by Samuel Sennott
I envision a bookshelf/ launcher that is powerful, flexible, open and user friendly across multiple platforms. It is so needed right now, but as we explode into the Bookshare age it will become vital. I have some pretty cool workups to share over the coming weeks, but see the one created for the Accessible Book Collection for a proof of concept: http://alltogether.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/a-bookshelf-for-the-accessibile-book-collections-ics-formatted-books/
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by Samuel Sennott
Check out the videos we have collected during our AAC writers camp. Below is pulled from the wikispace demo created as a part of the framework being developed. http://otot.wikispaces.com/Writing+Setups
To reiterate:
- You can so powerfully build background knowledge in the Guided Reading and Self Selected Reading Domains.
- Videos are a powerful motivator in the writing process, especially for beginning writers
Writing Setups
Under Construction, Check Back Frequently for Updates: 5.29.08
More Videos and Directions Have Been Added (Thanks Team) 6.4.08
You are at Writing Setups—————– Alternative Pencil Directions ————–Get Lesson Directions
Animals
- Dancing Dogs
- Talking Dogs
- Wild Horses
- Animal planet-pig performance
- Einstein the bird
- Very Smart Animals
- Penguin in Japan
- Big Spider
- Giant Tarantula
- A Bee Keeper’s Video
- Bee Brood
- Eating Insects
- Labrador Retriever Puppies-Siesta
- Chloe Licks a Popsicle (Chocolate Lab)
Art
- Sand art
- Animal Planet Sand Art
- Julian Beever Chalk Drawings
- Music Flipbook
- Sand Sculpture 2006 Austrailia
Books
Music
- Blue Man Group
- High School Musical Bloopers
- High School Musical- Something New
- Beat Boxing Flute
- Chris Brown & Elmo
- Double Dutch Bus
Sports
- Awesome Cheerleading Stunts
- World Figure Skating 2008
- Awesome Gymnastics
- Tennis Fashion
- Slow Motion Tennis
- Wii Tennis
- Manhattan Beach Surfing
- How to play dodge ball
- Play dodge ball
- Wii Golf
Cooking
- Amazing Cooking!
- Disney’s Pass The Plate
- Pass The Plate- Spinach
- Pass The Plate- Mango
- LazyTown – Cooking by the Book
- The Wiggles – Fruit Salad
Nature
Other
by Samuel Sennott
I have been posting frequently about a framework I am developing on building background knowledge and motivation using video. Today was so inspiring in the camp I lead. Seeing the students so interested in the videos made a huge impression on me. Here are the main benefits we are seeing:
- You can so powerfully build background knowledge in the Guided Reading Domain.
- Videos are a powerful motivator in the writing process, especially for beginning writers.
- Just accessing and watching videos at this point in time, helps learners be “cool” in whatever way “cool” is to them.
- Videos can be a powerful way to fuel the alternate portfolio process.
by Samuel Sennott
MCAS….hearing that word ring out after being outside of Massachusetts for a year definitely made me feel funny this evening. Whatever word you have for the standardized testing movement, MCAS, FCAT, or SAT even, many students, families, and teachers all are connected by this concept. I was forwarded this video about a girl from Brookline and her father. They tell the story of many in their simple question, “Why do we have to do this?”
After three years of creating electronic based alternate assessment portfolios on many students, I found myself asking the same questions. While I believe in portfolio assessment systems, my main qualm with the MCAS was that my students and I worked tirelessly for 180 days plus our summer camps. We worked super hard on AAC, literacy, and content area subjects, while still having an inclusion based program. Projects worked on were being nationally recognized. Everyone was growing in so many areas! While they nearly all passed with flying colors, when the results were reported back to score in the district, every student received a failing grade for the district because we were mainly working on access and content entry points.
While at the time, this was not our battle to choose, we considered a boycott. Yet, after many heated discussions with friends, colleagues, and families I have come to believe that it is inappropriate in 2008 for any educator to complain about alternate assessment without offering at least one clear component in the plan for the next generation of the assessment system. It is our responsibility as educators to create a system that works.
A substantial portion of my work on the subject will be released this fall. One of the main components that will be shared is an open source PowerPoint based flexible portfolio system that works.
For right now, my best advice regarding the alternate assessment systems is to get Stages, the alternate assessment framework and assessment software by Madalaine Pugliese and have fun with it. You can get some great data that is graphed for you and it has good accessibility features to accommodate a wide range of learners.
While it is important for us to speak about standardized assessments, it is very important that we are working on the solution. The seemingly simple, yet complex goal is to have a solution that can help drive instruction.
