Student Guide Corner

I read an article in the newspaper this morning as I sat in my favorite deli having lunch. I came back to my office and wrote the following email to my 51 juniors. We have about 2 � weeks left together. I have a point I really want to make before you move on. It's free advice so you can take it or leave it. I realize that you have already registered for the fall semester (but I also realize that the drop-add period will be available for quite some time). If you have a chance, go to today�s Wall Street Journal (April 5, 2012) and read the story on Page B-1 (�Wealth or Waste? Rethinking the Value of A Business Major�). It is quite interesting. I often think students select their nonrequired classes with almost no thought. I occasionally have students who ask me why I teach solely through questions, why I don�t like to give answers, why I push students to go to the opera, why I ask about their best teachers and best books, why I give points for going to art museums. ...

Just an FYI - My Webspiration is temporarily closing beta sign-ups on March 18th. It's highly recommended that you sign-up now so that you don't miss out on this opportunity . My Webspirtion is a free online graphic organizer/concept mapping tool/visual outline tool by Inspiration and is included in the UDL Tech Toolkit wiki under graphic organizers. I don't know of any other free online graphic organizers that allow you to easily switch from diagram view to outline view with one click. This is a must have as part of your Classroom Toolkit.

In my work as an Assistive Technology specialist, my vision is to work myself out of a job. When I am no longer necessary, that will mean that all students have access to the technology that they need to make effective progress. Unfortunately, I don't see this happening anytime soon. In the meantime, it has never been easier to share knowledge about tools and strategies. First of all, there are so many free social networking tools that allow effortless sharing of information. Secondly, the companies themselves have provided us with many extension resources that extend our capabilities with their products. Here are a few assistive technology resources that I'd like to share. My hope is you will find them of value as you begin another week. I have fallen back in love with IntelliTools Classroom Suite , which is now up to version 4. Yes, it is now easier than ever to use. But, the true strength of this program is the incredible activities that other educators upload to the A...