Around the World in 80 Minutes...

Recently in my Curriculum class, we discussed different ways to use Google Earth in the classroom. This is a GREAT idea to allow students that geography is much more than maps and measurements. This GoogleDocs presentation I found quickly and easily explains many, many ways



One of the coolest ways to use Google Earth to integrate Social Studies and Literature is by using Google Lit Trips, these trips document locations in many books, and  fully integrate the travels in these books in Google Earth. These give students a very concrete view of travels made throughout novels, and can help students picture the settings of the books.

Assistive Technology: AAC

Not too long ago, we had a lecture on Assistive Technology. As a Special Education minor, this is something that I find really interesting... and really cool! I had done a little bit of research about assistive tech prior to this lecture, and the tech that was the most striking to me is Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). This is a type of assistive technology that helps students communicate by putting word or pictures in a sequence to form a sentence.

The most common mode of AAC that I have used before is PECS cards (Picture Exchange Communication System). These are a series of cards that a teacher or parent carries with them that the student can select what they want to do or say and show the card to the parent/teacher. When a student with disabilities knows how to use these, this works great! However, if a student doesn't understand how to use the PECS system, it usually ends up with cards being thrown across the room (in my experience). These are also very cumbersome to carry place to place and to find the card that you (or the child) want to use. As I stated in a previous post, iPods and iPads (and even Android smartphones) have this capability. This adds a great deal of simplicity and portability to what could be a hassle to communicate with students. One app in particular Voice4U, makes this very simple. It comes with pre-loaded AND customizable icons and categories to really make the AAC fit the students needs. 

This is a video of Voice4U in action. I think that having this accessible at all times, right from your pocket, opens a very exciting new frontier for AAC and communicating with students that under other circumstances, would not be able to communicate.