Happy to announce the publication of Using Technology to Engage Students with Learning Disabilities which I co-authored with my friend @wkrakower.  Billy and I both work in the field of special education, him in a public school in New Jersey, myself at an independent school in Connecticut.  After we did a collaborative project with our writing classes using Edmodo, Lego Education Story Starter Kit, and Google Hangouts, Billy approached me with the idea to put together our special education/technology knowledge into a book for the Corwin Connected Educators Series. We hope the book gives a taste of how many amazing options are out there to support students with learning disabilities with today’s everyday technology.

However, writing this book brought me some trepidation.  For while yes, I have been blogging, I don’t worry so much how posts look (although my husband is very helpful in being my editor).  With my posts, I hope to help people and share experiences, but blog posts are less intimidating than a book! That will have editors looking at it! That will be published with the intent for people to read and share!  Why is this so scary? Well, I flashback to middle school, for that is when I began working after school with Mrs. Luongo.  She was my writing tutor since I struggled with my own learning challenges in school.  I loved working with Mrs. Luongo.  She was kind, funny, supportive, and an amazing teacher.  She was not a special education teacher, but a writing teacher in my school district, as well as a family friend.  She had one of my brothers in class (he’s the academic star) and she had a son who was in my grade.  All funny things to think back on and consider as I recall the times in the middle school media center working on writing.

While I still struggled somewhat with writing through high school and college, her help definitely made a significant difference.  When I signed the contract to work with Billy on this book, she was the first person I called.  I wanted her to know that the moments I spent with her those 30+ years ago still stick with me and I give credit to her for the ability to even find myself being part of a published book.

So when you think of the learners who cross your path in any capacity, remember those moments can be the difference so much later in their lives.  They can look back and find the time may lead them to take on amazing challenges despite their trepidations.

So thank you Mrs. Luongo.  The time, patience, and guidance helped me to achieve something that I never thought I ever would.  I hope that this accomplishment will in turn impact other learners futures as well.