Texas Autism State Conference

I always have a tough time missing school, but I am so thankful I had a chance to attend and present at the 20th Annual Texas State Autism Conference  I left Dallas around 3:30am on Thursday morning to make it to the conference that started at 8:30am.  I didn't make it right on time, but I was able to make the end of Jamie Canales session (she rocks! Always love running into her.. even nicer to actually hear her speak this time!)  The afternoon session I was able to hear Dr. Braman and Dr. Catlett speak about ABA and the IEP.  It was a FANTASTIC session!  It was one of those sessions where you get ideas, but it also validated what I was already doing in my classroom.  They also talked about the importance of data collection (I love learning about new ways to do data collection!) Check out Autism in Action for great Autism How To Programs.  I personally can not wait to check out the Instructional Objectives Handbook!
"Understanding the significant time demands placed on teachers everywhere, Autism In Action™ has also developed a time-saving resource for writing measurable Individual Education Plans (IEPs). Containing more than 200 objectives with fill-in criteria to support the general education curriculum, the Instructional Objectives Handbook comes in a convenient CD format that allows you to copy and paste into your existing IEP software."


On Friday I had a chance to do the thing that I have learned I enjoyed tremendously!  I LOVE PRESENTING! It makes me so happy!  Today I presented   3 sessions that were 1 and a half hour each over Digital Storytelling in the Multi-ability classroom.

 

During the session I had a chance to share with participants different ways to use technology to create digital stories and modify and adapt to meet the needs of different level learners.


I have been so appreciative of all of the people that I have met, all the people that participated in my sessions, and all of the people that work for Education Service Center 2 (as they have been so patient with me and answered my 100's of questions)  I always gain something from the conferences that I attend, but I have thoroughly enjoyed this conference! I love learning ideas, gaining knowledge on new topics and teachings, connecting with other educators and parents, sharing my own ideas, and most importantly validating that I am doing things correctly in my classroom.


This blog has taken so much longer than usual.. my brain is so tired from the super busy week I have had!  I leave you with this note, how do you remind yourself that you are doing the best for your students and yourself?  How do you tell stories in your classroom?  What are you favorite conferences?