Apples and more!

September is one of my favorite months for classroom activities. In September, we always do activities relating to apples and of course, we always cook something! 

This year was no different!

In September, we learned about the inside and outside of apples. We painted with apples. We learned about what an apple tree looks like through the seasons. Then, we ended the month with making blender applesauce with Mrs. Keck's class. It was a great time for the students to spend some time with their friend who are no longer in our class. The students did amazingly well, sitting patiently, for over an hour as each student was able to participate in parts of the applesauce recipe.

Our Apple Paintings

Peeling Apples with the Apple Peeler/Corer 

Enjoying some apple peel!

Using the PowerLink and switch to blend up the applesauce

Using TouchChat app to help 'read' the recipe and answer questions about the recipe

A busy end to September.....

And what??? It is almost the end of October!!

We have been very busy in Room 220!! To conclude September, we learned a little bit about Johnny Appleseed, discussed apples, and made applesauce with the help of Ms. Morris. This time of year is always my favorite because there are so many fun activities to do and the students are so motivated and engaged during the cooking activities. Ms. Morris and I have been doing this unit together for over 10 years and each year we are amazed at the students and how much they enjoying participating in the recipe process....and of course, enjoying the yummy treat at the end.

Here are a couple pictures from our applesauce afternoon! I will be printing and send additional ones home with the students soon.

Z wearing his Johnny Appleseed hat.

D showing H the picture of honey.

D helping peel the apples.

M running the blender with the switch.

October brought us into the Global Read Aloud author study of Eric Carle. We started with the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar where we focused on the vocabulary: caterpillar, butterfly, apple, pear, plums, strawberries. The students enjoyed participating in various sequencing activities and using the 'talker' to help tell the story. All the students agreed that they liked this book.

Here are a couple pictures of our creations relating to The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

matching the fruit to days of the week

our own very hungry caterpillars

string fruit beads

helping our friends string fruit beads

The next week, we read the book Have You Seen My Cat? It was a great story for predictive text and we were able to learn about different types of cats, but the excitement for this book wasn't there as with other books. The did many group readings of the story using a variety of AAC devices. The best part of the week was when the students created their cat masks. Although the loved the masks, it was almost unanimous that the students DID NOT like the book.

Here are a couple of our favorite 'cats'!

Keep a look out this weekend for another update! We have some exciting new to share!!

~Melanie

Top Apps of 2011

I have noticed a lot of sites doing top app picks for 2011. I didn't want to feel left out so I decided to create a list, well more like LISTS. There are so many great apps that I felt I needed to choose the top apps in a few different categories. All apps have been used by myself and/or students within my classroom. These are the apps that I try to incorporate into the curriculum and daily schedule as much as I can (with the limitation of 1 iPad, 1 teacher, 3 assistants, and 7 students). 


If you would like to see a complete list of the most used apps within my classroom, visit my list at the Technology in Special Education website. I have to admit, with over 850 apps in my itunes account, narrowing these down and keeping them all organized was a little difficult!

Also, check out my special ed counterpart from northern Ohio, Miss Kolis. Here is the list of her top 20 or so apps of 2011. 

Looking for app for older students, check out Golden Communications, LLC's list of apps for older students to enhance language and learning skills. This list was created by an SLP working with students grades 7-12 and is the developer of Enchanted Dictionary (an app worth looking into for vocabulary development and language).


~ Melanie

Top AAC/Speech and Language Apps

** AAC apps are suggestions, it looking for a voice output app/device, please consult SLP or AT specialist to request a AT/AAC evaluation **
SonoFlex- LITE version FREE, voice output app, customizable

Answers: YES NO - simple, easy to program AAC app

Toontasic - FREE, create 'puppet show' videos; add characters, voice, and video is created
Verbally - FREE version, w/paid upgrade available; although I do not have a student that can use this AAC app this school year (as it is word based versus picture based), I had to include it because it made quite an impact for a student at the end of last school year

Top Fine Motor Apps

Bugs and Buttons - app that incorporates fine motor, sorting, patterns, colors, visual motor...I could go on! Great for fine motor, but also works on pre-academic skills as well.

injini - a multiple activity app that is divided into levels within each activity; this is the app I use most within my classroom; it incorporates activities that develop fine motor skills, matching skills, patterning, colors, visual motor....and another app that I could continue to list the benefits; Project Injini website has tracing printables that mirror iPad activities

iLuv Drawing Animals - simple learn how to draw app; takes user through picture step-by-step; great for fine motor development, teaching how to add detail to drawings, great feature - can email completed pictures

Top Book Apps

Cinderella by Nosy Crow - all Nosy Crow apps are amazing, but Cinderella made me feel like a kids again; a timely story, great interactivity, amazing illustrations create this superior book app
Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul - book app with the characters every little boy loves, embedded activities to reinforce letters, fine motor, and story comprehension; my review of Chuck and Friends
Penelope the Purple Pirate - an adorable story of a little girl who turns into a pirate; had to add it to this list as it is the one app a student requests frequently

Top (Pre) Academic

Alien Buddies - my review of Alien Buddies, great to reinforce letters, numbers, shapes, colors

Junior BINGO - bingo app for younger students; bingo reinforcing letters, numbers, and shapes
Kandy Fish -  great app for sorting by color, fine motor

Top Reading Apps

Word Wizard - my review of Word Wizard, great to use as an alternative to handwritten spelling tests

Word BINGO - great app to use with individual students as an assessment tool or with 2 students as a turn taking activity; my review of Word BINGO

My Word Wall - my review of My Word Wall, great to introduce letters and word families 
Photo Touch Sight Words -  great app to use as assessment tool, very customizable with built in word lists as well as ability to set word lists
 

Top Math Apps 

iLEAP Touch Spot Subtraction and Addition - very similar to "touch math" concept; various levels: learn, explore, apply, practice; gives more concrete meaning to subtraction/addition

Jungle Coins - customizable app with various levels from penny to all coins, including dollar; app is also customizable by other country's coins as well; my review of Jungle Coins and Jungle Time
Jungle Time - customizable app with various time levels of to the hour down to minutes
Candy Count - not a well know app and it does contain an in-app-purchase (IAP) which I am against as a selling point, but the concepts are great; sorting, counting, number order, greater/less than all in one app
iLearn With Poko: Addition - fun app focusing on the math skills of counting, grouping sets, and addition; my review of this app

Top "for fun" Apps

All Toca Boca apps

My Underwear - the only time it is ok to decorate and play with underwear

Top "grown up" games/apps

Scrabble

Battleship

Words with Friends
Angry Birds  
Zite  - personalized magazine
Flipboard - personalize magazine

Resources

Here is the link to the Special Education Resources page that I created to be used to share special educational resources with the educators and families of Princeton City Schools.

If you have a website to share, leave a comment or send me an email with a suggestion.

Thanks!
~ Melanie

Where has the time gone?

It seems that the school year just started, yet the holidays are just around the corner. As you may have noticed (if you are a frequent "Bugler"), my posts have been few and farther between lately. The students have kept me pretty busy this past quarter and I am enjoying their progress. I posted a several weeks ago about my journey in the Educational Technology program through MSU. These classes have been amazing; however, they have consumed a lot of my "blogging" time. 

iPad with Toca Tea Party app

On top of the demands of a teacher and a student at MSU, I planned a professional development session for some of the special education staff for the district's last professional development day. The topic was assistive technology and augmentative and alternative communication. We had some great discussions with our goals to have the AT/AAC available to students become more consistent over the continuum of schooling from K-12 and hopefully beyond. For the next couple weeks, I will be focusing on developing and launching an intervention resource page for the district as well as creating a file sharing space so that staff share learning materials that have already been created to have some time for others. I will be sure to post the link to the resource page when it is ready to launch.

This is the 7 Level Communication Builder by Enabling Devices. 

This is an example of a device with a static display 

where the overlays need to be changed with each activity. 

 The Picture Communication Symbols ©1981–2011 

by Mayer-Johnson LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. 

Used with permission. Boardmaker® is a trademark of Mayer-Johnson LLC.

Here is where I am asking for a little help. If you know of a great special education, intervention, or technology website, please share it in the comments section. The site can be teacher resources, informational parent sites, or academic/game sites for students.

Thanks in advance for your help at finding the best resources! Also, thanks for your continued support as I continually try to balance all the hats that I wear ~ parent, teacher, colleague, student, blogger, app reviewer...

~Melanie

Photo Citations:

#1 - Taken by Melanie Broxterman

#2 - The Picture Communication Symbols ©1981–2011 by Mayer-Johnson LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission. Boardmaker® is a trademark of Mayer-Johnson LLC.

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