We recently hosted a workshop presented by two fantastic high school teachers. In the past several years these teachers have read the Twilight saga to their high school students with intellectual disabilities. They have created adapted materials, powerpoint books, tactile representations of all of the book characters, and even special recipes. All of their classroom materials can be accessed on this wiki site. Spend some time looking through their wonderful activities and create your own classroom of Twilight fans!
Spotlight on Twilight
Monthly Archives: February 2012
A Story of Self-Determination
I enjoyed reading this article which is chronicles a man’s life in the mid-twentieth century to present as he overcomes is visual challenges to become a successful electrical engineer. He credits his family and others for his success, but it’s also his determination to find a career in his area of interest that demonstrates his determination. It’s important to learn about assistive technology, but also listen to the stories about the impact it makes on people’s lives. Enjoy!
http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm12/bm1202/bm120204.htm
Safe, Secure and…..Squishy
Do you have nightmares about your student accidentally dropping the class iPad or it sliding across the table and landing on the floor with a crash? We may have a solution for you….the Big Grips Frame. It’s an iPad case designed for kids. It hugs the ipad, is easy to grip and comfortable to hold. Apparently it was “all the rage” at Closing the Gap in October. As of today, the total cost for the frame and stand is $49.95. Visit www.biggrips.com.
Switch accessible game for preschoolers
Looking for a game to encourage interaction between your preschool students? The T/TAC Assistive Technology Lending Library at VCU has the classic preschool game “Hi Ho Cherry-O” in an accessible format. The game comes with a switch accessible spinner and a switch activated game square for manipulating the cherries during the game. Pair this game with a go-talk 4 and you have a great activity to encourage communication among peers. This game is available for check out to consumers residing in the Central Virginia area. Call us or stop by our office to check it out!
Free Educational Technology Resource
I saw this advertised in the Big Deal Book Newsletter and thought I should spread the word. EmergingEdTech’s 2012 Free Education Technology Resources eBook contains 65 pages of articles and insights into dozens of the Internet’s best free educational technology resources. The 2012 edition includes chapters focused on iPad apps, the use of Facebook in Education, free productivity resources and more. To get your free copy, just sign up to receive EmergingEdTech posts via email by providing your name and email address. I just did it too!
http://www.emergingedtech.com/2012/01/announcing-the-2012-free-education-technology-resources-ebook-from-emergingedtech/
Age appropriate switch accessible device
We often receive requests for switch items for older students with complex needs. It is hard to find age appropriate items for these students. Check this out from RJ Cooper. Nice large buttons that can be activated by a single touch. This works well with the music feature of the iOS devices. A great way to put to use the old ipods sitting around.
View the you tube video from RJ Cooper: http://youtu.be/XHwa-EConNA
RJ Cooper demonstrates his creations
Sometimes all of the AT lingo gets confusing and it’s foreign to many who are new to the field. This video of RJ Cooper demonstrates some of the tools that are often discussed and you can see them in action. Thought it might be helpful for some and it might give ideas to others out there who want to create some alternatives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR8eGdZ1oEA
What’s that about text-to-speech on the Neo (AlphaSmart)?
It was a surprise to me, too: the Neo2 has a text-to-speech (TTS) add-on. It costs extra (but then again, what doesn’t?) but can be purchased and then swapped between Neo2 devices. Check out the site and their corporate research studies here: https://www.neo-direct.com/default.aspx
How to embed a sound into a Word doc
Microsoft has a help page for how to insert sounds into Word documents: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/insert-a-sound-HP005257344.aspx. This might be helpful to those of you attempting to record questions on tests!
How to embed sound in a .PDF file
Embedding sound into different document types is kind of a challenge for those of us who don’t try it frequently. Here is a cheat sheet on how to embed sound into a PDF:
http://www.readpen.ca/ReadPenTip.pdf