Hands-on AT In-services: Try a Make it, Take it Theme

I don't know about you, but the only thing better than learning new things in the company of others is the opportunity to use the skills we are learning, to build something practical at the same time. Today I will be doing a Boardmaker in-service training all day at an elementary school with the sped teacher, the SLP and all the assistants. They are bringing a list of projects for communication boards, strips, charts, etc. for us to work on.

After the basic how-to demonstration and practice, we will get down to specific projects applying the skills learned. We will be printing, laminating, using velcro and file folders to get materials produced. We will have to take some pictures of our finished projects and share them with you. If you can arrange and coordinate it, I would encourage you to try one of these make and take trainings. They are a lot of fun and let folks get their hands on the software while producing materials they can use.

If you want to sit under the queen of make it and take it trainings, check out the nearest Linda Burkhart training near you, or check out her how-to CD's and plans online.

All the best to you!

Lon

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Mayer Johnson Launches Adapted Learning Site

Mayer-Johnson, developer of innovative software products and symbols designed to help special needs students learn, announces the launch of Adapted Learning.com (adaptedlearning.com )
This free resource provides a place to find and share adapted curriculum created with the company’s popular Boardmakerâ Software Family products. It also provides online community functions as well as feature articles and expert tips that meet the needs of the spectrum of Boardmaker users. Developed to provide better symbol-enhanced learning tools and make it easier for special educators and parents to adapt curriculum to ensure accessibility for all students, the website provides resources and tools that allow students with special needs to learn more effectively and succeed academically.
Over 100,000 special education professionals and parents have come to rely upon the Boardmaker Software Family of products to help children challenged by significant speech, language and learning disabilities achieve academically and socially. AdaptedLearning.com stretches the reach of the products by creating an international community of Boardmaker enthusiasts.
The keystone of the free website is the searchable database of communication boards and other educational assets created using Boardmaker products and shared by therapists, teachers, and parents of students with special needs. Additional resources include:
An online community that allows educators and clinicians to connect and share ideas and information with other Boardmaker users, as well as create public and private areas for groups of colleagues and parents,
Feature articles highlighting implementation ideas and other resources, and
Training videos featuring application strategies to enhance student learning and communication, and show how to create tools that make it easier for children with special needs to succeed.

Information organized by subject area in the News & Views section of the site ensures that members quickly locate the resources they are seeking. New Boardmaker users will find the Getting Started articles helpful as they experience all that the software has to offer. The Classroom Implementation area provides application ideas so that members can apply newly acquired skills and discover new ways to use previously learned skills. A resource for parents, the Home Connection provides information to help families support the child’s education and communication journeys in the home and in community settings. Find success stories and case studies that provide information and inspiration in the Results area.

“AdaptedLearning.com comes in response to the requests of the many loyal Boardmaker users who were looking for a place to share their work and access new content,” said Jim Mills, DynaVox/Mayer-Johnson’s vice president of education products. “We’re please to be able to offer them a place to share that work and their great passion for the Boardmaker Software Family of products.”
To register for this new web resource, visit http://www.adaptedlearning.com/.

All the best to you!
Lon



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Boardmaker Plus! Makes Great Interactive Note Taker.

I have been working on using Boardmaker to build talking notes on buttons that can be scanned by students who use the program for speech access already. I am trying to think outside the box to get curriculum access to these kids that can't read the textbook or write notes. The assistants help do this in addition to being a scribe. As long as they are "scribing" they might as well be doing something that puts it on "steroids"! The resolution is actually better than the window shows, once you play it. Watch the video below to see how I do it:



All the Best to You!

Lon