas of assistance the paraprofessional provides so we really understand the scope of the paraprofessional’s involvement and actual support provided?  Why not then come back to the table and discuss the matter if we really see “para dependence” by my son?

Remember, the strategy is to ask questions in order to gather sufficient information to give an informed consent to the school district’s proposal. Without all relevant information, you are unable to fully participate as an equal team member in the IEP meetings which is your clear and undisputed right.

Just one more thing—keep in mind that you should always be polite and respectful to your child’s teachers.  Frankly, it is usually the school district administrators who are trying to cut your child’s services.

 

Janet Haury is the parent of a special needs student, a disabilities rights activist and a special education attorney who loved Sunday Mystery Movie night on TV in the 70s, especially “Columbo”, “McCloud” and “McMillan and Wife.”  Just sayin’.

Class Size: Does One Size Fit All?

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Most states have had policies for years that limit the number of students assigned to public school classrooms.  However, in these lean times, many school districts are facing budget cuts and looking at increasing class size as a way of making ends meet.  According to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), AdvanceED, the accrediting association for public schools, recommends the following caps on class size for Georgia:  Pre-K, 20; Kindergarten, 18, or 20 with aide; 1st -3rd, 21; 4th-6th, 28; 7th-8th, 28; 9th-12th , 35.[1]

School districts should maintain smaller classes where the research shows specific evidence of academic benefit.  These groups include Pre-K through 3rd grade and at risk children.

  • Research shows that students placed in smaller classrooms (13-17 students) perform better than their peers in larger classrooms (22-25 students).[2]
  • Small class size has a larger effect on test scores for minority students and for those from low income families.
  • Attending a small class in the early grades is associated with somewhat higher performance on standardized test, and an increase in the likelihood that students take a college-entrance exam, especially among minority students.
  • Being assigned to a small class appears to have narrowed the black-white gap in college-test taking by 54 percent.[3]
  • Students who were in smaller classes for Kindergarten through 3rd grade were 80% more likely to graduate from high school than their peers in larger classes.
  • Students from low income families who spent three years in  smaller classes in the early grades were 67% more likely to graduate than their peers in larger classes and this likelihood doubled if they spent a fourth year in smaller classes.[4]

Georgia’s current class size policy permits school districts to petition for waivers of Georgia Department of Education (GDOE) class size caps.  Global, across-the-board class size increases ignore the research about the impact on vulnerable student groups, including minorities, low income students and students with disabilities placed in co-taught classes.

Increasing class numbers for classes which include students from these at risk populations must be done cautiously based on performance data and, following such changes, students’ performance data should be monitored closely for any negative impact.

 

Class size on steroids is happening all over the State of Georgia which adversely impacts students with disabilities. For instance, an increase in the number of students in a 750 square foot classroom can overwhelm students with disabilities in a co-taught model, create safety hazards, cause lasting negative behaviors, prevent effective instruction and negate any benefit from the least restrictive environment (LRE).

Currently, there are often 34-36 4th-6th graders in co-taught classes.  Students do not have desks because they literally do not fit in the 750 square foot classrooms ordained by GDOE.  Similarly, there are often 25 Kindergartners in co-taught classes.  I know of one instance where several of the children in such a class are forced to use a sand table as a desk for writing and instruction.

Eight extra children in a classroom over the recommended cap is the absurd reality that teachers and students face each day.  How can teachers effectively provide differentiated instruction so that children learn in this environment?

School districts need to take a closer look at the research before increasing class size. Area superintendents, coordinators, and principals should make these decisions on a case by case basis after visiting classes and getting feedback from teachers about the unique challenges of their classrooms–one size does not fit all.  Parents and administrators need to carefully evaluate performance data to see if class size is interfering with student learning and make required adjustments.

Janet Haury is the parent of a special needs student, a disabilities rights activist and a special education attorney.

 

[1] SREB Policy Brief, March 2012, Smart Class-Size Policies for Lean Times

[2] Tennessee Department of Education, Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio (Project STAR), Finn and Achilles

[3] The Effect of Attending a Small Class in the Early Grades on College-Test Taking and Middle School Test Results: Evidence from Project STAR by Alan Krueger and Diane Whitmore

[4] 2005 analysis of STAR data, Finn and Achilles

 

 

 

 

Saving Special Olympics–Parent Involvement Works!

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We received great news from Boni Powell about DeKalb County Special Olympics. Special Olympics will be coming back strong this year. DeKalb County School System (DCCS) has contracted with Boni to put Special Olympics back together for this year to make the competitions happen. She will be working on the Special Olympics event calendar and organizing the competitions and volunteers. 

With support from DCSS, DeKalb Special Olympics will be offering 10 local events, along with competing in at least 3 Area Events and 2 State Games (summer and winter). There will be a choice of two events for every age group.  Boni said “I know that with the support of parents, teachers and volunteers we can make things happen for all our athletes.”  She will need help at every school to build momentum as the program is starting late due to the budget cuts and the transfer of adaptive PE personnel.

Special Olympics provides special education students with an opportunity to exercise and develop healthy fitness habits. This is a year round training program for athletes with intellectual disabilities and gives them a opportunitity to compete like their typical peers. 

Boni is still unsure who will be training the athletes.  She plans to ask Special Olympics Georgia to set up training for general education PE teachers. The general education PE teachers will need to learn Special Olympics rules and regulations to do the training, along with the assistance of the special education teachers and paraprofessionals. 

Boni  will also be working on putting together the Health Fair on October 30th and 31st at the Decatur First United Methodist Church from 8:30-1:00. We are looking for five parent volunteers to help administer this program.  We need doctors, PAs and nurses to do screenings for all special needs students in the school system so  they can have an ”Application for Participation” form in order to complete. Breakfast and lunch will be provided for all volunteers.

Boni Powell, Special Olympic Coordinator

Boni feels very positive about the future of DeKalb Special Olympics. Her immediate goal is to have a competition for every age group before January. 

Here is a shout out to all parents and teachers who have been emailing and calling the Superintendent, Board of Education members and Special Education administrators voicing concerns about the elimination of Special Olympics in DeKalb.  Your support made a difference. Also, a big thank you to Karen Baron and Kathy Howe for hearing these concerns and reinstating the program.

Don’t forget that there is a fundraiser today for Georgia Special Olympics:  Guns and Hoses in Dunwoody at 11:00 a.m.  See you there.

The First 2000 Days: Early Investment, A Lifetime of Results

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Did you know that there are 2,000 days between the time a baby is born and the first day of kindergarten?  You may be wondering why this is important.  Here is why the first 2000 days of a child’s life matter:

  • High quality early childhood programs increase graduation rates.
  • Every dollar invested in early childhood education produces a 10% per annum return on investment
  • Students in high quality early childhood programs have increased median earning by as much as 36 %, pay more taxes and depend less on welfare
  • High quality early childhood programs appear to reduce future crime and is one of the most cost effective way to reduce crime.
  • Research has shown that during the first years of life about 700 new neural connections are formed every second.

So you see the importance of making the first 2000 days of a child’s life filled with learning because it impacts their quality of life and society at large.  Experiences early in life have a lasting impact on later learning and actually shape the architecture of the brain and strongly affect whether a child grows up to be a healthy, productive member of society.

 

At Coralwood, we suggest that all parents read at least 20 minutes a day to their children and play for 30 minutes a day without using a cell phone. Children learn so much through play and it is important for parents to be engaged with the child during the play.  All developmental areas are impacted by play, particularly language, turn taking, learning to wait, fine and gross motor skills.  Televisions and iPads are forms of entertainment but do not provide the interaction a child needs to learn language and social skills.  There are some things in life that only a parent can do and making the first 2000 days count by reading, playing and interacting with your child is one of them.

For more information on the importance of the first 2000 days visit the following website to see what North Carolina is doing to spread the word about this important topic First 2000 Days.

Rebecca Blanton has been an educator for 32 years and the Principal of Coralwood School in DeKalb County, Georgia since 2004.

Assistive Technology–Keys to IEP Success

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Let’s face it.  Today’s kids are far more techno-savvy than most adults.  IEP teams need to play to that strength.  Under IDEA, IEP teams must consider assistive technology devices and services as a special factor in the development of a child’s IEP.  I see some of you scratching your heads. What exactly is assistive technology?

IDEA defines AT broadly and almost any “device” or tool that improves the functional capabilities of students can be considered assistive technology (with the exclusion of devices that are surgically implanted, like cochlear implants).  The definition gives IEP teams lots of flexibility to determine what children need to support performance and independence in areas of concern, including communication, listening, mobility and daily living skills.  AT is not just for school, but also may be transported back and forth to your home.

Some devices are relatively “low technology” and inexpensive. For example, a pencil grip is an assistive technology device that may be used to increase grasp and control and improve handwriting.  An example of a “high technology” tool would be an augmentative communication device like a Dynavox that allows a student to select or type in messages on a communication display and they are spoken aloud.

Parents need to make assistive technology a priority for their child’s IEP.  So when was the last time your child had an assistive technology evaluation?  And I don’t mean an assessment–I mean a full blown AT evaluation with attendant IEE rights (a future blog topic).

I suggest that you take a fresh look at AT for your child at the beginning of each school year knowing that their needs change and technology can transform their program. From a slant board to a laptop with Co-Writer and Inspiration, the right AT interventions can mean success for a struggling student.  An AT evaluation every two to three years, with an annual update assessment with the AT team, is probably sufficient for most students who are making good progress with their IEP goals.

Sounds good in theory, but actually getting this done in many school districts is very difficult.  Often schools will offer an “assessment process” based on the SETT Framework. While this is a useful tool to review the effectiveness of a student’s AT, it is no substitute for a thorough AT evaluation which should take a global view of the student’s needs and all available interventions.

Many school districts limit the assessment to what they have on the shelf, rather than the students’ actual needs.  Obviously, this is unacceptable.  AT solutions evolve quickly and school districts need to look at all available options.  I have had good luck in identifying the resources students need and persuading school districts to add these to IEPs.  For me, the foundation is a thorough and creative AT evaluation.

Parental input in an IEP team meeting is critical, so parents need to do their own independent research regarding AT.  If you find a piece of technology that works for your child, bring the information to the IEP team for consideration.  Ask for a trial period, and that data is taken on the effectiveness of the technology for your child.

Additionally, AT only works if the student is adequately trained to use the device or software. Scheduled follow up must occur for updates and troubleshooting issues.  It’s not a “one and done” contact from AT personnel. Parents should also be trained, as well as teachers which is often a weak link in implementation.

If AT as an element of your child’s IEP is a new concept, ask other parents what is working for their children.  Often, the best ideas come from othr parents.  Do you have an effective AT intervention that really helps your child?  Post it and share.  My daughter loves her large ABC keyboard for writing assignments.

Needs some fresh ideas?  Here is a start—attend the “Using Technology in Education” conference September 24-25, 2012 at the Gwinnett Convention Center in Duluth.  There are some terrific presenters, including Atlanta’s Sucheta Kameth of Cerebral Matters.  I hope to see you there.