Fun Videos For Language and Literacy

Fun Videos: Girl Washing . . .

This video is a delight!! Enjoy watching it. Then share it with your children / students in some of the following ways:
• Language: Support students in:
- Sequencing: take screen shots and help students determine first, next, and last
- Narrative: re-tell this story
- Commenting: this video is fun for practicing making comments (sweet, uh-oh, oh no, yikes!)
- Core Words: this is ideal for summarizing using high frequency words (look at that. Is she bad?)

• Literacy: Support students in:
- Watching Response: Writing a response to this story
- Descriptive Narrative: re-tell this story
- Word Choice: describe the video using strong verbs and / or sparkle words


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yANjDEDcLvs

ZAMZAR – 1 Easy Way to Manage Movies

Most of you already have several ways to deal with movies, but I always have this question at workshops, so wanted to share the information here!

Question: How Do I Show Videos in School if I Don’t Have Access to Sources Such as YouTube?

Answer: You can download movies (with permission!) using resources such as Zamzar.

http://www.zamzar.com/

As you can see from the graphic, Zamzar can also be used for many other purposes! I often use it to convert files from one format to another. For example, let’s say that your camera saves videos in ..avi format, but you are using a program (ex: Classroom Suite ) that performs better with movies in a .mov format. This can be done quickly, easily, and for FREE for files under 100MB. The online directions are extremely clear, even for TechnoWienies!

Poem to Refrigerator Magnet!

Turn your poem into a refrigerator magnet! This is another in my series of celebrating creativity, both light and high tech. Remember, when you simply print a piece of writing, it goes on the refrigerator for 3.7 months, then goes into:
a) The Circular File (yes, the trash can), or
b) The Box . . . in the back of the closet

But if you turn your writing into a work of art, it will be enjoyed for longer, perhaps forever! Here are the steps for turning a poem into a refrigerator magnet.
1) Print out the poem, in smaller format (no larger than 5" x 7"). This shows a poem I wrote for my wonderful friend Harvey, for his birthday.
(Note: I did a list poem, using wordle. That is, words I wanted to be larger were typed multiple times. See directions in the April tip at my website:
http://aacintervention.com/tips/2009%20tips/tipnine.htm
2) Laminate the poem
3) Add stickyback magnet (from Michaels or other craft store)

This is inexpensive, but guaranteed to be a 'keeper'!

Thanks to Sarah Blackstone for this idea!

Learning with Lennart - eye gaze video

Many of you will be familiar with the 'Learning with Lennart' series developed by Paul Andres, Prentke Romich (Germany), plus Lennart and his mom. This includes You Tube videos and presentations. The video shared below shares a simple and clear eye-gaze strategy. If you haven't discovered this series (in English and German), you should find them quite helpful. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_PgPFSV_hs

Fully Interactive Books!

We know that fully interactive books are coming . . . oh, wait, they're here! The attached video shows an interactive book for iPad / iPhone. Several features are particularly exciting - such as creating action by blowing on the iPad! The book selection is also exciting - Our Choice by Al Gore. The best part about this is the fact that this group (Push Pop Press & Melcher Media) is developing a tool so that other people can develop materials that are more interactive. Clearly, these tools will be spectacular for education, and especially for students with disabilities.

Thanks to Jane Odom for this link!
http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_matas.html#.TkO-THYKPec.mailto

Echo Smartpen

At the conference in NYC last week, several people were asking for supports for high school students struggling in higher math classes. I mentioned the Smartpen, and promised to provide a link, so here it is. It provides excellent support for many activities, including the process of completing math problems.

http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/smartpen/echo/

SpedApps2

A group of therapists at Southwest Human Development have joined to create a new wiki about apps of great use for students with disabilities. This is new, and all areas are NOT filled in. We are going beyond listing of apps, and reviewing apps that we've actually used, and giving tips for new applications of apps (hence the name SpedApps2, which stands for apps squared!) Please visit frequently, as this wiki will change!!

Here's the link:
http://spedapps2.wikispaces.com/HOME