Student Guide Corner

Most of my best blog writing occurs when I'm lying in bed, contemplating whether or not to finally get out of it. My mind wanders to pondering the great education issues of the day. Unfortunately, putting those thoughts to digital text rarely happens. I have to get better at this, especially since I recently celebrated four years of blogging. You'd think I would have learned by now. How do you do it? I marvel at how prolific some bloggers are. Can you share your secrets? Do you record your ideas on your iPhone and then flesh them out later? Do you keep your computer next to your bed so that you can write your ideas as they come to you? Or do you have the self-discipline to sit and write when the ideas flow? Curious minds want to know.

We've all heard about the numerous iPhone apps that are mindless distractions, keep us organized or productive, offer us 24/7 Twitter access or help us learn new languages. New iPhone/iPod Touch apps are released daily ("There's an app for that!") for every imaginable purpose. Well, what do you do if you are someone who has difficulty speaking due to ALS, Traumatic Brain Injuries, Autism,or Down Syndrome? Yes, there's even an app for that! Augmentative Communication devices can cost thousands of dollars. Proloquo2Go is a $150 app that works with any iPhone or iPod Touch and makes communication possible. The enormous smile on the face of this 20 year old college student who sustained a Traumatic Brain injury as a result of a car accident belies the importance of the Proloquo2Go app. Watch this video to learn more.

I've been suffering from "Blogger's Block" of late which is surprising considering I just got back from NECC 09 and have "written" many posts in my head. Unfortunately, getting them from my head to the fingers has been especially challenging. I'll ease back into writing with a quick post about a truly innovative way to use the Livescribe SmartPen . I learned about this at the Livescribe booth at NECC09. If you are new to the SmartPen technology, it is a phenomenal computerized pen that links audio to whatever you write "so you never miss a word!" Great for students who struggle with notetaking or benefit from repetition and review when they need it. But, here's the incredible part. The Livescribe SmartPen is also an affordable communication support tool! With a human voice no less! Read all about it here - "Augmentative Communication: A Low-Cost and Lightweight Communication Device with Natural Speech." Here's one way to cre...

When marketing guru Seth Godin enters the fray, people listen. His Textbook Rant blog post today focuses on the expense, impracticality, and lack of engagement textbooks provide and stresses how quickly they become outdated. He declares, "As far as I can tell, assigning a textbook to your college class is academic malpractice." And he concludes, This industry deserves to die. It has extracted too much time and too much money and wasted too much potential. We can do better. A lot better. What didn't he say? He never mentioned that textbooks are inaccessible to many students - those with physical, vision or other print disabilities. But he offers a digital solution that offers accessibility at no cost to the student. The solution seems simple to me. Professors should be spending their time devising pages or chapterettes or even entire chapters on topics that matter to them, then publishing them for free online. (it's part of their job, remember?) When you have a clas...

We have an unprecedented opportunity to wisely invest in "high-quality" assistive technology and the professional development necessary to ensure effective integration and implementation due to the ARRA funding for special education . The Ed.gov site includes this information in the fact sheet American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: IDEA Recovery Funds for Services to Children and Youths with Disabilities : Some possible uses of these limited-term IDEA ARRA funds that are allowable under IDEA and aligned with the core reform goals for which states must provide assurances under SFSF include: Obtain state-of-the art assistive technology devices and provide training in their use to enhance access to the general curriculum for students with disabilities. The Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd) has created a comprehensive resource to guide technology investment decisions using ARRA funds. They offer: Tech Matrix: Technology Supports for Learning - Ali...

A post that Paul Bogush wrote last week continues to resonate with me. How do we reach those kids who experience school as a daily struggle, who are challenged by traditional methods of instruction that utilize a "one size fits all" approach to learning? We spend a lot of time forcing kids to do things when they are not ready. Their first experience with a great many things is failure. I think teachers believe that it is just part of the process to fail something when you start, and slowly build up to success. He shared how he helped his daughter learn how to ride her bike, initially holding the bike tightly then gradually reducing the amount of support he provided until support was no longer necessary. Within a short period of time, she felt completely confident and successful. I can envision her beaming with pride at her accomplishment. Paul used that experience to wonder, Do teachers fall into two groups? One who never let go of their kids, and one that never holds on...

It's the weekend - time to catch up and take advantage of the opportunity to review what's in my reader. So many treasures to share with you, in no particular order! 1. Do you work with students who may benefit from speech recognition software ? This topic frequently pops up in IEP team discussions about students with written expression issues . Who are the ideal candidates? What are the necessary prerequisite skills? Use the Custom Typing comprehensive online form to guide your decision about the effectiveness of speech recognition for a student. (Explore their resources under the Special Needs tab for a wealth of additional information). 2. Facilitating Online Class Discussions : the Why and the How - Many struggling students fear participating in class discussions for a variety of reasons. Will they give the "right" answer? Do they have enough time to formulate a verbal response? Will they humiliate themselves in front of their peers? (My son told me he pr...