Learn how to design and develop an inclusive learning environment by adopting a process of selection and implementation of augmentative/alternative communication systems using a multi-tiered system of supports.
Learning Objectives
Define the Specific Language System First Approach to AAC
Explore the evidence base for adopting and implementing the Specific Language System First Approach to AAC
Examine the connections between a Multi-Tiered System of Supports and the Specific Language System First Approach to AAC
Episode #155 features a recording of a conversation between Chris and his wife Melissa which takes place during a baby sitting session. The episode explores early language development and describes the strategy of Aided Language Stimulation (ALgS) necessary for teaching language to a user of augmentative/alternative communication.
A.T.TIPS in this Episode –
A.T.TIP #488: Model on the AAC device.
Also, here’s a video that explains Aided Language Stimulation:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Click on the banner above to learn about the amazing Read&Write products.
Episode Overview –
Episode #154 features a discussion on the concept of using motor plans and motor memory to become automatic at using an AAC device.
A.T.TIPS in this Episode –
A.T.TIP #486: Plan for motor memory right from the onset of device implementation.
A.T.TIP #487: Don’t mess with the motor plan once established.
Attribution Notification – Portions of the following musical tracks were used in this episode:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Click on the banner above to learn about the amazing Read&Write products.
Episode Overview –
Episode #153 features a discussion on which vocabulary to target when teaching language to a student who uses an augmentative/alternative communication device. This is the episode for Better Hearing and Speech Month of 2016.
A.T.TIPS in this Episode –
A.T.TIP #484: Use open-ended questions rather than closed questions. Try this exercise to practice!
A.T.TIP #485: Converse with device users in such a way that allows them to respond using the most frequently used vocabulary.
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Click on the banner above to learn about the amazing Read&Write products.
Episode Overview –
Episode #151 is a discussion of the philosophy of Spontaneous Novel Utterance Generation (SNUG) and what the term “Presuming Competence” means in relation to teaching language to users of augmentative/alternative communication.
A.T.TIP #480: http://bit.ly/aacagreements – A list generated at Edcamp at ATIA 2016 by professionals working in the field of AAC outlining 12 agreed upon principles.
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning literacy solution Read&Write GOLD. To learn about Read&Write Gold and Texthelp’s suite of web apps click on the banner below!
Use promotion code ATTIPS13SAVE10 to get 10% off online orders of Read&Write GOLD!
Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer expires May 31, 2013.
Episode #116 features a description of how and why to use core vocabulary (high frequency words) as the basis for an augmentative/alternative communication system.
The entire episode was generated using only “Frequently Occurring Home and School Words” from the list generated in the article “Vocabulary-Use Patterns in Preschool Children: Effects of Context and Time Sampling” by Christine A. Marvin, David R. Beukelman, and Denise Bilyeu published in Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Volume 10 in December, 1994.
The episode demonstrates that using only high frequency words users can still elicit complex, generative language.
A.T.TIP #355 – When using core vocabulary, give students the opportunity to make requests by labeling descriptors (adjectives) or qualities rather than naming an object.
A.T.TIP #356 – Give students the opportunity to direct others to allow them to realize they have an impact on how others perform or behave.
A.T.TIP #357 – When it comes to functional augmentative alternative communication (or any communication for that matter) meaning trumps form (syntax). The meaning of a message is more important than how it is said.
Also Mentioned in This Episode-
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month!
Learn more and get involved by going to
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. To learn about these products and their new suite of web apps go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #98 features a discussion of how literacy skills can be improved by simply turning on the captions while watching television and other videos.
A.T.TIP 285 – Turn on Closed Captioning while watching any video to improve literacy skills
Read Captions Across America Campaign – The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) initiative launched in association with the National Education Association’s (NEA) annual “Read Across America” campaign meant to spread the word about the benefits of captions for all readers.
captionsforliteracy.org – Research, posters, and instructions pertaining to the benefits of turning the captions on for learners
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #72 features a discussion of the use of digital video with students, in educational evaluations, and in educational reports.
A.T.TIPS In This Episode-
A.T.TIP #191: Scripting for Video Production
A.T.TIP #192: Students Interviewing Others on Video
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #46 features another excerpt from the presentation for the Individual Differences in Learning Association in Howard County, Maryland. This excerpt describes WordTalk; a free text-to-speech plug-in for Microsoft Word.
The episode features a bumper from Karen Janowski who is an assistive technology consultant, an assistive technology specialist for a school district in Massachusetts, adjunct faculty member at Simmons College, and school board member in her town. She is also one of the innovators behind the UDLTechToolKit wiki, which contains a plethora of resources useful for differentiating instruction.
WordTalk is a free text-to-speech add-in for Microsoft Word. You can find all the details about which versions of Word it works with along with other frequently asked questions, installation instructions and more over at the WordTalk download page.
3. 2009 Edublog Award Winners – Congratulations to all of the winners! Let me recommend you head over there to check out all of the nominations and winners. The A.T.TIPSCAST placed seventh out of 26 in the category of “Best Educational Use of Audio“.
4. CliCk, Speak – A free, open source text-to-speech extension for the Firefox web browser.
5. Text-to-Speech in OpenOffice – Open Office is a free suite of programs including a word processing program. OO Text To Speech is a free download for this program.
6. Word Magnets – Type or paste text (words or letters) into a box that then makes each word (or letter) a separate moveable object. Perfect for word scrambles or sentence generation on an interactive whiteboard.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #44 is up for your listening pleasure and boy is it a doozy! It clocks in at just under 42 minutes! Yikes! Episode #44 is kind of a unique episode because it features a recording of a live event. Back on November 14th I was lucky enough to attend the Powering Up with Technology Conference in Prince George’s County Maryland. At that conference I presented a session called Alternative Professional Development. I use the term “presented” loosely because, although I was listed as the presenter, the session was more of an integrated brainstorming session. I was more of the moderator for the discussion than a presenter. During the session we tried to outline some of the common problems with staff development happening in public schools and then try to come up with some solutions. During the course of the discussion a bunch of great ideas were mentioned about how to address some of the problems with the typical professional development model. Furthermore, a number of concrete resources are mentioned that can be used to assist students. You can access the entire presentation as generated by the audience here: Alternative Professional Development Presentation from PUWT09.
The episode also features a bumper from Robin Lesht who is a speech-language pathologist from Mount Prospect, Illinois. I met Robin at ATIA 09 where we shared different experiences working in the field of speech-language pathology.
A.T.TIPS In This Episode-
A.T.TIP #67: Document Holder from Inverted CD case and Alligator Clip
Many a student has strained their neck transposing a handwritten assignment onto the computer because the paper was flat on the desk. To alleviate the neck strain people started to use document holders so that they didn’t have to constantly shift their field of vision from the paper to the screen and back again. Sure, you could go out and spend money on a fancy, commercial document holder or you could take an unused CD case that you probably have lying around, flip it over so the hinged cover is upright and then fasten the paper to it with an alligator clip. Done and done, instant document holder.
This website provides over 1000 pre-made lessons/presentations on a wide variety of curricular topics. The media-rich presentations are similar to a PowerPoint presentation and each one is available to be viewed online via your web browser. Each presentation is useful as a pre-learning activity where students could be asked to independently review content before a class discussion, as an alternative source of content to complement or supplement another lesson, or as a follow-up/review activity at the end of a lesson.
This website allows you to create an animated talking head. Use text-to-speech or record a voice to have the voki speak the message. Vokis could be used by a teacher to introduce a lesson, give verbal instructions for an assignment, record reminders to students, provide feedback and more! Vokis could be used by a student as an alternative means of expression for presentations, practicing conversations, or demonstrating knowledge. Check out these ideas on how to use Voki in your classroom from The Edublogger.
This website allows you to upload a picture, select a portion of that picture that will move (usually a mouth), and then record a message. When the message is played back, the selected area will move in time with the message. Blabberize can be used in similar ways as Vokis. It could be used by a teacher to introduce a lesson, give verbal instructions for an assignment, record reminders to students, provide feedback and more! It could be used by a student as an alternative means of expression for presentations, practicing conversations, or demonstrating knowledge.
4. www.delicious.com – Social Bookmarking Site. Note that the A.T.TIPSCAST uses delicious to share resources on the left side of the page.
5. www.Prezi.com – A new and interesting way to create a presentation. Information is presented on one large canvas and you zoom into different areas of the canvas to view the information.
6. www.tinyurl.com – A useful way of making long URLs shorter. Shortened URLs are easier for users to remember (like www.tinyurl.com/nlsstories) and easier for people to type in if entering a URL from a piece of paper.
7. Tonyvincent.info – A link library of useful educational resources created by the keynote speaker of the conference, Tony Vincent. **Corrected from original post- Tony made a comment below sharing that the site he used to present at the conference was http://tonysite.info ***
8. Radio WillowWeb Podcast – Radio WillowWeb is a podcast for kids
and by kids from the students at Willowdale Elementary School in Omaha, Nebraska. Each new show is called a Willowcast. Each Willowcast can be heard on WillowWeb as an mp3 digital audio file.
9. ASHA Podcast – The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s podcast features interviews with different individuals making strides in the field of speech-language pathology and audiology
10. Quick Access Toolbar in Word 07 – Microsoft Word 07 features a quick access toolbar that can be customized, allowing for favorite tools to be shown and less used tools to be hidden. This feature helps to reduce clutter on the screen while highlighting to students some key/important features they could be using in Word.
If I don’t get to see you at NECC we can still connect virtually. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #43 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #43 features some more feedback from listeners of the show. There was still too much feedback to fit it all into just this episode so you can expect to hear at least one more Listener Feedback episode in the future.
The focus of the Classroom Acoustic Coalition Facebook group is to bring about awareness about acoustics in the classroom. In the episode Signal-to-Noise ratio is mentioned as something to consider when working with students. The following are some other helpful resources about S/N and classroom acoustics:
This website allows you to quickly upload pictures and videos (.mpegs, .mpgs, .mp4, .mov, .avi, .wmv, .jpg’s and more) and then select from a number of free montage styles and music to create a nicely polished, professional looking, special effect ridden video. Once finished, the website generates a URL for your video that can be shared. The website is easy to use and would allow students to be able to create flashy presentations above and beyond just a simple slideshow. Plus, there is nothing to install. All of the controls and design occur right there on the website all for free. The only downside is that only some of the montages and music is free. For access to the complete library you need to become a premium member and pay a fee. Also, to export the video into another file format you need to be premium member. The following are some of the videos I’ve made using this website:
This website allows you to capture a video of whatever is happening on your screen. You can export videos as .swf files (flash) and .mov files, which means you can save the videos right down to your computer. You can choose to record the entire screen or record a rectangular area of the screen. Screentoaster.com is a great way to capture and share what a student has done on a computer and is also a great way to capture any lesson done on the computer. Also, a student could capture work they’ve done on a home computer to share back with teacher. It is also great for making short video tutorials providing directions for how to do something on the computer. Students could watch these videos over and over again as a way to have instructions repeated as many times as necessary.
If I don’t get to see you at NECC we can still connect virtually. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #41 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #41 features some feedback from listeners of the show. There was too much feedback to fit into one episode so you can expect to hear more in the future.
The episode also features a bumper from Sally Norton-Darr and Judith Schoonover about the new version of CAST’s BookBuilder. Judith and Sally will be doing workshops on this at the following professional conferences if you’re interested in attending:
If I don’t get to see you at NECC we can still connect virtually. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #40 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #40 features an interview with Miss Mel, the host of the Night Light Stories podcast which features free original children’s stories! The episode also features a bumper from Nancy Stewart, the lead special education teacher at Avoca School District 37 in Wilmette, Illinois. You can check out her blog Mad Math Beyond Numberdome and her school blog.
If I don’t get to see you at NECC we can still connect virtually. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #39 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #39 describes different ways to utilize the Photo Album feature of Microsoft PowerPoint to facilitate digital storytelling. The episode features a discussion with the newly-improved, fan favorite, B-Bot!
A.T. TIPS In This Episode-
A.T.TIP #57: Photo Album Feature of PowerPoint
In PowerPoint 07 Photo Album can be found in the “Insert” tab. It is built right into this version.
Although there may be slight variations based on the version of PowerPoint you are using, the Photo Album feature of PowerPoint looks like this:
I’ll be presenting at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC)- June 28th – July 1st in Washington, D.C. (Poster Session: Chew the P.H.A.T-Policies and How-to’s in Assistive Technology with Sally Norton-Darr).
Contact Information-
If I don’t get to see you at NECC we can still connect virtually. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #37 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #37 features Part 1 of a two part interview with Chris Cummins, a high school English teacher and adjunct professor at the State University of New York at Fredonia who is currently teaching a class on Literacy and Technology. During this first part of the interview Chris and I talk about a few different styles of graphic organizers as well as discuss how to implement graphic organizers in a high school setting.
I’ll be presenting at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC)- June 28th – July 1st in Washington, D.C. (Poster Session: Chew the P.H.A.T-Policies and How-to’s in Assistive Technology with Sally Norton-Darr).
Contact Information-
If I don’t get to see you at NECC we can still connect virtually. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #36 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #36 features a discussion about Book Builder by Sally Norton-Darr, Judith Schoonover, and Mark Nichols. They will be doing a presentation centering on the uses of Book Builder during the National Educational Computing Conference on June 29th. They are asking that you leave a comment on this blog post talking about how you use Book Builder, improvements you would like to see to Book Builder, or anything related to your experiences with the tool.
While you’re there, check out the book Sally and Judie created:
Support The Cause-
My colleagues will be riding in the local Tour De Cure on June 14th, 2009, sponsored by the American Diabetes Foundation. If you can donate, even a dollar, it would be much appreciated. Select the “donate” button on either website to make a donation.
Upcoming Conference Presentations-
I’ll be presenting at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC)- June 28th – July 1st in Washington, D.C. (Poster Session: Chew the P.H.A.T-Policies and How-to’s in Assistive Technology with Sally Norton-Darr).
Contact Information-
If I don’t get to see you at NECC we can still connect virtually. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #34 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #34 describes another strategy for assisting students who have trouble maintaining appropriate volume while speaking. The episode also features a bumper from my mom, Jackie Bugaj. I’d like to thank Thomas F., Doug G., Michael M., Christopher C., and Timothy C. for their contributions that can be heard at the end of the episode.
A.T.TIP #48: Digital Voice Feedback Modulators
Here are some videos that further explain how to use digital voice feedback modulators.
Visual Feedback For Volume Management:
Visual Feedback With Audacity:
My colleagues will be riding in the local Tour De Cure sponsored by the American Diabetes Foundation. If you can donate, even a dollar, it would be much appreciated. Select the “donate” button on either website to make a donation.
I’ll be presenting at these two upcoming conferences:
1. Teacher Researcher Conference – May 27th, 2009 in Fairfax, Virginia (Session on Strategy-A-Day Calendar on Teacher Desktops as an Agent of Change with technology resource teachers).
If I don’t get to see you at either of those conferences we can still get together virtually over the Internet. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #33 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #33 describes a strategy for assisting students who have trouble maintaining appropriate volume, rate, or pitch when speaking. This episode is one of my contributions to Better Hearing and Speech Month by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The episode also features a bumper from Speech Language Pathologist and Assistive Technology Specialist, Beth Poss. Check out the website www.matnonline.com for more information about the Maryland Assistive Technology Network as well as incredible resources related to assistive technology. I presented on the topic of Alternative Professional Development at the MATN conference which was held on May 7th, 2009. The presentation was an collaborative effort between myself and the audience. Here is a PDF of what we put together during the workshop: Alternative Professional Development Presentation from MATN on May 7th, 2009.
A.T.TIP #47: Voice Feedback Modulators
Here are some sample Voice Feedback Modulators
Voice Feedback Modulator #1
Voice Feedback Modulator Sample 1
Voice Feedback Modulator #2
Voice Feedback Modulator Sample 2
Classroom Voice Feedback Modulator
Classroom Noise Feedback Modulator
In a case you missed it, here is the link to the video I submitted for the Better Hearing and Speech Month Video Contest for 2009 titled “2 Minute Mouths“. I didn’t win, but I had tons of fun making it and I do think it could be useful to people of all ages.
My colleagues will be riding in the local Tour De Cure sponsored by the American Diabetes Foundation. If you can donate, even a dollar, it would be much appreciated. Select the “donate” button on either website to make a donation.
I’ll be presenting at these two upcoming conferences:
1. Teacher Researcher Conference – May 27th, 2009 in Fairfax, Virginia (Session on Strategy-A-Day Calendar on Teacher Desktops as an Agent of Change with technology resource teachers).
If I don’t get to see you at either of those conferences we can still get together virtually over the Internet. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
I’ve put together a professional development packet for you to download and use within your school or school district. Here is how it works.
The Problem:
Educators don’t have time to stay after school for staff development, but most, drive to work. Some educators may be reluctant to utilize new technologies, but most know how to operate a CD player. Educators are being asked to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of every learner every day.
The Solution:
The A.T.TIPSCAST is a free podcast that provides strategies to help educators differentiate instruction. As someone who organizes staff development workshops for your school or school district, download the episodes in each volume and burn them to a CD. Download the question booklet for that volume, print it out, and put it with your newly burned CD. Devise a method for distribution and then distribute to staff. E-mail me to get a copy of the answer booklet with all the answers in it. You’re done!
With minimal effort you’ve introduced three awareness level staff development workshops that educators can take without ever leaving their car! That’s over 3 and a half hours worth of professional development content at your fingertips with more to come as additional volumes of the A.T.TIPSCAST are completed (Volume #4 isin production now)!
The Resources:
Download these files to make your own staff development workshop out of the A.T.TIPSCAST!
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #32 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #32 is mostly an audio version of my guest blog post over at Patrick Black’s blog Teaching All Students. The post outlines a personal family experience while providing a number of ideas for gifts that could be given to students with severe disabilities. It is my hope that educators who find this useful will forward it onto families who will then share it with other family members. Embedded within the episode are a number of A.T.Tips as outlined below.
My colleagues will be riding in the local Tour De Cure sponsored by the American Diabetes Foundation. If you can donate, even a dollar, it would be much appreciated. Select the “donate” button on either website to make a donation.
I’ll be presenting at these two upcoming conferences:
If I don’t get to see you at either of those conferences we can still get together virtually over the Internet. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #31 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #31 describes the diabolical event that happened to me on April 1st, 2009. It also describes different ways to you use packing peanuts as assistive technology tools or to support existing assistive technology tools.
A.T.TIP #43: Packing Peanuts
Also, check out these resources associated with the different ways mentioned to use packing peanuts.
If I don’t get to see you at either of those conferences we can still get together virtually over the Internet. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Hey everyone,
Episode #27 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #27 features the second and final part of the interview pertaining to transportation. During this part of the interview we brainstorm ideas for using technology during transportation for educational purposes.
A.T.TIP #38: Technology for Transport
Oh, and don’t forget about the conference that are quickly approaching. I’ll be at all of the following so I hope to see you there:
If I don’t get to see you at any of those conferences we can still get together virtually over the Internet. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 !
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Hey everyone,
Episode #26 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #26 features the first of a two-part interview pertaining to transportation and education. During this part of the interview we discuss how transportation needs of students in special education are met in one of the largest cities in the world.
A.T.TIP #38: Technology for Transport
Also, the episode features a bumper from Sally Norton-Darr who I’ll be co-presenting a session called “Chew The P. H.A.T: Policies and How-to’s in Assistive Technology” with at three upcoming conferences. We hope to see you at any or all of the following:
If I don’t get to see you at any of those conferences we can still get together virtually over the Internet. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 !
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Hey everyone,
Episode #25 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #25 discusses the creation of a Who’s Who? book that can be created for or with students which can be read over and over again to reinforce relationships, plan for transitions to new environments, or more. The episode suggests using the photos that arrive on holiday cards to help create the booklet.
A.T.TIP #37: Who’s Who Book
Also, I’ll be co-presenting a session called “Chew The P. H.A.T: Policies and How-to’s in Assistive Technology” at three upcoming conferences. I hope to see you at any or all of the following:
If I don’t get to see you at any of those conferences we can still get together virtually over the Internet. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 !
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Hey everyone,
Episode #24 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #24 features an interview with George Washington University graduate student Chelsea Feist who is also interning at Brainline.org. Chelsea and I discuss how the resources on Brainline.org can help individuals, families and professionals learn more about Traumatic Brain Injury.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Hey everyone,
Episode #17 is up for your listening pleasure. In Episode #17 linear visual schedules are discussed. Below you will find examples of both horizontal and vertical linear schedules. Enjoy!
A.T.TIP #29: Linear Visual Schedules
Horizontal:
Vertical:
All of these schedules were created using Boardmaker software. If you’re like, “Hey, what the heck is Boardmaker software?” check out Mayer-Johnson’s website.
Here is a link to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation fund raising site. Please click on the “Make a donation” button to donate! Even the smallest amount can make the biggest difference.
Hey everyone,
Episode #13 is up for your listening pleasure. Episode #13 features a description of Communication Bridges. A communication bridge is a way for students to talk about events that happened at school when they get home and talk about events that happened at home at school.
Here is one such example. Note that you can use visuals in replace of the lines or the text “PE, ART, Music” in the example below.
Today In School I…
Read this book: _______________
Worked on __________ in Math.
Learned about _________ in Social Studies.
Had this special: PE ART MUSIC
The thing I enjoyed the most today was:________________________
Last Night At Home I…
Read this book: _______________
Worked on __________ for homework.
Watched ____________ on TV.
Had ______________ for dinner.
The thing I enjoyed the most last night was:________________________
I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:
Hey everyone,
Episode #12 is up for your listening pleasure. Episode #12 features a co-host, Mrs. B! Together we discuss how vocational tasks can be implemented for any student.
You can find examples of work jobs on the following websites:
I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:
Hey everyone,
Episode #11 is up for your listening pleasure. Episode #11 describes the autosummarize feature of MS Word. I realize that the episode is just a quick rundown of how the feature works and I didn’t really get into what you’d use it for. I’m trying to keep the tips quick. So, I invite you to tell me how you might use this feature or tell me how you have already used the feature. Your story might just inspire someone else in how they could use it. Please send me an e-mail, record a message and send it to me or post a comment here.
You can find whole tutorials on autosummarize for your version of MS Word here:
I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:
Sorry this post is up about 24 hours late, but here it is!
Episode #10 is up for your listening pleasure. Episode #10 describes the free software Talking Calculator. You can access a link for the free download from www.premierathome.com/products/TalkingCalculator.php.
Here is a screenshot of what it looks like once it is installed:
I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:
Hey everyone,
Episode #9 is up for your listening pleasure. Episode #9 describes the free software add-on for PowerPoint called PowerTalk. PowerTalk is an open source, free download that reads the text on a PowerPoint presentation outloud. You can access a link for the free download from http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/.
Once you have it installed on your computer you simply navigate to your PowerPoint presentation file, right-click and then select “Narrate With PowerTalk”.
I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:
This website is the personal website of a web designer named, Emily Change, out of San Francisco. There is so much out there and so many new web applications updating every day, this site can keep you up to date on the latest Web 2.0 applications.
This is a great resource to find free sounds. I think one under utilized activity for students with difficulties following directions or auditory processing difficulties is listening to and discriminating between sounds. Sounds can be used as story starters as opposed to the traditional text-based or picture based story starter. Sound effects can be used to enhance digital storytelling activities, movie making activities, or student produced podcasts. Adding these sounds might allow the students to feel like their production has a polished and fun quality.
Number 1- Mail Merge functions of Publisher to create Picture Dictionaries and Identification Cards
A teacher from Norfolk public schools named Jennifer Durkin presented on different ways she uses Publisher. One strategy she showed what how you could take lists of items in Excel and Merge them with templates created in Publisher to easily make picture dictionaries and identification cards. Picture dictionaries are a great way for students to review difficult spelling words, review vocabulary from any content area, or maintain their own “difficult for me to remember” list of words. Identification cards are also a useful tool for students with communication difficulties. The ID card might have saying on them like “My name is… and I am lost” or “Can you call my mom for me? My phone number is …”. I wrote Jennifer and she gave me permission to post her hand-outs here. vste-presentation-handout.pdf
I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
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Number 5- www.prometheanplanet.com. You can download free ActivStudio lessons from this website. If you don’t have ActivStudio, you can download the free FlipChart Viewer from here: FlipChart Viewer
Number 4- www.picnik.com. A fun online, free photo editing tool. It is very easy to upload pictures, edit the pictures, and apply different effects to the pictures.
I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:
Hey everyone,
Episode #6 is up for your listening pleasure. Episode #6 is the first episode with the new format. Let me know what you think. The tip for this episode is http://www.readplease.com/. Readplease is free piece of software that you can download. It is a text reader/talking word processor. That is, you can copy/paste text right into it and it will read it out loud. You can also type right into the program and it will read it aloud.
I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:
Hey everyone,
Episode #5 is up for your listening pleasure. Episode #5 briefly explains the my take on the convergence of the educational concepts of Universal Design for Learning, Least Restrictive Environment, and Differentiating Instruction using Assistive Technology. I also explain that future episodes will have less me talking about the principles of AT practice in public schools in favor of trying to fit in two tips per episode. Please let me know what you think about the format change. Good thing or bad thing for the show, what’s your take?
The tip for this week’s episode is on “Pacing Boards”. Pacing Boards are simply circles used to facilitate language development. You can watch a short movie on Pacing Boards here : Keeping Pace
I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:
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