Story Book Communication Boards (Games and Activities)

This one is for my friends who teach early intervention through the early elementary grades.  Super Duper/Webber has a new product called Story Time Communication Boards.  It looks very similar in design but not theme to one of my all time favorite products Webber Functional Communication Games.  Essentially this contains the a twelve square static communication board for 20 favorite picture books (2 sides on each board), which double as bingo boards.  Which would be pretty cool alone, but then add a CD Rom of sample IEP goals/benchmarks and printable activities and lesson plans, an electronic spinner (these are so cool) foam chips, calling cards, differentiated question cards and game pieces.  Too bad they didn't add the game board.  It retails for $56.00

This is from the website:

WebberStory Time Communication Boards teaches students with limited verbal skills to recognize and use the most important vocabulary words in 20 popular storybooks.* This versatile teaching tool allows students with language delays, autism, and other communication disorders to participate in reading activities using Mayer Johnson’s BoardmakerPicture Communication Symbols (PCS). Webber Story Time Communication Boards is ideal for the SLP, teacher, or special educator working in an inclusive setting.

The complete set includes four identical communication boards for each story and 12 matching picture cards (240 cards total) to teach expressive and receptive communication skills. The lessons and activities in the workbook reinforce vocabulary and the included CD-ROM makes it easy to print activity pages in black and white or color.

The workbook includes measurable goals and objectives, and three different activities with extensions (Sentence Completion, Question and Answer, and I Spy) to use with a lesson plan or Individualized Education Plan (IEP). These activities help increase the child’s understanding of the story. Modify the specific measures of each goal to fit the individual needs of the students.

Materials Include:

• 40-double-sided communication boards (20 stories)
• Activity workbook
• 240 picture cards (12 per story)
• Electronic spinner
• 60 foam tokens
• CD-ROM for printing activity pages in black and white and color

* Uses the following books with your Webber® Story Time Communication Boards.
	Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
	From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
	Good Night, Dora by Christine Ricci
	Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
	The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
	Where's Spot? by Eric Hill
	Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? by Eric Carle
	The Napping House by Audrey Wood
	Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk
	My World by Margaret Wise Brown
	Matthew's Truck by Katherine Ayers
	I Love School! by Philemon Sturges
	Swimmy by Leo Lionni
	Wave Hello to Thomas! by Rev. W. Awdry
	Spot Goes to the Park by Eric Hill
	Cooking With the Cat by Bonnie Worth
	Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
	"More More More," Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams
	Here are My Hands by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault
	Peek-A-Boo! by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

Communication 4 All

If you haven't been over to Communication4All lately it is worth a return visit.  Bev Evans has added a plethora of new activities and printables since I last posted about the site.  From board games to interactive story maker powerpoints there is so much to explore and try out.  Give yourself some time, have your printer ready (or at least your bookmarking tools) and think outside the box for ways to use these materials with out students!

Zoodles: Another Kid's Web Broswer

Zoodles is joining the ranks of Zac Browser, Kid Zui and Kido'z (kid's browsers I have mentioned before) as a means for children to safely navigate the internet. Like Kid Zui, Zoodles is free for a basic plan.  However if you want Ad Blocking and the Parents Dashboard (and you do, because it IS a kid's browser) you need to shell out $7.95 per month, $39.95 for 6 months and $59.95 for the entire year (Kid Zui is $3.33 a month).  Kido'z is also a divided service, free for basic and $50 a year for plus.  Zac Browser is free.  Zoodles runs on Adobe Air.  It allows access to educational website and tracks time spent in each subject area, displaying it for the parent to see.  All of these kid's browser's have something to offer.

Below are screen shots of Zac Browser, Kid Zui and Kido'z.

It's Buggy But It's Better than Nothing - Switch Accessible You Tube

SWAY is switch accessible You Tube, but by switch they mean switches (set to right and left arrow).  Still, better than nothing!  Basically you paste the address of a playlist into the textbox and then you can use your switches to navigate the videos.  It works only in the Firefox browser.

Here is SWAY set to play the TLWMSN Vlog.

Check it out!

YouSayToo Awards

Dear Santa,

I have been a basically good girl this year.  As I know you are busy I am writing this post in hopes of perhaps winning a dream gift from YouSayToo. 

My dream gift is for my classroom.  As you know I reach five wonderful students ages 14-18 with multiple special needs.  Over the next year there is a pretty good chance my classroom will grow to six, seven or eight students.  Santa, my students are so amazing.  They come into school everyday ready to try whatever I set in front of them.  This is in spite of the fact that, for the most part, my students need technology for nearly everything they do.  My students use wheelchairs to get from place to place.  They use special (and very expensive) technology to help them communicate.  They need specialized software and computers to help them learn.

That is where you come in, Santa, you and YouSayToo.  YouSayToo is having a $1,000 dream gift give away.  I would love for my students to have a Mayer-Johnson Mobile Activity Player.  It is outrageously expensive ($949.00), but it consists of a sturdy convertible netbook/tablet computer with six Curriculum Companion Activities.  The netbook/tablet would give my students a way to access specialized curriculum through the touch screen or by attaching a switch interface and switches.  Since it is pre-installed with Boardmaker Player software it can be used as a communication device or as a learning tool.  The Curriculum Companion Activities will add new ways for my students to explore learning topics in the classroom. 
I am sure lots of bloggers are going to enter the YouSayToo Dream Gift Give Away, Santa, but won't you put in a good work for us?  If this blog wins it won't just be a prize for a blogger, it will be an opportunity to enrich the lives of teenagers with multiple disabilities.  I can't think of a better reason for us to win, can you?

If we can't win the dream prize, Santa, will you let them know that we could use the Photoframe Keychain constellation prize for visual schedules if we installed pictures of picture symbols or students engaged in their schedule.  That would be awesome.

Thanks, Santa!

Kate

Vocaroos Free Audio E-Mail

Vocaroos is offering a free download of their simple, easy-to-use, audio e-mail software, Vocaroos Express, from now until 12/26/2009.  Check it out.

Dish Drying...

switch style!