The “Toolbelt Theory”

I had printed out a few blog posts from the SpeEdChange blog and been wanting to read them.  I finally got around to it today and read this wonderful entry about the “Toolbelt Theory” in assistive technology and universal design.

All I can say is “WOW!”  It blew me away!  If you are in the special education, regular education, or work with individuals with special needs in any way, you need to read this post not just because of the toolbelt theory but because of the questions that it poses for schools and administrators.

What better way to deal with technology related accommodations than to teach the students themselves to develop their own “toolbelts” of solutions that work for them, particularly those that are free!  The skills that they develop by creating their own “toolbelt” are skills that are transferable and skills that they will need later in life not to mention the ability to learn to use the solutions they choose.

There are so many tools that are out there commercially that cost a ton of money, but in this world of Open Source and free, it is much easier to find solutions that will work, can be adapted for their use, or mashed up with something else.

I’m going to give a shameless plug at this point…so bear with me.  If you find a solution that is Open Source or you know something that could be made a bit better…please contact us!  We can help or will at the very least try to!

March 25, 2008. Tags: , , , . Uncategorized. 1 comment.

Welcome to Agape Learning

Welcome! You have found your way to Agape Learning and we are very glad you are here! Perhaps you found our site because you ran a search for “special needs,” “education technology,” or perhaps you searched for “community.” Regardless of how you got here, you were searching for something and we hope that we can assist you in some way.
Agape Learning is here to support those in the education and health fields as well as individuals with special needs and their families. We’ve all been in situations where we’ve needed help, especially if you deal with individuals who have some sort of special needs. Often times the help necessary is nowhere to be found. Teachers, who have been in the “regular” classroom for many years and even newer teachers, many times become frustrated with the needs of their students as well as the technology to use in their classrooms. Individuals with serious illnesses and physical limitations often need the support of people who have gone through similar things to find what will help them, whether it is a special diet or an assistive device.
Agape Learning is here for all of you. Created by two individuals who have seen the need for one place to help individuals with all sorts of needs, understand that there are limitations to current technologies including usability and pricing, and who want to help those who need it. Even though our backgrounds are very different, we hope that we can join forces and make the world more livable for many people.
We hope that you keep coming back to see the additions we make to the site since we are in the very beginnings of its creation. We welcome your feedback and want to work with those who use the services we intend to provide to make Agape Learning the best it can be!

March 19, 2008. Tags: , , . Uncategorized. 1 comment.