Assistive Tech with John O'Sullivan

Librarian, assistive technology specialist, and author John O’Sullivan has written several books, has worked as a special education teacher, and joins us for this episode. As an avid reader of technology press, an integration specialist, and computer teacher, he brings skills honed at his job at Chelmsford High School to volunteer efforts for the MSLA and MassCUE. In the 1970s John was among the first special needs students to enter school under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This experience influrnece his career path to becoming a provider of these services. Technology has evolved to such a point, John says, where assistive technology is a part of our everyday lives, but understanding how and why it can be integrated into a curriculum is a step librarians can take to become better community assets. His latest book Technology for English Language Learners opens with some of his own story followed by a run through of tech basics for teachers with ELL students in their classrooms. Relevant links are below: Technology for English Language Learners Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/technology-for-english-language-learners/id6503222438 Google Books – https://books.google.com/books/about/Technology_for_English_Language_Learners.html?id=gUYKEQAAQBAJ John’s UDL Technology website: https://udltechnology.com/ Teachers Awesome App Guide: Apple Books - https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-teachers-awesome-app-guide/id854086263 Google Books - https://books.google.com/books?id=UoVFAwAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false How-to-Fix Chromebooks class: https://chs.chelmsfordschools.org/about-chelmsford-high-school/library/chromebook-repairs/ Learning Ally: https://learningally.org/solutions-for-home/college-adults The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE): https://iste.org/ MassCUE: https://www.masscue.org/ James Tynion IV: https://imagecomics.com/creators/james-tynion-iv Frank Miller: https://frankmillerink.com/