I have watched, with interest, the very rapid change in the world of technology that started with the iPad and has continued with products from a multitude of companies.  Yesterday I looked at the Black Friday ads in my local newspaper and counted about twelve different brands.  As an educator, I have thought a great deal about these new products and their introduction into schools around the country.  I've also thought a lot about their use as assistive technology.

AT the Closing the Gap Conference this year, I'll be doing a preconference workshop called "Put Me In Coach!" where we will spend the day talking about how we choose the support strategies that we use in our AT practice.  There's a lot about Coaching, but we'll also be discussing the essential elements of Consultation and Collaboration. I'm particularly interested in how we decide whether to act as a consultant, to collaborate with an educator or family to increase AT implementation or whether a coaching approach is the best option.

(This article was originally printed in the Friends of ATIA September 2011 Back to School Issue.  It is reprinted here in order to encourage candid discussion and sharing of strategies for AT Assessment services.)

Michael Fullan offers a list of assumptions about change and implementation that I have found very useful. Here's a summary of his ten assumptions.

I have been thinking a lot about change these days.   I think  that everything we do to support AT integration and implementation involves change.

I have been thinking a lot about how we chose the name for this blog site.  It keeps coming up in my work, so I thought I’d tell you about the thought process.  When most people talk about making sure that AT is functional for a student in real world environments, they talk about AT Implementation.  In my own work, I prefer the word Integration.  And there’s a very specific reason for this preference. 

Sharing the work is efficient and more effective for everyone concerned, especially the student.  Another way to make your efforts more efficient is to find other ways to provide support.  Can you use electronic resources?  Is there technology available that will help you increase your own functional capabilities?  Here are some of my favorite resources for technology training and information sharing.