Rest well, friend.
Leigh Ann Harbort
To all who have followed this site, it is with sadness we announce the passing of Evan Hughes, the Creator and Maintainer of Common Cents Adapted Technology. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. While it is impossible to replace Evan, I am going to try to keep his site going and as up to date as possible.
Rest well, friend. Leigh Ann Harbort
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If your like many of us working with with students in adaptive situations, and have come to rely on a few favorite websites, there might be trouble ahead. Adobe Flash Player which runs many of our favorite switch interactive websites and games will no longer be supported by Adobe after December 2020.
I had heard of Adobe stopping support of Flash Player last year, but didn't think much of it until this year when I bought a new laptop to be able to work from home. I tried to visit one of our favorite sites, Ian Bean.uk, to make sure it ran smoothly prior to a morning class, and was shocked to find the games we rely on wouldn't open. After a quick Google search, I learned that I could still allow Flash to open simply by providing permission each time I logged to Google Chrome. That's fine for now, but come January 2021, I'll need a new plan. I found an app in Google Web Store that simulates Flash for thousand of programs. You will need to use Google chrome in your classroom for this to work. But will it include the programs we use daily only time will tell? Hopefully our online sites are working on updates to their flash code requirements. So many of us are used to living, working and going to school in a virtual world,.but what about students that need a bit more "hands on" education? Here on our website we pull together resources that not only help classroom teachers, but families and care givers as well.
One of these sites has been revamped and upgraded so be sure to check out Littlebear Sees. Click on the picture below to visit the site. I was fortunate enough to have been included in a combined technology/library professional development day earlier this week. One of the sessions I sat in on focused on board games in education. Presented by a professional gamer ( I had no idea that such a career existed ), he raised many valuable points including, students participating in collaborative activities and the benefits of students with autism gaming. I found some initial research and posted it below. Just click on the picture to learn some more form Autism Parenting Magazine!
We have a student that came to school with some amazing new shoes from Santa. These BILLY shoes zipper all the way to toes to easily go over Afos's and foot braces.. Found these from BILLY Footwear on Zappos online after a quick Google search. Click on the picture below to visit Zappos. Happy Holidays!
Some times educators and specialists become overwhelmed while trying to match a student with assistive technology. The process can become too hard to integrate into everyday classroom planning and management. Our advice is to take a deep breath, and to start from the basics. If you are a new teacher, or a seasoned professional, uncomplicate and simplify your approach. Even though many of our ideas are budget driven to help folks at home and teachers on a tight budget, these ideas can help determine a student's interests and access points for best switch placement. The picture below can be found in our DIY Toolbox tab on this website. Even though it's an I Pad, the basic idea is universal. It was great to see many old friends, and meet new ones at the annual TAAT conference!. Welcome to a brand new school year! I know most of our country has just started back after labor day, but here in the southern parts of America, we have been going full stem ahead since August 1st.
Hopefully everyone has been able to visit our different resources (click on most of the pictures to be taken directly to each individual website) that are available on our pages throughout this website. . Summer Break is here! And almost everyone can hear every student and teacher cheering. But what about parents, especially parents of special needs students.
I found the website fireflyfriends.com, and they have a blog post with many tips for engaging students with a variety of abilities. Click on the picture below to visit their website. I have been reading recently about a trend in education called gamification. Gamification is described as the application of typical elements of game playing ( rules of play, point scoring, competition with others ) to areas of education, specifically to engage students in problem solving. In addition to promoting specific goals in education, games are a form of active learning.
Research by Jane McGonigal ( Ph D UC Berkley ) on the value of games noted that "we like people better if we have played a game with them, we bond and build trust. " She also noted that "games are not so much a tool for escapism, but rather a way to use our best selves". Games are extremely productive and collaborative within the realm of a game. Click on the picture below to view this informative PDF. |
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