Do you have enough books?  Would you like some more?  How about links out to over a thousand books?  Here is a books launcher that was presented as part of the ISAAC 2008 pre-conference presentation I collaborated on with Caroline Ramsey Musselwhite titled, Writing Books for Beginning Readers . . . and Using Them to Support Real Reading.

Download the accessible-books-launcher in PDF Format

Link to a Two Switch Step Scan Capable Online Version

If you enjoy this resource and have other book websites, please email them to me at samuel.sennott@gmail.com.

As I am writing this post, I am at ISAAC at a presentation by Carole Goossens and it is so confirming to see her presenting on this same concept of using the launcher.  There really is something to using this framework.  While this particular launcher is meant as a teacher tool, look for big releases for this school year that are focused on independent student use.

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

So your summer camp is winding down, or maybe you are stuck inside in an extended year program.  Maybe your home with your children during a few weeks they have off from camp.  Why not take a golf break?  Make a day of it:  Do guided reading with the book about Tiger Woods.  Check out the videos from YouTube.  Talk about it.  Write about it.  Spell some words at the level the student is at.  Then break out the Nintendo Wii if you can get one and play 3 or 9 holes.  Take some pictures while your doing it and do some more writing later that day or another.  Enjoy! http://otot.wikispaces.com/Tiger+Woods

Books

• Tiger Woods Can be a Friend

Tiger Woods Cover From Book, Tiger Head shot, looking, and swinging

Transitional Text

Readings

• Tiger Woods: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• Tiger Woods Timeline for Enrichment

• Sports Illustrated Kids Tiger Woods Interview (2008)

Videos

• Tiger Woods Age 2

• Tiger Woods and some of his great golf shots pgatour

• Tiger Woods – Bay Hill 2008 18th Hole

• Tiger Woods’ Perfect Swing (SWING VISION)

• Tiger Woods Amazing Golf Shot

• Download the above videos in .mpg, converted from the original .flv with www.zamar.com http://drop.io/tigerwoodsvideos

Writing

• Golf Chart.zip Intellitalk Chart Writing (I can…)

• Use a graphic organizer to brainstorm what you want to write about.

http://aex.intellitools.com/searchdetails.php?act_key=basicwebgraphicorganizer

Screenshot of Basic Web Graphic Organizer

Working With Words

• Idea: Do a simple spelling activity creating the words I, can, win, the, like. Then practice finding those with the AAC system. Link to Printable Letter Cards and more formal and systematic phonics ideas: http://alltogether.wordpress.com/2008/03/31/printable-making-words-cards/

Motivation Connection

• Play Nintendo Wii Sports Golf.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kara/1859304076/

• Paper and Pencil Golf Craft May and Miguel

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

One to One Thousand is a concept that I believe will powerfully help the field of special education. The basic premise is that if a thousand people each work for an hour on a project with agreed upon standards, then they can create something that one person working for a thousand hours, could never create. It gets pretty in-depth from there, but I am excited to share how the theory is shaping up in some upcoming presentations, papers, and webcasts.

That being said, it is fun watching the theory unfold over on the terrific collaboration between UNC’s Center for Literacy and Disability Studies and the Computer Science Department, the Tar Heel Reader. Look at how quickly an open source library of books is growing, by checking out a snip from a post on the site’s homepage:

“The graph below shows the amazing growth of the collection thanks to the contributions of many authors.

We’ve had 66111 page views from 1470 different computers worldwide.”

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

In the writing camp I have designed and am leading for AAC users, we have been utilizing the terrific Accessible Book Collection.  Many of you may know that Linda Bastiani Wilson, Darlene Brodbeck, and Patti Weismer have been leading a project to bring the picture books in the Accessible Book Collection into both Intellitools Classroom Suite and Clicker 5 formats.  This terrific project was presented at Closing the Gap in 2007.  Here is a bookshelf prototype I have designed that may prove to be useful to you if you have a membership to the collection.

Download the Directions and the Bookshelf:

http://otot.wikispaces.com/Accessible+Book+Collection

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post