Educators interested in applying technology to individualized educational program (IEP) development for handicapped children need to first, understand and explicitly state the local context in which IEP development occurs and then weigh the options in relation to criteria specifying ease of use, data features, program capabilities, and costs.…

The application of technology in special education assessment is reviewed, implications for complying with requirements of P.L. 94-142 are noted, and cautions offered for adapting existing assessment instruments to the microcomputer. (CL)

Proceedings from a June 1984 sympoisum on special education technology are presented in this document. A background paper on "Technology Trends in Special Education" (C. Blaschke) deals with microcomputer use, telecommunicaton systems, videodiscs communication aids and adaptive devices, and makes projections for instructional and…

Intended for policymakers, this brief addresses issues related to computer technology and its contributions to special education. Trends are noted and three types of applications are considered: computer assisted instruction, computer managed instruction, and computer support activities. Descriptions of several computer applications in local and…

The introduction to the special section on microcomputers in special education reviews the trend toward increasing computer use, raises such issues as the need for special educators to provide leadership in the use of computers for individualized instruction, and summarizes remaining articles in the section. (DB)

Effective provision of services to disabled rural children and their families requires collaborative effort between special educators and social workers. However, such a collaborative effort is impeded by social workers' lack of knowledge about special education laws and services and about disabled children and their families. A major…

AIMS, the Assessment and Instructional Management System is a computer-based rating and documentation system designed to include students with disabilities in educational accountability systems. Describes AIMS, illustrates some of the components of the system, and highlights teacher training efforts. Two tables present the AIMS rating rubric and…

This paper posits that when new technologies in education move beyond their initial stages of development, innovations in curriculum design, teaching strategies, and policies will be driven by the needs of students "at the margin," those for whom present technologies are least effective, students with disabilities, and that all students…

This report describes the development of an educational software program to assist youth with disabilities in participating in discourse in regular school settings. The software was designed to manage cooperative groups as students engaged in hands-on science activities and was specifically developed for teaching the subject of batteries and…

This special issue is a collection of reports on the applications of technology to schools, written by educators affiliated with the Technology Leadership Network (a group sponsored by the National School Boards Association). In "Meet the Pioneers of More Productive Schools," James A. Mecklenburger, the director of the National School Boards…