Life as a Visual Impairments Resource Specialist: Part 1
by: mskathy0724
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Friday, May 25, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Visual Impairments Links for May
[This is from a digital handout I give to all of my teachers.]
Visual Impairments Specialist: Ms. Kathy
Below are some links to ideas and activities that I have consulted with some of you about. If not—well here they are! Remember that the Classroom Suites activities cannot be open unless you have the program installed on the computer you’re opening them on. Don’t forget to save them before closing if you want to keep them. If you accidentally delete a CRS activity that you’d like to keep you can find them on the Activity Exchange if you have a free account there. Look for my user name: mskathy0724
I’ve put asterisks (*) next to my special activities for students with multiple disabilities.
___________________________________________________________________
20 iPad Aps for Kids with Autism*
It’s a list of what it says.
_______________________________________________________________________
ABCYA.com
“ABCya.com is the leader in free educational kids computer games and activities for elementary students to learn on the web. All children's educational computer activities were created or approved by certified school teachers. All educational games are free and are modeled from primary grade lessons and enhanced to provide an interactive way for children to learn…”
_______________________________________________________________________
ABC’s of Digital Tools in the Early Childhood Classroom*
It’s a list of what it says
____________________________________________________________________
Animoto
Good videos can be created for classes with photos and graphics found on the internet. However one cannot add one’s own audio except for music , for creating descriptive videos for children who cannot see the graphics.
__________________________________________________________________
Braille Notebook cards*
A teacher does not need to know Braille to use these cards. These are used when you are going over the alphabet every day with the entire class and the blind child in your class cannot see or feel the letters you point o on your chart. Have the paraprofessional open these notebook cards for the child to follow along with her sighted peers.
________________________________________________________________
Catalog of iPad Aps for Teachers and Students*
It’s…you know.
_________________________________________________________________
Children Around the World (Mexico)*
Created By: Cindy Kerr
Skill Level: Grades K-2
Curriculum: Language Arts Life Skills Social Studies
Activity Details: Join us this year as we visit children in countries around the world to see what their schools look like, clothing, music, food and language. We'll see the map, flag and capital cities.
Easy next page button and yes-no self checking questions.
___________________________________________________________________
Edmodo
“Edmodo provides a safe and easy way for your class to connect and collaborate, share content, and access homework, grades and school notices.” (There is also a mobile access version)
Educational Needs for Low Vision*
A few ideas for children with low vision
___________________________________________________________________
E-Reader’s Worksheet1 *
E-Reader Worksheet 2*
Use these as a template to create an online worksheet for your students. Do you know how to create hyperlinks like the ones in this document?
_________________________________________________________________
Five Little Monkeys*
Intellitools activity: Created By: Cindy Kerr
Skill Level: Birth-5
Curriculum: Language Arts Math
Accessibility Features: Switch Low Vision
Activity Details: Easy numbers 0 to 5 with music from the well known song. Find the answer to turn the page.
Scanning set.
Attached overlay.
Music purchased from iTunes is "Five Little Monkeys" by The Countdown Kids.
_______________________________________________________________________
Fun Brain*
Learning games in all content areas with a section for teachers and parents.
________________________________________________________________________
Greenville ES Word of the Day
Created By: mskathy0724
Skill Level: Grades 3-5
Curriculum: Language Arts
Accessibility Features: Low Vision
Activity Details: Some of these words may seem above 2nd & 3rd grade level but you may be surprised! My visually impaired students like to try "footlong" words. Sometimes they'd bring them to class. Then we'd get the definiton and they'd braille/write their own sentences for them in their morning journals. Some of the sentences they authored are included in this activity. I'd make a card with the word, part of speech, definition in print embossed with braille and they'd tape it to our door until the door was filled with "footlong" words. For a fun test, I'd let the Intellitools program read to them and they'd braille their answers on paper. Then we'd check answers from their papers to the program.
_______________________________________________________________________
Internet4Classrooms
Free Internet resources to use in classroom instruction, developing project ideas, reinforcing specific subject matter areas both in the class and at home and even for online technology tutorials. The portal is used by teachers, parents and students of all ages on six of the seven continents (there are not many classrooms in Antarctica) and is available to anyone with an Internet connection.
__________________________________________________________________________
KERPOOF!
Great for encouraging creative writing! The Kerpoof website is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company… Kerpoof is all about having fun, discovering things, and being creative. Here are just a few ways that you can use Kerpoof:
• Make artwork (even if you aren't good at drawing!)
• Make an animated movie (really! it's easy!)
• Earn Koins which you can trade for fun things in the Kerpoof Store
• Make a printed card, t-shirt, or mug
• Tell a story
• Make a drawing
• Vote on the movies, stories, and drawings that other people have made
_________________________________________________________________
Lily: The Blind Great Dane
Intellitools Classroom Suites Activity: Created By: Byron O Wilkes
Skill Level: Grades 3-5
Curriculum: Language Arts
Accessibility Features: Switch AAC
Activity Details: This activity set is made up of two activities. The first is a reading activity for students which relates the story of Lily, a blind Great Dane and her friend Maddison. Note: students can also listen to the story if they can't read yet. The second activity is a comprehension activity which provides a set of seven questions in a 3-2-1 format to evaluate the student's comprehension or understanding of the story. Note: the activity captures all of the student's responses and a report can be generated through the IntelliTools Classroom Suite Reporting System if the activity is assigned to the student. Please note that the template used for the reading activity is from the Learning Magic, Inc. "Writing Bin-Early Skills" CD and the template used in the comprehension activity is from the Learning Magic, Inc. "3-2-1 For IntelliTools Classroom Suite" CD. Please do not use these templates to create other activities unless you own a copy of the aforementioned CDs. For further information on those products please visit our website at www.learningmagicinc.com.
________________________________________________________________________
LDOE Coursewhere
Create an account here and apply for workshops sponsored by the LDOE this summer.
_____________________________________________________________
Matt’s Wallet*
Intellitools CRS Activity: Created By: mskathy0724
Skill Level: Grades 3-5
Curriculum: Math Life Skills
Accessibility Features: Low Vision
Activity Details: My high school student Matthew wants to count money because someday he wants to be rich. He helped with this activity. It helps to teach how many of each coin will equal a dollar and how many of each bill denomination are in $100. Matt picked out the items to purchase at the end of the activity. Since the items chosen stay on the activity, a teacher can check for correct answers by going back into the program to see the number of coins and bills the student clicked to add to the pictures.
May In My Classroom
An Intellitools activity brought to you by the same therapist who created “April in My Classroom.”
Microsoft Narrator*
If you have a relatively new computer, one of the accessibility features is a screen reader called Microsoft narrator. The link will take you to the web site that will show you how to locate and use it.
MOODLE
“Moodle is a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a Free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites.“
_________________________________________________________________
Ms. Kathy’s Kids Blog
Just my blog where I post ideas, photos of ideas, articles and the occasional rant/vent.
______________________________________________________________________
My Big Campus
“My Big Campus extends the classroom to a safe, engaging online environment.”
__________________________________________________________________
One True Media*
Free but it’s worth it to purchase a premium account. Create videos with music and sound. Voice videos can be added (I’ve used clip from my Flip Cam) so that visually impaired children can appreciate the videos as well. You can email links to parents or order a DVD of your finished product for about $10.
__________________________________________________________________
Raz Kids!
An online leveled books library for grades K-6. Students improve their reading skills by:
• Listening for modeled fluency
• Reading for practice
• Recording their reading
• Checking comprehension with quizzes
Students log in to get books and quizzes assigned by their teachers.
_______________________________________________________________
Research Paper Sites (High School/Middle School)
It’s that time of year! This list of sites can help. I’ve had them for a while so let me know if some of the links are no longer valid
______________________________________________________________
Scoop It!
Instructional Resources for Technology on all levels. You can search for lesson plans and curricula using the drop-down menus, or visit the Educator pages for any of the products
________________________________________________________________
Study Guide Template
This one was made for a VI resource class but you can use it as a template for HS/MS Study guides and drop them in your students’ computer folders
_________________________________________________________________
Technology for the Visually Impaired
A blog about the latest stuff and updates on stuff we already use. Yum!
_______________________________________________________________
Typical Technology Solutions for the Disabled
You know.
Visual Impairments Specialist: Ms. Kathy
Below are some links to ideas and activities that I have consulted with some of you about. If not—well here they are! Remember that the Classroom Suites activities cannot be open unless you have the program installed on the computer you’re opening them on. Don’t forget to save them before closing if you want to keep them. If you accidentally delete a CRS activity that you’d like to keep you can find them on the Activity Exchange if you have a free account there. Look for my user name: mskathy0724
I’ve put asterisks (*) next to my special activities for students with multiple disabilities.
___________________________________________________________________
20 iPad Aps for Kids with Autism*
It’s a list of what it says.
_______________________________________________________________________
ABCYA.com
“ABCya.com is the leader in free educational kids computer games and activities for elementary students to learn on the web. All children's educational computer activities were created or approved by certified school teachers. All educational games are free and are modeled from primary grade lessons and enhanced to provide an interactive way for children to learn…”
_______________________________________________________________________
ABC’s of Digital Tools in the Early Childhood Classroom*
It’s a list of what it says
____________________________________________________________________
Animoto
Good videos can be created for classes with photos and graphics found on the internet. However one cannot add one’s own audio except for music , for creating descriptive videos for children who cannot see the graphics.
__________________________________________________________________
Braille Notebook cards*
A teacher does not need to know Braille to use these cards. These are used when you are going over the alphabet every day with the entire class and the blind child in your class cannot see or feel the letters you point o on your chart. Have the paraprofessional open these notebook cards for the child to follow along with her sighted peers.
________________________________________________________________
Catalog of iPad Aps for Teachers and Students*
It’s…you know.
_________________________________________________________________
Children Around the World (Mexico)*
Created By: Cindy Kerr
Skill Level: Grades K-2
Curriculum: Language Arts Life Skills Social Studies
Activity Details: Join us this year as we visit children in countries around the world to see what their schools look like, clothing, music, food and language. We'll see the map, flag and capital cities.
Easy next page button and yes-no self checking questions.
___________________________________________________________________
Edmodo
“Edmodo provides a safe and easy way for your class to connect and collaborate, share content, and access homework, grades and school notices.” (There is also a mobile access version)
Educational Needs for Low Vision*
A few ideas for children with low vision
___________________________________________________________________
E-Reader’s Worksheet1 *
E-Reader Worksheet 2*
Use these as a template to create an online worksheet for your students. Do you know how to create hyperlinks like the ones in this document?
_________________________________________________________________
Five Little Monkeys*
Intellitools activity: Created By: Cindy Kerr
Skill Level: Birth-5
Curriculum: Language Arts Math
Accessibility Features: Switch Low Vision
Activity Details: Easy numbers 0 to 5 with music from the well known song. Find the answer to turn the page.
Scanning set.
Attached overlay.
Music purchased from iTunes is "Five Little Monkeys" by The Countdown Kids.
_______________________________________________________________________
Fun Brain*
Learning games in all content areas with a section for teachers and parents.
________________________________________________________________________
Greenville ES Word of the Day
Created By: mskathy0724
Skill Level: Grades 3-5
Curriculum: Language Arts
Accessibility Features: Low Vision
Activity Details: Some of these words may seem above 2nd & 3rd grade level but you may be surprised! My visually impaired students like to try "footlong" words. Sometimes they'd bring them to class. Then we'd get the definiton and they'd braille/write their own sentences for them in their morning journals. Some of the sentences they authored are included in this activity. I'd make a card with the word, part of speech, definition in print embossed with braille and they'd tape it to our door until the door was filled with "footlong" words. For a fun test, I'd let the Intellitools program read to them and they'd braille their answers on paper. Then we'd check answers from their papers to the program.
_______________________________________________________________________
Internet4Classrooms
Free Internet resources to use in classroom instruction, developing project ideas, reinforcing specific subject matter areas both in the class and at home and even for online technology tutorials. The portal is used by teachers, parents and students of all ages on six of the seven continents (there are not many classrooms in Antarctica) and is available to anyone with an Internet connection.
__________________________________________________________________________
KERPOOF!
Great for encouraging creative writing! The Kerpoof website is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company… Kerpoof is all about having fun, discovering things, and being creative. Here are just a few ways that you can use Kerpoof:
• Make artwork (even if you aren't good at drawing!)
• Make an animated movie (really! it's easy!)
• Earn Koins which you can trade for fun things in the Kerpoof Store
• Make a printed card, t-shirt, or mug
• Tell a story
• Make a drawing
• Vote on the movies, stories, and drawings that other people have made
_________________________________________________________________
Lily: The Blind Great Dane
Intellitools Classroom Suites Activity: Created By: Byron O Wilkes
Skill Level: Grades 3-5
Curriculum: Language Arts
Accessibility Features: Switch AAC
Activity Details: This activity set is made up of two activities. The first is a reading activity for students which relates the story of Lily, a blind Great Dane and her friend Maddison. Note: students can also listen to the story if they can't read yet. The second activity is a comprehension activity which provides a set of seven questions in a 3-2-1 format to evaluate the student's comprehension or understanding of the story. Note: the activity captures all of the student's responses and a report can be generated through the IntelliTools Classroom Suite Reporting System if the activity is assigned to the student. Please note that the template used for the reading activity is from the Learning Magic, Inc. "Writing Bin-Early Skills" CD and the template used in the comprehension activity is from the Learning Magic, Inc. "3-2-1 For IntelliTools Classroom Suite" CD. Please do not use these templates to create other activities unless you own a copy of the aforementioned CDs. For further information on those products please visit our website at www.learningmagicinc.com.
________________________________________________________________________
LDOE Coursewhere
Create an account here and apply for workshops sponsored by the LDOE this summer.
_____________________________________________________________
Matt’s Wallet*
Intellitools CRS Activity: Created By: mskathy0724
Skill Level: Grades 3-5
Curriculum: Math Life Skills
Accessibility Features: Low Vision
Activity Details: My high school student Matthew wants to count money because someday he wants to be rich. He helped with this activity. It helps to teach how many of each coin will equal a dollar and how many of each bill denomination are in $100. Matt picked out the items to purchase at the end of the activity. Since the items chosen stay on the activity, a teacher can check for correct answers by going back into the program to see the number of coins and bills the student clicked to add to the pictures.
May In My Classroom
An Intellitools activity brought to you by the same therapist who created “April in My Classroom.”
Microsoft Narrator*
If you have a relatively new computer, one of the accessibility features is a screen reader called Microsoft narrator. The link will take you to the web site that will show you how to locate and use it.
MOODLE
“Moodle is a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a Free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites.“
_________________________________________________________________
Ms. Kathy’s Kids Blog
Just my blog where I post ideas, photos of ideas, articles and the occasional rant/vent.
______________________________________________________________________
My Big Campus
“My Big Campus extends the classroom to a safe, engaging online environment.”
__________________________________________________________________
One True Media*
Free but it’s worth it to purchase a premium account. Create videos with music and sound. Voice videos can be added (I’ve used clip from my Flip Cam) so that visually impaired children can appreciate the videos as well. You can email links to parents or order a DVD of your finished product for about $10.
__________________________________________________________________
Raz Kids!
An online leveled books library for grades K-6. Students improve their reading skills by:
• Listening for modeled fluency
• Reading for practice
• Recording their reading
• Checking comprehension with quizzes
Students log in to get books and quizzes assigned by their teachers.
_______________________________________________________________
Research Paper Sites (High School/Middle School)
It’s that time of year! This list of sites can help. I’ve had them for a while so let me know if some of the links are no longer valid
______________________________________________________________
Scoop It!
Instructional Resources for Technology on all levels. You can search for lesson plans and curricula using the drop-down menus, or visit the Educator pages for any of the products
________________________________________________________________
Study Guide Template
This one was made for a VI resource class but you can use it as a template for HS/MS Study guides and drop them in your students’ computer folders
_________________________________________________________________
Technology for the Visually Impaired
A blog about the latest stuff and updates on stuff we already use. Yum!
_______________________________________________________________
Typical Technology Solutions for the Disabled
You know.
Deafblind Runner's 100 Run Medals Challenge
Deafblind Runner's 100 Run Medals Challenge | Facebook Deafblind Runner's 100 Run Medals Challenge is on Facebook. To connect with Deafblind Runner's 100 Run Medals Challenge, sign up for Facebook today. www.facebook.com/pages/Deafblind.../20278735307347
AADB Borad Committee Meeting--Deafblind
http://aadb-deafblind.blogspot.com/2012/05/aadb-may-boardcommittee-report.htm
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Teaching Toys for Pennies
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Family carers entitled to pay (Batten's Disease)
 | |
| Ms. Kathy thought you might like to read the following story on Stuff.co.nz. | |
| Family carers entitled to pay | |
| It's a fulltime job for someone like Ra Timms to look after her daughter, Jordyn Rose, who has Batten disease. ... Read More | |
| http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/6920738/Family-carers-entitled-to-pay | |
Kurzweil 3000 Supports College Students with Learning Disabilities
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| Kurzweil 3000® and firefly support college students with learning disabilities | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The best just keeps getting better! New Disabled Student Services pricing for colleges and universities is now available. Affordable upgrade and conversion opportunities are also available for those customers with older versions of our software. Contact Sales and place your order today!
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Visual Impairments Specialist Scotlandville Elementary http://lee.ebrschools.org/kathynicholslee
http://www.kathyskids.org
http://teacherweb.com/LA/RobertELeeHigh/MrsMichael/t.aspx
http://mskathyskids.blogspot.com
http://www.kathyskids.org
http://teacherweb.com/LA/RobertELeeHigh/MrsMichael/t.aspx
http://mskathyskids.blogspot.com
Eyes Don't Have 'Fringe' Benefits for Emos: Amblyopia
*NOTE: What we call "bangs" in the US are called "fringe" in the UK and Australia
Trendy Hair May Be a Hazard
Hi Ms. Kathy's Kids,
I saw this on www.themercury.com.au and thought you'd like to take a look.
www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/05/14/328111_tasmania-news.html
I saw this on www.themercury.com.au and thought you'd like to take a look.
www.themercury.com.au/article/2012/05/14/328111_tasmania-news.html
No Fringe Benefits for Emos' :Amblyopia Hair
Visual Impairments Specialist Scotlandville Elementary http://lee.ebrschools.org/kathynicholslee
http://www.kathyskids.org
http://teacherweb.com/LA/RobertELeeHigh/MrsMichael/t.aspx
http://mskathyskids.blogspot.com
http://www.kathyskids.org
http://teacherweb.com/LA/RobertELeeHigh/MrsMichael/t.aspx
http://mskathyskids.blogspot.com
Fwd: Bookshare Action This Summer!
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© Copyright 2012, BenefBenetechchnology, Inc.Benetechnetech Initiative)
Benetech is a CalifornBenetechofit organization. |
| Benetech 480 California Ave., Suite 201 Palo Alto, CaVerticalResponse US Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy. |  |
Visual Impairments Specialist Scotlandville Elementary http://lee.ebrschools.org/kathynicholslee
http://www.kathyskids.org
http://teacherweb.com/LA/RobertELeeHigh/MrsMichael/t.aspx
http://mskathyskids.blogspot.com
http://www.kathyskids.org
http://teacherweb.com/LA/RobertELeeHigh/MrsMichael/t.aspx
http://mskathyskids.blogspot.com
Amblyopia Part six
You know I like family web sites and blogs. In this mom's blog she sometimes writes about her child's adventures in dealing with amblyopia. Here's part six in their adventures.
http://kadydiddesigns.blogspot.com/2012/05/adventures-in-amblyopia-part-six.html
http://kadydiddesigns.blogspot.com/2012/05/adventures-in-amblyopia-part-six.html
Fw: Waiting 2 INhale. Payback for waking me up too early for breakfast
My Cat: Mr. Bob Buttons
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 8:48 AM
Subject: Waiting 2 INhale. Payback for waking me up too early for breakfast
Subject: Waiting 2 INhale. Payback for waking me up too early for breakfast
We play this game each morning. Yesterday he woke me up at 4:30 for his breakfast. The usual time is 5am whether the alarm rings or not. After that he has to go out into the back yard and he'll peek through the blinds at the patio door for me to let him back in. So I had him wait a little. :)
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
'This blind man fought for 3 yrs to become an IAS officer'
rediff.com
| Hi, Have a look at this interesting getahead news article:
Read entire article > Cheers, Kathy | |||
Monday, May 14, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
Tactile Gloves Allows Deaf/Blind to Text
| This is fantastic! | |
 | Tactile Gloves Allows Deaf/Blind to TextSource: patheos.com Thomas L. McDonald | Technology |
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