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"The following units have been developed by Arlington Public Schools teachers to support science instruction through children's literature at the elementary level.  The documents are posted in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format so that teachers may use and modify the materials for their own classrooms."

Blog post by Chris Bugaj about using the Voice Note feature of Read&Write for composing and written expression.

You tube AAC collection You can make a communication board for children who are nonverbal or minimally verbal using either Google documents or Google presentation. Your board will be available to edit anytime or any device. You can also make it public for others to use online. It only takes 5-10 minutes or even less. This presentation includes step-by-step directions using Google Presentation to create a communication board for core vocabulary.

You tube AAC collection

Students press the "play" button to listen to digital text. Useful for listening to text-based materials that are too high of a reading level. Useful for listening to instructions and test questions. Use as an editing strategy (listen to my own work giving my ears a chance to pick up the mistakes my eyes didn't catch).

Learn how to quickly place your digital photos into PowerPoint using the Photo Album feature. PowerPoint Photo Album Templates templates are available from Microsoft Office.com, or you can create your own. Add narration and text for digital storytelling.

Links to Ian Bean's free resources to accessible materials, videos and other activities, along with documents and information useful to those working with or parenting young people with severe and complex needs. All of their resources have been virus checked and determined to be safe to download for use at school or at home.

Use this tool to improve your writing. Analyze your sentence structure! Use it to know which part of speech each word is. It can be useful in analyzing language and exploring how an AAC system in organized (if the AAC system is organized by parts of speech).

free images you can use anywhere

101+ Ideas for Using the BIGMack or Other Single Message Communication Devices

using ActivInspire during math instruction

This YouTube video shows ActivInspire's math tools, including a calculator, ruler, protractor, dice, compass, and more! Make math lessons engaging and interactive! Students who have difficulty handling math manipulatives may have more success using these virtual tools on a computer or on a Promethean board.

This past weekend, our department chair received an email from a local high school English teacher who asked, in short, should they be teaching students how to do a "traditional" research paper - including the use of 3×5 note cards - because some of his colleagues are strong supporters of it and others consider it "archaic." He wanted to hear a response from a college professor about how best to prepare students for the kinds of research that they would be doing in composition courses that they would be taking after high school. Below, I have copied and pasted the response that I offered him via email. And, now I ask you… What do you think - is it time to move away from "traditional" research paper writing processes?

The titles in the Piano and Laylee Learning Adventures Series are valuable resources for educators and parents wanting to introduce digital citizenship concepts to children aged 5-9. Designed to be read to and shared with early readers, the books follow the adventures of two adorable puppies who learn how to be safe and responsible while using technology. These petite books (4x6 inches) are perfect for classroom lessons on digital citizenship or for starting conversations at home. Charming, full-color illustrations help children grasp even difficult concepts.

A great set of books to help students learn about appropriate technology use.

How to use the screen recorder tool to capture the work being done in a flipchart for later playback.

Video tutorial on using the ActivInspire screen recorder in a flipchart

How to use Read&Write for iPad

List of books with repeated lines useful for helping students practice learning to read or learn language. When teaching language, use stories and songs with lines that repeat, with more lines that repeat, and with even more lines that repeat. When targeting specific words, expose students to the same words over and over and over and over and over. Use the Symbolate feature of Boardmaker to place pictures over each word to adapted stories or books with repetitive lines.  

"How many times have you thought to yourself, "In what way can I spice up this unit and make it student-centered?" One great way is to let your students be creative using video. With all the tools and technology available, making videos is easier than ever for you and your students."

comprehensive collection of tools and video tutorials on using MANY web 2.0 and helpful classroom tools

How to enable text to speech in MS Word