01 Wednesday Apr 2020
The National Hockey League has partnered with EverFi to offer free distance learning curriculum as part of the league’s Future Goals Program. These self-contained programs can be easily added to existing lessons to offer students an interesting enrichment opportunity.
31 Tuesday Mar 2020
The Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) is offering free webinars on a variety of topics to include COVID-19 Live Course Series. Topics include:
Carefully Curating Apps and Software for Young Children-Managing Increased Screen Time
Supporting Remote Learning with Microsoft Learning Tools
30 Monday Mar 2020
Special Education has not been a stranger to the advent of online learning, a few resources may prove helpful to those in this area. BridgingApps is an organization from Easter Seals of Greater Houston. This organization offers therapeutic and educational tools for parents and teachers to use with mobile devices. These digital tools are aimed at helping children and adults with disabilities develop physically and cognitively.
The following is from BridgingApps. This resource helps guide caregivers and teachers in the safe application of internet-based tools. Amy Fuchs provides the following excellent advice on the safe use of devices.
March 23, 2020By Amy FuchsDuring this unusual time in our world, we are all learning how to adapt to the “new normal”. For many families this means parents figuring out how to work remotely while also trying to learn to “homeschool” children with and without disabilities, who will not be entering school buildings for the foreseeable future. There are also many young adults and adults with disabilities whose day programs, apprenticeships, and group social activities are cancelled and caregivers are busier than ever. We, at BridgingApps, thought we could offer some help to parents and caregivers who are confronting more screen time than usual out of necessity, but still want to keep their kids and loved ones safe while they are online.
Did you know that Apple devices have many built-in settings that allow parents and caregivers to apply safety features and restrictions to their children’s and loved one’s devices? No special app to buy and figure out, just hidden in that amazing “settings” icon right on your device! Let’s explore the features and talk about how to personalize the settings for your family’s needs.
After opening the “settings” app, look for “screen time” on the left side of the menu. The first step is to click “turn on screen time”. This is confusing for some people because they think of “screen time” as time limits and it is, but for Apple devices, the content restrictions that will keep loved ones safe online are also under “screen time”. Once you have created a screen time passcode (pick something different from the device passcode so that your children cannot access these settings), there are many different ways that you can limit the types of content that can be accessed.
Here are just some examples what you can do in these settings:
- Set limits on ratings for podcasts, movies, TV shows, books, apps, and music (PG, PG-13, Explicit lyrics or not, etc.)
- Limit adult content on websites and even pick certain websites that are blocked or allowed regardless of rating
- Control if they are allowed to play multiplayer games, add friends, and screen record games
- Block location services from being used and choose which device settings the user is allowed to change without permission
- Set time limits for how long certain apps are allowed to be accessed each day
These settings take a little time to personalize, however the good news is that once you have chosen these settings, the device saves them and allows you to share the settings across other devices signed into the same Apple ID, set up screen time for the family, and even turn off screen time when needed without changing the settings you have made.
We have created a PDF with screenshots that explains the various settings to help you get started. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks from BridgingApps!
If you would like more information: https://www.bridgingapps.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Apple-Restrictions.pdf
Kelly FonnerEducational/Assistive Technology Consultant
email: kellyfonner@gmail.comphone: 262-613-3412website: www.kellyfonner.comtwitter: @kellyfonnerCommunication Matrix facilitator/coach: https://www.communicationmatrix.org/DonJohnston Readtopia& First Author trainer/coach: http://donjohnston.com/onsite-workshops/N2Y Trainer: https://store.n2y.com/store/TrainingPODD Certified Presenter: https://www.PODDUSA.com
The DO-IT center provides guidance on specific strategies for those with learning disabilities to follow as they make the shift to online or distance learning.
14 Sunday Jun 2015
Posted in 21st Century Education, Digital Resources
Tags
21st century classroom, 21st century education, 21st Century Learning, Digital classroom, Digital resources, Digital tools, Digital tools for the classroom, Ed Tech
Technology is only as good as the ability of the teacher to use it properly. Failure to preform necessary professional development with faculty and staff prior to any tech roll-out will guarantee failure of the initiative.
This article from EdWeek discusses the Miami-Dade district’s decision to make sure these resources weren’t wasted.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/06/11/districts-learn-lessons-on-1-to-1-from-watching.html
13 Saturday Jun 2015
Posted in 21st Century Education
Tags
21st century classroom, 21st century education, Digital classroom, Digital resources, Digital tools, Ed Tech, Educational Technology, Mobile learning
Here is a good website for educational technology ideas and tool. Enjoy!
09 Tuesday Jun 2015
Posted in 21st Century Education, Digital Resources
03 Wednesday Jul 2013
Posted in 21st Century Education, Common Core Standards
Common Core from the Teacher’s Perspective
I found the following resource as a result of a short search. It is interesting to get the perspective of those working curriculum to meet the standards.
Enjoy!
03 Wednesday Jul 2013
Posted in 21st Century Education, Common Core Standards
Common Core Resources
I have taken the liberty to put all of the Common Core Standards documents in one place.
There seems to be a lot of talk about Common Core and the potential for nefarious schemes encoded within.
The problem with all the vitriol encircling Common Core is that it is NOT a Federal takeover. CC was established by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers to ensure that students in each state had a more gap-free educational experience.
Common Core is and rightfully should be STATE LED.
These are politically neutral. They are academic standards like any other academic standards. They should be viewed outside of any political attachment. Sometimes a DUCK is just a DUCK.
Following is a PDF bringing all of the Common Core information you could ever want to know.
04 Tuesday Jun 2013
Posted in 21st Century Education
Here is a list of tech tools for education as presented by Patricia Westergaard, Ed.D. during her roundtable session at NISOD. If you have more to add, let me know!
Enjoy!
04 Tuesday Jun 2013
Posted in 21st Century Education
Larry Johnson addressed NISOD in May to introduce the 2013 Horizon Report for Higher education. What was the bottom line? The paradigm has already shifted. We are all playing “catch-up.”
Ozolnieks 