21St Century Apps for Educators and Students
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These resources are provided by Jonn Paris-Salb, Ex-Officio Trustee of the American Printing House for the Blind for the California Department of Education. If you have any questions regarding this package of resources, please contact Jonn Paris-Salb, Assistive Technology Consultant, by phone at 916-323-2202 or by E-mail at [email protected].
ACCESS TO CURRICULUM ARTICLES 7-15-2014
21st Century Apps for Educators and Students By Laura Devaney, May 22nd, 2014
Luhtala featured apps that have been crowd-sourced by a handful of her colleagues and students. The apps promote and target 21st-century skills such as collaboration and creativity. 1. Kidblog: This app is very simple, intuitive, and educators said they felt students were writing much better after they knew their work would be published digitally. 2. Aurasma: An augmented reality app. Students are using the app to “attach” videos to books in their school library, and when other students hover mobile devices over each book, they have access to the student’s video review of the book. 3. Pinterest: One educator is using the pinboard site as a portal for parents who want to support their learners at home. Teachers are adding pins in different classroom subject areas or lesson areas and parents can access those materials at home. 4. 30hands: This storytelling app lets students take pictures, annotate, record voices, and transform it into video. 5. Adobe Voice: This is a brand new presentation tool with great templates for storytelling. It also offers a library of copyright-friendly music and images for use. 6. Book Creator: Students can pull in images, multimedia, texts, and can create their own books. Books can be sent over eMail, as PDFs, and more. 7. Tellagami: This app offers enhanced storytelling with an avatar, which is popular with young students. 8. Biblionasium: Teachers can set up favorite books and recommended lists on virtual bookshelves that are available to students at all times. Students can eMail their reading logs instead of handing them in on paper; teachers can set up fun challenges and rewards that will encourage students to keep reading. 9. BrainPOP and myBrainPOP: Students can complete lessons in BrainPOP, take notes in a notetaking app, and then use My BrainPOP to keep track of all their work. 10. Chromville: This app offers an augmented reality experience. Students download and color a blank coloring page. When they hover over the image with a mobile device, the image comes to life. The app promotes storytelling, as young students develop characters and storylines to accompany their images. 11. Clear: A gesture-based organization app. 12. Digital Passport from CommonSense Media: This app helps students cultivate their digital citizenship skills. 13. CrowdFlik: This app takes simultaneous recordings from different people (i.e., people recording an event such as a concert or wedding) and stores it in the cloud. Users can edit those mini-recordings together into a movie with multiple viewpoints. 14. EasyBib: This bibliography generator helps students determine what style they need and how different citations appear. 15. NoodleTools: Users can use one tool for note-taking, outlining, citations, research, and more. 16. eduClipper: This tools aims to help students and educators save time and build personal learning networks. 17. edWeb.net: This resource for educators offers a multitude of communities, webinars, and discussions on targeted education topics. 18. Evernote: This app enables users take notes, create to-do lists, record voice reminders, and more. 19. ExplainEverything: This interactive whiteboard and screencasting tool lets users import and insert documents, pictures, or video, while drawing and annotating. 20. Follett Destiny: School staff have immediate access to circulation functions on the go. 21. DestinyQuest: Students can search and access library resources from mobile devices using this app. 22. Follett Titlewave: This mobile app helps teachers and librarians assess and improve their library collections. 23. GV Connect: This app integrates with a user’s existing Google Voice account and lets them place calls from their Google Voice number, listen to messages, send and receive texts, forward calls, and more. 24. Green Screen: This app from DoInk lets users create green screen videos from mobile devices. Users can combine up to three image sources at one time, use live or prerecorded video, and more. 25. Haiku Deck: Innovative and inspiring presentation software. 26. SlideIdea: A presentation app that makes it easy to create slides and share with others. 27. Hopscotch: This app lets students drag and drop blocks of code to create their own programs. 28. Lightbot: This coding tool combines coding and puzzle solving to engage users. 29. iMovie: This app enables users to browse and share videos and clips they have created. 30. Paper from FiftyThree: Users can create digital ink organizational displays and can easily share those ideas.
To read the complete article, and access links to the app software, go to http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/05/22/30-apps-educators-634/ ?.
Accessibility of Learning Content for Students with Disabilities Policy Brief, June 2014
In the fall of 2012, SETDA released a groundbreaking report, Out of Print: Reimagining the K-12 Textbook in a Digital Age, on how to manage the ongoing shift from traditional print- based instructional materials to digital content. While the advantages to increasing the use of digital content by students and teachers are significant, the policies and practices associated with a successful transition are still emerging. The purpose of this series of policy briefs is to shine a light on specific policies and practices that we believe are key to keeping efforts to employ digital content in K-12 education on track and on target.
This paper summarizes issues and ideas that education leaders should consider when examining the accessibility of digital content for all students, including students with disabilities. It provides recommendations for state and district policy regarding the development, use, and distribution/sharing of digital tools and resources to improve students' learning experiences.
To read the complete report, go to https://www.google.com/search? q=THE+ACCESSIBILITY+OF+LEARNING+CONTENT+FOR+ALL+STUDENTS %2C+INCLUDING+STUDENTS+WITH+DISABILITIES %2C+MUST+BE+ADDRESSED+IN+THE+SHIFT+TO+DIGITAL+INSTRUCTIONAL+M ATERIALS&oq=THE+ACCESSIBILITY+OF+LEARNING+CONTENT+FOR+ALL+STUD ENTS%2C+INCLUDING+STUDENTS+WITH+DISABILITIES %2C+MUST+BE+ADDRESSED+IN+THE+SHIFT+TO+DIGITAL+INSTRUCTIONAL+M ATERIALS&aqs=chrome..69i57.320j0j8&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF- 8&safe=active.
Instructional Strategies for Implementing iPads as Assistive Technology By Tara Mason, 6-23-2014
This article is about a simple instructional model to implement when working with students and their iPads. A key point is that when instructing about technology, we must remember to give students lots of supported practice followed by independent practice. There are new research-based instructional technology processes that TVIs who may not be as familiar with teaching about technology, do not know about. Other compelling reasons to use an instructional strategy when implementing iPads:
1) Introduce: The teacher would introduce the new app and explain why it will be beneficial and what it can do (2-5 minutes).
2) Model with verbal description: The teacher verbally describes getting to the app and working with it. Next, point out some primary features and how to access them. Using teacher talk, articulate why working with this app in this way works well, hopefully building motivation for the student regarding the benefits of the app. (3-5 minutes).
3) Scaffold, with hand-under-hand, if needed: At this point, support students as they explore the app. If a student needs greater structure, this is the step where the teacher will figure out the steps and practice each step with support. (15-45 minutes, may be over multiple lessons). 4) Independent practice and homework: A student may have a 3-5 step routine with an app or a student may be working more independently with an app without needing a regimented process. During independent practice, give the student a task such as, do some research on the Internet and write me an e-mail about it.
5) Monitor and Maintain: One of the primary reasons assistive technology devices get discarded is when the Monitor and Maintain step is omitted. With iOS updates or decreased storage space, students may be confused why their iPad is not working correctly. Student may not know how to charge their iPad resulting in the battery being dead for months before the problem gets addressed.
One final note, I know you may have many items to cover in your lesson time with particular students and iPad use is only a piece of the larger picture. This is a primary reason I recommend linking the iPad to the Expanded Core Curriculum and make sure to look for ways to incorporate iPads into many life activities for each student. Depending on the level of technology use at a student’s school, he or she may be at a distinct disadvantage not using technology as much as his or her peers. If an iPad would be a beneficial device, systematic instruction will help your student be more successful and independent.
To read the complete article with graphics, go to http://scholar.google.com/scholar? q=Instructional+Strategies+for+Implementing+iPads+as+Assistive+Technology&hl=en& as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart&sa=X&ei=yoqpU9fLGY- 8oQSErID4CQ&ved=0CB0QgQMwAA .
5 Assistive Technology Open Source Programs By Peter Cheer, 6-25-2014
Assistive technology software is any program or operating system feature designed to let a user with cognitive, sensory, or physical impairments use a computer system. The two operating system ecologies that I am most familiar with are Linux and Microsoft Windows. For Linux users, Knoppix and Ubuntu can be installed with screen reader support for users with visual impairments. NVDA is an open source screen reader for users with visual impairments that was first developed by Michael Curran and James Teh in Australia and released in 2006.
Access Apps is another useful resource. It is a compilation of over 50 different assistive technology software programs, compiled by the Techdis group of JISC (Joint Information Systems Council) in the United Kingdom, for students in need of assistive technology. The collection contains a mix of open source and freeware programs, all of which can be run as portable apps from a USB device. The entire collection is available for download (817mb download, 1.24gb extracted), or choose each program individually. The programs have been selected to support reading, writing, and planning as well as sensory, cognitive, and physical impairments, and they include the NVDA screen reader and many others. The most useful thing about a resource like Access Apps is that it makes finding assistive technology programs easy and quick.
To read the complete article, go to http://opensource.com/life/14/6/open-source- assistive-technology-software.
Learning by Universal Design: Interview with David Rose By Anthony Rebora, 7-1-2014 David H. Rose is a developmental neuropsychologist and educator who teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Rose is also considered to be the principal architect of Universal Design for Learning.
You’ve written that implementing a curriculum that’s student-centered is difficult to undertake when using print materials. Can you explain what you mean by that? Sure. Print is a fixed medium. It’s essentially one-size fits all, and it works really well for some people but usually not as well for a wide spectrum of others. With print materials every student gets the same thing, but what we know from learning sciences is that students are really different in how successful they’ll be in getting information from a print-only source.
So what are some alternatives? If you make that book digital, it becomes flexible in a lot of important ways. An obvious one, at the extreme, is that if a student is partially blind or has poor eyesight, you can adjust the font size dramatically. Or you could have the words spoken aloud for students who are blind or who are dyslexic. So that’s the idea: If a resource is available digitally, educators can take advantage of that flexibility. The delivery method is not going to look the same to everybody but that means that more kids are going to have access to the information in it and be able to turn it into useable knowledge. Let’s take another example: You might have kids who come from different cultural or historical backgrounds, very different levels of background knowledge when they read a text. In a printed book, you can’t really have a lot of auxiliary material because it’s confusing and creates too much stuff on the page. But in a digital version, we can provide different students with different types or levels of background-information support in a totally unobtrusive way—so that just by clicking or looking at some interwoven supplementary materials, students can get help with particular words or topics they aren’t familiar with. So you have a text that is not the same for everyone, in the sense that students are taking different paths through it, getting different supports, negotiating different challenges—that’s the way things should be.
What advice do you have for schools or educators who are looking to use more multimedia or digital tools in their instruction to better cater to students’ individual learning needs? Start by asking yourself, “What are the goals here? What am I trying to do?” Having a sense of your instructional goals is an essential first step. One of the things that’s driving interest in UDL right now is the adoption of the common-core standards, because that establishes a clear set of goals on what students should know and know how to do. If the only tool you have is a printed textbook, you’re not going to get there. You need tools so that kids who need it can get real-time help with decoding, help with vocabulary if they need it, help with English or background knowledge if they need it.
What does a UDL classroom look like in practice? There are some common things we look for in a UDL classroom. The first is the presence of clear goals. The teachers know what they’re trying to teach. The teacher should also have a range of instructional methods at her disposal, so that she works with different kids in different ways so teachers in a UDL classroom are extremely adaptive based on their observations of their students and whether something has worked so far. Finally, we look for how well the teacher assesses what the kids have learned, assessment methods that can show how the student approached a problem that he or she got wrong and what parts of the lesson are working or not working for particular students.
What sort of training or professional development is needed to teach this way? Where do teachers generally need to improve? Teachers really need to know more than they do now about the learning differences among kids. I think teachers need to know more about learning sciences, about neuroscience. To be able to engage kids across the spectrum, teachers need to develop strong emotional-awareness skills. People tend to see teaching as cognitive work, and it is. But there’s a great deal of emotional work involved, too. Really good teachers are able to read the emotional climate of the classroom, to recognize where each kid is emotionally. We see a large part of UDL as really focusing on the emotional work teachers need to do because it gives them more options for the cognitive stuff.
Are there particular digital tools in terms of their potential to personalize learning? We’ve seen some really wonderful products lately in both literacy and math—products that have many supports built in. For example, math tools that will show a principle in multiple ways—so you’ll have a formula, a graph, a chart, and a text description. And when you change one of them, they all change. To read the complete interview, go to https://web.stanford.edu/group/cubbdev/node/15105 . iPads May Help Boost Speaking Skills in Kids with Autism By Kathleen Doheny,
The study compared language and social communication treatment—with or without access to an iPad computer tablet—in 61 young children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and found that the device helped boost the effect of the treatment.
The children used the iPad when they were engaged in play, she said. The iPad worked because it is a visual stimulant with auditory feedback. For instance, children would mispronounce a word, hear it pronounced correctly on the iPad, and then learn to say it correctly, she said. Children in the study were between the ages of 5 and 8. For the first three months, all of the children received two sessions a week, totaling two to three hours a week. At the three-month mark, nearly 78 percent of children in the iPad-added group had an early response, but just 62 percent of those in the group without it did, the investigators found.
The researchers followed the children for three years. If the research continues to bear out, the hope would be to use the iPads in school programs and to train parents in its use at home, both experts agreed.
To read the complete article and a link to the study, go to http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-07-ipads-boost-skills-kids-autism.html.
Looking down the road, what do you think classrooms should look like? By Anthony Rebora, June 18, 2014
I hope classrooms will have more emotion in them. You’d see kids excited about learning, propositions. You’d see the stuff that really makes learning happen as opposed to the passivity we often see now. We’d see kids who are learning to express themselves in a wide range of media. The range of media would be very large, and kids would become experts at knowing which medium is best to express what they want to get across—and then at knowing how to do it. Also, kids would be adept in knowledge acquisition as opposed to just knowledge storage. As for teachers, they would be really amazing at recognizing and addressing the learning differences among their children.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/06/18/gp_rose_interview.html .
Flipping the Classroom for Special Needs Students By Bridget McCrea, 6/30/14
There was a time when students who suffered from severe disabilities and were unable to speak had to use a DynaVox speech communication solution. The bulky, clunky equipment wasn’t portable, and couldn’t play a part in a flipped classroom. Fast forward to 2014, and the district has found a more workable solution by combining iPads with the Proloquo2 app.
The app allows students without vocal capabilities to “speak” by tapping buttons that represent words or phrases, access grammar with verb and noun inflections, and transition to literacy with word prediction in “typing” view. Students use the app on their lightweight, portable devices, they can do their flipped classroom “pre-work” from home and come to class the next day prepared to tackle their lessons. Another tool that teachers use is Panopto , a video platform used to record, webcast, manage and search. Teachers record their lectures, instructions or other types of content and then upload the videos to the district’s LMS. In addition to the basic classroom tools the Zaption app teaches both social studies and science to create, add elements to, and publish videos, is particularly useful when working with middle-school students who are not reading at grade level. Hausser creates videos that include pop-up quiz questions. Students can then stop the clips, write out their answers and annotate using iPads.
Classroom assistive technology for the flipped classroom needs to be more individualized. Captioning applications, video platforms, text-to-speech software and other assistive technologies have progressed significantly over the last few years and have made the flipped environment more accessible to non-traditional learners. A student’s ability to watch, stop and re-watch clips — as a particularly vital technology tool for such environments. The rapid advancement of touch technology has also put more power in the non-traditional students’ hands, said Wright, and made the flipped classroom more accessible. Finally, Wright said that the proliferation of mobile apps is bringing special needs functionality into the mainstream. Tools that we would have historically called ‘assistive technology’ are now available on iTunes.
To read the complete article, go to http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/06/30/flipping-the- classroom-for-special-needs-students.aspx.
Common Core Test Tools Aid Students with Special Needs By: Alison DeNisco
Common Core assessments are making testing easier for students with special needs, experts say. The computer-based exams include tools such as on-screen calculators and read-aloud instructions to enhance accessibility for students with disabilities while keeping them in the classroom with their peers.
Both PARCC and Smarter Balanced have three tiers of testing resources. The first, universal tools, is available to all students and includes calculators, highlighters and zoom functions to make text larger. Previously, many of these were available only for special needs students. The second tier, with tools such as translated test directions and glossaries, is for ELL students and others whom teachers have determined need extra assistance. The third tier comprises special needs accommodations, such as braille text, closed captioning and descriptive videos. These tools, which are authorized by a student’s IEP team, can be turned off by a teacher if they are not helpful or are a distraction.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.districtadministration.com/article/common-core-test-tools-aid-students- special-needs.
How Storify Can Be a New Platform for Students By Gaby Arancibia, June 26th, 2014 With new innovations coming out of the woodwork, students now have new tools to further their education. With sites such as Twitter, Instagram, and even Vine, teachers and students are able to come together on common ground and mold the ever-growing world of social media to a more educational setting. At a time when schools are facing tight budgets, Storify has the added benefit of being free. Read on to learn more about how Storify could turn things around for you:
1. Creativity: Even if you don’t grade creativity high on class assignments or projects, this tool can help your students grow and find new ways to present their stance on a topic. Encouraging students to be more creative helps them build and reconstruct their own conceptual knowledge.
2. Generating well-rounded stories: Because Storify is based on the premise of users creating actual stories. Ideally students would have to outline their assignment and pinpoint specific sections they feel would strengthen their argument or point of view. This tool requires students to acquire a new skill in gathering information from social media.
3. Historical or current event: Sometimes getting students interested in current events or even learning about historical events can be difficult. With Storify students would be able to include tweets, videos, and gifs.
4. Interpret classical writing: At some point during high school, a teacher will give an assignment that will have students interpreting a classical work of art. For a lesson, teachers could assign students to use Storify and create a bio story on the author and include what they believe inspired the author to write the novel.
To read the complete article and view video clips of student work, go to http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/06/26/storify-platform-students-373/?ps=350905- 001a000001PNtnM-003a000001rICkG.
6 Word Prediction Strategies for Struggling Student By John Carroll, June 2014
Word Prediction is an electronic support that predicts words based on what you type. Believe it or not, most people use word prediction every day. Whether sending a text message or performing a Google search word prediction helps individuals to type more accurately. While basic word prediction is great, specialized word prediction software goes far beyond what Google and smart phones offer by including advanced features such as phonetic spell check, confusable word support, the ability to have words read aloud, and much more. These advanced supports are great for a variety of users including students with learning disabilities, individuals with physical disabilities, English Language Learners, and even poor spellers. To read the complete article, go to http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/04/18/6-word- prediction-strategies-struggling-students/. ‘I’m Not Stupid, Just Dyslexic’ By Rachel Zimmerman, 6-19-2014
Growing up with dyslexia Josh Thibeau, 12, thinks of his brain as an ever-changing maze with turns he must learn to navigate. When he was in first grade, Josh’s parents enrolled him in a research study at Boston Children’s Hospital investigating the genetics of dyslexia. Since then, Josh has completed regular MRI scans of his brain. On average, one or two kids in every U.S. classroom has dyslexia, a brain-based learning disability that often runs in families and makes reading difficult. Until recently (and sometimes even today) kids who struggled to read were thought to lack motivation or smarts. Now it’s clear that’s not true: Dyslexia stems from physiological differences in the brain circuitry. Those differences can make it harder, and less efficient, for children to process the tiny components of language, called phonemes.
Several studies have suggested that intervention is most effective in kindergarten or first grade. However, you have to have several years of reading failure before you can get a diagnosis of dyslexia — end of second grade, beginning of third grade. So we have this paradox.” Pretty much every day he confronts the reality that his brain works differently than his peers’. He’s even shared scans of his brain with classmates to try to show those differences. Some kids still don’t get it. “There was a student that said, ‘Are you stupid?’ Because my brain was working in a different way,” Josh says. “And I’m just like, ‘No, I am not stupid…I’m just dyslexic.’ ”
Now, new research shows it’s possible to pick up some of the signs of dyslexia in the brain even before kids learn to read. And this earlier identification may start to substantially influence how parents, educators and clinicians tackle the disorder. The arcuate fasciculus is an arch-shaped bundle of fibers that connects the frontal language areas of the brain to the areas in the temporal lobe that are important for language Researchers found that kindergarten children with strong pre-reading scores have a bigger, more robust and well-organized arcuate fasciculus while children with very low scores have a small and not particularly well-organized arcuate fasciculus (Zeynep Saygin/MIT).
Using cutting-edge MRI technology, the researchers are able to pinpoint a specific neural pathway, a white matter tract in the brain’s left hemisphere that appears to be related to dyslexia: It’s called the arcuate fasciculus. In her lab, Norton shows me brain images from the NIH-funded kindergartner study, called READ (for Researching Early Attributes of Dyslexia). As part of the READ study, the kids wear colorful electrode caps to measure electrical activity in their brains; they complete a slew of cognitive, behavioral, memory and language tests; and get MRIs to evaluate both the structure and function of their brains. Researchers published findings based on the first 40 kids last summer in the Journal of Neuroscience; the plan is to follow all 186 kids in the study from kindergarten through second grade. To read the complete article, and view brain scans, go to http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/06/dyslexia-brain .
Six Characteristics of a Great STEM Lesson By Anne Jolly, 6-17-2014 Science, Mathematics, Technology, and Mathematics (STEM) is more than just a grouping of subject areas. STEM develops a set of thinking, reasoning, teamwork, investigative, and creative skills that students can use in all areas of their lives. Here are six characteristics of a great STEM lesson. 1. STEM lessons focus on real-world issues and problems. In STEM lessons, students address real social, economic, and environmental problems and seek solutions. 2. STEM lessons are guided by the engineering design process. The engineering design process (EDP) provides a flexible process that takes students from identifying a problem—or a design challenge—to creating and developing a solution. 3. STEM lessons immerse students in hands-on inquiry and open-ended exploration. In STEM lessons, the students’ work is hands-on and collaborative, and decisions about solutions are student-generated. Students communicate to share ideas and redesign their prototypes as needed. 4. STEM lessons involve students in productive teamwork. It becomes exponentially easier if all STEM teachers at a school work together to implement teamwork, using the same language, procedures, and expectations for students. 5. STEM lessons apply rigorous math and science content your students are learning. In your STEM lessons, you should purposely connect and integrate content from math and science courses. Plan to collaborate with other math and/or science teachers to gain insight into how course objectives can be interwoven in a given lesson. 6. STEM lessons allow for multiple right answers and reframe failure as a necessary part of learning. Students were studying specific science content and the whole idea was to provide insight into cause and effect by manipulating variables. STEM classes, by contrast, always provide opportunity for multiple right answers and approaches. Failure is considered a positive step on the way to discovering and designing solutions. Creating STEM lessons: I generally start with the following sites to jumpstart my thinking when I plan a STEM lesson: Design Squad Nation, NASA STEM lesson, National Geographic Education, STEMWorks, TeachEngineering, and The Air Force Collaboratory.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/06/17/ctq_jolly_stem.html. Decatur Student Takes Dyslexia Issue to D.C. Posted by Sydney Wu , July 03, 2014 Decatur student Harper Rhett, 11, along with his mother, Jennifer, and a Decatur public school teacher traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress June 25 and 26. The issue at hand? Dyslexia and how it affects students. The Decoding Dyslexia Network, asked Congress to join the bipartisan dyslexia caucus and sign on to House Resolution 456 to raise dyslexia awareness and improve the accessibility for children who struggle with the learning disability.
Jennifer Rhett started a nonprofit in Decatur called Reading is Essential for All People to train and equip teachers with the skills needed to teach children who struggle with dyslexia. The second year is spent tutoring kids who would otherwise not have the opportunity to have tutors. Since tutoring, Harper Rhett is now able to read at an above- average level.
To read the complete article, go to http://tucker.patch.com/groups/schools/p/decatur- student-takes-dyslexia-issue-to-dc693377 .
States Struggle with New Special Education Accountability Framework Fewer states are meeting requirements for educating students with disabilities now that the U.S. Department of Education has shifted from a compliance-focused evaluation of special education programs to Results-Driven Accountability (RDA). This year, only 15 states meet the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements, compared to last year’s 41 states. Thirty-two states are determined as needing assistance, and three states need intervention. The RDA system, which previously focused on whether states were meeting procedural requirements such as following evaluation timelines, now considers a variety of results-based indicators, including the test scores of students with disabilities, proficiency gaps between students with disabilities and the general student population, and graduation rates.
States that fail to meet requirements face sanctions such as being required to obtain technical assistance or being identified as a high-risk grant recipient. If states are in the “needs intervention” determination for three years in a row, they will have to prepare a corrective action plan or enter into a compliance agreement. Ultimately, federal funding could be withheld from states that consistently fail to meet requirements. The new framework has been in development for some time because of concerns over the educational achievement of students with disabilities. Less than 10 percent of eighth graders with disabilities are scoring proficient in reading, according to the department.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.ascd.org/public-policy/Capitol- Connection-Jun-30-2014.aspx.
Gaming May Help Children with Autism Socialize By Staff Writers, June 20th, 2014
Video games that require teamwork could be used to improve the social skills of children with autism. Autism is a mental condition that often leads to poor language and social skills. People with autism cover a wide spectrum–from those who struggle to function on their own to those who simply seem a little quirky. What they all have in common is their brains are wired differently than most people.
The teaching process involves playing simple video games that require working with a partner or partners to complete tasks. The games require actions many with autism find difficult–turn-taking, imitation, cooperation, cooperative listening, reading social cues. They also require use of fine motor skills, another common struggle for autistics.
People with autism also typically possess a high determination to reach goals. By requiring cooperation and coordination to reach those video game goals, the games prompt improvements in those skills. The study is designed to measure how much the players are learning and how best to teach those lessons. His research team includes graduate students in computer programming, psychology and exercise science. Recent advancements in brain imaging technology will allow researchers to see what portion of the brain is most active during game play, which might be different for those with autism.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.eschoolnews.com/2014/06/20/games- autism-socialize-987/?ps=350905-001a000001PNtnM-003a000001rICkG.
Do Teachers Need iPad Training? By Adam Webster on June 30, 2014
If you give a child a device they will sit and play with it until you ask them to stop and perhaps even after that they’ll still keep playing. If you give one to a teacher, they’ll do what they can when they can, but it might well sit in a drawer for a long while before they get the opportunity to really test drive it.
Too much training is about apps. Obviously apps are important, but building ideas for lessons around specific apps is a shortcut to short-changing your students. Teachers are better served being taught about a core set of tools that create a workflow that meets the majority of their needs. Training can be scheduled and self-paced simultaneously. The iPad is an intuitive device. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that when learning a new language there is a need for intensive support.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.edudemic.com/teachers-need-ipad- training/.
When High School Students Struggle with Textbook Reading By Sheila Valencia, June 27, 2014
Many reports and research studies have documented the adolescent reading challenge -- too many students are unable to learn and build new knowledge from the texts used in their subject matter classrooms. The chapters are long and packed with specialized vocabulary; assume background knowledge that students often don't have; include various types charts, tables and graphics; and are poorly organized, covering too many topics piecemeal.
Over the past five years, we have worked to develop strategies for helping students learn from textbooks. We found several things contribute to this situation: 1. Many students tell us that they don't read their textbooks because their teacher typically covers the important information during class. 2. Students who struggle with reading often don't recognize that they don't understand. 3. As described above, content-area textbooks pose unique reading challenges for many students: density, structure, specialized vocabulary, background knowledge, or lack of coherence.
Strategies for Tackling Textbook Reading Identifying Purpose: Preview the material and strategically select sections that align with specific learning objectives. Giving a Good Reading Homework Assignment: Take time to give clear, focused homework assignments. Teaching Students to Self-Monitor for Understanding: Model and practice with students how to use sticky notes.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.edutopia.org/blog/students-struggle-with-textbook-reading-sheila-valencia? utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=070914%20enews %20play %20A&utm_content=&utm_term=blog2&spMailingID=8979749&spUserID=MjcyNjkzMD AwNzAS1&spJobID=340686442&spReportId=MzQwNjg2NDQyS0
Does Society See Dyslexia Backward? By Bonnie Magoon Haley, 6-6-2014
For a learning difference that is so widespread, affecting an estimated 20% of people in the United States, it is astonishing that dyslexia is misunderstood by much of the general population The most common misconception about individuals with dyslexia is that they see letters backward. The truth is that dyslexia affects individuals differently and can manifest in a variety of characteristics. Many dyslexics do not see letters backward.
By failing to understand the strengths that often develop with dyslexia—strong work ethic, creative problem solving, critical thinking—we perpetuate the assumption that people with dyslexia won’t be able to achieve the same level of success as their non- dyslexic peers. The challenges of a learning disability can be demoralizing, but most dyslexics persevere by working hard and learning as best as they can.
To read the complete article, go to https://www.learningally.org/does-society-see- dyslexia-backward/.
10 Inspiring Quotes to Help You Differentiate Your Instruction By Carol Tomlinson, July 2014
Whether you need motivation to implement differentiated instruction in the classroom or simply need reassurance that it’s working, you’ll find inspiration in these words of wisdom: 1. Every child is entitled to the promise of a teacher’s optimism, enthusiasm, time, and energy. 2. Educators should be champions of every student who enters the schoolhouse doors. 3. Teachers in the most exciting and effective differentiated classrooms don’t have all the answers. What they do have is optimism and determination. 4. It is a human birthright to be a learner. There is little we do that is more important. 5. Like students, teachers grow best when they are moderately challenged. Waiting until conditions are ideal or until you are sure of yourself yields lethargy, not growth. 6. Teachers change either because they see the light or because they feel the heat. 7. A great coach never achieves greatness for himself or his team by working to make all his players alike. 8. Becoming an expert at differentiation is a career-long goal. One step at a time, you will get there. Don’t feel compelled to grade everything. There’s a time for students to figure things out and a time for judging whether they did, but the two shouldn’t always be the same. If curriculum and instruction are the heart and limbs of sound teaching, then classroom management is the central nervous system. Without the heart, there is no life, but without the nervous system, there is no function.
To read more about this article, go to http://inservice.ascd.org/education-resources/10- inspiring-quotations-to-help-you-differentiate-your-instruction/ .
Peer Mentoring: Special Needs Students Help Each Other By Jim Kasuba, 6-24-2014
Students tend to relate well to fellow students, usually older students who have been down the same road as the younger children and who have learned a few things along the way. Peer mentoring program coordinators Kelly Blanks, Tara Johnson and Jerry Nahhas, say they’ve had tremendous success with 11 older students, and numerous younger students, working together. This program is unique in that we have special needs students both as mentors and mentees.
Supervised and guided by classroom teachers and paraprofessionals, the mentors provide an invaluable support to the success of the students they work with. Helping kids to stay focused and to be safe and responsible were the main goals. Johnson said that to be a mentor, students must be doing well within their own classroom and demonstrate the values of being safe, respectful and responsible. Each mentor is assigned to work with a particular student, or in some cases with an entire classroom. According to Blanks, mentoring work might include working on communication skills, reading and math skills, or leading activities with a group of students.
The video about the school’s program sums up the importance of mentoring through a quote from children’s author Dr. Seuss. “To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.” To read the complete article, go to http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2014/06/24/news/doc53a9f62fd2aa2139860528. txt.
Baltimore County Teachers Learn to Use Technology to Engage Students By Lauren Loricchio, 7-2-2014
The Baltimore County school system is scheduled to implement a new digital technology program in 10 designated 'Lighthouse' schools in the fall, and educators from the schools chosen to pilot the program took part in a two-day conference last week at Cockeysville Middle School. There they had the opportunity to learn about new techniques for engaging students using technology.
The class focused on showing teachers how to use the audio program Audacity and how to use video to help students feel more confident while learning to read. A teacher from each grade was designated as part of the Teacher Leader Corps. That teacher is responsible for leading other teachers who teach the same grade in the program.
While before the focus was more on the logistics of when teachers would get their devices and how they would operate, the focus is shifting to how teachers will use the tools to teach students, Proudfoot said. "Our focus for next year with the devices will be student engagement," Proudfoot said.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-county/arbutus-lansdowne/ph- ca-at-lighthouse-teachers-0702-20140630,0,810086.story .
Making Music with Autistic Kids, Advice and Tips By Bob Schog, July 8, 2014
When developing Skoog young people with autism were one of the key groups we worked with. The impact of active music creation for these pupils was powerful driver in our work and one thing that became very clear was that we needed to try and create tools to support them effectively in making their own music. Having been stopped in their tracks by these strange noises they were intrigued and would pause for a while and perhaps come in and sit down to listen if they had time. You can download a free PDF of tips and advice on making music with kids who are autistic here: http://www.skoogmusic.com/offers/free-guide-skoog-success-making- music-with-autistic-kids To read the complete article, go to http://skoogmusic.com/nuggets/making-music-with- autistic-kids-advice-and-tips/ .
Defense Bill Amendment to Boost STEM Education By Josh Dulaney, 06/23/14 An amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, authored by Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, would inject $5 million into the national STARBASE Youth Program, which provides science, technology, engineering and math education to underserved students nationwide. The program targets students who live in inner cities or rural locations, those who are socio-economically disadvantaged, low in academic performance or have a disability.
The STARBASE program is active in 56 congressional districts throughout the country and is set up on existing military bases. The program focuses on elementary students, primarily fifth graders, and motivates them to explore STEM education as they continue their academic careers.
To read the entire article and access the legislation, go to http://www.presstelegram.com/social-affairs/20140623/defense-bill-amendment-to- boost-stem-education. Inspiring Quotations to Help You Differentiate Your Instruction Mountain Bay Elementary Opens Special Needs Playground By Bob Dohr, July 2, 2014
A new playground specially designed for preschoolers and special education students is now available for use at Mountain Bay Elementary School in Weston. The upgraded "outdoor sensory" playground has a tunnel, four interactive learning panels, a riding toy on a spring and a cabana roof. The area is covered with a rubber-mulched surface for safety and accessibility to people in wheelchairs. The sandbox remains but was relocated.
Play is important for all children. The sensory aspect of such playgrounds is especially helpful to special-needs students, she said. The playground, primarily geared toward children ages 3 through 10, is being used by summer school classes, but Prahl said it is open to all community members.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/story/news/local/2014/07/01/mountain-bay- elementary-opens-special-needs-playground/11929821/. Braille Made Easy with Vibrating Electronic Glove By Catherine Griffin, June 24, 2014
Braille made easy with vibrating electronic glove
Researchers at Georgia Tech have circumvented the unthinkable: the difficulty of learning Braille. A computing glove they invented years ago to help people learn to play the piano with little effort has proven to be successful at teaching Braille. The glove works by means of vibrating knuckles that follow phrases of written Braille, coupled with audio cues. The research team conducted a series of studies, the most astonishing of which divided users into two groups for a 30-minute lesson in writing braille while wearing the glove. The test group was asked to focus on the task at hand and the control group was asked to play unrelated video games during the lesson.
Among participants, who had no prior knowledge of the language, even those who were playing video games during their lesson learned to write braille. Learning a new language is a lot of work, and easier during childhood, so for people who have lost their sight and for parents of blind children, the process of learning Braille can be frustrating.
To read the complete article, go to http://news.yahoo.com/braille-made-easy-vibrating- electronic-glove-153832175.html;_ylt=AwrBJR7Cra1TFVUAaGnQtDMD .
New MIT Finger Device Reads to Blind in Real Time By Rodrique Ngowi, July 08, 2014
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing an audio reading device to be worn on the index finger of people whose vision is impaired, giving them affordable and immediate access to printed words.
The so-called FingerReader, a prototype produced by a 3-D printer, fits like a ring on the user's finger, equipped with a small camera that scans text. A synthesized voice reads words aloud, quickly translating books, restaurant menus and other needed materials for daily living, especially away from home or office. Reading is as easy as pointing the finger at text. Special software tracks the finger movement, identifies words and processes the information. There are other optical character recognition devices on the market for those with vision impairments, but none that he knows of that will read in real time.
Developing the gizmo has taken three years of software coding, experimenting with various designs and working on feedback from a test group of visually impaired people. The FingerReader would not replace Braille. The FingerReader can read papers, books, magazines, newspapers, computer screens and other devices, but it has problems with text on a touch screen, said Shilkrot.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/07/08/new-mit- finger-device-reads-to-blind-in-real-time/ .
Developing Functional Literacy Skills in Older Students By Frank Mead, 7-18-2014
Teacher need to develop strategies on helping to develop functional literacy skills in students who are blind and slow learners. The Wilson Reading System was built around a series of drills. After initial sounds are mastered, blends and diphthongs are added. A blend is a pair of consonants that make a single sound like “ch” or “st”. Blends can have as many three letters, such as “tch”. Digraphs are similar to blends and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Diphthongs are pairs of two vowels, such as “ie” or “ou”.
Begin by giving them their schedules in print, rather than tactile schedules, with the days of the week and times. This is a nice way to introduce reading, because it correlates to their experiences and is functional. This is even more critical because of their visual impairment. I begin by teaching them to use their skills to read a single word, and from there we move to simple phrases, short sentences, and then progress to brief narratives.
There is tremendous value in teachers taking dictation from the students. We have students dictate notes in their daily logs on a regular basis. I am interested in developing in the students the sense that what they have to say is of value. A teacher writing down what the student says is a type of empowerment. Sometimes the parents will write or email me what they did on the weekend and even create journals of what they did on vacation or on summer vacation. This information lets me know how I can lead a discussion or narrative to draw out relevant information.The more I can teach my students about the world and how to express themselves, the better the chances are that people will demonstrate an appropriate level of response to them.
Sometimes people ask why I bother to teach skills to my students that have little or no functional applications. You never ask a high school student why they are learning about the French Revolution; we assume that knowledge for its own sake is sufficient purpose. If you don't know anything about a given subject, but you start to learn about the topic, it becomes more interesting.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/developing-functional- literacy-skills-older-students . Health Beat: Giving Alexis Sight By Melanie Falcon, 6-23-2014
"If we’re not able to stop the growth of this tumor, it will be a life-threatening situation," Esbenshade said. Alexis' mom, Tammy London, said a year's worth of chemotherapy stopped the growth, but it hasn't been easy. Chemo was a really hard road, and watching her lose her eyesight, 20 percent in the left eye and pretty much blind in the other eye.
Now, new technology is giving Alexis hope. A special pair of glasses allows Alexis to do her homework without a magnifying glass. Dr. Jeffrey Sonsino, chief medical officer, LVR Technology, created the low vision readers. LED lights and prism correction help folks who aren't helped by traditional lenses. The low vision glasses allow Alexis to return to using textbooks at school, instead of highly enlarged text on her iPad. To read the complete article, go to http://www.wfmz.com/lifestyle/Health-Beat/health- beat-giving-alexis-sight-low-vision-readers/26620692 . Boulder Researchers Create Children's Books with 3-D Printing By Sarah Kuta, 6/28/2014
When the students read about the mouse and the cow together, they were reading pages from a plastic, three-dimensional version of "Goodnight Moon" created by researchers at the University of Colorado to promote literacy among young children with visual impairments. Two years ago, a team of researchers began thinking about how 3- D printing could revolutionize the production of tactile graphics and picture books for children with visual impairments. Organizations such as the American Printing House for the Blind and individual artists have been creating tactile graphics for many years, but production of the books has been time-intensive, expensive and requires extensive specialization in art or digital software. Since they started working, the team has received dozens of requests for 3-D sample pages from around the world.
For children with visual impairments, they have to learn how to read braille. They're not there yet, but it's still good value to be able to explore the picture while they're being read to by parents. It's a little bit harder for kids with visual impairments to have that kind of experience. Like braille, feeling the 3-D models on a page could help children with visual impairments learn how to piece together the parts of a whole — whether that's a sentence or a complete picture in a book.
The first book the CU team produced was "Goodnight Moon," a popular bedtime story first published in 1947. In its first 3-D iteration, researchers printed the base page and 3- D objects as one whole, seamless unit. On the page opposite the 3-D models, researchers printed the text and braille words.
The average printing time for one page is about three hours, and many took up to six hours. As with early inkjet, 3-D printers experience their own types of malfunctions, much like paper jams. After several hours of printing it can be frustrating to start over because of a printer failure.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.dailycamera.com/cu- news/ci_26048668/cu-boulder-researchers-create-childrens-books-3-d.
Smartglass Interface Turns Any Surface into a Touchscreen Using AR and Fingertip Heat By Mariella Moon, June 2014
A developer, Metaio, believes it can make a smartglass interface far more interesting than what Google has done thus far: one that can turn any surface into a touchscreen. Metaio's technology tracks the heat of your fingertips using an infrared and a regular camera. When you do touch something, the system will complete the experience with augmented reality -- for instance, "clicking" Like on a physical magazine will show you an animation of the action through your smartglass. While the technology's far from coming to market, the company says it has a lot of potential applications. People can use it to play virtual board games, designers can use it to visualize their creations in 3D before making real-world versions and it can add digital content to toys, among many other possibilities.
To read the complete article, go to http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/22/metaio- augmented-reality-smartglass-interface/ .
Toys to Promote Pre-Braille Skills By Kim Avila, 6-30-2014 This post is a continuation of an earlier post: http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/braille- babies. This article focuses on developing hand and finger strength for using a braille writer. Toys Encouraging Brailling Concepts: What toys are appropriate for children who are blind or visually impaired? The good news is a number of toys to develop hand and finger strength, and fine motor coordination. Hungry Hippos: This game requires the child to utilize a lever by pressing on it to make a Hippo eat a marble. One does not need to see the marbles to participate and, if the game is placed on a hollow surface, the sound the marbles make provides auditory feedback. Using this lever to work the Hippo is similar to the process of pushing on the keys of a braille writer. By practicing this skill on the Hungry Hippos Game, the child can work on this fine motor skill in a fun way. Push and Spin: Many parents participating in Braille Babies complained that their children were unable to physically handle the process of pushing on a brailler. An example of this is the toy that helps promote the development and strength of the arms, wrist and hand for pushing on the braillewriter. Xylophones and Pianos: Braille writing on a standard braille keyboard or writer requires good posturing, ergonomic positioning, dexterity of the fingers and coordinated movements of various fingers for different letters. Toy pianos can be used to encourage using each finger in isolation or combination with other fingers. Potato Head provides an excellent, tactile play experience for children who are blind or visually impaired. Children benefit from learning about putting together parts of the body on the Potato Head, but also, holding some of the parts and finding the correct slot to place the peg is an early skill for developing slate & stylus writing.
Issue: Child continues to look visually at materials presented in braille This is common for children who have useable vision and are learning braille. A number of these children object to wearing a blindfold, so consider placing the materials under a portable stand or bed tray desk so the child’s hands and material are covered by the stand. Also, consider using scrapbook paper with busy patterns for brailling materials for children who try to read braille visually.
To read the complete article and view examples of the suggestions, go to http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/toys-promote-pre-braille-skills .
Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week June 22-28, 2014 As a result of a Presidential Proclamation made by Ronald Reagan in 1984, the last week of June has been designated as Helen Keller Deaf Blind Awareness Week. Every year, the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC) celebrates this anniversary with a national campaign. This year’s theme is: “She’s Deaf- Blind and holds the world in her hands…just like her loved ones.” To read more about this event, go to http://www.helenkeller.org/DeafBlindAwarenessWeek2014.php .