HelpKidzLearn November 24, 2009
Posted by anne marie in Down Syndrome, SMART Board, Special Education, Websites.Tags: free software, Resource, SMARTBoard
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HelpKidzLearn is a collection of free software for young children and those with learning difficulties to play online. The software is catagorized into four sections: Games and Quizzes, Stories and Songs, Creative Play, Find Out About.
Many of the options work very well with the SMARTBoard - I love the Snakes and Ladders game which is very similar to the board game, Shoots and Ladders. This game is awesome for practicing counting skills, eye/hand coordination, turn taking skills, etc. Some of the options also present with audio support- like the Shopping Time Game.
HelpKidzLearn was created and is maintained by Inclusive Technology Ltd. There is a great interactive visual timeline produced by the Down’s Syndrome Association, that once downloaded can be used to easily produce timetables with pictorial clues for young children and those with more complex difficulties. This timeline can be a positive supplement to daily schedule boards to assist students in anticipating transitions and daily schedules. ENJOY!
What’s Wrong With Timmy? May 1, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Books, Down Syndrome, Special Education.Tags: Disability, Down Syndrome, Maria Shriver, Special needs
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Yesterday when I brought Darren for his annual physical this young boy who was at the doctor’s office looked at Darren and stated “Mommy, that boy’s face looks really funny.” It was obvious that his mother was embarrassed and didn’t know what to say and quickly pulled the little boy to another area, scolded him for making the comment and told him to be quiet. After getting Darren’s permission to talk to this boy about him I went over and explained that Darren has Down Syndrome, which is why he looks different, but that Darren is just like him in so many other way. During our conversation I was reminded of the book ”What’s Wrong With Timmy?” by Maria Shriver, because Timmy reminds me of our Darren- someone who lives life to have fun, give love, never judges and just wants to be accepted for who he is. Darren has brightened our lives and definitely reminds me each and every day what is important in life. Believe me when I have had a rough day at work and I come home to Darren’s “Be Happy” attitude, all of the problems seem to melt away.
The essence of this book is best explained by Maria Shriver when she writes, “Anytime children see children who look, talk, or act differently, their first question usually is, “What’s wrong with them?” My hope is that this little book will help children understand that kids with disabilities are not to be feared, pitied, or ridiculed, but are to be embraced, challenged, and included. It is, I believe, one way to teach our children that no matter how we are born, we are all God’s unique children.”
So if you haven’t read this book with your children yet, you might want to put it on your “have to read” list.
Special Needs Cheerleaders April 23, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Down Syndrome, Special Education.Tags: Autism, Down Syndrome, Special needs
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I came across this MSNBC story from Colorado and wanted to share- it touched my heart, made me smile and reminded me of the quote-”Nothing is impossible to a willing heart.”
– John Heywood, sixteenth-century English poet
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/
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.
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.
Andrew Lawson– an inspiration! April 13, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Down Syndrome, Special Education.Tags: Boston Globe article, Down Syndrome, Special Education, Special needs
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Happy Sunday morning! Well I watched the Lifetime movie last night- “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” and I have to admit I was disappointed. It wasn’t near as good as the book. Last night as I was watching the movie a friend of mine sent me a link to an article that had been written by Monique Walker of the Boston Globe in February 2008- “Late Game Heroics for Lawson”. 
The article is about a young man who is a member of the Norwell High School (MA) basketball team. A young man with great courage, determination, acceptance, is an inspiration to many and, oh yeah, by the way, he also has Down Syndrome. Sounds just like our Darren! If you want to add a smile to your face this morning take a minute to read the article and view a video of Andrew.
