A weekly half hour chat focused on improving access to education for PK-12 students through the use of Accessible Educational Materials (AEM), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and Assistive Technology (AT).
Hi, Julie Kuhn here. I don't know when my first one was, but I was working in the schools at the time. I want to say it was the 90's. Can that be? #PatinsIcam
Hello and Welcome again! I am Rachel your chat host! My specialty is Primary AEM/AT & helping Ts navigate Ss with Emotional Needs through PATINS! #PatinsIcam
The PATINS Tech Expo is an exciting annual event where educators have the chance to try out devices and learn from vendors across the country. This year we teamed up with INSource to bring a unique conference experience #PatinsIcam
A1: First Tech Expo was in Spring 2012 right after I was hired! I was so excited! Tina and Jim were playing with a giant touch screen with grey coated wires on their heads! #PatinsIcam
A1: This was my third expo. I think it's getting better and better every year. Heard lots of great feedback from presenters! I love seeing familiar faces now! #PatinsIcam
A2: I sat with a few staff members from INSOURCE at lunch, and learned a lot about their advocacy work. I'm a foster parent, and we talked some about the overlap of school and social services #PatinsIcam
A2: I talked to a LOT more parents this year about accessibility and they were there with their kiddo's teacher. Very impactful in that regard #PatinsIcam
#patinsicam Last year we had 3 % of attendees register as "parent" this year we had 10% register as "parent or family" That is the benefit of partnering with INSOURCE
Q4: Was there one particular device or tool you wanted to check out of the PATINS Lending Library? Have you already tried it? Was it helpful? #PatinsIcam
A3: I had people ask me about the UbiDuo they saw at a booth. I was SO excited to tell them we have it in our lending library!! It can do live, interactive captioning. #PatinsIcam
Q5: Networking is a focus of this day. Did you make important connections with other educators? How can your networking experience be even better?#PatinsIcam
A5: I had the pleasure of working the ribbons table, and getting to greet folks as they found their "identifier". Many of those attending play multiple roles. #PatinsIcam
A4: loved hearing about people who had checked out AAC devices from our library and now embarking on getting it purchased through school/insurance/medicaid, always appreciate our vendor support in assisting in the complicated funding process #PatinsIcam
UbiDuo is a great tool for Ss who are D H/H. Provides fantastic independent communication opportunities w/o an interpreter. Has applications for AAC users who do not need icons, as welll. #PatinsIcam
A6: make tech expo 2 days... hahha @ThompsonGlenda I joke! But seriously loved chatting about ideas and students, devices to try next, and then we could just walk to the vendor and get our questions answered right there and then! #PatinsIcam
Hmmmmm I agree...but it is ALSO a fantastic place to network. Tables like these allow people to chat about specific topics in the larger lunch rooms and common areas #Patinsicam
A6: I feel like more personalized chats in this type of event renders more meaning because it's attendee centered & wide open for discussion with vendors & PATINS staff on the fly #PatinsIcam
I agree. I found it interesting that parents with older children viewed themselves as not parents. Just because they no longer championed the challenges, I found that interesting. Some did not know their role.#PatinsIcam
A9: I loved meeting so many cool vendors...it is so great to take the time to chat and get to know them better! Of course, I LOVED our booth and those cool flashlight/tool kit things! #PatinsIcam
