Tag: virtual learning

Best Apps/ Sites for Special Education

Are you one of those teachers constantly looking for the best apps/websites to use with your students? Well here is a list of some of my favorite sites to use with Special Education students. These are some of the best apps for reading, writing, math, SEL, and behavior, as well as IEP goal writing resources.

Learning A-Z:

Learning A-Z is amazing. It consists of a variety of programs designed to meet your learners at their level. There is Reading A-Z, RazKids, Writing A-Z, Foundations A-Z, Vocabulary A-Z, and Science A-Z. There are also options for ELL students. I personally love Reading A-Z and RazKids. They have a variety of leveled readers and decodables for teaching all different reading skills. There are also a variety of assessments for progress monitoring and additional materials and activities that correlate to each book. Additionally, RazKids gives the students the opportunity to work independently on reading skills at their level and earn rewards for creating their own robot and room for the robot.

Happy Numbers:

Happy Numbers is similar to Learning A-Z in that it meets your learners at their level, but it focuses strictly on Mathematics. The students complete a pre-assessment to determine where they are at, then placed on a learning path. They can work independently at their own pace on their learning path targeting math skills they need to master to reach grade level material.

ABC Mouse/ Adventure Academy:

ABC Mouse is for students 2-8 years old. It is very interactive and full of learning games, books, puzzles, and songs for children to learn a variety of concepts in reading, math, science, social studies, and art. ABC Mouse also includes a progress tracker and virtual rewards for students.

Adventure Academy is for students aged 8-13 years old. It was created by the same company as ABC Mouse, but for older students. It teaches subjects such as reading, math, science, and social studies through game play adventures and includes progress tracking.

Social Express/ Centervention:

These two sites are great for SEL and Behavior Intervention.

Social Express teaches foundational social skills through interactive animated lessons. You can use it one on one or with a whole classroom and includes grade level quizzes and progress reports.

Comparatively, Centervention teaches social emotional skills through interactive stories. It personalizes to each students needs and includes baseline and progress reports. There is also a daily emotion check in for each student to complete that is shared with the teacher. Overall, Centervention includes 5 programs based on student grade level and needs. There is Zoo Academy: Grades K-1, Zoo U: Grades 2-4, SS Grin: Grades 3-5, Hall of Heroes: Middle School, and Stories in Motion: Autism.

Everfi:

Everfi is designed for K-12 students. There are a variety of digital lessons for students to take to learn or work on skills in reading, math, and other subjects. Topics included are financial literacy, health & wellness, STEM & career readiness, character education, history, digital literacy & wellness, STEM literacy, sustainability education, and early academic readiness. Additionally, lessons include games, assessments, and progress monitoring.

Prodigy:

Prodigy is a role-playing online game. There is a Math version and an English version. Students learn a variety of math or ELA concepts through adventures. They can customize their characters, battle their friends, create a custom built world, and complete quests by correctly answering questions.

Vooks/ Epic!:

Vooks and Epic! are amazing apps/websites for interactive reading practice. Both of these sites include a variety of books for children. Some books the children read themselves, while some books include read along narration. These sites also include videos, lesson plans, and quizzes to assess comprehension of the books being read.

Essential Skills:

Essential Skills provides interactive focused instruction for K-6 students. It focuses on Reading, Math, Science, and English Language Learning lessons designed for special education, English learners, response to intervention, and older remedial students.

Unique Learning Systems:

ULS is designed specifically for students with special needs in all grades pre-k through transition. Through interactive differentiated lessons students work towards mastering their states extended learning standards. Lessons focus on reading, math, science, social studies, and transition. This platform also includes built in assessment tools and resources for progress monitoring.

Goalbook:

Goalbook is an absolute necessity if you’re a special education teacher. It helps with scaffolding instruction as well as IEP development. You can use it to create and complete IEP goals, behavior plans, and present levels of performance. You can also find a variety of resources for behavior and social-emotional learning, and so much more.

If you’re interested in additional tutoring options check out my post Best Tutoring Apps/Sites for Educational Interventions.

return to the buildings

The Return (Sort of…)

School staff were required to return to work in the buildings October 14th in preparation for students to return to a blended learning model beginning October 19th. It’s so surreal being back in the buildings after being away from them since March 13th. It’s so quiet and empty. Tables have been replaced with individual desks that are all spread out. There’s directional stickers on the hallway floors. Signs everywhere telling people to self assess their health before entering the buildings and to wear masks in common areas.

Some people have been so anxious to get back in the buildings. Not me, I’m anxious about being in the buildings at all. I’d rather stay working from home where I know I’m less likely to get sick. It’s just me and my husband at home and neither of us go anywhere unless we absolutely have to. Also, I feel more alone in my buildings than I did working from home. Sure in both locations I’m sitting in a room by myself for 6+ hours a day while I attempt to Zoom with my students. At least at home I have someone to eat lunch with and talk to on my breaks. At my buildings everyone just sits in their classrooms with their doors closed all day. There is no real interaction between people.

Two Days Later…

Additionally, after two days of being back in the buildings preparing for the students to return we received notice that the students return to the buildings would be pushed back to November 2nd and to prepare families for blended learning we would hold two weeks of virtual orientations. Now we are suppose to schedule virtual orientations with our students families. This is to discuss procedures for coming to the buildings, while still working out of our classrooms.

Another Four Days Later…

Well that didn’t last long. Four days later, we have now received another notice saying to postpone the virtual orientations we’ve been planning because students will no longer be returning to the buildings in November. They will stay remote until at least mid January. But again staff are to continue working in their buildings. This makes no sense. Why is it too dangerous/risky for the students to learn in the buildings, but it’s not for the staff. I wouldn’t be surprised if this doesn’t change again soon. I mean over the course of about a week and a half the district has changed their mind multiple times about switching from remote learning to blended learning. This is quite the roller-coaster ride we are on right now.

virtual learning

Virtual Learning: How do you feel about it?

I don’t know about you, but I’m torn with my feelings about Virtual Learning. I love working from home and not having to drive anywhere; normally I have to drive between multiple buildings throughout my work day. Plus working from home means I get to sleep in a little later in the mornings because I’m just walking into my office/guest room to work. This really cuts down on my commute and I get to enjoy lunch with my wonderful husband as he is currently home all day.

Conversely, I’m finding it difficult to get my students to log on to their Zoom meetings with me and getting them to complete their Google Classroom assignments. I keep sending messages to my students and their families with little to no response on any platform thus far. I’ve even contacted their gen. ed. teachers to see if they are attending and completing work for them. The consensus has been minimal for all 5 of my students so far. This is partly due to technology issues (i.e. broken Chromebook, lack of internet access), but for some of them they just aren’t getting on to my stuff and no one at home seems to be making sure they are. This isn’t great considering we’re in the 9th week of school already and I have very little data currently for their progress reports that I need to complete next week.

If I could just find ways to get the students to either log on to my Zoom or complete their Google Classroom Assignments during the week I would feel so much better. Right now, I just feel stressed out, exhausted, and over it. I know there is only so much I can do from a computer though.

Aside from students not engaging with me, I also feel like my work load has doubled. As well as the amount of meetings I have to attend weekly. There is so much more planning and organizing that goes into virtual teaching. We can’t just dig into our normal resources and curriculum like usual. We have to find a way to convert it so students are able to engage with the materials virtually. Although for me this can be fun depending on what I’m setting up for my students to do.

Additionally, I am in Grad School right now and attending remotely as well. So I spend 12+ hours a day on my computer, which is way too much time. I definitely have to make myself takes breaks away from my computer throughout the day. I get up, walk around, stretch, and give my eyes a break from staring at my computer screen. But even with all the added computer time and stresses of teaching remotely, I still prefer it. I hate having to drive in traffic everyday between multiple buildings.

How do you feel about Virtual Learning?

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