~ Online Free Switch Games ~
I’ve had a few different requests this week for simple software to teach students to use a single switch. There are plenty of commercially available software applications that will do this and many of them are very, very good. However, for the teacher interested in testing out some switch options immediately w/out waiting to purchase commercial software, there are other options. There are some websites that offer free single-switch games. A couple of these I found, but the majority of these come courtesy of our SW Site Coordinator, Sandy Stabenfeldt.
Sandy also reminded me this week that powerpoint can quickly and easily be used to create simple switch games for your student. Use your own digital photos and/or copyright-free images from the web in your powerpoint slideshow to make/keep it motivating for your student.
Keep in mind that you may not need a special switch with all students. Your computers keyboard (often the space bar) can act as the “switch,” provided your student is able to hit the space bar.
Here are some websites to check out if you’re looking for simple switch games (thanks Sandy!):
Rolling Dice: http://www.arcess.com/dice.cfm
Online Switch Games:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/special_needs/physical_dev/switch/
http://www.inclusive.co.uk/downloads/downloads.shtml
http://www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/resources/videos.htm
http://www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/resources/restop.htm
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/meldreth/textandinfo/Powerp/Media2.html
http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/ATBasics/AdaptingComputers/SwitchInterface/software.pdf
http://www.freewebs.com/robslearningfun/
~ Some Quick Podcasting Tips ~
Again this week, I received some questions/interest in podcasting within schools and classrooms. …and like most of the above information on switches, I cannot take credit for most of this information as I received most of it from another source, but thought it very relevant to the the questions I was getting. One term for a common problem in the podcasting world that I particularly like is, “podrot.” What this refers to is the all too common occurrence of people who start a podcast with the best of intentions and then never produce subsequent episodes. Some planning before you jump into your podcast can help prevent podrot! “Podfade” is another term I’ve heard used.
Some things to consider in order to help prevent the rotting or fading of your podcast!
-Be sure your podcast is something your passionate about. You want it to be an extension of you, rather than something separate or too far removed from who you are on a daily basis.
-Consider working as a team. There are lots of technical aspects to producing a podcast and if you feel that any of them might eventually slow down, fade or rot your episode production, then it might be worthwhile to consider forming a team.
-Set Deadlines for yourself! Becoming too relaxed about producing new episodes can turn into a real rot-fade problem. We all know that deadlines are motivating. A little related side note that I heard in conversation recently is that procrastination is nothing more than the putting off of a task due to the fear of failure at that task. Transfer that fear of failure to missing your own deadline rather than worrying too much about the podcast itself being a failure.
~ The PATINS State Conference in December ~
Don’t forget to register by Sept. 30 for the Earlybird Price,
or as a group of 5 or more after Sept. 30, to get the best price!
More info here:http://www.patinsproject.com/htm/trainop.html
~ More Next Week ~
