Upcoming Events
November
18th
Writing to a Prompt: A one day seminar (Region 6)
Description: Students face "on demand" writing tasks across the curriculum. Learn instructional strategies to strengthen students' writing. Adaptations for each strategy will be presented. Participants will leave with instructional strategies they can implement immediately to assist students' preparation for the SOL Writing Performance test. The target audience is for 4th – 11th grade teachers, special educators, literacy specialists.
Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm
Location: Roanoke Higher Education Center, Downtown Roanoke
Register: Closed - full
Other: Attendees should bring samples of their students' writing. Also, breakfast and lunch will be provided.
18th
Bridging the Gap: A Wraparound Services Family Forum
Description: This free conference is open to all types of community-based support organizations. The goal of this forum is to empower families with the confidence, knowledge and skills needed to become their own best advocates; to educate service providers (community supports) about how to best partner with each other and with families so they can succeed at the struggle of raising challenging children in a way that is effectively family-centered, applying wraparound best practices; and to educate ALL about the services available for children and their families in the valley.
Location: Salem Civic Center, Salem, VA
Register: Click here.
18th – 21st
2009 NAEYC Annual Conference & Expo
Description: EC professionals come together to strengthen their knowledge of the best approaches, sharpen their skills, and network with colleagues in early childhood education. There are over 1,000 exhibitor booths to find the latest resources for EC educator and children.
Location: Washington, DC
Register: Click here.
19th
Writing to a Prompt: A one day seminar (Region 7)
Description: Students face "on demand" writing tasks across the curriculum. Learn instructional strategies to strengthen students' writing. Adaptations for each strategy will be presented. Participants will leave with instructional strategies they can implement immediately to assist students' preparation for the SOL Writing Performance test. The target audience is for 4th – 11th grade teachers, special educators, literacy specialists.
Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm
Location: Southwest VA Higher Education Center, Abingdon
Register: Closed - full
Other: Attendees should bring samples of their students' writing. Also, breakfast and lunch will be provided
19th & 20th
TechKnowledgy
Description: National speakers are invited to this conference to share best practices and state-of-the-art applications in assistive technology. It is designed for general and special educators, related services personnel, assistive technology teams, instructional technology specialists, administrators, family members and others interested in helping students with disabilities achieve success!
Location: Richmond, VA
Register: Click here.
27th – Dec 13th
2009 Green Valley Book Fair Schedule
Description: Green Valley book fair is open only during specified dates from 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. The book fair is a bountiful resource venue for all educators, families, students and children.
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Location: 2192 Green Valley Lane, Mt. Crawford, Virginia 22841
Register: Open to the public / no registration
Additional Information: Visit the website or call toll free at 1-800-385-0099.
30th – Dec 2nd
Virginia Society for Technology in Education's 2009-10 Annual Conference
Description: VSTE sponsors the most popular statewide technology in education conference in Virginia. Over 1,000 attendees are excited each year by cutting edge technology and subject area integration sessions. We promise to overwhelm you with information, opportunities, knowledge and activities. In two and a half days, you can select from over 125 concurrent sessions, share fare, bring your own laptop (BYOL), Mission21, vendor, and special presentations. Visit our exhibitors and gather information on state of the art opportunities for education.
Location: Roanoke, VA
Register: Click here.
December
3rd or 4th
Transition Assessment and Students with Intellectual Disabilities: Resources and Strategies
Description: This one day training will offer participants an extended opportunity to learn about effective comprehensive approaches to assess students with intellectual disabilities during transition.
See flyer for more information.
Location: December 3: Newport News, VA or December 4: Manassas, VA
Register: Click here.
8th
Advanced Functions with PRC Devices
Description: This seminar is designed to take the attendee beyond basic programming. Topics that are mentioned in introductory seminars are covered in detail at this seminar. These topics include: LAM and its application; how to import digital pictures and photographs from other sources into your device; backing up device memory using the USB/flash memory; computer access; environmental control; and advanced programming of activities and pages. Devices applicable at this seminar are the ECO – 14, Vanguard, Vantage, SpringBoard and Pathfinder.
(Full day seminar 0.5 ASHA CEUs)
Time: 9am-3pm
Location: AT Lab, T/TAC at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Register
10th
Increasing Learner Outcomes: Planning for Success through Access and
Implementation
Description: Who will benefit from this training: Educators, Teacher Leaders, Occupational
Therapists, Physical Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Assistive
Technology staff/team members, parents.
This hands-on workshop will provide participants with knowledge in how to apply technology to meet the learning needs of all students within the classroom. Utilizing the ESS+ lesson plans and the Framework for Consideration of Assistive Technology (AT), participants will build skills in implementing appropriate tools to address the principles of Universal Design for Learning as well as address how to make decisions on AT needed for students with disabilities. Participants will leave with tools and resources to help them incorporate technologies and AT into the curriculum. This training will address AT to benefit students with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, and other areas of disability.
Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Registration: 8:30
Time: 9am-3pm
Location: Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Abingdon, VA
Register
11th
Introduction to the Dynavox Family of Devices
Description: This hands-on session will provide an overview of Dynavox products. Participants
will be shown features of the devices and pages, as well as learn with whom this device could be used.
Time: 10:00am-12:00am
Location: AT Lab, T/TAC at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Registration: Click here.
11th
Introduction to Tango
Description: This hands-on session will provide an overview of the Tango and its features.
Time: 1pm-3pm
Location: AT Lab, T/TAC at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Registration: Click here.
January
14th
Interactive Whiteboard
Description: The focus of this training is to take a look at how the interactive whiteboard can be used as an assistive technology device and used to incorporate the principles of Universal Design for Learning into classroom instruction for all students. The SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard will be demonstrated in this session. Participants should have some experience and knowledge of the basic use of this technology.
Training is limited to 20 participants.
Time: 9am-1pm
Location: AT Lab, T/TAC at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Register
February
11th
Interactive Learning through Technology
Description: This hands-on training will provide participants with a toolbox of interactive activities, materials, shortcuts and tools to promote active and successful participation of all students including students with disabilities within the general curriculum. This session will focus on commonly available applications and free tools readily available within most schools – Microsoft Word, Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Excel, Kidspiration, and more. Participants will leave with activities they have created that can be implemented the next day as well as a CD full of materials for future lessons.
Training is limited to 20 participants.
Time: 9am-1pm
Location: AT Lab, T/TAC at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Register
March
24th
Community Autism Awareness Event
Description: More to come.
Location: Southwest Higher Education Center, Abingdon, VA
Register: Registration coming soon.
25th
7th Annual Autism Spectrum Disorders Conference
Description: More to come.
Location: Southwest Higher Education Center, Abingdon, VA
Register: Registration coming soon.
April
15th
Out-of-Bag Teaching
Description: More information to come.
Time: 9am-1pm
Location: AT Lab, T/TAC at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
T/TAC Regional Conferences
One way T/TAC at Virginia Tech offers professional development opportunities to regions six and seven is by sponsoring three high quality conferences featuring nationally recognized speakers.
- AT & Aug Com Conference and Expo
- Collaborating for Student Success Conference
- Autism Spectrum Disorders Conference


