Glenda's Assistive Technology Information and more...

Special Needs 2011 Gift Giving Guide

2011-11-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

As stated by Cari Jean, "It's no secret that kids love toys. They see a new one on a television advertisement and tell their parents, "I want that!" If kids had their way, they would have every toy imaginable. Toys can be a great way for kids to use motor skills, to learn to play by themselves and to learn to share with others. But what happens when children do not have the required skills

AT Apps and Accessibility

2011-10-19T08:18:00.001-07:00

Special Education has its own app category in the iTunes store. If you go to the App Store, go to Education, look on the right hand side and you will see a category for Special Education Apps. It is always good to do a little research on an app before purchasing it. Do a search and see if you can find some reviews or talk to others to see if they have tried it. This could save you a lot of

Assistive Technology and Early Start

2011-09-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

The Early Start Program is California's response to federal legislation ensuring that early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families are provided in a coordinated, family-centered system of services that are available statewide. Infants and toddlers from birth to 36 months may be eligible for early intervention services if through documented

Broadband for $9.95 per month

2011-07-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

Just want to spread the word the best that I can- Comcast is offering a reduced price for internet access to families who's children qualify for the Free Lunch Program in their school. Qualifying families can get broadband for $9.95 per month for as long as their child qualifies and they can purchased a computer for only $150! There are no activation fees and no equipment rental fees.

Spinner Activities

2011-06-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

All-Turn-It Spinner (Ablenet) A spinner is great for random choice making. Place choices on a circular board, and the student presses a switch to select. Remember that this is RANDOM. While the selection can be responded to as if it is a choice it should be understood that the student is not actually expressing a preference but merely selecting or responding randomly. It is best used to

Technology Integration Isn't About Technology

2011-05-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Education Week came out with a great article by By Patrick Ledesma on May 22, 2011, entitled, "Technology Integration Isn't About Technology". Some of the lines that created a "Yes!" response from me are:It's about purpose and ease of use. We should focus on enhancing and enriching the learning experience by defining the goals and processes for why and how students will use technology. If we

Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) Apps

2011-02-23T15:04:00.001-08:00

Communication applications (apps), designed to be used on an iPhone, iTouch or iPad, fit different cognitive and learning profiles just like all programs and devices do. Today, most people use multiple devices to address their daily communication needs. The idea that ANY one device can (or should) “do the job” for individuals with communication needs no longer makes sense. The

Interactive Whiteboards with Special Needs

2011-02-23T07:23:00.000-08:00

When hooked up to a computer, the whiteboard's screen becomes an active computer desktop, which can be touched to pull down menus, highlight, and move or open files. Users can circle relevant sections on the projected image, draw figures, and underline text. Special needs students can often manipulate the whiteboard with more ease than a traditional computer/mouse set-up. With Ablenet's Jelly

Apps in Special Education

2011-02-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

What you may not know is that parents, Speech and Language Specialist and teachers have begun developing programs specifically for the disabled population. Some may not be designed for the disabled but have become a great tool for them anyway! Special Education even has its own category in the Apple store as they too have realized the power they are providing to this population.

iPads in the Special Education Classroom

2011-01-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

A number of built-in features, tools, and add-ons are helping to prompt Apple's iPad into the classroom. (As you are reading this consider greatly how to make the iPad a classroom tool or a tool to support an individual's learning needs (AT) but also be careful to not have the iPad become what we have seen so many computers become in education: a glorified toy.) The prognosis for iPad's use in

iPad/iTouch/iPhone Add on Tools to Consider

2010-12-17T13:19:00.000-08:00

So, now you have the main tool. What do you need to go with it? When thinking of our kids with special needs, the accessories for our iPads/iTouches/iPhones (iDevices) are important to consider. Take some time to consider the needs of the child then pick your accessories accordingly. (For apps, see separate posting.) Here are a few to consider: Cases When purchasing a case, consider your needs.

Gift Shopping for Special Needs Children

2010-11-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

Math, Math and more Math

2010-09-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

Math, Math and More Math This section will cover:1. Math Access Support (Assistive Technology)2. Concept Support (Instructional sites) 3. Math Apps for use on different iTools4. Calculator Options5. Math Resources6. Low Tech to High Tech AT Options Access Support: Algebra 2 is a link to online calculators, including: Graphing, Statistics and Sequences, Scientific and Algebra Tiles. The graphing

Universal Design for Learning

2010-07-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

UDL prompts you to look at flexible and multiple methods of representation, action and expression and engagement. Technology tools can help provide these means, but they are certainly not the only means of achieving this. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Education developed a Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students with Disabilities (Tool Kit) to support the

2010 Free Classroom Supports Worth Knowing About

2010-07-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

With the rising costs of everything combined with the school economy today, we can use all the help we can get for a greater bang for our buck. This is the 2010 list of some tools that are provided free to help your students be more successful in their educational process. So much is available for free these days, is software where we really need to be spending our money? (For those of you not

Page Fluffing

2010-07-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

Page fluffers are helpful in fostering independent literacy skills. Page fluffers are simple adaptations made to books or other reading material that make pages more accessible to turn. Page fluffers increase the space between the pages of a book, allowing those with limited fine motor skills to get their fingers between each page therefore making it easier to turn a page. You can use

Pictures to Support Learning

2010-05-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

Research supports the idea that images connect directly to long-term memory. Images are different from text in that they can communicate “lateral thinking, objectivity and global context”. Graphics that include labels for unfamiliar parts or steps in a processes help students focus on key ideas. Using images or graphs can help students understand abstract concepts in a concrete way.

MyStudyBar

2010-04-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

MyStudyBar is free to download and is designed to help overcome problems that students commonly experience with studying, reading and writing. MyStudyBar is similar to popular commercial programs which use a floating toolbar to support literacy.It helps to alleviate problems with organization, reading and writing. The toolbar consists of programs assembled into one convenient and

AAC Resources

2010-04-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

When working with students who are using any form of Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC), it is important to teach several components when using a device. These may be good areas to focus on when writing an IEP: How to operate the device and take care of it as independently as possible How to communicate with it, (Eyes, Ears, Voice, Hands/Feet, Brain, Body, Feelings) When to use it and

Writing to Demonstrate Knowledge - Alternative Supports for

2010-02-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

There are multiple ways for students to independently demonstrate what they know using alternative electronic modes beyond paper and pencil: Insert Sound Object directly into Word or Ppt. Record using Audacity Create a podcast Use VoiceThread; great across all content areas Record using the Pulse SmartPen Use Digital Storytelling Tools Use word prediction software Use voice recording programs

iDevices, Disabilities and Good Things to Know

2010-02-14T19:56:00.001-08:00

Building Mouse Skills

2010-02-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

Helping students to develop mouse skills can be a challenge. There are free activities online for helping children to build mouse skills. There are games and various drawing programs (see previous posting "Sites to Support Students with Special Needs" for a listing of drawing programs) that provide simple mouse practice for the beginning mouser. Below you will find some activities designed to

100 Web Tools to Enhance Collaboration

2010-01-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

100 Web Tools to Enhance Collaboration by Ozge KaraogluI love this list. Talk about getting people talking! How much fun would kids have using some of these tools in their classrooms. My favorites are listed below. CoSketch is another whiteboard that you can collaborate to visualize your ideas and share them as images. The good thing is that, you don't have to register or install anything. It

Methods and Materials to Support Handwriting

2009-12-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

A CONTINUUM OF CONSIDERATIONS ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY For the Mechanics of Writing Research Center - Center for Implementing Technology in Education : Technology to Support Writing states that: "Technology—and especially the subset of technology tools known as assistive technology—can be an effective, if not necessary, element of the writing curriculum for students with disabilities. Assistive

iPhone, iTouch, iPad

2009-11-02T09:03:00.000-08:00

Are you lost in the App World? This is an attempt to help you narrow down what you are looking for. We all see those great advertisements about iPhone “apps”, what you might not realize though is how wonderful the iPhone can be for people with various challenges and/or disabilities. Much of the attractiveness of the iPhone, iTouch and iPad apps, available for children and teens who

Disability Manners

2009-10-22T13:20:00.000-07:00