Children with Down Syndrome: Research about early literacy intervention approaches from the University of Denver

Via Science Daily Science News:

"Researchers at the University of Denver (DU) Morgridge College of Education are conducting a new study that will compare two early literacy intervention approaches to educating young children with Down syndrome."


"There has been little to no research on how our children with Down syndrome learn, especially regarding reading and language," says Michelle Sie Whitten, executive director of the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation and Advisory Committee Chair of The Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Educational Fund. "There have been significant breakthroughs in terms of how children with other developmental disabilities learn, and I strongly believe that our kids deserve the same attention."

XO Laptop Now Runs Windows - Via CNET News

One Laptop Per Child, also known as the XO laptop, came in one flavor, Linux. Now it is available in Windows, according to a CNET article in Ina Fried's Beyond Binary column:

The XO Laptop gets a Window Makeover (10/24/08)

"Microsoft has managed to slim down the OS enough to boot up off a 2GB flash memory card and has written drivers for a number of the XO laptop's unique features, such as its scratch pad, game controller, and built-in camera."


-From CNET

CNET Video:

A new kind of SmartBoard: Multi-User Multi-Touch SMART Table for Education

I heard a rumor a few months ago that this was coming...and it was true!



The SMART Table "Touch, Learn, Together"

"The SMART Table interactive learning center lets students get hands-on with collaborative activities – and the more hands the merrier. The SMART Table is a versatile learning center where groups of students can create, explore and discover together on the durable screen. The interface is so intuitive that even the youngest child can play games and plunge into learning activities in no time. You can choose from a wide variety of ready-to-go lesson activities, or customize them to suit your own lessons."

SMARTTablerelease

If you are interested in developing for the SMART Table, visit the SMART Table Developer site.

Who is Behind in No Child Left Behind? New York Times Interactive Maps- "Falling Behind Schedule"

NYT's Interactive Map "Falling Behind Schedule"
Data Sources: State Departments of Education; Center on Education Policy; Federal Department of Education

Interactive map compliments Under "No Child" Law, Even Solid Schools Falter, written by New York Time's author, Sam Dillon (10/12/08)

Children, Teens, Families, and the Economic Crisis

It is clear that the current economic crisis has had an enormous impact on adults. It is impossible to shield children and teens from the news around them, or shield them from the fears their parents may be experiencing about the economy.

Here are a few links and resources I've collected about this topic:

10/5/08 Washington Post
Anxious Children A Fiscal Lesson for the Ages: For Some, the Economic Turmoil is a Grim Reminder of Past Crises. For Others, it Marks a New Fear
By Brigid Schulte

• "A survey of 500 U.S. teenagers released Friday found that almost 70 percent feared an "immediate negative impact" on the security of their families. "That's a gigantic figure," said Michael Cohen, a research psychologist who runs the opinion research firm that conducted the poll. "There's anxiety about this. And the anxiety is not just for the society at large, but for me and my family. I was quite taken aback by the scope of that fear. ""

10/01/08 Kiplinger.com
Talking to Your Kids About the Financial Crisis
By Janet Bodnar


9/24/08 Wall Street Journal
When Tough Times Weigh on the Kids

Parent's Financial Problems Are Reflected in School Performance
by Sue Shellenbarger

10/8/08 U.S. News & World Report
Economic Crisis Takes Toll on Emotional Health: Experts seeing more cases of sleeplessness, anxiety, but they offer tips for coping
by Amanda Gardner

10/10/08 wral.com
Duke Prof writes children's play about economic crisis
Script: Play explains the economy


The New York Times Online features a video clip that gives an overview of how the current economic crisis is impacting teens attending a private high school in NYC. The clip includes interviews of students and an economics teacher.

Cool Interactive Whiteboard Activities for Teaching Math: Free at Teacher LED

I recently came across the TeacherLED website and was impressed by the numerous math-related activities created for teachers to use when presenting new concepts via demonstration on an interactive whiteboard. This is an excellent way of presenting concepts that appeal to visual learners.

What I like about the resources is that they are open-ended. They were designed so they have flexibility of use, which is a good thing for teachers.There are several activities that function as games that are designed for the whole class, which is a good thing for students.

Math concepts covered on the TeacherLED site include algebra, data handling, number, shape, space, measurement, general math, and investigation. There is a link to alphabet resources, spelling activities, and maps. Many of the resources are accompanied by instruction sheets for the teacher.

The author of the website and creator of the interactive resources is Spencer Riley, a teacher in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Thank you, Mr. Riley, for your hard work and generous spirit!

Therapeutic use of digital and multimedia storytelling and social stories for children and teens: Link

Take a look at a recent post on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog:

Resources for the (therapeutic) use of digital and multimedia storytelling and social stories for children and teens...

Videogames, Teens, and.... Civic Education?

Here is a link to a post on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog about the recent results of a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project:

Videogames, Teens, and.... Civic Education?

Interactive Whiteboards increase Math Skills - Link to Newsweek Article

A recent article in Newsweek outlines the success of interactive whiteboards in classroom. Teachers and school administrators have noted that the whiteboards increase engagement.

Apparently, one study in the UK found that the use of interactive whiteboards in math classes resulted in a significant growth in math skills among students.

From the Newsweek article:

"So far, the data on the efficacy of touchscreens in U.S. classrooms is inconclusive, but promising. Multiple recent studies suggest that the devices boost attendance rates and classroom participation. Ever since Dorchester School District 2 in Summerville, S.C., installed 1,200 interactive boards in its classrooms, disciplinary incidents are way down. "Students were bored" before the touchscreens arrived, says Superintendent Joe Pye. "Trips to the principal's office are almost nonexistent now.""

Evolver, DimensionM, 3-D algebra games used in Broward County, Florida. RTI ready with built-in data-tracking of progress!

When Dimenxian, the first version of a 3-D algebra game, developed by Tabula Digita came out, I had the chance to try it out with a few students who were struggling in math, and found it to be effective. Since then, Tabula Digita has come out with more options, and the games have been adopted by many school districts.

Broward County, in Florida, is using Tabula Digita's DimensionM games as supplemental resources to teach pre-algebra and algebra skills to students in 24 middle schools.

Resource: Video Games for Learning:
http://www.dimensionm.com/docs/VideoGamesforLearning.pdf



Information from a recent Serious Games Source article:

"The DimensionM product series offers several titles incorporating key algebraic concepts in both single and multiplayer formats. The games are aligned to meet the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics's standards, as well as several state standards, for grades 6-9."

"The supplemental curriculum offers lessons that cover topics such as proportions, number lines, and adding and subtracting integers to linear equations. The software also provides automatic progress tracking for each student, enabling teachers to analyze results and provide additional instructions based on those results."

Here are the curriculum alignments, from the Tabula Digita Website:

"All of the game content of Tabula Digita's DimensionM products is aligned to National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards, as well as the standards of selected states. Currently we have alignments for grades 6-8."

"Click on one of the links below to download the state and national standards alignments for your school district:'

Evolver Pre-Algebra Alignments
NCTM
California
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Texas

Dimenxian Algebra Alignments
NCTM
California
Florida
Georgia
Florida & OCPS
Illinois
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Texas

Dimenxian Algebra High School Alignments
NCTM
California
Florida
Georgia
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Texas

Evolver Multiplayer Alignments
NCTM
California
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Texas

Evolver Multiplayer High School Alignments
NCTM
California
Florida
Georgia
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Texas

Utilizing Interactive Whiteboards with Students with Autism Webinar

ISTE is sponsoring a must-see webinar, "Revolutionizing Instruction for Autistic Students Utilizing Interactive Whiteboards"

The webinar will be held on Wednesday, September 17, 2008, at the following time:

4 PM Eastern
3 PM Central
2 PM Mountain
1 PM Pacific

Here is the blurb from the ISTE website:

"As the field of education experiences an exponential increase in students diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, a new and effective model for instructing students is called for. Interactive whiteboards have revolutionized how teachers engage and teach autistic students in group instruction at a residential special education school in New Hampshire. This technology has offered new opportunities for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other neurological impairments to demonstrate spontaneous social learning and increased on-task classroom behaviors. Video vignettes will illustrate how instructional practices have changed the paradigm of a classroom for students with autism and the resulting student outcomes that occurred, both expected and unanticipated."

The presenters are Kathleen H. McClaskey, and educational and assistive technology consultant, and Randy Welch, a school psychologist who is currently a chief program officer at a residential treatment center.

The webinar fee is $50.00 for ISTE members and $125.00 for non-members.

Dynavox EyeMax

The DynaVox EyeMax System is now on the market. Here is a link to the FAQ's:

EyeMax FAQ's

EyeMax Technical Specifications

Information from the DynaVox Mayer-Johnson Website:

"Say it with your eyes"

"The DynaVox EyeMax System is the newest, most advanced access method available to communicators who use the DynaVox Vmax. It is comprised of two parts: a DynaVox Vmax and a DynaVox EyeMax Accessory. The EyeMax System allows augmented communicators to access their Vmax with a simple blink, or by dwelling on a desired area of the screen."



This device would make it possible to assess students who have complex disabilities, and also to monitor their progress.

Lon Thornburg's No Limits 2 Learning Blog

Lon Thornburg is an assistive technology specialist in Oregon who is the author of the No Limits 2 Learning Blog, "celebrating human potential through assistive technology". In addition to assistive technology, Lon's blog focuses on topics related to children, education, disabilities,

Lon recently attended a workshop on alternative text access and podcasting, presented by Steven Timmer, of Premier Literacy, and came away with some good insights, which you can read on his blog post. Steven Timer, who is legally blind, discussed the difference between the concept of assistive technology for learning and assistive technology for living. I liked the quotes from Steven Timmer:

"AT must take what you find difficult to do and make it easier for you- if it doesn't, it isn't AT."

"if they can't use it within 15 minutes of training," Steven shared, "and 3 steps or less, they probably won't use it."

On another post, Lon shared another quote from Steven Timer:

"If kids don't find a practical reason to use AT for something they want to do, they won't incorporate it into their world and use it,"

Lon asks us to think more deeply about the purpose of assistive technology:

"Instead of spending so much time with a software that prepares them to learn information to perform better on state assessments and try to get their scores up, maybe we need to focus more on helping them to independently take text and summarize it, and convert it to an Mp3 file they can listen to it. Oh, and by the way…let them select an article, story or other print media that is relevant to them."

"I have some developmentally delayed and cognitive disabled students that are older - in high school that can use some of both kinds of AT to a certain point, but by high school, we should have given them the ability to use living technology for themselves so they can use it independently to access life. And you know what? If I teach them how to access life with living tools, I bet it will impact their ability to prep for those tests…hmmm just a thought."

Lon's blog is well worth signing up for a feed!

Here is another good tidbit of information he posted from his blog - his notes from an interview with Kristin Whitfield, CCC-SLP, from Dynavox, citing research from Penn State University, Project R, that suggests that early learners (2-5) can benefit from higher-end communication tools, if properly designed for their age and developmental needs. The researchers point out that most current AAC devices were developed by non-disabled adults, and do not model the way young children cognitively and linguistically interact with the world.

By the way, Penn State University offers a webcast, along with transcripts, slides, and handouts from the AAC RERC Webcast Series, Reading and AAC, presented by Janice Light, Ph.D., a professor in the Communication Sciences and Disorders.

• "This session will discuss effective evidence-based practices to maximize the literacy skills of individuals who require AAC. Case studies (including video) will be used to illustrate effective interventions to help student who require AAC: (a) acquire phonological awareness skills, (b) learn to read words, (c) participate in shared reading activities with personalized books, and (d) write their own stories. With appropriate instruction, individuals who require AAC can achieve improved literacy skills and will be able to maximize their educational and vocational outcomes."

Thanks, Lon Thornburg, for sharing so much on your blog!

Digital Students@Analog Schools, 2004. Do the sentiments still ring true?

Digital Students@Analog Schools, 2004. Do the sentiments still ring true?

The above link is to a post about on the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog about technology integration, need for multimedia learning activities, and resources for supporting technology and Universal Design for Learning.

Microsoft Surface's Hotel Concierge Application: Let's see an affordable Surface, deployed in classrooms and libraries!

Take a look at the video of Microsoft's multi-touch "Surface", functioning as an interactive, electronic hotel concierge. Imagine how multi-touch, multi-user technology could be used in education!


Cross posted from the Interactive Multimedia Technology blog

Adobe's Digital Kids Club: Great source for learning and communication activities that incorporate digital video and photography.

The Adobe Digital Kids Club website provides wide range of ideas for integrate digital video and photography into engaging lesson plans. Teachers are encouraged to share lesson plans on the site. A template is provided.

Info from the website:

"The Adobe Digital Kids Club makes it easy for educators to introduce digital photography and video into the classroom. Students take photos with their digital cameras and then use Adobe® Photoshop® Elements software for Windows® and Mac to edit, enhance, organize, and share their images. Using Adobe Premiere® Elements, they produce amazing videos for classroom projects and presentations."

"Submit your own lesson or activity
Teachers: Share your digital media lessons and activities. E-mail your lesson or activity to the Adobe Digital Kids Club, and we’ll contact you if your lesson is selected to appear on the site. Review some of the lessons and activities below, and then view and print out a template to get started. View or download a template (PDF: 235k)."

If you are involved with the Digital Kids Club, leave a comment and share your links!

Video Modeling Software for visual learners, including those with autism spectrum disorders.

Here is a clip about the Activity Trainer, video modeling software that supports the following skills:

• Academic
• Communication
• Daily Living
• Non-Verbal Imitation
• Recreation
• Social
• Vocational

A free 30-day trial of the software can be downloaded from the Accelerations Educational Software website.

On the Accelerations Educational Software website, you can find other products, such as Storymovies, which is the product of a collaboration between Carol Gray (social stories), Mark Shelley, and the Special Minds Foundation.

NextGen Teachers - NextGen School Psychologists?

I came across the NextGen Teachers blog, "Educators connecting to explore the next generation of teaching and learning", and noticed that the members of this blog post specific "how-to" information about what works in their classrooms.

If you are a teacher, school psychologist, related services provider, special educator, or anyone interested in the use of technology to support efforts such as Response to Intervention (RTI) and 21st Century Schools, take a look at what NextGen Teachers are writing about. It is small group, created by Doug Belshaw, a high school history and ICT teacher in England.

I wonder if there any NextGen Psychologists out there, involved with innovative technologies. I know of a few, but I'm sure there must be more....