Haugen’s Tech Tips Blog

The Learning Toolbox, from James Madison University’s special education program, provides tools, strategies and resources to help students with learning difficulties become better learners.
When you arrive on the site, you can choose “I am a Student,” “I am a Teacher,” or “I am a Parent,” which takes you to an appropriate page for getting around the site. For example, the student page starts with an overview of how to use the site. Then students choose an area they need help in - organization, test taking, studying, note taking, etc. From there, students choose a statement that reflects their needs, e.g. “I have difficulty understanding the main idea when I read,” or “I read slowly.” At that point, the site suggests specific strategies to try.

The site does require some significant reading to understand the strategies, and therefore parent or teacher support may help. Also students (and often their parents and teachers as well) may need help specifying what their specific challenges are. This is a good resource to add.

ATMac is a blog that offers news, reviews and opinions on assistive technology for Mac OS X, by Ricky Buchanan who is himself an avid Mac and AT user.  Organized by type of user, for example “text-to-speech users,” or “deaf users,” or “primary switch users,” and by audience (”content producers,” “developers,” “edcuators,” “users”), you can quickly find relevant entries.

Bottom line - direct, honest info and reviews about state-of-the-art assistive tech for the Mac.

• Create Your Own Podcast - A step-by-step tutorial on podcasting from About.com
• Educational Podcasting - Extensive list of podcasting resources, from Gary Stager. Links to tutorials, articles and tools.
• PoducateMe - Practical Solutions for Podcasting in Education
• Gcast - Create your own audio broadcast online, where you can easily record voice messages, mix in your favorite music, and share it all for the world to hear. Includes ‘Podcasting 101′ tutorial.
• Podcasting Toolbox - From Mashable.com, a list of over 70 podcasting tools and resources
• Podsafe Music Network
• Ziepod, Your Podcast Receiver and Player
• Willowdale Elementary - WillowWeb - Web site for Willowdale Elementary, publishers of Radio WillowWeb, a podcast by and for students
• Voices Of The World - Voices Of The World was created by Sharon Tonner to connect children from around the world using their voices rather than the standard text and images and prepare them for their globalised future.
• Voices Of The World - Voices Of The World is a global project uniting children’s voices from around the world, with a different task each month for students to contribute to.
• Student Self-Advocacy | Don Johnston Incorporated - Video podcasts by students who are advocating for the tools they need to address their unique learning styles and needs.

I’m leading a workshop on Podcasting in the Classroom, and have started to gather some tips and resources on my wiki.  Stop by to check out the presentation as well as my podcasting links.

Art cyclopedia: The Fine Art Search Engine - Search or browse by artist, work or museum. 8,700 artists, 2,600 art sites, over 100,000 links! Also, Art News, masterpieces and more. This seems like a great resource for students of all ages.