Rewordify- a Whiz-Bang technology tool you must have!

I’ve been using Rewordify with my students for the past 4 years in my job as a high school resource room teacher. I try and use tech tools that can help level the playing field for challenged learners. It is overwhelming when I am trying to differentiate reading material because there are just so many words that I have to address in each passage.

I found rewordify at rewordify.com . It is FREE! It is available to all my students. It is easy to use for them and easy for them to bookmark and use independently! It is a tech tool that once it has been introduced to a student, it is one thing they remember to ask for and use.

Basically, Rewordify takes a passage, an article, a webpage or a book and can sift through the vocabulary and whiz-bang produce a passage with understandable vocabulary with the same meaning.

Here is a passage I entered into the home page from a NOAA website.

http://estuaries.noaa.gov/About/Default.aspx?ID=213

Rewordified:

An river is the thin zone along a (land next to a body of water) (such as bays, lagoons, sounds orsheds (skin, etc.)) where freshwater systems and rivers meet, and mix with a salty ocean,becoming partly salty.

Sometimes, freshwater from rivers mixes with large freshwater bodies creating a "freshwaterriver" that functions like a typical partly salty rivers.

The five major types of rivers are coastal plain, bar-built, delta system, (related to Earth's surface plate movement), and fjords.

Rivers are (like nothing else in the world) places that are valuable to (the health of the Earth/the surrounding conditions) and to (community of people/all good people in the world).

Original passage:

An estuary is the thin zone along a coastline (such as bays, lagoons, sounds or sloughs) where freshwater systems and rivers meet, and mix with a salty ocean, becoming brackish.

Sometimes, freshwater from rivers mixes with large freshwater bodies creating a "freshwater estuary" that functions like a typical brackish estuaries.

The five major types of estuaries are coastal plain, bar-built, delta system, tectonic, and fjords.

Estuaries are unique places that are valuable to the environment and to society.   

But that is not all! There are features that extend the learning beyond the passage!

I can get a read out of the statistics about words per sentence, letters per word, and much more.This image shows some of the great features. My favorites are the rewordified text, Cloze activity and the answer key! Use this link for a larger clearer image.

This next image is a shout out to my ELL friends and speech and language therapists! The color coded passage with all the parts of speech is such a bonus! Larger image.

Go to Rewordify.com!  Make your own FREE account. Begin differentiating immediately. You have time, the school year is just beginning!      Check back for my next post about Educator Central a part of the Rewordify page.

You are probably wondering who made this site and who supports it. I didn't have to look far to find out about Neil M. Goldman. Here is the scoop! Thanks, Mr. Goldman, this is a treasure. I am glad you found a way to help challenged learners.

Biography from Amazon

Neil M. Goldman spent fifteen years as a cubicle-bound computer professional and decided that he wanted to do more meaningful work than sit in front of a screen and write for-next loops.

So, he said a hearty goodbye to his marginally competent managers and a warm hello to the learning-hungry students in a suburban high school English classroom.

That first year of teaching was the hardest, most rewarding year of his life, and he felt he had to write about it. His first nonfiction book, Never Too Old To Teach, chronicled the joys and frustrations of that first year as a teacher.

Electric Dawn, his first novel, explores a scenario that's been on his mind for many years: what would happen if someone made a miraculous discovery of a device that would change the way the world works? Would that person be embraced and celebrated, or surrounded and destroyed?

When he's not writing books and grading papers, Neil enjoys motorcycling, cooking, and travel.

Co-teaching and co-planning for optimal student learning!

Co-teaching and co-planning

Summer time is a laid back time where co-teachers can think about, design and plan for the upcoming school year without the rush of the school day, school week and after school activities.  In my district staff members are given time to collaborate and work on classroom lessons, projects and assessments for co-taught classes. This co-planning time is valued and valuable. It is a good opportunity for co-teachers to share and teach each other the content and how best to differentiate materials for students.

Roadmap to planning

Choose materials and share with co-planners.
Review the course syllabus and match to the school calendar, be sure to include holidays, school activities, school vacations and plan to give major assessments at optimal times.
Design a course calendar with variations in instructional delivery, variations in projects, provide student choice and provide differentiated levels to meet the needs of all learners.
Design a course calendar and include  homework assignments, projects, video materials, with links available where possible to foster student independence and to simulate online learning.
Look at materials used from previous lessons and tweak and add accommodations.
Cull the Internet for best practices and awesome materials that others have built and shared. Be sure to acknowledge all their work! Share your awesome materials with others, leave a trail so that others can acknowledge your work, too.
Check individual education plans and 504 plans for more specific details on how you may accommodate the learning objectives and learning materials for your students.

Reflect and review

Plan time to reflect and review your plans and how the students are managing the materials and your instruction. Time is the biggest excuse we use and it is the one thing we have control over. Make time to make explicit changes based on  your shared discussions and shared decision making.

Ask your students

 Lastly, remember to ask your students what changes will help them, what projects they liked, what helped them learn the material best!

Catching my breath!

coakes photo 2013

The beginning of the school year is always a blur for the first few weeks. I am not complaining, I am not whining, it is just a fact! Finally, we have a long weekend in October where it seems like it's the first time to stop and notice that the weather patterns have shifted, the leaves have changed colors and happitly, I notice that I am back in a routine, my students are into a routine and it seems like juggling everything I juggle has settled into a manageable pace.

If anyone is looking to have some exciting online professional development, you should consider checking out the Annual offering of the K12online Conference 2014 Igniting Innovation! There are many opportunities for meaningful 20 min presentations to take advantage of. There are several strands available: 

1. OPENING KEYNOTE
2. STORIES for LEARNING
3. GAMING AND GAMIFICATION
4. PASSION-DRIVEN LEARNING
5. STEAM

My presentation was accepted in the Stories for Learning strand. If you are interested in learning about digital tools that help level the playing field for all learners then check out my presentation the week of October 20, 2014. In this teaser, Victoria takes the controls and demonstrates some of the tools that she uses in her learning. 

Victoria demonstrates the digital tools she uses to access the content for her general education classes. This demonstrates what happens when students have CHOICE in their assignments as well as CHOICE in the reading level. This is the backbone of differentiation and Universal Design for Learning with the student driving the direction of the instruction.

Victoria shares  her favorite tools.

Make a plan to schedule in some YOU time. The YOU time should be for your learning, your exercise, your entertainment, your enjoyment. Chris O'Neal presented at ACTEM 2014 and challenged all educators to schedule time for your own learning. Put it in your calendar, make a plan and stick to it. It doesn't have to be long, just a 15 min learning break will be a welcome addition to your daily schedule!

Plan to schedule some learning time during the two weeks of the K12online Conference 2014, you will be glad you did.

What is your role in the IEP process with identified students?

attributed to http://r4udl.wikispaces.com/

The first step to take in understanding your role in the IEP process with your identified students is to begin with “I” statements! How easy is that? Well, actually, it is the most difficult step to take. By virtue of IDEA 2004 always being referred to as Special Education Services, many of us  take a step back and say “those students” or “your students”, when actually it should be my “my students” or “our students”. While in middle and high school most of us would not presume to tackle a specialized math curriculum,  a specialized science curriculum or physical education program. We all have knowledge about math, science and being physically active, but we would not presume to take over the instruction for those subjects because we are not highly qualified. However, this is the opposite of the model for including identified students who receive special education services into all classrooms.

It used to be that mainstreaming identified students into all classes within a school assumed that the special education teacher remained primarily responsible for the education of “those students”. However, “Inclusion is the more popular educational term referring to the move to educate all children, to the greatest possible extent, together in a regular classroom setting. ….Therefore, skills in curriculum-based assessment, team teaching, mastery learning, assessing learning styles (and modifying instruction to adapt to students' learning styles), other individualized and adaptive learning approaches, cooperative learning strategies, facilitating peer tutoring and "peer buddies," or social skills training are important for teachers to develop and use in inclusive classrooms. Soffer (1994) emphasizes that these are not just good special education practices, but are good practices for all teachers.” With this shift in education communities you will find, “It simply means that the ultimate responsibility for the education of all students in a classroom resides with the classroom teacher in charge....This does not, however, mean that special educators have no direct involvement in the education of these students.” Inclusion: pros and cons

With all this information, how does your role in the IEP process change? Best practices in classrooms today include all learners. One model for this is Universal Design for Learning. “Universal Design for Learning is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn.” For educators looking to offer more inclusive classrooms and facilitate the learning process for all,  you may want to check out the examples and resources made available by CAST , the Center for Applied Special Technology at this UDL examples site. This is not a program but rather a change in your way of instructing and facilitating learning for all in your classroom.
An example that we can all benefit from is called Minimizing Threat and Distractions , think ADHD students and others. On this webpage alone you can find a free online reading practice activity, which simulates how to read better in spite of distractions on the page, or a blog post which focuses on classroom distractions and ways to minimize them. While you may have a student in mind as you make changes in your classroom, most likely the changes will benefit many! Your classroom will become a more inclusive and welcoming environment.
Our role in the IEP process has changed significantly. We, all educators, are responsible for providing a classroom environment that is effective and welcoming to all students. The ways we can do this are promoted on the CAST and UDL websites. Focus on one area of your  classroom  or instructional practice to begin with. Look at the results for you and your students as this one change becomes part of your daily routine and culture. Then add one more change to another area of your classroom or instructional practice. Soon you will have designed or redesigned your inclusive classroom not just for “my special education students”, but for all our students.

cross-posted at TechLearning.com

Resources:
Inclusion: the pros and cons
http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues43/definition_inclusion.html
What is Universal Design for Learning?
http://www.cast.org/udl/
Universal Design for Learning Examples
http://www.udlcenter.org/implementation/examples

CAST- home page for the Center for Applied Special Techology
http://www.cast.org/about/index.html
Minimizing Threats and Distractions- part of the UDL examples site
http://www.udlcenter.org/implementation/examples/examples7_3
Readability - an app which removes distractions from webpages, works on Firefox
http://www.readability.com/

Make a puzzle from your photos

provided by flash-gear.com

Special Needs Students using Collaborative Google Apps

cross-posted at techlearning.com



Recently, I was asked about how I was using Google apps with students who have special needs. I thought about it and decided to document what I have seen this year.(Shout out to Penny in Australia, for her question.)  I am teaching in a high school, using google apps with students who have  a difficult time completing classroom assignments, organizational challenges and missing paper syndrome.

By using Google docs, spreadsheets and presentation applications,  my students always have evidence that they have turned in their work because they can always share the items with their teachers. This may not seem like a huge learning expectation, but I can tell you that at least 50% of student worksheets are completed, yet they find their way to the bottom of the backpack and, without an adult intervening, the work is not turned in and graded. (Note to self and others, put your work assignments in a collaborative google document and your students are more likely to complete and turn them in for grading.)

The best part about using Google apps with special needs students, for me, has to be collaborative editing of student work. When a student  gets an assignment, the first thing that happens is that the student begins the document, presentation or spreadsheet and immediately shares the work with a teacher. Within moments of receiving the email notification for the shared item, I reply to the student and begin my coaching. I like to comment on the title, the thesis or question that the students start with, I ask about the due date, the rubric and then begin breaking the assignment down, differentiating for each student.

I like using the revision history and sharing this option with the student. This is where we have a discussion about work expectations and the ability to see how much time the student has put into the work. This is going to be an important part of work and employment accountability in the future and thus a life long skill.

So far, the information I have shared could be used with all students. However, the editing part of google apps is the best and most meaningful part for special needs learners. When students share their document with a teacher, the editing part can become a very creative and meaningful process. Often I use the insert menu and the drop down comment tool.This allows me to leave a place mark in the body of the document, while leaving an entire comment off to the side of the document. Using this process I can leave suggestions, comments, and notes for the student to improve the existing paper. The student then has the option to reply to me in the comments, or to delete the comment when the “fix” has been completed. I  use the insert comment, I can  highlight, change the color of text and otherwise be creative with edits and suggestions. No longer do the edited comments need to stay in the red mode. I can use colors, fonts, bold, italics and more to set the text aside for instructional purposes. The best part, none of my students have reacted badly  to the edits in their work. It almost seems like with  the comments as part of the documents, the student focuses more on fixing the edits as a next step in the process, rather than an attack on their ego, their writing or their learning, or even that this is additional work when addressing the ‘fixes’.

Often, I will sit side by side with the student as they work. We are logged into two different computers,  and both have the document or presentation up on our screens. We can be working on different parts of the assignment.This helps to demonstrate that we can work together in the same room or miles apart. As soon as an edit is posted, the student gets to work and I keep processing the rest of the paper. I have edited with students in the same room, same building, same town and even miles away when I went to a conference and the student was back at school. An added advantage is that I am able to edit any time or place when my students use google apps and the sharing tools. We don’t have to wait until the next day when the student is available to come work during support study.

Finally,  working with google apps is an efficient way to collaborate with all students, the benefits of doing this work with challenged learners is that the coaching and support happens without the judging that some students feel when working face to face with their teachers on their written assignments. Below is an example of an edited assignment recently turned in for World Studies.

I know this is an effective way to work with students since a few of my students open a document and begin sharing before they begin writing. Here are some important steps I follow.

• Start with a school google account for teachers and students.
• Give assignments in shared google docs, presentations or spreadsheets.
• Begin coaching during the editing process of the assignments.
• Always leave instructional comments for the students to act on.
• Always leave comments about parts of the assignment that you like.
• Be the cheerleader! Cheer that student on towards success!

Share your successes here in the comments!

UDL What is the excitement all about?

UDL What is the excitement all about?

It is happening! I am starting to question and think like a UDL( Universal Design for Learning) promoter.  When did this happen, how did it happen? What is the excitement all about?

I am setting up a themed unit about Weather, Climate and Global Warming. I am looking for resources for all our students and planning their class time. My goal is to provide them with options, choice, interest and finally a place to share their information with their peers.

My first research sites began with NASA, NOAA, NOVA, PBS, science standards and of course CAST. I collected lots of information, added it to a google doc and then began my outline.

The information I gathered was for a high school physical science class of freshmen. A bonus was that some friends shared an open source HS online textbook about Climate and I added that to my collection.

As I talked with some teachers, who were explaining how a student was using a technology presentation tool in class, I wondered why this was a topic to share. But, then it dawned on me, this student was the only one who was using that particular technology presentation tool.

Step # 1 to UDL promotion- If a student is the only student to use a technology tool, then we are further isolating that student and making them look different. Offer a couple of technology tools to all students to use as they do their work. ( Some ideas are Prezi, ebooks, StoryRobe)

Step # 2 to UDL promotion- As we differentiate in our classroom, we will offer a variety of activities for students to research and gather information about the topic. Normally, we make a couple of differentiations for our students with gifted and talented needs, our students with learning disabilities, our students with English Language Learning needs. Offer these differentiations to all.

Here is how I started. http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools/udlgoalsettertutorial.cfm
Click step by step and follow the tutorial for setting goals. You can do this on your own, and then get your feedback when you share with others. When I needed more support in the design process,  I could click on a link and get a suggestion.

Step # 3 to UDL promotion- Start small, share, and watch the excitement level in your classroom blossom as you meet your students along the way.
Here is an example of ScienceWriter.cast.org  While it may look a little young, all our students use this, and can choose to use the hints and audio tools, or not.

National Technology Plan and Universal Design for Learning, What's not to Like?

What does the National Technology Plan have to do with Universal Design for Learning and why are they mentioned in the same document? I was very excited to read about this marriage. Finally, a section of the document I could live with and promote.

“The model of learning described in this plan calls for engaging and empowering personalized learning experiences for learners of all ages. The model stipulates that we focus what and how we teach to match what people need to know and how they learn. It calls for using state-of-the-art technology and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) concepts to enable, motivate, and inspire all students to achieve, regardless of background, languages, or disabilities. It calls for ensuring that our professional educators are well connected to the content and resources, data and information, and peers and experts they need to be highly effective. And it calls for leveraging the power of technology to support continuous and lifelong learning.”
http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010/letter-secretary


UDL, Universal Design for Learning, what do you know? Here is a fun quiz to get you thinking. Be sure to come back and continue reading.

Alice Barr photo

As I get ready to coordinate the learning of 20 students, I am embedding UDL into the plan for the next 3 weeks. I will present information in many ways to my class, I will offer
student choice in presenting  and reflecting upon what they learned, I will be sure that student engagement is in place daily which means that I will offer a variety of options which stimulate interest and motivation in learning. Will it take more time? Sure at first, but eventually this  will save time in the end, and save some learners.

I will have engaged students who will work on the multiple collective assignments. I will have a busy classroom

How can UDL work in any classroom? Here is a comprehensive website which will assist you as you become adept at integrating UDL principles into your mainstream or specialized classrooms. What you will find is that most of the suggestions from this website will be things that are common sense ideas  that we need to bring to the forefront of our planning. For example,   Art Beyond Sight  is a web resource which explains how to discuss and describe art to individuals who are visually impaired or blind. If you and I had a blind student we would be sure to include this in our daily planning. However, what UDL promotes, is by offering this kind of instructional alternative as part of our daily routine, we meet the needs of students who function with limited visual understanding or any student who may learn best with this modality and support. This is the main difference in a UDL classroom.

As you begin this process of embedding UDL into your lessons and classroom, start slowly, follow the prescriptive outline at the website. Soon you will be adding options for your visual learners, your auditory learners and, your language learners, as you continue teaching your content area.

This is what  all teachers can begin to do. It is good for our teaching and learning process. It is good for all learners, general education students, gifted students, special education students, ELL students and, it is good for the teacher as well.



Lisa Parisi said it best in response to Karen Janowski's Twitter post wondering why more teachers won't try UDL options in their classrooms:

• Educators must believe that they are responsible for teaching every child
• Educators must teach students how to access tools and then allow them the access
• Educators must give up that position of power to allow students the freedom to do what they need to be successful

The one person in the classroom working the hardest is learning the most, I am planning that it won’t be me, but it will be all my students! Good luck as you begin to adopt UDL measures, your students will benefit!

Resources:
http://udl.spps.org/UDL_Examples.html

http://udl.spps.org/

http://www.invisiblefist.com/2010/06/01/udl-from-the-bottom-up/

http://lisaslingo.blogspot.com/2010/05/why-wont-more-teachers-set-up-udl.html

http://www.accessfirefox.org/

http://www.cast.org

ATIA 2011 Create an Online Writing Toolkit

Beth Goodwin MSEd. and Cheryl Oakes MEd.
Beth and Cheryl presented in Orlando, FL at ATIA 2011.
See the links for the presentation and resources.

Interactive Poll for Physical Science

Create interactive meetings at Poll Everywhere

Making a Transition Plan for your High Schooler

cross posted at TechLearning.com

Since 2004 IDEA re-authorization, schools have been charged with creating transition plans for students with IEP’s to include specific plans on how the student will be prepared for life after high school, whether it be work, post secondary education, or both. Let’s look at where you might begin with your middle or high school students as they being thinking about careers.

This is where I am going start with my students.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/argonne/4534362371/sizes/z/in/photostream/

First, register at Princeton Review and then click here to take the career interest 24 question survey. Be sure to save your registration information so you can save materials and go back and look at what you have saved. As with most surveys answer the questions fairly quickly.
Once you finish the survey you get a an Interest Color and A Usual Color. Mine happen to be Interest=Green and Usual=Red. Then about 50 careers are generated from my interests with links to each career that give me more information including facts and figures about salary, the options to move up the career ladder, what the present and future may hold, and even what someone in this profession might read.
This site is also linked to SAT’s, ACT’s and college information.

The other Career site I found was Office of Science Education
Here I began with 127 careers, I chose 2 categories, narrowed  my choices down to 10 careers. Next,  I selected about 30 skills I felt I had or would like to have, finally I ended up with 5 careers if I had a Master’s degree and 3 if I had a Bachelor’s degree. This only took about 10 minutes to get to the 8 careers I ended up with.

Another great website will send students to look at what their career may eventually pay them.This website would be a great site to look at with groups of students so they could read, collect data and report out to the group the variety of jobs they might be interested in.

If you are on holiday, share this blog with your students, let them begin the search. One nice result, I still have teaching in my career choices, but also  a few in the science field I did not know about. I wonder what my students’ career options will be?

Resources:
http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/trans.index.htm

Let Universal Design for Learning, be all about “Assisted” Technology for All

cross posted at TechLearning.com

Our goals for our students include independence as life long learners. When you work with challenged learners it is imperative to focus on their independence and life long skills and practice using those skills. Here is the how to: Help your students achieve independence as a life long learner, anytime, anywhere.

In September, we introduced our students to the suite of Google Apps. All students were given a user name and password for our school google domain. Once logged in, a calendar was introduced as a way to keep track of assignments, family vacations, days off, tests and quizzes, Homecoming, Sporting events, school plays, Marching Band and the end of first trimester. Next we shared how to access their email, a google doc, how to answer a survey in a google form and finally how to make a presentation. All of these options are located in our google domain. This google introduction took about 3 weeks as we shared how to use these apps and how to find purpose while making good choices.

Most often, the use of google apps allows for collaboration, whether that be a shared calendar, a shared presentation, a google doc or a shared spreadsheet for data collection. Shared calendars not only serve as a reminder of when a project is due for a student,  but it’s also a way for the teacher to see when an important competition is scheduled, and then it’s a reminder for a teacher to attend that school event .

Our students even chose to use google presentation as they prepared for classroom slide shows. They were able to use  google presentation with the teacher as editor, or with peers as collaborators on their projects.

The most powerful reason for using google docs is that the app allows for  a teacher to be editor across time or space. Also, the teacher  can choose to open the document at a later time  and leave editing comments and questions for her students. There are never enough hours in the school day to work with all students, however, by going digital, the opportunities for revisions and edits extend far beyond the walls and hours of the classroom. One evening I told my students that I would be online to edit student work. One student left me a note the he had his essay ready to be edited. I edited the work, left him questions and comments with suggestions for changes. He immediately started making changes on the document as I was working on it. We chatted using google chat and in less than 20 minutes, he had a revised document and was ready to turn in the paper the next day.

The next focus was teaching our students with some excellent web 2.0 tools. We chose to use Animoto, an online slide collage production tool, complete with Text, titles, spotlights and music. Finally,  we taught our students how to use Quizlet. Quizlet is a vocabulary flashcard online tool. One  Friday afternoon  we shared this app with a student, he had not done well on his previous English quiz. During the weekend he taught himself how to use Quizlet, added his vocabulary words and on Monday he re-took the quiz and passed with 100%. That is the power of student choice, student digital access and student designed toolkits.

Until recently, classroom tools have been teacher chosen, teacher driven and teacher taught. This week, each of our students began designing their own toolkit with powerful online tools. We hope that by having students design their own toolkits, that they will have a reference spot to go to when they are completing school assignments or long term projects. Since these toolkits reside on the web, it provides our students anytime access and choice in which tool to use and complete their assignments.

This week our students created their toolkit from a google doc template. They added their own tools, selected colors and personalized their templates. Then they published their google doc to the web. Finally, by giving their toolkit webpage a tiny url, our students are able to find their toolkit no matter where they are.

Stop by for another installment about our continued use of webtools in our toolkits. These tools allow for all our learners to be independent life long learners.

Resources:
This blog post is part 2 of multiple blogs about  UDL, toolkits and independent learners.
For more information, check out the toolbelt theory by Ira David Socol http://speedchange.blogspot.com/2008/03/csun-2008a-toolbelt-for-lifetime.html  or the UDL tech toolkit started by Joyce Valenca and Karen Janowski, http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/. Finally, from CAST.org, http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/toolkits/tk_procedures.cfm?tk_id=61
we have teaching every student.
What should your students consider for their digital toolkit? http://techlearning.com/blogs/33988