Just wanted to say… April 22, 2008
Posted by anne marie in General, Special Education, Websites.Tags: , Earth Day, Resources
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Here are a few websites, articles I found interesting…
“Ten Things you Can Do This Earth Day” - and aarticle in the Vancouver Sun
Earth Day Network - a website “founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970, Earth Day Network (EDN) promotes environmental citizenship and year round progressive action worldwide.”
Kaboose- website filled with many resources and ideas to help celebrate and learn about Earth Day.
Mail Just4Me Playground- website filled with lots of fun ways to celebrate this day.
“AblePlay”- a great resource. April 21, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Special Education, Websites.Tags: Children with special needs, Resource, Special Education, Toys
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AblePlayshares independent ratings and reviews of toys for children with special needs. Over the years I have ordered toys for my classroom only to find out that they weren’t quite what the catalogue had indicated or what I had hoped. This website helps to eliminate this outcome by rating specific toys within 4 disability categories- physical, communicative, sensory and cognitive. The explanation from the site — “There are thousands of choices but finding just the right toy to match the varying abilities of each child with special needs can be a challenge. AblePlay’s independent toy reviews and detailed information help you get “beyond the box” to understand each toy’s unique features, creative ways each toy can be used with children with special needs and skills that will be enhanced as a result.” So it may be worth a visit to this site if you are looking for just that “right” toy or for ideas for a specific student. Just keep in mind that the site is limited and may not have rated the toy you are interested in.
“The Lives They Left Behind” April 20, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Books, Special Education, Websites.Tags: , Autism, book, Special Education, Website
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I learned about a very interesting, thought provoking website today from a college friend. She thought I might be interested in this site knowing that my teaching career had started at a state institution. An institution where, when it was first opened, the primary diagnosis for admittance was Epilepsy and not MR. I often wondered about the circumstances that the people who lived there had faced when they were placed. This institution became their “home” and a place that many chose not to leave, when given a choice. So many “what if” questions would pop into my head when I would come to know many of the folks who lived there. Anyway, back to the website– it’s called The Willard Suitcase Exhibit Online. As explained on the site: “When Willard Psychiatric Center in New York’s Finger Lakes closed in 1995, workers discovered hundreds of suitcases in the attic of an abandoned building. The suitcases and their contents bear witness to the rich, complex lives their owners lived prior to being committed to Willard. They speak about aspirations, accomplishments, community connections, but also about loss and isolation.” After more research I discovered that this site is based on a book:
“The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic” by Darby Penney and Peter Stastny. Photographs by Lisa Rinzler. Based on almost 10 years of historical
detective work…. about the lives of 10 people who were committed to Willard State Hospital in New York’s Finger Lakes during the first half of the 20th century.” The book is now on my- “to read” list.
AbleNet Acquires Tash April 19, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Down Syndrome, SMART Board, Special Education, Websites.Tags: , Ablenet, Assistive Technology, Communication, Special Education, Switches, Tash
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My friend, who is a SLP, emailed me the following information: On April 14, 2008 AbleNet acquired Tash. “Including Tash products in the AbleNet family of products is a win-win situation. Tash brings an outstanding combination of products that enhance our capacity to deliver the best and broadest assortment of assistive technology solutions to persons with disabilities by way of the educational, physical therapy, rehabilitation and daily living assistive technology markets,” stated AbleNet CEO Jen Thalhuber.
To visit the new list of prodcts available please click on this link: http://www.ablenetinc.com/tash/
Clevy Keyboard April 18, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Autism, Special Education, Websites.Tags: ELA, Keyboard, Special needs, Spelling
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I had the opportunity to see a Clevy Keyboard up close and persoanl this week– very cool– so I thought I’d share some information from the Ablenet website about this fun keyboard. The Cost is $99.00 and it is MAC and PC compatibe. “Clevy’s keys are four times bigger than those found on standard keyboards, which in turn allows for larger characters, making them easier to identify. To help students focus on writing and keyboarding skills, all unnecessary keys have been completely eliminated. You’ll also notice that the keys are arranged vertically – an innovation that compels good positioning of the hands, and can be particularly useful for individuals with low vision.” The description also indicates that the Clevy is 100 times stronger than a standard keyboard.
StarFall- an oldie, but very goodie!!! April 17, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Down Syndrome, SMART Board, Special Education, Websites.Tags: computer, literacy, SMART Board, Special Education, Starfall
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Today as I was assisting some of my students set-up on the computer for their free-time activity, I realized how much I LOVE the StarFall website, but more importantly how much my students enjoy using the site- it’s AWESOME! There is a wonderful variety of activites at the PreK-2 grade level (perfect for many SpEd classes). I know it’s one of the oldies, but deserves an updated round of applause with two thumbs up! I also use StarFall with the SMART Board since many of the activities are interactive and are perfect for review of ELA objectives.
Lesson Activity ToolKit- Notebook 10 April 16, 2008
Posted by anne marie in SMART Board, Special Education, Websites.Tags: education, Interactive, Notebook 10, SMARTBoard, Special Education
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I spent some time today exploring some of the Notebook 10 Lesson Activity Toolkit and am loving it! Mostly because there are games and activities that allow images to be imported– a HUGE plus for my students who need images/symbols to supplement lessons. I received an email from SMART Exchange with a link to a subforum on their site with some some great Tips and Tricks for the LAT including a Quick Reference Guide and video tutorials. I found it to be very helpful- especially the videos. I’m giving it an A!! 
Notebook 10 April 15, 2008
Posted by anne marie in SMART Board, Special Education, Websites.Tags: education, Notebook 10, SMARTBoard, Special Education
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GREAT news- SMART Technologies released Notebook Version 10 today-YEAH! 
Sorry- had to stop for a short happy dance!!! Anyway, if you want to download this latest version here’s a link to Notebook 10. Have fun exploring all of the GREAT new features!
Voice Thread April 14, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Down Syndrome, SMART Board, Special Education, Websites.Tags: ELA, Language, Special Education, Speech Therapy, Voice Thread
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I learned about this fun, very motivating site from Christine Southard’s Blog- thanks Christine! Voice Thread is an online media album that can hold essentially any type of media allowing you to share them with anyone. Voice Thread allows group conversations to be collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world. There is also Ed.Voice Thread specifically designed for K-12 students and educators. There is a $10 one time activation fee if you want to use it in your classroom.
I have been using Voice Thread with my students since last week with some very impressive success. My students are enjoying the recording feature – as they say “listen to me in the computer”– not to mention that they love seeing their pictures on the SMART Board! We started a history unit on the American Revolution- specifically George Washington- and they have been eagerly recording their thoughts and what they have learned about our first President. If you want to see a great example of Voice Thread being incorporated into a classroom check out Christine’s Blog–she shares a Voice Thread she created with her students.
Best Buddies April 13, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Autism, Down Syndrome, Special Education.Tags: Autism, Best Buddies, Down Syndrome, Special Education
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Our school chapter of Best Buddies is planning a Red Sox excursion to Fenway Park so I thought I’d take the opportunity to write about this unique and worthwhile organization. In case you haven’t heard about Best Buddies, it was founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver. “Best Buddies is a vibrant, international organization that has grown from one original chapter to more than 1,300 middle school, high school, and college campuses across the country and internationally. It is dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships and integrated employment.” There is also a component called e-Buddies. e-Buddies is dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one e-mail friendships.” In the classroom this can be a motivating way to address objectives that typically are not student “favorites” such as reading and writing skills, not to mention developing social and computer skills by making technology fun! Another AWESOME feature is, thanks to a partnership between Best Buddies, America Online, (AOL) and Intellitools, you can access special IntelliKeys Overlays designed to make it easier for persons with disabilities to use AOL.
