I am not a mind reader and neither are you

I stumbled upon a very interesting blog recently, and have been continually impressed with the content. Uncommon Sense is written by Dana Nieder and she is sharing their journey raising 2 children, one with a complex communication issues.  The stories that Dana shares are enlightening, thought provoking and very encouraging.  The first post I read from the blog was titled - I am not a mind reader and neither are you - and is insightful and had me thinking about times I've tried to be a mind reader in the classroom!  More recently they shared their experience figuring out a new word.

After working many children with complex communication needs, it is very interesting to read about if from the families perspective.  Please head over to the blog and check it out - Uncommon Sense.


Patrick

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Changes are Coming - Part 2

As I mentioned in my post on Wednesday, I made the decision to switch to a new classroom.  I'll be honest this wasn't the easiest decision, but on some level, I guess I knew I would do it from the moment it presented itself.

For the past 2 years, I've worked with a committee to setup procedures for evaluating and obtaining Assistive Technology in my district.  While we are not a large district by Chicago Suburbs standards (about 2500 students in Pre-K - 8), we have a very good special education department.  The past 2 years working on the committee has been hard, but I feel we have a good system in place to help more students and teachers learn to use the tools we have.

What resulted from all that work, was that the district decided we needed a point person to deal with Assistive Technology, and I was one of the people they approached to consider it.  What it means is that after 12 years of teaching students with more significant disabilities, I'll be stepping into a less restrictive classroom, and only have students for core subjects.  This is a huge change for me.  I've been involved in more planning for this setup, but sometime I still have trouble wrapping my head around what I'll actually be teaching.  I still don't know exactly what instructional assistants I'll be working with and when they'll be working with myself or students.

The one part I feel fairly confident about is the AT piece.  I know that I have a lot of work ahead of me (along with another teacher, we are sharing the position).  First, inventory, we decided that we'll be printing barcodes and logging in all the AT software and hardware into our library database.  This will give us an opportunity to track and find all the equipment all over the district.  Our other big project will be marketing.  We have a ton of tools in district, many of them I would consider UDL type tools as they can help all students, but we still need to get the word out about them.

I'm sure there will be bumps in the road, but I am looking forward to new challenges, and opportunities.  and I'm sure I'll be sharing it here!

Patrick

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Changes are coming

This summer has gotten off to a great start for me, at least personally.  I've spent the last week hanging out with my daughter, doing fun summer stuff, and pretty much ignoring this blog.  I'll admit school got a little hectic at the end of the year.  You see my classroom was moved to another classroom in the building.  As you can imagine that left me with a large job of packing and sorting a ton of stuff.  On top of the classroom moving, I've decided to step into a new role in the district.  I will be at the same school and still have a self-contained special education class, but I'll also be the Assistive Technology Coordinator (at least on a part time basis with another teacher).  More on that change in another post though.

Which leads to another reason packing was hard.  I'm a little bit of a pack rat. My wife and instructional assistants, not so much.  Which leads to lots of sorting, a lot of questions (which classroom does this activity go to??), and a ton of garbage and recycling.  I couldn't have done it without them though!

Lastly, with my transition to a new classroom, I had to prepare 2 different classes.  I still had paperwork for my currently assignment to complete, as well as learn about my new position, new responsibilities, and new students.  It's a very different role for me, but I look forward to this opportunity, and I'm sure I'll be sharing my stuggles, and successes with all of you!

Patrick

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@lasenders Pinterest for AT

I have not used Pinterest myself very much, but I know that may people find it to be a great way to find curate content.  I don't have a problem with Pinterest, but have found my current methods for getting content to be enough, and I don't need another thing!  But, I have found some very interesting project and information on Pinterest and I thought I'd share with you.

Lauren S. Enders (@lasenders) is a Speech Pathologist & Assistive Technology Consultant from Pennsylvania and a frequent contributor on the iTeach Special Education Facebook Group.  Lauren has shared her Pinterest board collection on numerous occasions, and it is a wealth of information.  Lauren has boards centering around iPad/iPod touch cases, styluses, and apps.  Some of the app list include apps for apraxia, free language apps, and teaching verbs.  There are also curated lists of AAC lessons and ideas.  Lauren has collected an amazing amount of information.  Make sure to check it out!

Lauren S. Enders on Pinterest

Patrick

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Pass it On Center

While listening to my incredible backlog of podcasts I listened to one from way back on August from Assistive Technology Update.  The August 17 podcast featured an interview with Carolyn Phillips & Liz Persaud of Passitoncenter.org.  The Pass it on Center helps people around the country set up reuse programs for Assistive Technology and Durable Medical Equipment (DME).  One of the best parts of their website is the ability to search for a Reuse center in your area - Find Reuse Locations.  I know personally several of my students have been able to Reuse equipment, for short term issues.  It's a great resource for any student or adult with disabilities

Patrick

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ATIA Chicago - 2011

Today, tomorrow and Saturday I'll be spending some quality time at the ATIA (Assistive Technology Industry Association) Conference at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel.  Today I started off the day by presenting - Independence for All - you can see the Prezi by clicking the link.  Also, additional information is available on my wiki - Teachntech Wiki.

Tomorrow, the EdCeptional crew will be talking, and between all that I'll be attending sessions and checking out the vendor hall.  You can find my notes from various sessions here - ATIA 2011 Chicago Notes, which include a very cool App Smackdown done this morning!  I'll post some of my favorite products from the vendor hall in the next few days.

If you are at ATIA, please stop by and introduce yourself!  You can find me at @teachntech00 on Twitter.

Patrick

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INData Project & Podcast

Jeremy posted recently about using podcasts to Listen & Learn, and I found at least one that I had not hear of before.  Wade Wingler (@indataproject) hosts a weekly podcast about AT, answering questions & interviewing leaders in the field.  This podcast has become one of my favorites!

Wade always starts off the podcast reviewing a ton of AT news and products, and there is so much that I learn just for those few short minutes.  He typically answers a few questions and does an interview.  One of the most recent was with Claudio Guigliemma of the Lucy Environment project.  A project whose aim is to create an accessible computer environment available anywhere you use a computer (based in the cloud), what a fantastic idea!!!

There is tons more information shared on the blog - http://blog.eastersealstech.com - so make sure you check that out too!  You can download the Assistive Technology Update from the blog or via iTunes.

Patrick


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