Since 2011, EdTech Digest has held an annual awards competition to identify the best new educational technology tools in the ever-changing and developing EdTech market. Over the next few weeks we’ll be highlighting several EdTech Digest Award winning tools that support the evidence-based strategies in ELA and Math found on PowerUp. In each post, we’ll feature a new tool, along with connections to best practices in using technology to differentiate instruction for students with disabilities.
Arcademic Plus provides a suite of customizable educational games that can be accessed online and via its iOS or Android app. The collection of games covers mathematics topics from shapes and counting through basic algebra, and—to a lesser extent—language arts, typing and geography. Teachers can customize the game content to align with their own lesson plans as well as to differentiate instruction for individual students. The students can play these games individually or in groups (multiplayer), and there are embedded supports—in the form of video lessons—which provide targeted instruction for areas in which students struggle within the game. Finally, Arcademics Plus provides data tracking reports on student progress so that teachers can use the games in their formative assessment to improve student outcomes.
Acknowledgement: Special thanks to Michael McGarrah for helping to compile this post.
AIR Informs Episode #6: Meeting the Needs of Students with Disabilities During COVID-19
Remote learning requires adjustment for all students, but students with disabilities face additional challenges during the COVID-19 quarantine. In the latest episode of AIR Informs, Allison Gandhi, managing researcher and director of AIR’s special education practice area, describes some of these obstacles and shares strategies to help students make the most of this time.
