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focus Sticks http://blog.maketaketeach.com/focus-sticks/ uses "focus sticks" to help her students develop and assess their own writing. The focus sticks are placed in a cup in the center of the table. After completing their writing, the students use a focus stick to check to be sure their writing includes the pictured elements. The icons placed on the sticks serve as cues.

Use "focus sticks" to help students develop and assess their own writing. After completing their writing, the students use a focus stick to check to be sure their writing includes the pictured elements. The icons placed on the sticks serve as cues.

Into the Book is a reading comprehension resource for K-4 students and teachers. We focus on eight research-based strategies: Using Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing. Try the

This is a fun and FREE way to teach learning Reading Comprehension Into the Book is a reading comprehension resource for K-4 students and teachers. We focus on eight research-based strategies: Using Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing. Try the online interactive activities, or click below to find out how to get our engaging 15-minute video programs.

"Into the Book is a reading comprehension resource for elementary students and teachers. We focus on eight research-based strategies: Using Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing. Try the online interactive activities, or click below to find out how to get our engaging 15-minute video programs."

Do you want to learn more about assistive technology but are not sure where to start? Check out this Pinterest board where we've compiled 30 resources to get you started. Spend a few minutes everyday exploring these resources and in a month you'll have increased your knowledge of assistive technology and will perhaps have some direction about what's next in your assistive technology learning journey.

"A blog of ideas, materials and resources. Our focus is on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) across the day and across all settings, but other resources will be shared, too!"

"The flip chart easel is used along with the alphabet flip chart for self-selected writing activities. The easel allows for the partner in partner-assisted scanning to have their hands free to point to the letters as well as write the letters the student chooses on their page. It also allows the student to have the alphabet flip chart at eye level as they focus on the letters being scanned. The easel can also be used with the communication flip chart for other partner assisted scanning activities. The easel has been designed by Julie Brickhouse, a teacher on the Deaf-Blind Model Classroom Project in North Carolina."

"For kids with ADHD, difficulty with focus, hyperactivity and impulsivity can make it harder to learn in the classroom. Here's a look at some accommodations that can help."

On January 23, 2012, researchers and education thought leaders convened in Washington D.C. for Handwriting in the 21st Century? An Educational Summit to discuss research and opinions regarding the role of handwriting instruction in the 21st century classroom. (Watch videos of the researchers' presentations to learn more.) Now, just over a year later, a major shift in focus about the role of handwriting instruction in 21st century schools has occurred since the Summit. A white paper is available which highlights the results of the summit.

There is a rapidly growing body of research that demonstrates the positive effects of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention on the communication of children and adults with complex communication needs. Despite the positive impact of many AAC interventions, however, many individuals with complex communication needs continue to experience serious challenges participating in educational, vocational, healthcare, and community environments. In this paper, we apply the framework proposed by the International Classifi cation of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to illustrate the need to re-think AAC intervention to improve outcomes for individuals with complex communication needs, and to foster a new generation of intervention research that will provide a solid foundation for improved services. Specifi cally, the paper emphasizes the need to take a more holistic view of communication intervention and highlights the following key principles to guide AAC intervention and research: (a) build on the individual ' s strengths and focus on the integration of skills to maximize communication, (b) focus on the individual ' s participation in real-world contexts, (c) address psychosocial factors as well as skills, and (d) attend to extrinsic environmental factors as well as intrinsic factors related to the individual who requires AAC.

Into the Book is a reading comprehension resource for K-4 students and teachers. We focus on eight research-based strategies: Using Prior Knowledge, Making Connections, Questioning, Visualizing, Inferring, Summarizing, Evaluating and Synthesizing. Try the

Welcome to BridgingApps! Many teachers have found using mobile devices with their students with and without disabilities to be beneficial in numerous ways. However, finding appropriate apps and accessories to meet the needs of your students and your classroom can be challenging and confusing. We view our website as a shortcut in that process. We focus on apps that have been designed to address a particular need or have been creatively adapted by users to meet a specific need. Finding apps is just the first step in an exciting journey of discovery with your students that will involve trial and error. All of the app reviews on our website have been conducted by therapists or special education teachers, and they have been trialed with someone who has a disability. We invite you to explore these pages to help you find the tools you need to get started and to share best practices with us on your journey of discovery.

"We believe that it is more important to focus on the person who will be using the technology, rather than the device itself. We assume that you are here because you want to improve a skill or creatively compensate for a deficit that may be preventing a person with a disability from maximizing their highest potential."

A story map is a strategy that uses a graphic organizer to help students learn the elements of a book or story. By identifying story characters, plot, setting, problem and solution, students read carefully to learn the details. There are many different types of story map graphic organizers. The most basic focus on the beginning, middle, and end of the story. More advanced organizers focus more on plot or character traits.

"From fidgeting to shifting between different tasks, six techniques to help distracted ADD/ADHD students focus at school and on their homework."

The storyboard creator uses a familiar drag and drop interface that users of all ages pick up in seconds. Our creator allows you to fully customize numerous aspects of your storyboard; from coloring in your own character, to adding text, we have everything you need to get the story straight! *Detailed Image Library:Creating a beautiful and expressive storyboard is easy with our extensive and well curated library of over 325 characters, 225 scenes, and over 45,000 images in search. If that still isn't enough we offer another powerful tool; the ability to upload your own images! *Focus is on The Story: By using a storyboard like a graphic organizer it helps structure students work into a linear and concise story. Although it feels easy at first, breaking down ones thoughts into just a few cells works critical skills in prioritizing the right information and creating a good story flow.

STRATEGY: When a student comes across a word not already in his or her lexicon invite the student to highlight that word using a specific color. These words can then be collected to create a dictionary of niggling words. Students can then focus studies on those specific target words.

Career Sighted is a new website designed to help students learn a bit about jobs in careers they have an interest in. The videos introduce students to the essential functions of each job and education needed for it. The videos feature real people talking about their jobs and what they like about them.

"A blog of ideas, materials and resources. Our focus is on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) across the day and across all settings, but other resources will be shared, too!"

Speaker: Debbie Witkowski Presentation: Getting the most from High-Tech AAC Devices In this segment the speaker provides several advantages to prioritizing a focus on Core Vocabulary in AAC devices. These advantages include Core Vocabulary's role in language development, the ability to target multiple pragmatic functions, the flexibility of core vocabulary, the fact that Core Vocabulary reduces programming, and the fact that core promotes novel utterance generation.

The AssistiveWare Core Word Classroom is a large collection of learning resources which are designed to support implementation of any AAC system that is based on core words. They emphasize the use of AAC best practices such as modeling, communicating everywhere, and communicating for a wide range of reasons beyond requesting. You can find out more about the Core Word classroom here [http://www.assistiveware.com/assistiveware-core-word-classroom-now-open ] . The Core Word Classroom is a beta release. They will be improving it and adding more resources based on feedback. The focus in this initial release is on schools, but the materials can easily be adapted to home use and use with adults who are learning AAC. During this beta release the materials are available free!