Ann and I will be at the ATIA conference at the end of this week and I'll be tweeting from the conference. Follow the conference on Twitter and Facebook from the AT website or click the links above.
On Friday, December 13, Izel Obermeyer, from
WIHD, worked with Mamaroneck teachers on "Building an Executive Function Toolkit." More on this project in the months to come! If you are interested in this work, let us know!
Did you know that the AT website has a Learning Zone, with guides and resources for our most used programs? Visit the Learning Zone and discover new programs
If you've got a student who needs to be referred for an assistive technology consult or evaluation, we've made it super easy for you. A new AT referral form, built with Google Forms, is now on the AT website. Just go to the AT website (http://ww3.mamkschools.org/at -- it's also under the
Teaching & Learning tab on the district site) and click on the AT Referral Form link.
Clicker6--Reading and Writing Software
Clicker is a powerful reading and writing program that helps students with many different reading and writing needs. This year we’ve increased our Clicker6 license to provide Clicker to more teachers and students. Visit the AT website's Learning Zone to see videos of Clicker6 in action. Then contact us if you think you should be using it with your students.
Clicker offers:
Quick start activities: The Quick Start activity screen makes it easy for teachers and students to start working right away.
Elementary word predictor: The word predictor suggests words that fit the context of the students’ writing, helping students with their spelling and grammar, encouraging them to use more adventurous vocabulary, and helping them keep their focus on expressing their ideas.
Click & Edit books: Clicker makes it easy for students to independently create their very own activities, talking books, and presentations.
Built-in painting tools: Clicker Paint makes it easy for students to integrate drawing and writing to fully express their ideas.
Webcam support: Students can quickly take photographs that instantly appear in their Clicker documents.
Enhanced picture support: The Clicker library contains over 2500 curriculum pictures, which can be used in documents, Clicker Sets, the predictor, and the spellchecker.
Instant access to LearningGrids: The online collection of teacher-created activities makes it easy to find, import, and modify activites on a wide range of topics.
Appy Hours -- Apps Served Straight Up
On Thursday evening, November 14, parents met for an "Appy Hour" to learn about and to share the best apps for supporting student learning.
This was a joint SEPTA/district event, hosted by Andrew Hess, assistive technology specialist, and Ann Rushe, speech/language therapist and augmentative/alternative communication specialist. They outlined key features to look for in reading, writing, and organization-related apps, and showed a range of apps from each of these categories. Parents were invited to bring their personal devices and to download apps during the event. Toward the end of the evening, parents had an opportunity to share their own favorite apps with the group.
Maria Elena Carullo provided Spanish translation for the evening. A second Appy Hour was offered on Thursday night, January 16 in the Hommocks auditorium for Spanish-speaking parents.
You can view the list of apps discussed during the Appy Hours by visiting the "Recommended Apps" link at: http://ww3.mamkschools.org/at/.
Understanding Assistive Technology: Simply Said
Looking for a simple overview of assistive technology? Check out this nice 2-minute video, from Pacercenter.
If you've got a student who needs to be referred for an assistive technology consult or evaluation, we've made it super easy for you. A new AT referral form, built with Google Forms, is now on the AT website. Just go to the 
Clicker
