Student Guide Corner

Spelling is the spoiler of thought. -- Richard Wanderman, February 2001. So what do you about it in your classroom? (Possible solutions will follow in a subsequent post)

A few years ago, I worked with a fourth grade student who struggled with reading and writing. He also exhibited behavior issues and would have frequent "meltdowns" when he had to complete a school assignment in cursive. It was his teacher's expectation to complete certain assignments using cursive writing. At home, he would do anything he could to avoid his written homework. One day, I was observing in his classroom and witnessed the emotional breakdown. He had to write his spelling words in cursive and one word included the "os" cursive combination as in "m os t." That one was particularly troublesome and really set him off. He just couldn't get it to look right. (Try it. It's a difficult combination, especially if you struggle with cursive). Later that day, we worked together using a computer. I had a chance to show him some of the fonts built into Microsoft Word and asked him to choose a font that looked good to him. As we tried all the vari...

In celebration of Earth Day in April, an organized effort to reduce the use of paper, and in fact, go paperless, was spearheaded by Shelley Blake-Plock . About 1,500 teachers nationwide and beyond made the pledge to go paperless that day. A collaborative effort produced a Google Doc with numerous ways to give up paper in the classroom . The beauty of this document is the fact it was created by teachers, for teachers. No administrators were involved. No AT specialists were necessary. What does this mean for us? We know that too often, paper creates the disability for many students. In a non-paper environment, their disability disappears. An invaluable document detailing typical activities using paper and paperless alternatives exists for all to use as a resource. There are great ideas and abundant resources here . It's good teaching and it's Universal Design - embedding UDL principles proactively into instruction. While I applaud the effort that started the paperless trend, ...

Hearing how technology changes the lives of users with disabilities using their own words makes more of an impact than my words. A great article at the AT Mac blog describes how an adult web designer who is autistic utilizes readily available technology throughout his day, for communication, organization and managing trouble. �I could not live without my iPhone� How many times have you heard someone say that? Or something similar about a gadget, whether it�s an Apple device or otherwise? Well, for me, that's pretty much true. Welcome to the world of autism and assistive technology." This is fantastic. I loved reading how technology helps Jamie Knight achieve greater independence. Technology makes a difference. It is about the tools and this article reinforces the importance of showing our students different tools so they can develop their own toolbelt for life beyond school.

I'm one of those people who believe the term "digital native" sets up the presumption that our students know more than we do when it pertains to all things technological. That is not my experience. Instead, I see students are clueless about how technology can help them learn academic content. Therefore, it's a term I avoid, except to debunk it. It seems appropriate to share a number of tips and tricks that I believe all students need to know. They will use the ones that help them learn but it is essential we show them these strategies to help them develop their own toolkit for learning. Here's a starting place: Writing As part of the pre-writing process, planning is essential. Students often use graphic organizers or create outlines. Webspiration offers the capability to do both with one click of this online tool. No need to waste paper. Show them right click when writing. (and yes, there is a right click on the Mac. It's just CTL + click). Then, explicitly t...

Update 5/31/10 - a commenter reported the audio in the video is difficult to understand and suggested I include the transcript. If I have time, I will write out a transcript. In the meantime, be forwarned, you may have a hard time understanding everything Shamin had to say. I still think his words are more valuable to hear than mine. Too bad the audio isn't better. Nothing speaks to the value of an assistive technology tool better than a student's own words. I can trumpet the value of particular tools, but the power that comes from student testimony is far more effective. In this case, the tool is the Livescribe Smart Pen . I have written about the Smart Pen before and think it's an excellent tool for students with note-taking difficulties. In fact, I use it when I attend professional development so that I can review information later. But what Shamin Ahmed, of the Arts and Tech High School in New York, has to say is far more important for you to hear. Watch the video bel...

High school students are required to write essays pertaining to a variety of topics. It's one of their roles as a student. The ability to write well is a life skill. Never underestimate the importance of teaching a student to write effectively. Unfortunately, many students with special needs fall far behind their peers with regard to written expression. Often, they are allowed to write less, or allowed to dictate to an adult scribe or receive so much support, the final product does not reflect their effort. Nevertheless, it is imperative we provide opportunities to improve independent writing skills following explicit writing instruction. Now there is a free, online tool, called Paper Rater , which analyzes writing across five distinct categories : Plagiarism detection Spell Check Grammar Check Word Choice Style Vocabulary Builder And not only is writing analyzed, but additionally, writing instruction is also offered. It's easy to use, no sign-up required. You copy and paste y...