Monday, October 30, 2006

Interactive WhiteBoard Extreme Edition

Watch this video for a demonstration of a very cool device from MIT. Takes interactive to a whole new level!!

Sunday, October 29, 2006

K-!2 Online Conference

There is a free K-12 Online Conference currently being held for anyone interested in learning more about Web 2.0 tools for education. Many sessions have already been held and are available for viewing. This is the first of its kind and the beauty of this conference is the ability to "attend" sessions when you have time. You can view as many or as few sessions at one sitting as works for you. There are a variety of supplemental materials, including pdfs, podcasts, links, etc.

I recommend viewing the information about the conference first, linked above, then the Conference Agenda. Look at the different topics under "Basic/Advanced Training," or "Week in the Classroom."

This conference is enlightening! There is a wealth of information and I love the ability to learn at my own pace, review when I can, download and/or print the supplemental materials and tag information using my del.icio.us account.

Very powerful! Check it out - even just one topic that sounds interesting! Online learning is a flexible medium that you can control as a participant.

Leave a comment if you found something especially helpful.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Independence

I would like to revisit a point that Bridgette Nicholson made in her CTG presentation last week on The Power of Voice. She commented that we need to strive for independence and achievement vs. dependence and assisted work.

This is a very important point.

How many times have we seen a paraprofessional assigned to a student with learning challenges? How effective is this strategy in helping the student to achieve independence? Does this approach, in fact, foster dependence?

I experienced this first hand with a student that I was called in to evaluate a few years ago. She had a paraprofessional assigned to her for several years and she was ready to graduate. But, the team realized that she was unable to read or write even one sentence because all reading had been read to her and she had dictated all written work to an adult! An excellent article that addresses this point is called, "Be Careful What you Wish For....Five Reasons to be Concerned about the Assignment of Individual Paraprofessionals."

Be aware of the unintended consequences. In the short term, it may appear expedient to assign an adult to a struggling learner. But often times, the student learns helplessness and dependence instead. Assistive Technology tools and devices often bridge the gap from dependence to independence when integrated into the curriculum and when staff and student are effectively trained in their use.
There are many options to encourage independence. Let's continue to encourage each student to reach their potential and make effective progress through the appropriate use of assistive technology.

Monday, October 23, 2006

CTG Highlights, Part III

Another highlight for me was listening to the presentation "The Power of Voice for Writing" by Bridgette Nicholson of Custom Solutions. This woman is brilliant! Besides creating an outstanding web resource, with cutomized typing solutions, she has created two amazing products AND is an Assistive Technology Consultant with incredible ideas.

Her points during her presentation included:
  • "Voice is one of the most underutilized methods for completing school work."
  • "We can not underestimate how complex the writing process is."
  • "Some students can only become proficient writers through the use of voice."
  • "A combination of screen reading software and voice recording software can make even non-readers and non-writers independent at their cognitive level." (now that's a revolutionary thought!)
  • "Look at independence and achievement vs. dependence and assisted work."

Hopefully, you get the point.

This is a radical new way to view instruction and learning. We are a printed text based/handwritten output based educational system. Is this the best way for students to access the curriculum and demonstrate what they know? I don't think so. It's time to think outside the box and offer a variety of methods. And using the power of voice through voice recording and voice recognition is a viable alternative.

This is differentiated instruction. This can also be Universal Design for Learning. This is 21st Century Classroom Instruction. This is optimizing instruction for success and putting the "I" back in "Individualized Education Program."

Are you up to the challenge?

Saturday, October 21, 2006

CTG Highlights, Part II

Where to begin?
Highlights and Buzz:
(Some I attended or viewed, some I did not, in no particular order)
  • Dan Herlihy's IntelliTools Extreme - included a "Well, duh!" moment for me when he talked about using Speech Recognition to target specific words only (not the typical all or nothing approach). For example, just train Yes/No, True/False, etc. to help students complete tests in Forms format independently. Another very cool app he mentioned, MASH, a PC only program that brings in animated characters into any program and you can add motions, actions and recorded voice or text-to-speech. (includes free 30 day demo) This I plan to play with as soon as I get home!
  • Karen Kangas' irreverent presentation on seating and positioning. Throw out everything you believe about S & P (why DO we pummel?). She showed videos that demonstrated that her unorthodox views WORK and that's what it's all about.
  • Anything from Linda Burkhart, Judy Sweeney (Wow! What you can do with PocketMod and Adobe Professional!), and Karen Erickson.
  • Joy and Jane's "Doing the Data Dance," Susan Stokes and Paula's "Please Teach me to Communicate - Strategies for Pre/Non-Verbal Communicators with ASD"
  • The fast paced and very fun Wiki's, Blogs, Podcasts and RSS Feeds presentation from Brian, Nora, David and Kirk from Illinois. The room was packed to overflowing with only a handful of participants actual bloggers. It will be exciting to see how many go back to work and add Web 2.0 tools to their repertoire of AT tools and strategies (UDL!)
  • Clicker Paint from Cricksoft
  • The latest release of BoardMaker (version 6)
  • Spark Space (another graphic organizer solution) Trial it for 30 days.
  • The AT Profile by Darlene Brodbeck - a very thorough AT checklist and record-keeping tool
  • The booths for shoppers - many items sold out at Beacon-Ridge

Look for more with my next blog post. (It's 5:30 in the AM here in Minneapolis and I'm sure there are many more that I'm overlooking!)

Please add your own favorites and highlights!

Friday, October 20, 2006

CTG Quick Report

Quick post! It's been so exciting to be out here in Minneapolis with the many giants in the field! What fun to network, share and learn new information and tools. My personal top two favorites thus far:

1. Kudos to Cricksoft for their clever, creative giveaway - They are giving away lanyards that include a promotion for a great new product, Clicker Paint. You have to find the match for your primary color combination on your "badge" from among the other participants and you win a $100 gift certificate. It's got people talking!

2. If you are at CTG, make sure you stop off at the Custom Solutions booth. Brigette Nicholson has developed two new products that must be seen. One is a perforated "AdaptiTray" that allows every positioning combination possible. It's a wonder this hasn't been created before. Ask her about her new "desk station." Also, Custom Solutions has some great online tools, including data collection. Check it out!

Have to catch the bus for the day's activities!

Monday, October 16, 2006

Closing The Gap This Week!



I will be attending the annual Closing the Gap Conference in Minneapolis this week. This is one of the best conferences to attend for those who are in the field of assistive technology. I will try to blog some of the sessions that I attend or at least mention new products that look exciting! I love conferences and the opportunities to network with other professionals from across the nation. It's a stimulating, dynamic environment that helps me stay abreast of recent advances in the field.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

AT Resources at a Glance

I have compiled a number of resources to assist others who are trying to offer effective assistive technology services to students who need them. Access this information at my wikispace. There are resources for AT consideration, AT implementation, AT training and AT trial use that were developed by other professional organizations. I hope that you will find this collection of resources helpful. There is no need to reinvent the wheel.
Sincere thank yous are extended to QIAT, WATI, NATE, TATN. ATTO and OTAP. All information is available at the websites for these organizations. All I did was streamline the search and collect the information to share with others.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Tutorials Worth Checking Out

Recently came across these excellent tutorial websites. The first one is for all things pertaining to AT. Click here to access this and then check out the main library. There are all kinds of training materials for AT and special education resources.

The second site was developed by Tammy Worcester. Click here to access detailed, yet concise handouts on PowerPoint basics for the Mac or Windows. Click on "Handouts/Presentations" and then scroll down to PPT Basics.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Accommodating Learning Style Differences

In the September edition of Educational Leadership there is an article about Mel Levine and teaching to student's strengths. How often is that approach used in our classrooms - teaching to students' strengths? The article is entitled, "Celebrate Strengths, Nurture Affinities: A Conversation with Mel Levine." The interviewer states and Mel Levine responds,

You said something that, as an editor, I really liked: "Writing is the largest orchestra a kid's mind has to conduct."

Levine: Right, because writing combines so many different brain functions: language, memory, motor function, the ability to generate ideas, the ability to understand and apply rules, the ability to organize. You can make a long list of the different functions that have to flow together on paper.

That's why kids shouldn't perceive writing as an emergency procedure. Ernest Hemingway once said, "Writing is rewriting."... A lot of time, kids perceive writing as a crisis. It shouldn't be speed writing. It should be thoughtful writing.

Schools are much more compassionate when it comes to children with reading problems than they are when it comes to helping kids with output problems.
I find that schools are not only more compassionate but they are also more willing to remediate and accommodate for reading difficulties than for output difficulties. In both areas, the use of assistive technology can make all the difference in the world for both remediation and compensation - using bypass strategies to help students overcome tasks that are challenging due to learning style differences.
What is your experience? Are you as willing to accommodate for output issues as for reading issues?

Education Friendly Search Engines

Tabbed browsing with Firefox has transformed my internet experience. The ability to create multiple homepages streamlines web searches. (You can tab through all your open pages by using Ctl + Tab).
Here are three education-friendly search engines that can be put on classroom computers.
Definitely use the tabs in Firefox to have multiple homepages (in addition to the school's home page of course!).

Explore the differences between the search engines with your students using your SmartBoard or digital projector and teach evaluation of web resources.
  • Ask your students which search engines they prefer and why?
  • What do they think of the interface? Is there too much information on the home page?
  • Is the site easy to use?
  • Submit a search in each engine and notice which sites are ranked on the first page. Compare the quality of the results.
This kind of instruction supports critical thinking skills and creates internet-savvy students.
Have a great day!