What do you want?

[Brian Wojcik]

Wow! This ning is really expanding! As part of this expansion, we are hoping to engage in a discussion about the types of services members would like to see incorporated into the ning or, at least, linked from the ning. Please take a moment to share your thoughts and ideas. Looking forward to the possibilities!

[Deb Barrows]

Great question Brian!

I'd like a place to share training ideas, videos, tips, and documents on this NING.

About a year ago, Darlene Brodbeck and I started a Clicker 5 Wiki http://clicker5lifeskills.wikispaces.com which is a place for Clicker 5 users to share ideas, activities, and grids. This is becoming quite a popular site and I really look forward to seeing how it grows in the coming year. So, perhaps we could have a page on this NING that has links to similar sites. If you are a Clicker 5 user please go to the wiki and add a page with ideas and activities. The wiki has ideas for regular ed and special ed teachers.



I look forward to hearing from others.

Deb

[Glenda Anderson]

I was just looking through the members list and oh my, but we have a powerful group here. Yet many are not adding but lurking and I totally understand that. I guess what I want is a safe place to ask questions and to share ideas/thoughts about how to best serve people with disabilities. If only I could pour the amount of information that all of our members have, on this site, into my brain- the power I would have to help others would be so awesome!

Example: In our area we are really struggling with AAC and integrating it, not only into the classroom environment but also into life. Someone out there has the key to unlock our frustrations so that our students with AAC devices can become more successful communicators and the adults working with them may feel more empowerment. I want to be able to say help and have others run to the rescue... because I am a lone soul in the bed of AT.

[Mark Coppin]

There is so much information out there and so many rapid changes in AT and IT that having a place like Deb and Darlene's Wikispaces is a great resource. These are the types of things that front line professionals really need and benefit from. These also help introduce professionals to new applications and curricular supports. These can be "Just in Time" learning supports, but can also show them the value of the programs. Once they see the value of the program, it is easier to teach them how to use the programs. The Clicker 5 wikispaces did that for our staff.

[Brian Wojcik]

I agree with all of the comments above. I wonder if we can employ additional tools that can help make finding information like the clicker 5 wiki easier for people...should we have an assistivetech wiki?

[Mark Coppin]

It may be nice to have a place to share files or tools. I know that I do a lot of customized setups in a variety of apps that I would like to share if they can help someone. I think a way to make sharing of a variety of setups, panels, customizations etc.. would be of great value.

[Glenda Anderson]

Great idea! That would be wonderful.

[Deb Barrows]

Hi Mark,

This was a nice comment to read. And, the great thing about the Clicker 5 Wiki is it is helpful because several people in the last year added pages and uploaded grids, handouts etc. I hope you add a page and upload some of the grids your staff is making and write the ways you are using them with your students.

I like the linear format that Wikispaces offers for sharing files. I pay the $5 a month to not have the ads and to support Wikispaces.

Deb

[Wendy Homlish]

I like the idea of sharing - from setups to tutorials to training presentations - I'm sure we are all "reinventing the wheel" many times over, and are all stressed to the max in terms of time, energy, and resources (OK, maybe that's only me LOL). I know there are resources out there, and I have accessed many, but it would be SO much easier to have some sort of central repository. Love the Clicker wiki, BTW! I do find I am jumping from QIAT to wikis to blogs to websites to documents with links.....I'm not sure how a central-type could be organized, or if this is even the right venue - what do you all think??
Wendy

[Brian Wojcik]

I do like the idea of a sharing area...I think a wiki would be an easy to use and organizable space. I wonder if the organization could evolve through a tagging system (e.g, a folksonomy)? This would meant that we might have a general table of contents but them people would be able to also search by tags as well. The tags would sort of serve as an index. How does that sound?

[Glenda Anderson]

We could have a place that directly links to the Clicker wiki, to member's blogs, to all the AT resources broken down into categories... tutorials, resources, links to companies?? Wow! What a powerful resource it would become if we could actually pull this off. And why can't we? I agree- brilliant! (and powerful.)

[Hindie Becker Dershowitz]

Ok, I like the word, "folksonomy" I would love a place to send teachers and therapists where they can easily find ideas. Ok, maybe a place I can locate the training worksheet or activity to send to teachers. One of these days, I might find a picture to submit.

[Anne Truger]

Deb,

Wikispaces for education are ad-free. You simply have to request it, there is no cost, just a quick review process and then you are approved. Here is the process.

To request a free upgrade to our Plus plan for K-12 education do the following:

1) Go to your space
2) Click "Manage Space"
3) Click "Subscription"
4) At the bottom of the page, under "Request a complimentary upgrade to Plus for K-12 education" click "Request yours now"

Hope this helps and saves you that $5 a month for something else. : )

~Anne