Giveaway: Gumdrop Cases Donating 10,000 Tablet Cases to Special Needs Classrooms

Hello, friends! Gumdrop Cases is donating 10,000 of their DropTech cases to special needs classrooms across America. The program provides special needs classrooms with up to 20 free protective cases for their tablets - and up to 60 cases per school district.

Gumdrop will be giving away all kinds of cases - iPad, Kindle Fire, Dell Venue, Nexus and more. The deadline for Gumdrop Gives Back is July 31st, 2015, so enter as soon as you can!

Follow this link to enter the giveaway and learn more: http://bit.ly/gumdropgivesback. Good luck!

Oh "Appy" Day: Tech on Tuesday: Feb. 4

Tech on Tuesday!  Back again!  Today's tech review features:  Touch and Write & Dexteria.  Two apps that should be in every special education teachers and occupational therapists arsenal of apps and instructional activities!

$3.99

Dexteria is designed to help young children develop prewriting skills.  It is a set of therapeutic hand exercises that helps to improve fine motor skills.   The app takes advantage of the multi-touch interface of the iPad to allow complete interaction with the app.  Students work on pincher grasp, motor planning and sequencing.  The last exercise moves up to letter writing in a structured, yet fun and engaging way to learn the letters.  From personal experience, my son (age 6) loves this app.  He does not have difficulty with writing or fine motor skills, but the activities were engaging enough to keep him on the app.  In the classroom, students with fine motor difficulties can use this app in repeated and short sessions.

$2.99

This app is also great elementary age students.  The app allows students to practice letter and word writing.  The fun bit of this app is in the materials that are used to "write."  You can "write" in ketchup, pudding, icing, jelly, and more.  You can also change the background from paper to fur and anything in between!  So fun and highly motivating!  One of my favorite aspects of this app is that you can program your own word list.  Students can then use this app to practice their own sight words or spelling words.  

Hurry and download these apps today!! You won't be sorry!

Oh "Appy" Day: Tech on Tuesday: Letter Reflex App

$2.99

Letter Reflex-This app is used to help students overcome letter reversal issues.  

This app is made with the early childhood student in mind, but it perfect for students that are older and still struggle with letter reversal.  I have (and have had) students that really struggle with reading, because of letter reversal with the letter d,b, p, and q.  This app is engaging and interactive.  It is fast pace enough to keep a student entertained with the game with component of getting the ball in the right hole, while being difficult enough for the students that really need this intervention.  It is right on the learning edge for my students.  It is just difficult enough keep them challenged, but engaging enough to keep them playing.

I played the game and had my app testers (my personal children) play this app and we all found it enjoyable and somewhat addicting! :)

I say it is a must download and a great tool to put in your arsenal of activities to work on b/d reversals.

To read about some more ways that I deal with letter reversals...go to this past post-Letter/Number Reversal Activity! Update

  I'm linking up today for a fun new Linky! :)

Oh "Appy" Day: Tech on Tuesday

We all know that I love teaching and blogging, but the one other (educational) thing that ranks right up at the top is technology.  Blogging has given me the chance to really apply my love for technology through the writing, developing banners and buttons, creating TpT products, and developing HTML code (well, just a little bit of that).  I think my love for technology really came into full force several years ago when I completed my master's degree in special education with emphasis in assistive technology.  Since completing that degree, I am constantly on the lookout for new and interesting technology.  I am most interested in technology that helps to "level the playing field" among those with disabilities, but really I love all technology.  So...I tell you all of this to let you in on my next adventure!  Tuesdays are now an "Appy Day!"   Every Tuesday, I plan on posting an app review (not paid...just what I like) or some other tech savvy tutorial or interesting tidbit!  Here is a fun little button to commemorate this epic event! :)

This week, I do have an app to share with you.  Panasonic Doki Doki Tangram

This is a fun app that helps develop geometrical sense.  We all remember using the tangrams to create puzzles on our desks when we were in elementary school, but now it is more high tech!  There are a variety of silhouette puzzles to choose from and you must maneuver the tangrams to fit in puzzle!  Here's the catch...it has a time limit!  I recommend this app for its fun factor, as well as its educational factor.  My (personal) kids and I have had a great time trying to beat the time to finish these puzzles.  *Fun times for another snow day!*  FYI-My eleven year old beats my time every time!

This app meets these Common Core Standards:

CCSS.Math.Content.1.G.A.1 Distinguish between defining attributes (e.g., triangles are closed and three-sided) versus non-defining attributes (e.g., color, orientation, overall size); build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes

CCSS.Math.Content.2.G.A.1 Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces.¹ Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes

CCSS.Math.Content.3.G.A.1 Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories

CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.1 Draw points, lines, line segments, rays, angles (right, acute, obtuse), and perpendicular and parallel lines. Identify these in two-dimensional figures.
CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.2 Classify two-dimensional figures based on the presence or absence of parallel or perpendicular lines, or the presence or absence of angles of a specified size. Recognize right triangles as a category, and identify right triangles.
CCSS.Math.Content.4.G.A.3 Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry

CCSS.Math.Content.5.G.B.3 Understand that attributes belonging to a category of two-dimensional figures also belong to all subcategories of that category. For example, all rectangles have four right angles and squares are rectangles, so all squares have four right angles

Enjoy!! Let me know what you think!

Plus...I'm linking up for Tried It Tuesday...trying out a new series here folks!  Let me know if you like it.  Want to see it continue?  Feedback would be great!
Are there any apps you would like me to try?
Technology questions?
Comment below!

Technology-ThingLink

I am linking up with The Fourth Grade Flipper today for Tried It Tuesday and The Eager Teacher for Teachers Talking Tech on Thursdays. Summer gives me time to sit down and have time to explore new ideas. My husband bought me an iPad after I was hired at my new school. I have had an iPad all year, but it belonged to my old school so I had to return it. I really enjoy having my own personal iPad, because I can use it however I desire. So, I've been downloading several new apps to try out. One that I found that I am liking is ThingLink. 

  Click the image to go to ThingLink website.

ThingLink takes a plain image and makes it interactive. You can add text, video, sound, and web content to your image. According to ThingLinks website, "Every image contains a story and ThingLink helps you tell your stories. Follow image channels from your favorite bands, bloggers and friends. Your ThingLink interactive images form a channel that other users can follow."

 

Above is my first ThingLink image. 

I give this app 2 thumps up!  Oh...and a bonus plus to this app...it's FREE!

Classroom uses:

Label a picture or diagram (cells, plant parts, the water cycle, etc.) and then add sound and explanation to the picture. This could be a great summative assessment. 

Make an interactive how to piece

Share with parents what students are doing in class

Embed images into student blogs
Students could include pictures from books and give interactive book reports that they can post to a blog or class webpage