Saturday’s workshop was outright terrific.  The participants excitement about the curriculum project, Bookshelves Please was tangible.  I look forward to sharing about the prototyping and more about the project.  For now, a few participants did not recieve the handout.  Here it is:  bookshelves-please-handout

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My friend and co-worker authored these Disney Interest books.

You can access the bookshelf here

Kim Possible

Thats So Raven

The Proud Family

High School Musical

Hannah Montana

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The only things that need to be said are that Karen Janowski is my hero for always linking things like this and that the point of convergence going on in my life is way too much.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAMLOnSNwzA]

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I highly recommend this book, Schuyler’s Monster, by Robert Rummel-Hudson. (Pronounced -Sky as in blue and -ler as in ler)

Schuylers Monster book cover

Reading Schuyler’s Monster made me feel the same way I felt four years ago when I just happened to pick up the New York Times and read Is There a Place in Class for Thomas in the Sunday Magazine.  It made me feel the way I felt when I saw Including Samuel in Montreal at ISAAC three weeks ago.  It made me feel similar to how I felt the first time I heard Linda Burkhart speak at Closing the Gap.  It made me feel the way I felt when I heard Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver at their summer Literacy in AAC seminar.

It made me cry.  It made me laugh.  It made me believe that what I am doing is right.  So if you are a parent, a friend, a speech pathologist, a student in speech or education, a director of “fill in the blank”, please consider reading this book.  It goes there.  Yet, sometimes, whether it is a gutsy move at a dinner with some friends, (multiple meanings), or leaving it all to live your dream, you just might have to go there.  So if you can’t get to this link at Amazon,  or you can’t hit up your local Barnes and Noble or Borders, check out the blog.  http://www.schuylersmonsterblog.com

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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.

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There is a great deal to share here in the coming months regarding the Books Please Project and its recent transformations.  That being said, this project is not just about the US and English, but about individuals from all around the world.  Check out the Italian, English, and Arabic Versions.

I Gati Dicono Meow

Cats Say Meow

Cats Say in Arabic

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We have been playing the Nintendo Wii with children with special needs and have been having an amazing time.  Both for recreation and as a connection to the curriculum, it really is an amazing tool.  Seeing the virtual game worlds up on the big projector is pretty cool.  Our best integration is seen in a previous post about golf. There is much to share about the process we use, but for right now, one tip is to use tape or velcro to adapt the buttons.  Yes, if you have the $300 for the adapted controller, definitely check it out, but look for more posts on our adaptations.  We do some pretty wild stuff like swat at the controller, drop it, and use eye gaze to coridinate assistance.  Also, good luck getting one.  I was up very early at Best Buy on the Sunday morning we snagged ours!

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Check out the Fablevision collection of books to read online.  You can find them at: http://www.fablevision.com/place/library/index.html .  There is some two switch accessibility with tab and enter.  Other than that you must use a mouse click.  There are some decent conventional texts here to explore.

	The Blue Shoe by Peter H. Reynolds
	Deep Spring by Peter H. Reynolds
	The Eyebrow Story by Peter H. Reynolds
	Benjamin’s Bowtie by Noah Z. Jones Download Classic Mac Version (ben.sit – 328k) Download Windows Version (ben.zip – 312k)
	Tess’s Tree by Jess Brallier
	Benty by Delores Esposito

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The Pogo iPhone Stylus

The folks at Ten One Design were nice enough to send me a Pogo Stylus to do some testing it as an adaptive tool for using the iPhone. The reason why you need a special stylus is that the iPhone only works with your finger.  As Wikipedia eloquently states it, “Because the screen is a capacitive touchscreen, bare skin is required; a stylus or a normal glove prevents the necessary electrical conductivity.^{[34][35][36][37]”}

When we corresponded, they connected me with a user who had physical disabilities who was testing it for them.  During my own testing, I found this stylus to work terrifically when I used it holding it with my hands. Yet, know that you cannot extend the stylus, as it depends on the alloy for conductivity.  When I mounted it on varying head sticks, it did not work.  That could be corrected by using a longer stylus if they become available in the future.

Overall I give this product a recommendation.  For people with physical impairments, this may be a great way to help them access the iPhone and iPod Touch.  For people without physical impairments, this also may be a great way to access these devices in a more exacting way.

Images from the site: http://www.tenonedesign.com/stylus.php

Click to Enlarge.

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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

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