Keyboarding! The Number One Top Post on Common Core & Ed Tech Blog

This week, the Common Core Educational Technology Blog wrote about their all time most popular posts and believe it or not, Keyboarding was the number one post!

Here's some of the most popular sites to support keyboarding:
Typing Web a free, online typing tutor and keyboarding tutorial for all skill levels.  By registering (free) students can track their progress using their proven curriculum.

Key Hero Typing Test No login required, but you can, and save work.

Dance Mat Typing, one of the most fun ways to learn for kids.

FreeTypingGame.net has games, lessons, tests and lessons can be customized.

There's several more listed on the Common Core & Ed Tech post that you can get to by clicking this post title, plus it's interesting to read the comments and hear what others are using. 

Free Switch Accessible Activities to Play Online or Download

This is just one of the many categories of switch, mouse and touchscreen accessible activities you can download from Ian Bean's website. A while back I posted about Priory Woods, a school for children with special needs in the UK, and their free online switch activated videos. Well it turns out that Ian Bean, the fellow that wrote the Switch Progression Road Map (see earlier post) was a teacher and website developer there. He went on to work for Inclusive TLC and now provides training and consulting around the world. I've spent most of the morning on his Facebook page where Ian posts on a daily basis. You may also be interested in his free monthly newsletter.

Need practice with keyboarding? Touch-typing tutorials found here

Keyboarding is one of the most common recommendations for students that struggle with writing, although it's not always taught in our schools.  Thankfully, there's plenty of free, online tutorials that offer instruction and practice.  Most will evaluate skills initially, then offer practice exercises and games to increase proficiency.  Progress reports can be motivating, especially if there are end goals for increased speed and error reduction.  This site, All the Touch-Typing Tutors, lists free and share-ware downloads.  Each site listed has a good description of its features and a screen shot.
Thank you to Kindy Segovia for the post about this site on her Blog. Kindy Segovia's Blog is a great resource for all things AT and UDL.  She is the AT Consultant at Kent ISD.

Free Printable Activities

We found this Blog while searching for a fun way for a student with autism to learn about emotions.  The post title links to an Emotions Bingo game.  The creator lists some other fun ways to use this - cut it apart and make a Memory game, or Flash cards.  The Blogger is a very creative, crafty mom of a child with autism.
This is just one of many projects!  There's free printable jig saw puzzles, home school activities and classification games.  There's even free printable gift tags, recipe cards and wrapping paper!  Hey it's that time of year...
Happy Holidays!

Apps for Children with Special Needs

Do you have an iPod or iPad?  Are you wondering what kind of Apps are available to help your struggling child or student?  This site has a collection of videos showing the App in action, so you can see how it functions before you buy it.  The App videos are categorized nicely and you can even request a video of an App you're interested in.  They're having Facebook App party tomorrow, June 11th!  Click on the post title for more information.

Links to educational websites by grade level and subject area

Our local district's Technology Integration Coordinator has these links available on the school site.  Click on the post title and search by grade and subject area for links to great sites!

Developing Social & Emotional Skills through Multi-Media - Focus on Stress & Resilience

This site was started during Summer 2010 as resource for the YMCA summer program. It is a collaboration between Marquette Area Public Schools and the Promising Futures program of the Lake Superior Community Partnership. It's focus is on Stress and Resiliency for students: Developing Social & Emotional Skills through multi-media Creation.
The project explored issues of Stress and Resilience that students face, then created videos and recordings using still and mini-video cameras, computers and audio files all about Stress and Resilience.

Adaptive Skiing Program in Marquette County

This program is free for persons with physical or visual impairments.

Educational Apps, App Reviews and more!

Found out about this while perusing the Facebook Assistive Technology Group. The list of educational apps is categorized by subject area and links to the iTunes store for a detailed description. The site creator, Megan Wilson, has posted her presentations about using apps in school and has a few lesson plans using apps. The Resources section includes blogs from other educators using iPods, and lots of ideas! If you're interested in using iPods/iPads in school, this is a wonderful site that's well organized.
And if you're on Facebook, why not join the Assistive Technology open group?

New children's book!

Dave Carl recently published this children's book about a boy who uses a wheelchair and becomes a super crime fighter using a hand-cycle. It's a story about developing one's gifts and following your heart.
Dave used to live in Marquette, has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. The illustrator lives in Idaho and is legally blind. For more information, check out the website.

EdHeads - Activate your Mind! Do you work with students that are mechanically inclined and love science?

Free educational science games designed to meet state and national standards. Edheads has been recognized by almost every major award on the Web for excellent educational content! There's a link to free lesson plans and teacher tips for each activity.

QuestAtlantis -an international learning and teaching project at Indiana University’s School of Education

An exerpt from the website:
Designed to support social commitment and real-world action, Quest Atlantis has over 20,000 registered members worldwide. The project is intended to engage children ages 9–16 in a form of transformational play comprising both online and off-line learning activities, with a storyline inspiring a disposition towards social action.

The core elements of Quest Atlantis are 1) a 3-D multi-user virtual environment, 2) learning Quests and unit plans, 3) a storyline, presented through an introductory video, novel and comic book, that involves a mythical Council and a set of social commitments, and 4) a globally-distributed community of participants.

The activities of Quest Atlantis take place in registered Centers, typically schools, under the direction of teachers who have undergone professional development and training.
Example Unit. The Taiga Water Quality Unit is an interactive narrative set within an aquatic habitat (Taiga National Park) where a serious ecological problem has resulted in many fish dying.; taiga In the unit, students navigate through the virtual park and interact with other players and non-player characters who communicate their perspective on the problem.

iknowthat.com

Our AI consultant told me about a student that used to hate social studies. He told her about this site and that he's having fun "playing" the online activities! I created an account and found a great activity for 4th grade social studies learning facts about the 50 states. The activities are free and a low cost subscription gives access to more features like Teacher Guides and Progress Reports. You can easily find activities by grade - Pre-K through 6th and by subject area. Families can subscribe for $5.95 per month or $49.95 a year. Family subscriptions include up to six accounts. Classroom subscriptions are $199 a year and includes up to 34 members.

The sites content can be categorized into five areas: fun learning, open-ended creative activities that can be saved, user-generated content areas, educational videos, and a multi-player virtual world. The site states that activities are based on educational standards. The link is added in the Resources section of this blog.

Mr. Mundorf's class

This is the man (and the blog) that inspired me! I went to two of his workshops at the MITS conference (Michigan Integrated Technology Supports) in June. This blog is a must see! Plan to spend several days just checking it out...See "My Blog List" for a list of my favorite Blogs.