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Welcome to Virtual ExCEL Academy
APH Virtual ExCEL Academy
As our nation continues to adjust with some schools and students remaining in virtual instruction and others returning to brick and mortar buildings, APH will continue to provide the APH Virtual ExCEL Academy for students. Based on feedback from attendees during the spring and summer we will be offering FREE engaging lessons for students with a variety of abilities. We also hope to model ways that online learning may be used to supplement services. We understand that children’s needs are unique and that lessons may not apply to all kids, but we are dedicated to working out a plan to provide as much as we can.
Beginning January 12, 2021, the APH Virtual ExCEL Academy will be held at 3:00 ET, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. To help with organization, our attendees suggested organizing the days grouped by age; therefore, we will work hard to provide classes as follows:
- Tuesday: Focus from Birth to 6th grade
- Wednesday: Focus from 7th to 12th grade
- Thursday: Focus on students with multiple impairments
Once a student is registered, the link remains active from October 13 until May 27, 2021. Because we know students are not always able to attend during the scheduled hour, we will be recording these sessions so all have the opportunity to learn.
We also know that many educational professionals as well as college students preparing to enter the field will be participating in the webinars to watch teachers at work. Remember, you are able to observe but please stay in the background just as if you were in a physical classroom. We will not be able to provide you with ACVREP credit for this type of activity.
Upcoming Virtual ExCEL Academy Webinars
All times listed in Eastern Time. This world clock can help provide local equivalents.
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- Academy Audience
- Birth-6
- Title of Webinar
- Chromevox Made Easy – Part 2
- Date
- 04/13/2021
- Time
- 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
- Description
- Now that we can navigate by object and buy heading, in this session we will talk about how to put do skills together Into a sequence that you can use to access all of your favorite apps and websites.
- Instructor
- Cody M. Laplante
- Primary Core or ECC Area
- Assistive Technology
- Pre-requisite knowledge
- Turning on and off chromevox, opening a new tab, navigating by object, navigating by heading. See Chromevox Made Easy Part 1.
- Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to navigate by various elements types such as links, edit fields, or headings.
- Students will be able to decide and justify why they used a particular method to navigate.
- Students will be able to follow a predetermined navigation sequence.
- Material Needed
- Chromebook, and internet access
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- Academy Audience
- 7 – 12
- Title of Webinar
- The Three Knows of Conversations
- Date
- 04/14/2021
- Time
- 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
- Description
- Do you ever want to join a crowd but feel shy? Do you feel you ramble when you just want to make a point? Do you get frustrated that people don’t seem to respond in the way you would like? Learn the three basic foundational conversation tips that will help you feel comfortable and secure talking with anyone, anywhere, at any time.
- Instructor
- Corina A. Lopes
- Primary Core or ECC Area
- Compensatory and Social Interaction
- Pre-requisite knowledge
- None
- Learning Objectives
- Clearly using conversation cues for beginning, sharing, and ending conversations.
- Learning the difference between a statement and a question to effectively create successful interaction.
- Material Needed
- none
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- Academy Audience
- 7-12
- Title of Webinar
- #Friendgoals – Recognizing and Becoming a Good Friend
- Date
- 04/20/2021
- Time
- 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
- Description
- What does it mean to be a good friend? What behaviors and patterns make a person a quality friend over a good acquaintance? When do I tell new friends about my visual needs, how much do I share about my needs and what do I expect of them so we can all have fun? Learn the behaviors and language that encouragestrong friendships and the different types of friendly relationships we encounter so you can enjoy a safe and healthy social life.
- Instructor
- Corina A. Lopes
- Primary Core or ECC Area
- Compensatory and Social Interaction
- Pre-requisite knowledge
- None
- Learning Objectives
- Identify the difference between an acquaintance, friend, and best/close friend.
- Learn personal boundaries to discover what makes you un/comfortable in a friendship.
- How and what/when to share vision impairment needs with an acquaintance or friend.
- Material Needed
- None
-
- Academy Audience
- middle/high school students
- Title of Webinar
- Up, Up, and Away! Again!
- Date
- 04/21/2021
- Time
- 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
- Description
- Packing tips, preparing to travel, and keeping the stress at bay
- Instructor
- Kaelen Penrod
- Primary Core or ECC Area
- Independent Living, Recreation and Leisure
- Pre-requisite knowledge
- Planning ahead
- Getting dressed
- Personal Hygiene
- Learning Objectives
- How to efficiently pack all the things you’ll need on your trip, and how to leave behind the things you won’t need.
- How to “breeze” through the airport experience.
- Material Needed
- Note-taking materials if desired
Virtual ExCEL Academy and Summer Camp Archives
Missed a chance to attend one of our webinars or just looking for more resources? Check out our ExCEL Academy and ExCEL Camp webinars on our YouTube Channel.
APH Hive
Looking for more educational opportunities? Head over to the APH Hive, our FREE eLearning platform for educators and families that you can access at any time to earn ACVREP credits from the comfort of your home and office. With a growing course catalog covering categories like Assessment, Core Curriculum and more, we’re compiling the resources you need to serve students.