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I created a music based teaching system called Sounds into Syllables® which is designed to assist these children with their communication and social development difficulties by teaching them how to spell, read, classify words and correctly identify the facial expressions for six universal emotions. Part 1 of the system applies the musical component of ‘pitch’ or ‘tone’ to the process of learning letters and words. The child learns to listen to the letters as musical sounds as well as spoken sounds. With the mastery of the alphabet, the child begins to learn 26 different nouns (animal names). The senses of touch, sight and hearing are further integrated with the introduction of textured words, drawings and sound effects. There is an accompanying teaching book entitled A to Z Animal Book as well as a companion CD and A to Z Animal Workbook. In Part 2 of the system, the 26 animal nouns are matched to 26 related verbs such as dog/bark and lion/roar. There is a second book entitled Animals in Action with the textured words and drawings of the animals in their passive and active states. The child learns the related verbs in the same way he/she learned the nouns. To establish the conceptual relationship between the animal and its action, an animated computer program has been designed specifically for the teaching system. Part 3 of the system addresses the difficulties of social interaction, by emphasizing face perception and emotion recognition. Musical harmony is introduced with the creation of six three-part harmonies each linked to the six universal emotions of happy, sad, afraid, angry, surprised and disgusted. In addition, three two-part harmonies have been created and linked to nouns, verbs and adjectives to further expand word classification for the purpose of sentence creation. These three and two-part harmonies as well as the musical alphabet have been integrated into a forty page book called The Story of Little Bear. Textured letters and color coding are used throughout the book which has also been formatted as a computer book with a number of additional features, such as rollover images and animations. In October, 2006 I implemented a research study with a group of 20 children ranging in age from 6 to 17 who were diagnosed with various forms of autism. The criteria for participation in the study were demonstrated interest in music or musical stimuli and limited or no letter/word recognition. This longitudinal study in ongoing however preliminary results are encouraging. In addition, the system is benefiting a group of children who are diagnosed with learning disabilities other than autism.

For young children, programs that focus on sounds are successfully used for many autistic children. These programs teach phonics through songs and games. Some of the most highly acclaimed software programs include the following: • Sound Beginnings (1 and 2) – can be made voice-specific for every child and includes a headset so the child can “talk back” to the computer • Speaking for Myself – includes many graphics with words and sounds and also has options teaching Rebus and Makaton signs with videos • Musical Leaps and Bounds – teaches language nonverbally with the use of music Other programs for this pre-school age range help children begin to learn skills such as the alphabet, counting and simple math, and spatial relationships. Check out titles such as Kidspiration, Jemima, Touch It, and Thinkin' Things 1.

This was the third year I was there and it was the best yet because the buzz was different.

Physics Zone

Education Today and Tomorrow

This video was created by Tom Woodward of Henri...

Make measurements to determine which of several bowls is closest to paraboloid in shape.

Find the exact equation for a new telescope mirror with a given light-gathering power and focal length.

Web 2.0: A New Waveof Innovation for Teaching and Learning

Starting work with your childIf you even suspect your child has Autism or ASD, you must begin work with him immediately. Do not waste vital time waiting for a formal Autism diagnosis. I met one mother who waited six months for a formal Autism diagnosis before beginning any treatment. Imagine how much she could have taught her child in that time. You will find out for yourself that most doctors know very little about Autism and will simply recommend speech therapy, special education or an early intervention center. The worst thing some doctors will do to a parent is to take away hope. You will acquire more information on Autism from other parents of children with Autism than you would from any general practitioner. As you work with your child and see the results, you will soon find other parents of newly-diagnosed children with Autism coming to you for advice. Start working with your child now, even if it means just trying to communicate with him through play. This time will never ever be wasted.

if you are going to get students to use another social system, like WebCT, you better be damn sure it is well implemented

Students don’t want to manage 2 or more social systems.

The other method is to do the above, but also create a group for the class. Within the group you can post homework notices and other class notices, as well as have an interface for students to discuss class issues. I also like having the class group because I can see all the students have joined, and I can manage the class a little easier. If I want to send Timmy a message I can do that very easily without having to scroll through my list of friends to find him. Other students can do the same.

The study evaluates the progress of eight children aged 3-5 years with autism attending a specialist teaching unit in their development of reading skills in two conditions: computer instructed learning and book based learning. The authors developed a direct observation schedule to monitor autistic behaviours using computerized techniques. The children were matched by age, severity of autistic symptomatology and number of spoken words. They were initially randomly allocated to the computer or book condition and crossed over at 10 weeks. All of the children spent more time on task in the computer condition than in the book condition. By the end of the study after computer assisted learning, five of the eight children could reliably identify at least three words. It was found that children with autism spent more time on reading material when they accessed it through a computer and were less resistant to its use.

Emerging technologies hold great promise for teaching and learning

Whether it be researching and creating spreadsheets with data, generating graphs or charts, or creating Web scavenger hunts, ideas abound for using technology in your social studies class today

At the University of North Carolina, for example, administrators created a pair of dummy Facebook profiles to demonstrate what can happen when students reveal too much information about themselves. These dummy personas, Ivana Bea Stalked and Lloyed Unemployed, reveal more info about themselves than you’d probably want to encounter, from their personal contact information to images of what they look like inebriated or in limited clothing.

Last fall, Malavenda caught a group of students selling cocaine and kicked them off campus. In response, they started a Facebook group called “We hate Pablo,” complete with directions to his house and instructions to hurt and eliminate him.

Or should schools stick to doing what they know best and leave it to higher ed to tackle these issues when students graduate and move on? The answer is probably somewhere in between. Schools, quite rightly, are concerned about online safety and student responsibility, yet it’s hard to teach proper behavior in a vacuum. Given the current environment, though, is it possible to craft the right kind of compromise and make it useful to students and teachers alike?

it is extremely important that they get a solid basis of understanding of the man, his times, the Elizabethan culture, and the theater of his day.

This curriculum web is designed to help students synthesize all of the information they have gathered in a unit of study on Romeo and Juliet and present it in a creative way that requires them to work collaboratively.

Today’s students must know how to navigate the World Wide Web, search for needed information, and filter through unreliable sources. By requiring them to research using the Internet, students will gain and enhance these skills.