It's Everyone's Halloween

Motivational Monday

Fair is Not Always Equal eBook

Several weeks ago I shared the Fair Is Not Always Equal infographic created by the Inclusion Lab from Brookes Publishing. The post (as well as the 25 subsequent resources available in the F.I.N.A.E. series) drew tremendous popularity on social media, so it seemed fitting to share the latest eBook that was developed. 

The eBook includes ready-to-use tips on hot topics like planning UDL lessons, strengthening co-teaching partnerships, teaching to multiple intelligences, maximizing student engagement, and using accommodations and modifications from some of today’s top experts on UDL, co-teaching, and inclusive education, including Loui Lord Nelson, Nicole Eredics, Elizabeth Stein, and Kathleen McClaskey. Additionally, the eBook shares the success stories of educators who’ve been there, done that, and made inclusion and differentiation work in their own classrooms.

The ultimate goal of the resource is to provide helpful hints, strategies and visual infographic at your fingertips for integration into your classrooms.

Click the link or image above to download the free, full-color eBook that excerpts the best posts from the Fair Is Not Always Equal…Now What? series in one convenient place. Keep it as a valuable inclusion resource, and please share it around with anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of meeting every learner’s needs.

Source: The Inclusion Lab from Brookes Publishing

Special Education 101

The following infographic, designed by USC Rossier Online, provides an glimpse into the background of what special education is, how students are referred for special education services and definitions of commonly used acronyms, such “CSE” (or “Committee for Special Education”). 

Visit the USC Rossier Online website for the full article or the embed code if you want to share this inforgraphic on your own page. 

Source: Special Education 101 was created in support of USC Rossier's masters of teaching program​

Celebrating Dyslexia Awareness Month with a Give-Away!!!

As Halloween creeps right around the corner and we continue our focus on Dyslexia Awareness Month, what could be better than adding a signed copy of a "spooky" book from authors like R.L. Stine, Ursula Vernon or Robert Beatty to your personal or school library.

This "chilling" opportunity comes from Learning Ally. Learning Ally is a national nonprofit that helps all students gain access to books via ear-reading audiobooks. Read below to learn how you or your students can win a copy of one of these spooktacular books!

• Obtain parental permission
• Follow us on social media, either Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter 
• (make sure we can SEE your posts by making them public).
• Get creative posting books or lines from books that “give you chills” – you can read the line and video it, type it, or even take a photo of the book itself (like the picture to the right). We’ll accept them all in the contest!
• TAG us by using @LearningAlly *and* use the hashtag #LearningAllyGivesMeChills 
• Each post enters your name to win an autographed book from a spooky author like R.L. Stine, Ursula Vernon or Robert Beatty! 
• Keep posting because you may be chosen!

 Learning Ally will announce the winners on one of their social platforms on October 27th. 

 (Please share it in the comments below if you are selected as a winner!!!! )

 

Click the link to view other upcoming fun activities from

Sources: Learning Ally, Action Sprout 

Assistive Tech for Struggling Readers Twitter Chat

Have questions or information you want to share or you're just curious about how Assistive Technology can support struggling readings? Join in on the conversation tonight at 8pm EDT for a live Twitterchat using the #EdTechChat hashtag. The chat is moderated by Sharon LePage Plante (@iplante) and Learning Ally (@Learning_Ally).

Motivational Monday

DIY AAC Visuals

Today's post comes from the blog Speechy Musings. In keeping with my other posts focusing on AAC Awareness Month, I felt the importance of this post rested in the notion that often times SLPs, along with other professionals and parents, experience difficulty when locating individualized AAC materials. Read below or click on the original article to learn more about these DIY AAC visuals. 

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AAC materials are incredibly hard to find online, primarily (I think) because the graphics in systems are diverse and copyrighted. In order to have AAC visuals and materials for your caseload, think about how many different systems your students use! Speak For Yourself, TouchChat, Proloquo2Go, LAMP, etc.. Every system uses separate buttons, graphics, and layouts. Sellers cannot use the graphics in communication apps and sell their own products using them, therefore online materials using the same graphics as AAC apps are impossible to find! I’ve had great success making my own, and thought I’d share a simple DIY freebie and directions on how I use them!

This method works best for apps that are on iPads because of the screenshot feature, however I’ve had success taking pictures of devices and using these methods as well.

Now, how do you make one? Follow the steps below:

Step One: Prep the graphics! These are meant to be customized with the graphics and symbols from your student’s AAC system. If using an iPad, take screenshots of the pages you need symbols from. I typically take screenshots of the home page, as well as important secondary pages (people, places, action words). Click here for directions on how to take a screenshot on your iPhone or iPad if you’re not familiar! Email them to yourself. I keep them on my computer in a folder titled with the student’s initials.

  Step Two: Get a binder and make a customized cover! Add in the student’s name and the screenshot of the student’s home page. Put tons of page protectors in the binder as you’ll be filling them with all of the awesome materials you’re about to make.

Step Three: Add in pages with targeted vocabulary and related activities. Use the pages included in this freebie or make your own! To isolate the symbols, “crop” the screenshots! You can use this method to make ANYTHING!

Check out some examples below:

Let’s say we’re learning about the word “love” one week. I would make this sheet and add it into the binder:

Then, I make up some cut and glue activities specific to the child. For this sheet, we glued on things we loved (our pets, picture of our friends, cartoons, etc..). For each thing we glued on, we practiced saying “I love______”.

     

Then, I printed little “love” symbols as well as a mini sheet. I sent the mini sheet home, and used the “love” symbols to adapt materials I found on TpT about love! We did this unit on the week of Valentine’s Day.

Another example of visuals I make are the ones shown below. This one was for a student who loved basketball, however I use the same sheet to teach vocabulary related to topics being covered in the classroom.

For example, if the class is learning about bugs and insects, I put in words related to that such as gross, little, crawl, fly, scared, or bug. I try to choose words from a variety of categories on the device such as actions, places, people, describing words, and specific nouns.

PS: After you make these visuals, SAVE THEM. You never know when a student will get added to your caseload who uses the same system! I now have tons of these made up for a variety of apps and it make things super easy.

To make visuals like this on your own, you could make everything in Powerpoint (how I did it), or download this freebie to shortcut things a bit!

Included in this file is the following. The first page shows what I included in the freebie, and the second page shows how I edit and use it:

       —>      

•AAC Vocabulary Binder Cover

      —>      

       —>      

•Vocabulary Maps (two styles)

•Core Vocabulary Word Unit Outline

      —>      

To learn more about these sheets I use on the backs of iPads, click here to read my blog post about them!

•Carryover Sheets (for the backs of iPads)

•Data Sheets (two styles, one for recording number of activations by activity and one for recording prompting level for each vocabulary word)

Check out some of the Speechy Musings AAC products by clicking on the images below.

Or click here to check out the Speechy Musings' AAC section on TPT!

Comparing Personalization, Differentiation and Individualization

In 2010, the National Ed Tech Plan defined the terms "Personalization", "Differentiation" and "Individualization" as terms related to instruction to address the varying learning styles of students in today's classrooms. The PDI chart was created by Barbara Bray (@bbray27) and Kathleen McClaskey (@khmmc) in response to the need to provide greater clarity of the differences between each of these terms, as often times they are used interchangeably and the differences between them seem nominal. The PDI chart peels back the initial layers to expose the truth that each upon further inspection each are, in fact, quite different. When reviewed carefully it is apparent the starting point for each is where the biggest differences appear.  At a glance, "Personalization" is learner-centered, while "Differentiation" and "Individualization" are teacher-centered. Personalized learning starts with the learner first, where differentiation and individualization aim to adapt and individualize instruction designed for generalized learning.

This article from One Workspace sheds greater light onto the differences between these approaches and how when implemented properly, the positive impact they may have on the classroom.

Click to access the printable version of this chart from Personalized Learning

Understanding Your Child's Scores

Being presented with data after your child or student has been screened can be overwhelming, and hard to determine where to begin when sorting through all of the scores and data generated. The printable handout, created by the Speechy Musings blog, provides a clear understanding for parents and educators regarding evaluation scores, standard scores, and percentile ranks. Click on the link below to access the printable version. 

Click here for the printable copy!

Motivational Monday

Dyslexia Awareness Month: 9 Facts About Dyslexia

Knowing the facts about dyslexia is the first step to advocating. Dr. Kelli Sandman-Hurley breaks down nine of them for you below. View the original article from the Dyslexia Training Institute.

Source: Dyslexia Training Institute

Dyslexia Awareness Month: BAM Radio Learning Differently Podcast

BAM Radio Network offers a variety of excellent interviews and podcasts that primarily focus on current topics in education. Recently, the Special Education channel featured a podcast facilitated by Sharon Plante (@iplante) and featuring Jules Csillag (@julesteaches), which focused on tools to differentiate reading instruction for special needs students and how assistive technology can help students who learn differently to become independent, confident readers. Click the link below to listen to the podcast and visit the BAM Radio Network website to listen to the other podcasts available. 

Click to listen to the podcast

Source: BAM Radio Network

Dyslexia Awareness Month: Dyslexia for a Day Simulation Kit

The Dyslexia Training Institute created the Dyslexia for a Day: A Simulation of Dyslexia kit that can be used by individuals or groups of experienced teachers, teacher training candidates, practitioners, immediate and extended family members, or anyone interested in learning more about dyslexia. The purpose of the kit is to provide a closer look at what those with dyslexia often experience with reading, writing and processing. The kit walks participants through five different simulations: two reading, two writing and one processing simulation. It is designed to help individuals gain a better understanding of and empathy for those children and adults who struggle with dyslexia.

The video below gives a glimpse into one of the five simulations on Dyslexia for a Day. The DVD is also accompanied by a handbook that can be used for professional development or individual use. To order visit the Dyslexia Training Institute website.

Source: Dyslexia Training Institute
Disclaimer: I am in no way being asked to promote this program or am being endorsed....I just like to share a valuable resource when I stumble upon one. 

Dyslexia Awareness Month: Understanding Dyslexia

In addition to October being AAC awareness, it is also dedicated to Dyslexia awareness. As so perfectly stated on the TED-Ed website:

"Dyslexia affects up to 1 in 5 people, but the experience of dyslexia isn't always the same. This difficulty in processing language exists along a spectrum -- one that doesn't necessarily fit with labels like "normal" and "defective." -Kelli Sandman-Hurley

I felt strongly in highlighting the TED-Ed video below, created by Kelli Sandman-Hurley, because simply enough, it put a fresh perspective on how we should be viewing dyslexia, specifically dyslexic brain function and the neurodiversity of the human brain. I hope you find it to be as enlightening and educational as I did. 

 

To view the original post from the TedEd website, click here

Video Source: TED-Ed

Image Source: The Summit School

Motivational Monday

The Do's and Dont's of AAC Printable Poster

To print or save this fantastic poster created by Jane Farrall (Follow on Twitter @janefarrall) and David Niemeijer (Follow on Twitter @@NiemeijerD) from AssistiveWare, click on the link below. 

Printable Version of the Do's and Dont's of AAC

The Periodic Table of AAC

Click to access the PDF printable version

AAC Awareness Month: Core Vocabulary Resources

This week kicks off AAC Awareness month and therefore all of this week's posts will be dedicated and focused on augmentative communication resources and tools. Today's post focuses on another incredible (and printable) resource of October core words compiled by Carole Zangari (Twitter handle: @PrAACticalAAC) of the Praactical AAC blog. The link to the original article and the many other resources available on the blog can be found below. 

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Know any AAC learners like these?

• Jeremiah has an SGD with thousands of core and fringe words, but he uses less than 100 of them in day-to-day life.
• Bella used an AAC app with visual scene displays to interact at playtime and during daily routines for the past several months. Her team just added an app with grid-based vocabulary so that she can begin to create novel sentences and expand her language abilities.
• Mason was recently evaluated for an AAC device, but it will likely take a few months to get the funding situation straightened out. In the meantime, his team created a manual communication board that mirrors the main screen of the SGD’s language software.

Each of them need lots of practice to become fluent with the core words in their AAC systems. Are you looking for resources to support your use of core words in therapy, in the classroom, and/or at home? Today’s post has some resources for those of you who try to highlight a small set of of words each month.

Those who are following along with our first set of core words (2013) (12 words/month) or the second set (2014) (16 words/month; Different than the previous year’s core words), may have printed out some of the word cards to use with the AAC learners in your life. Thanks to the kindness of PrAACtical AAC readers (Barbara Fernandes, Bill and Lori Binko, Heidi LoStracco, Alison Wade, Russell Cross, Gail Van Tatenhove, Eric Sailers, Rachael Langley, Laura Kessell, Christine Bayley and others) we have a variety of resources to explore.
Word and Symbol Cards

1. Templates for you to plug in your own symbols: Set 1 words, Set 2words
2. Minspeak/Unity version: Set 1 words
3. PCS versions: Set 1 words , Set 2 words
4. Lesson Pix: Set 1 words
5. Speak for Yourself version: Set 1 words
6. Symbol Stix: Set 1 words
7. Smarty Symbols: Set 1 words, Set 2 words
8. CoughDrop: Set 1 words; Set 2 words
9. WordPower: Set 1 words (Note: This is a large file that contains the resources for several versions of WordPower)

Our words for this month are as follows...
Set 1 (2013): another, change, every, for, idea, pretty, say, start, thank you, think, try, under
Set 2 (2014): afternoon, break, food, hide, hold, if, keep, medium, most, never, party, picture, quick, stop, story
We can highlight these as we talk, teach specific lessons to strengthen use of the words, and model them throughout the day. Here are some suggestions for sentences using the first set (2013) of words. Laura Kessel for putting this together.

As we all know, story reading is a great way to highlight core words, build fluency with AAC, and support literacy development. Christine Bayley graciously provided some book suggestions and I added a few of my own.

• Afternoon: One Afternoon (Yumi Heo)
• Another: Another Monster at the End of this Book (Jon Stone)
• Break: Thomas Breaks a Promise (Random House)
• Change: When the Wind Changed (Ruth Park)
• Every: Every Little Thing (Bob & Cedella Marley)
• Hide: Stuart Hides Out (Susan Hill)
• Hold: Let Me Hold You Longer (Karen Kingsbury)
• Idea: What to Do with an Idea (Kobi Yamada)
• If: If Kids Ran the World (Leo & Diane Dillon)
• Keep: If I Could Keep You Little (Marianne Richmond)
• Most: The Most Magnificent Thing (Ashley Spires)
• Never: The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes (Mark Pett)
• Picture: The Book With No Pictures (BJ Novak)
• Pretty: My Rules for Being a Pretty Princess (Heath McKenzie)
• Quick: Quick as a Cricket (Audrey Wood)
• Say: Oh, Say Can You Say (Dr. Seuss)
• Thank you: Richard Scarry’s Please and Thank You Book (Richard Scarry)
• Think: The Little Engine That Could (Watty Piper); Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!(Dr. Seuss)
• Try: Try, Try Again (P. K. Hallinan)
• Under: There is an Alligator Under my Bed (Mercer Mayer)

Need even more ideas? Rachael Langley has been kind enough to put together calendars with daily suggestions for practicing these words. The October calendar for this year features the set 2 words. You can take get ideas for set 1 words from Rachael’s previous calendar.

Set 1

Click here to access the printable version

Set 2

Click here to access the printable version

Source: PrAACtical AAC