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An introduction to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for students 5-10 years old is addressed in this module. Designing quality programs for students who have AAC needs involves engineering communication environments, organizing and training team members, and developing appropriate lessons and materials. Strategies for achieving these goals will be presented.

A response to Ron Clark's article by Doug Goldbert. " If you don't already, I feel you will learn to regret writing this article. This article has the ability to create an even bigger chasm between Parents and Teachers. Parent Involvement in a Child's Education, as proven by 20 years of research, is one of the most effective methods in a child's academic success. Educating our children needs to be a partnership between Parents and Teachers. Especially, since school age children spend 70% of their time outside of school. Your article makes it painfully aware that your idea of a Parent - Teacher partnership is one where Parents do everything you ask without input or questions. "

A valuable, thoughtful rebuttal/reflection by Doug Goldberg in response to the article written by Ron Clark with advice for parents from teachers.

PHOTOsyms is a fun and easy to use program designed specifically to create custom symbols from digital photographs. It is an ideal tool for parents and educators who do not have access to more complicated symbol making software. The primary innovation of PHOTOsyms is that it empowers more people with the ability to create countless numbers of photographic symbols (photosyms), which can be used within a symbol-based communication system such as PECS. This will allow students to obtain symbols that are customized to their specific needs, so that they can expand their vocabulary and thus communicate more effectively and consistently in more environments.

Assessing Student Needs for Assistive Technology manual, (4th edition pdf link here). They are working on a 5 th edition that will be aimed at RTI and curriculum content areas more specifically in organization.

Begin with ME! is a project that provides a rich environment full of resources and support that allows teachers and teacher consultants to work together, share ideas, and learn new ways to help all students, including those with special needs, become better writers. 1. When appropriate technology tools and strategies are integrated into instruction, all students, including those with special needs and those at risk for academic failure will become better writers.\n\n2. Given adequate training and support, teachers can comfortably integrate technology into their writing curriculum.\n\n3. Supporting struggling students in the general education classroom can be effective and easily replicated.

KIDO'Z is a web browser that is described by its developers as a "Kid's Web Environment". Once downloaded and installed, the browser offers a self contained web of games, websites and videos that are accessed wiith large icons. Because KIDO'Z is an Adobe Air application, it will run in Windows, Mac, or Linux. KIDO'Z comes with an extensive collection of games, videos, and websites built-in, and these appear to have been selected carefully. The beauty of this browser, however, is that you have the option of completely customizing what is available. The browser is managed by a set of Parental Controls that can be accessed anywhere. KIDO'Z is currently available in 17 languages. warning: may have ads see Zac Browser for autistic children

Harris Burdick project Lisa and Christine make sure the goal is clear and they give their students many ways to learn the material and demonstrate their mastery. For a specific example, check out the class wiki of their award-winning collaborative writing project based on the book The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg. Be sure to scroll all the way down on the wiki to explore how the project participants use VoiceThread to reflect on their project.

"A National Online Library of Professional Development Resources Compiled to Help Bridge Research, Policy and Practice. Across states, national organizations and technical assistance investments, an extensive amount of professional development material is available. This library provides local educators with easy access to an array of resources that can be used or customized to meet their needs"

Archived Webinars 2011 Using iPads and Apps with Children Who Are Deaf-Blind This webinar presents a range of information on the iPad and demonstrate a variety of applications that can be used to promote learning, social interactions, decision making and much more for the child or student who is deaf-blind."

questions that cannot be answered "unanswerable questions" "my future self" "future of technology" "future of education" "future of business" "questions without answers" " impossible questions to answer"

"We all need a little encouragement every now and then. Kid President, knowing this, has put together a video you can play each morning as you wake up or to share with your friend who needs a kick in the right direction. Take a moment and spread some encouragement. "It's everybody's duty to give the world a reason to dance.""

""We All Belong" is a documentary film exploring the issues of belonging and diversity in our classrooms. It profiles real parents and the dreams and fears they share. This film is a frank discussion of civil, human, and educational rights and offers a window into best practices and the struggle families face to achieve inclusion for their children."

"...as human language envolved, our mental ablities became increasingly entwined with linguistic devices."

Excellent resources for technology and increasing achievement and success for ALL students through the unlimited and effective se of accessible technologies.

Another incredible resource I learned about from Karen Janowski. Be sure to look at the "Best Practices." Peggy

There are some great article available on this site as well as materials that can be purchased. I own many of their books and found them really valuable as a principal and university instructor.

This site contains fantastic resources for understanding the laws and advocating for special needs students. I have purchased many of their materials and found them really valuable.

"[The findings] suggest that a music intervention that strengthens the basic auditory music perception skills of children with dyslexia may also remediate some of their language deficits."

Shape Collage is a free photo collage maker software program--download or online. Available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Great for thematic units... all can be creative with a click!