Classroom/Homework Support Through Podcasting

http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/
http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/
I recently designed a podcast for the first time to be used as an introductory history lesson on the Civil Rights Movement, specifically on the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The podcast provides an alternative delivery of the lesson for specific students in my history class who receive special education services in a resource classroom and who benefit from having the option to listen to the lessons, alone or as they read along with their text or other written material. I gave students the option of putting it on there ipods and/or listening to it in class with reading - sometimes I now use such presentations as they read to support all students in the class and they are available to students to take home to study from. I've found they are great for many students who struggle with reading, especially with reading aloud, in that they act as "books on tape" by allowing them to listen to the words (vocabulary and pronunciation), pace, and tone. Check out the links above to discover how easy to use and helpful podcasts can be to support yourself, your child, or your students in school!

How to Use Talking PowerPoints

Tutorial for using Powerpoints in education (http://www.actden.com/pp/)
Intro
I recently designed a talking powerpoint to use in my classroom to help my students who need intensive, explicit instruction in developing writing skills. After trying it out, I think talking powerpoints are a powerful classroom tool. Several of my students have special visual, auditory, and processing needs that were effectively supported by this presentation. Additionally, the clear visuals and pace of instruction supported the English learners in the class.
How To
Adding voice recording to any powerpoint is simple. The 2 main tools you'll work with in a powerpoint are 'record sound' and the toolbox. In your open powerpoint presentation, under the 'Insert' menu you'll find the option for 'Sound and Music'. A sub-menu allows you to either insert music or record sound. If you select 'record sound', a menu pops up with a timer that allows you to record, pause, stop and play a recording. Once you have the recording you like, you can save it to the current slide. Opening the toolbox, you can select the animation feature and time animation in your presentation to match your recording or vice versa. Under the transitions tab in your powerpoint you can also select 'options' on the right, which allows you to time the transition of your slides with your music/sound.

5 Different Assisitive Technology Tools

1) Working with beginning high school students, I've observed that my students often have difficulty keeping homework assignments and project schedules organized, which leads them to stress, unnecessary struggle, wasted time, and sometimes failure on assignments.
The Assignment Calculator from the University of Minnesota offers students a great tool for planning long-range assignments and keeping on schedule. On the site, students enter their start date and due date for a given assignment, then press 'calculate'. An step-by-step work schedule is then provided for students to follow.
http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/date.php?monthone=5&dayone=6&yearone=2010&monthtwo=6&daytwo=10&yeartwo=2010&SubjectID=8

2) Another simple, low-tech tool is magnifying tape or magnifying rulers, which students can use to help themselves read any materials they are given by different teachers. I like this tool, especially for secondary students who move from class to class. This tool puts the control in the student's hands rather than having to rely on each teacher to provide larger print versions of assignments. Familiarity with this tool also prepares students in self-accommodation, which becomes even more important as they transition to post-secondary life/education
http://www.magnifyingaids.com/index.php?page=products&subcategory_id=38

3) The Framing Routine developed by Edwin S. Ellis is low-tech AT that supports students in any subject area with reading comprehension, summarizing, note-taking, and completing homework. It consists of various "frames", which are graphic organizers specialized to help students outline and process content. They are versatile, effective, and user-friendly.
http://www.ldonline.org/article/5765

4) The NEO 2 laptop/computer, according to the NEO website:
"NEO 2’s built-in technology helps students with special needs keep pace with their peers. Whether challenged with learning disabilities such as dyslexia or dysgraphia, or faced with physical hurdles such as a lack of fine motor skills, NEO 2 will help these students succeed in the general curriculum."
Features include:
* Sticky Keys allows students to type combination keystrokes without pressing the keys simultaneously.
* Slow Keys helps children with unsteady hands or difficulty in key targeting.
* Auto-repeat can be disabled to support students with reflex control challenges.
* High-contrast LCD screen and multiple font sizes help children with vision challenges.
* Linked Files make it easy to provide customized assignments, instruction, and support materials.
http://www.renlearn.com/neo/NEO2/default.aspx

5) Lightwriter is a portable text-to-speech communication device for those needing voice output. According to http://www.assistivetech.com/corporate/products/lightwriter_(r)_sl40.aspx
"Word prediction significantly reduces the number of keystrokes required and benefits most people using the device. This includes those who type slowly, people using head pointers, poor spellers, and people with word completion difficulties."

Exploring Bookshare and Text-to-Speech

http://www.bookshare.org/
http://www.naturalreaders.com/
http://www.ispeech.org
At Bookshare individuals and organizations have access to a library of print materials made accessible to those with print disabilities through various software programs. Membership in Bookshare is available to individuals with qualifying print disabilities and to organizations supporting those individuals, such as schools. As a qualifying student or school the service is free; for all other individuals in the U.S. the cost is fifty dollars annually plus a twenty-five dollar set up fee. One can sign up for Bookshare on the membership page either as an individual or an organization by providing certain basic information. For example, schools are asked to enter the type of school, population density, and percentage of school population that qualifies for the federal lunch program. To search the Bookshare library, one can search for specific books, browse collections, or request a book cannot be found. Some of the general collections include K-12 textbooks, categories, and new books. Among the special collections are Pulitzer Prize winners, Newberry Award winners, and New York Times bestsellers.
I think Bookshare is a very useful resource for most age groups and subject areas. As mentioned above, it allows access to many K-12 textbooks. I think it is more user-friendly for older students who can do more of their own research and exploration of the site. Teachers and parents, however, can certainly support younger children with print disabilities using this site. Bookshare could be used to support students with visual impairments and processing difficulties, ADHD, physical disabilities, other learning disabilities, and English language learners. I would use it in my current placement to support the reading of some of my students in a resource English class. In this setting, Bookshare would benefit my students by allowing them to select from a wider range of text materials accessible by audio. Currently they have an in class library of selected texts and corresponding audio, but with Bookshare they could find more books based on their individual interests and access magazine and newspaper articles.
On the reading tools page there are also a number of text-to-speech programs and other tools, listed according to one’s need, which work with Bookshare books. I tried a free version of NaturalReader, which is text-to-speech software with natural sounding voice options. One can select from a variety of voices and adjust the speed of the reader’s voice. NaturalReader converts written text from Microsoft Word, webpages, PDF files, and emails into speech. It can also be used to convert text into audio files. The program is simple to use with a very basic visual layout. Some people with fine motor challenges may find aspects of the program irritating in that it reads everything the cursor touches. In the 2009 PACER Simon Technology Center’s comparison of text-to-speech programs, NaturalReader was identified as offering all of the features considered including, reading text in original application, reading internet, converting to audio files, and having a pronunciation editor. Although not stated in the PACER guide, NaturalReader is also available for MAC. While the free version that I looked at gives an idea of the program, I was only able to use the cut and paste option to listen to text. Obviously, someone who wanted to integrate the features discussed above into their daily computer use for work, school, or research would want to purchase the complete version.
In considering the benefits of text-to-speech for students with learning disabilities, I searched people’s comments in the Closing the Gap Forums to find what others have to say. Several people commented on the benefit to students with dyslexia. They found that text-to-speech significantly improved students’ understanding of letter-sound correspondence. Some also shared that text-to-speech helped students with visual processing difficulties. In addition, I have found that audio support improves the learning of students diagnosed with ADHD. In general, I have observed that students with different learning disabilities that affect their ability to read, benefit from the help with fluency that text-to-speech offers.

Family Guide to Assistive Technology

Here is a advocacy/self-advocacy site about assistive technology (AT) - it's a "bare bones" site, but convenient and introductory. It is aimed at parents who want to advocate for their children with regard to accessing AT, see below:
http://www.pluk.org/AT1.html

Evaluation of Some Technical Resources

http://www.learninginhand.com/podcasting/index.html
This site discusses the many uses for podcasting in the classroom. The site offers ideas for both teacher and student use. For example, others’ podcasts can be researched and used to teach certain content, teachers can design their own lesson plans as podcasts, or students can use podcasts as a medium for demonstrating understanding. The information on this site is directed at any student or teacher with implications for the enhancement and alternative assessment podcasts can provide for students with disabilities, especially those with visual impairments or certain learning disabilities. For example, they would be particularly useful in my classroom both with students needing to develop oral language skills and with those who would benefit from an oral rather than a written assessment. The students in my resource class would benefit from using podcasts in both of the above-mentioned capacities and they will be designing their own as a method of previewing potential careers, which coordinates with the self-advocacy focus of my blog (Vincent, Tony. Learning in Hand).

http://en.childrenslibrary.org/
“The mission of the International Children’s Digital Library Foundation is to excite and inspire the world's children to become members of the global community – children who understand the value of tolerance and respect for diverse cultures, languages and ideas -- by making the best in children's literature available online.”
I selected this site to review for two reasons: I have noticed that my students lack an awareness of world geography and world cultures, and they have previously reviewed a children’s book for an elementary school as a writing exercise, which was very effective. This site supports both of these goals. The site provides easy access (books can be read online) to a range of books from different countries and written in different languages. After reviewing some of the stories and the way the site functions, I discovered that it is very user friendly and designed to make reading fun, easy, and culturally enriching. This site offers access to books in a format that allows more independence for the reader who may lack certain motor function or have visual impairment. Additionally, as members, readers can interact with others through the site in ways such as creating games and activities. As discussed earlier, I would have my students write and post book reviews based on the sites featured books; this supports the aspects of both the site and my blog that promote community participation (International Children's Digital Library Foundation non-profit corporation).

http://www.projectparticipate.org/
“Project Participate provides families, educators, administrators and therapists with simple strategies to increase the active participation of students with disabilities in school programs.” This site focuses on supporting those who collaborate on behalf of students to improve participation through using strategies and appropriate technology. One example tip offered on the site is how to provide active versus passive participation opportunities. I have been finding the site most useful for gaining ideas on how to best provide for the most meaningful participation for students with disabilities, particularly for those with more severe disabilities. I could use some of the alternative models of participation with a student of mine with autism. Explore the site to find great ideas on modifications and accommodations for typical, everyday class activities that allow equal participation. This site is certainly an advocacy tool for teachers, parents, and others who work with children with disabilities (University of Colorado Health Science Center).

http://www.gatfl.org/LearningDisabilitiesGuide/tabid/456/Default.aspx
This section of the “Tools for Life” site offers assistive technology ideas and resources for students with learning disabilities. As discussed on the site, the AT is designed to help students “work around” disabilities in school and other environments rather than to “fix” disabilities – in other words compensation rather than remediation. As stated on the site, “assistive technology provides a means for students with learning problems to accomplish tasks independently.” With such technology appropriate for the individual student, a given student is able to self-advocate more confidently. Students become experts on what works for them. The site directs users to other resources and highlights specific resources in certain areas of disability, such as, writing using intellitalk, reading with various text-to-speech programs, and doing math with “Cruncher”. In addition to AT, the site discusses effective learning strategies for students with learning disabilities (Georgia’s Assistive Technology Act Program).

http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/technology
LDonline is “the world’s leading website on learning disabilities and ADHD.” The link above takes you to the technology page, which acts as a sort of “first stop” directory to resources and topics related to learning disabilities. Beginning with an overview of what can be accessed from the section, it includes: multimedia, recommended books, recommended links, top articles, questions and answers, related areas, and discussion forums. It is designed to help people help themselves, and would be useful for teachers, parents, older students, and other advocates. Certain links and sections are appropriate or designed for younger children as well. The site also links users to resources that connect specifications in 504 plans and IEPs to modifications and accommodations, including technology. The site focuses on authoritative resources on a number of disability-related topics, connecting users to sites such as Wrightslaw, scholarly journals articles and books, and guides to choosing AT. This site is ideal for adults and older students who need introductory information, information on best practices, information on the law, direction to technological tools, or who are collaborating to support students. This site would be very helpful in working with my older students who are beginning to explore their disabilities and abilities for themselves and are learning to find the resources they need to be successful (LDonline, national educational service of WETA-TV).

Advocating Change Together

Take a look at the ACT website (see link). ACT is a non-profit disability rights organization run by and for people with developmental disabilities and other disabilities. Here are the basics from ACT's site...

"WHAT WE DO:
Fight oppression. Here's the problem we're working to fix. People with developmental disabilities are isolated. People with developmental disabilities are excluded.

Change society. Here's what we think. We don’t have to change to fit society. Rather, society must change to accommodate us.

HOW WE DO IT:
Build leaders. We build the skills of individuals by providing information, skill building, and leadership opportunities.

Organize. We organize people with disabilities to work together to challenge the barriers they face every day."

Teaching Tolerance - History

I just added a link to a Teaching Tolerance (Southern Poverty Law Center) lesson called "What Counts as History?" - as you'll see, it speaks to ensuring that all voices/histories are included and has implications for teaching about disability/politics of disability and social history of disability integrated with the whole of common/shared experiences in the histories of Americans (in this case, U.S. History) - here's an intro:
* Level: Grades 6 to 8, 9-12
* Subject: Reading and Language Arts, Social Studies, ELL / ESL
This lesson asks students to think about what counts as history. It is divided into two parts. Part 1 gets students thinking about what’s included in the history they study, and what’s missing. Part 1 can stand alone as a complete lesson. Part 2 extends the project. In it, they compare how a U.S. history book and an African-American history book address the same time period. They also reflect on how including new groups alters the study of history...

FROM MY RECENT VOICE PRESENTATION ON SELF-ADVOCACY

Self-advocacy, as defined on the Wrightslaw website, is “learning how to speak up for yourself, making your own decisions about your own life, learning how to get information so that you can understand things that are of interest to you, finding out who will support you in your journey, knowing your rights and responsibilities, problem solving, listening and learning, reaching out to others when you need help and friendship, and learning about self-determination”

Because we are talking about self-advocacy, the resources on Wrightslaw are primarily aimed those 18 and older, however, included are guides to self-advocacy for teens, on preparing to transition from a high school setting, and on building self-advocacy skills from an early age

I’ve selected some resources to highlight:

The Arizona Center for Disability Law puts out self-advocacy guides, which discuss how to advocate for oneself under current law, for example, under the ADA, health care, fair housing, employment, special ed. law, etc.

Many states have what are called, youth information, training and resource centers funded by grants from the Dept. Health & Human Services:
The goal being to “support an increasing ability of individuals with developmental disabilities to exercise greater choice, self-determination and to engage in leadership activities in their communities.”
California’s is called the Center for Emerging Leadership: Empowering Youth, Building Community, and Enhancing Lives or (CEL), based in San Diego.

Self-advocacy orgs include: People First, Speaking for Ourselves, Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered, and ACT (Advocating Change Together), which is most interesting to me because of its focus on political change through self-advocacy.

ACT is a “grassroots disability rights organization run by and for people with developmental and other disabilities. ACT's mission is to help people across disabilities to see themselves as part of a larger disability rights movement and make connections to other civil and human rights struggles.” (ACT website)

A free handbook called ”We Have Human Rights”, put out by the Harvard Project on Disability and featured on ACT’s website, outlines international law as it relates to persons with disabilities, specifically discussing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the U.S. only recently signed to in 2009.

In conclusion, various self-advocacy organizations, guides, and other resources exist to help people navigate the law to meet their immediate needs and to make long-term change.

The launching of my blog - more to come...