Learn to Code With Codecademy

What's the most useful language to learn? There's a reasonable argument to be made for Mandarin, but we think the answer might be Javascript. Or HTML. Programming skills are increasingly important to know in the digital age, and jobs that didn't have tech components in the past are increasingly asking for candidates who understand basic programming.

Luckily, Codecademy can give young people an edge. Codecademy is a free web-based program that teaches users Javascript, Ruby, Python, CSS, and other languages. Its also available as an app for iOS devices. In addition to learning coding languages, users can learn to build an interactive website, a Rails application, and more.

Codecademy's founders Ryan Bubinski and Zach Sims believe people learn best by doing. So Codecademy's students discover concepts by actually building things, all the while getting feedback from their peers. Learners can join the millions of other Codecademy users in study groups, question-and-answer forums, and more. While those with a background in coding may find Codecademy a bit basic, neophytes are sure to find the site both eye-opening and enjoyable.

01000011 01101111 01100100 01100101 01100011 01100001 01100100 01100101 01101101 01111001 00100000 01010010 01101111 01100011 01101011 01110011!

(Translation: Codecademy rocks!)

Software for the Classroom: Review of Animation-ish

Ages: Kindergarten through grade twelve 

Content Areas: Cross Curricular

Cost: Varies depending on the license purchased. More pricing information can be found on their website. Of note, a 15 day free trial is also available.

Technical Requirements: Animation-ish can be run on Windows, Mac, and Drawing Tablets

Description: One of my personal all-time favorite children’s authors has launched an award-winning software program titled Animation-ish. Peter H. Reynolds is the bestselling author and illustrator behind the incredible titles Ish, The Dot and The North Star. Mr. Reynold has moved beyond books and into the digital space with the launch of Animation-ish, which is described as “an easy-to-use animation software program that inspires creativity and enables children to show what they know.” Students can use this program as an alternative to writing a story (allowing a teacher to asses ability regardless of writing or graphomotor challenges), to create a presentation (which could be of benefit for students with language difficulties) or to animate a project. 

Not only will your students be able to bolster their digital literacy skills by learning how to independently create their own animations, but they can use it a medium to demonstrate their knowledge across curricular areas. As such, this would be an invaluable tool for teachers trying to embody the "multiple means of expression" aspect of Universal Design for Learning or differentiated instruction. Furthermore, embedded into the software program are a number of curricular based activities that they have aligned to the national educational standards. 

Technology has always been a professional interest of mine and, as a teacher, I would attempt a video or animation project with my class each year. However, so many of the video creation tools available are really designed for professionals, which can be a barrier to implementation in the classroom. What Animation-ish does is provide a child-friendly, simple way to have your students demonstrate their learning via video creation. This will serve as a highly motivating way for learners to showcase what they know, especially when compared to traditional assessment measures such as tests, papers or physical projects.

If you are curious about what this software can do, or apprehensive about the tech skills you must possess to integrate this modality into your classroom,  the team behind Animation-ish has published an exceptional Quick Start guide. Furthermore, professional development is a critical aspect of learning a new tool and a variety of lessons on how to use the different features of the program have made available on the Animation-ish website in order to help you. Beyond this resource, Mr. Reynold also offers a variety of tools for creating a creative classroom, which you may want to explore.  Most are literacy based and infuse elements of high quality art.

Learning to Advocate for Your Child - And Others

Parents sometimes mention to us that they are thinking of becoming an advocate for other parents and students who are seeking special educational services from schools. Most of these parents have dealt with the special education process with their own child and want to apply what they have experienced and learned to help others. Some of these individuals are attorneys who practice in a variety of areas but want to now learn how to extend their practice to the field of education law. Two upcoming programs offer an opportunity for newcomers to get started in the fields of special education advocacy and law.

As we have noted previously, COPAA (The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates) is holding its annual conference March 6-9 in Baltimore. This event offers programs for both experienced attorneys and just-starting-out advocates, and is attended by hundreds of individuals from all over the country. It is an amazing way to learn about special education and how to advocate effectively, and affords attendees the opportunity to meet and learn from the leading experts in various aspects of this field. If you are even thinking about getting involved in special education law, this is the place to start. One note: COPAA membership and attendance at the Conference are not open to those who work for or represent school districts or similar agencies.

Another excellent opportunity for parents and others to learn about special education is at a Wrightslaw Special Education Law & Advocacy Training. There is one coming up in Plainview, New York, on March 21, 2014, but a check of the Wrightslaw website will allow you to sign up to receive the Wrightslaw newsletter, which announces programs in all parts of the country. Peter Wright is an attorney who overcame his own learning disability to become a leader in the field of special education and a respected resource for special education practitioners at all levels.

Memory Training Programs Fail Researchers' Review

In recent years, we have seen the rapid proliferation of “brain training” and "memory training" programs that purport to build working memory (mentally suspending information while using or manipulating it), treat attention deficit disorder and learning differences, and generally improve cognitive function in children and adults. We have been reluctant to recommend these programs because they tend to be expensive and time-consuming while the long term benefits are unclear. When asked why we don’t recommend these programs, I frequently respond that the idea that exercising an isolated brain function will improve your academic performance makes as much sense as thinking that arm exercises will make you a better tennis player.  

Research demonstrating that these brain training programs are beneficial may sound convincing. After all, we do know that we are constantly making new brain cells and re-wiring our brains. We know that working memory, which is often compared to a computer’s RAM, is an important brain function that plays a major role in many important activities. We also know that these programs do lead to short-term improvements in performance on working memory tests.  

However, what has not been clear among all of the hype surrounding these commercial programs are the answers to two critical questions:

•  Do these improvements persist over time?         
•  Does the improved performance on working memory tests translate to improved performance in school?

An article recently released on-line and about to be published in the journal Developmental Psychology answers both questions in the negative. In the article, Drs. Monica Melby-Lervag and Charles Hulme report on their meta-analysis of 23 different studies. Their conclusions:

  

• “Memory training programs appear to produce short-term, specific training effects that do not generalize”
• “Current findings cast doubt on both the clinical relevance of working memory training programs and their utility as methods of enhancing cognitive functioning in typically developing children and healthy adults”

On the other hand, activities that build mastery in meaningful activities, enhance self-esteem, and support the development of healthy relationships are “brain building exercises” that have been well documented to produce long-term benefits that extend beyond the task at hand.

Photo by Likethegrandcanyon used via Flickr Creative Commons

What Works Clearinghouse

Educational publishing is a business, much like any other, and the marketing materials for instructional programs that are designed for use by schools are filled with descriptive language that emphasizes the effectiveness of such programs. It can be difficult for schools, individual teachers, and parents to determine whether a program or approach is truly effective in helping children with specific learning needs. Understanding how a particular instructional approach works and whether it is effective is of crucial importance, particularly since the IDEA mandates that children receive instruction that is evidence-based. 

Fortunately, the "What Works" Clearinghouse, operated by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education provides educators, policymakers, researchers, and the public with information about "what works" in education. Since it began in 2002, it has had the goal of providing accurate, evidence-based information about instructional programs that are in use in our schools. It neither recommends programs nor offers lists of programs for particular educational needs. What it does do is assess the available research and provide a sense of whether a program is truly effective for the population and learning issue it targets.

When children who struggle with academics are provided with educational supports by their schools -- whether as part of a generalized support available for all students or through more extensive services provided under an IEP under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act -- parents are often advised that their child will be receiving instruction using a particular program or approach. By checking the Clearinghouse, they can see the research that supports the program their child will be using, find out where it has been shown to be effective, and note those areas where its effectiveness has not been demonstrated.

New Apps, Sites, and Guides for Students and Families

We're always on the hunt for new and useful tech tools that can aid students and families in their pursuit of learning achievement. Today, we present our latest findings. As always, if you have a tip on a tool that's new to us, or if you have a personal story you would like to share about how you and your family are using apps or web tools to enhance your academic experience, let us know in the comments.

Starfall ABC’s

This site is divided into four sections so that kids of different skill levels can all benefit. Level 1 is dedicated to learning letter sounds, Level 2 does a nice job of walking kids through the process of sounding out words, and by Level 4, kids can choose from plays, Greek myths, comics, and other genres to practice their reading skills; a child can click on an unknown word and the website will read it correctly.

For kids just learning their alphabet and matching the sounds with the letters, there is an app available as well. Available for "iDevices," the Starfall ABCs app costs $2.99. It’s a fantastic tool with lots of repetition and imagery to help the sounds stick in children’s minds. There are even some simple games. It should be noted that the other reading levels available on the website are not currently available on the app. 

Montessori Crosswords

This app, available for $2.99 from the iTunes store, has earned continuously high ratings from users. Children are shown a picture and asked to drag letters from the alphabet into boxes to spell the word. They can hear each sound by tapping on it, reinforcing phonics skills. The game tracks the number of words spelled and also breaks the words into categories (“words with consonant blends,” “simple words with 3 sounds,” etc.)

Sound Literacy

Sound Literacy is an amazingly insightful tool for building a huge number of literacy skills. Children can use the app to practice learning basic skills like letter-symbol associations and phoneme segmentation or build sophisticated vocabulary using roots and affixes. Users can customize the letter tiles by adding their own letter combinations and colors (all short vowels can be blue, for example), and children can drag and drop the letters to carry out an almost endless variety of tasks. The biggest limitation to Sound Literacy, however, is that it is best used in conjunction with instruction. It is an excellent tool for students who work with a tutor, however, or whose parents wish to walk their kids through literacy-building exercises in more depth.

iProcrastinate

There are many apps that allow users to make and organize lists, but iProcrastinate has been among the best received. Like many other app offerings, tasks can be color coded, arranged in different ways, and synced between computers and devices. One of its most attractive features is its ability to offer ways to break tasks down into parts. This can be a blessing for any student with a tight schedule, but it’s an especially insightful and critical support for students who struggle with sequencing and for whom large tasks seem especially daunting.

Kno

For students who prefer to read on a screen, have limited space, or just want to save money, Kno website is an appealing option for accessing college textbooks. Instead of buying books from a store or online, students can purchase and download books through Kno. The service also allows students to practice good active reading techniques, like highlighting and note-taking with a sticky note feature, and students can record audio or video during lectures and take pictures of important notes on the board. Features not included in any textbook are three-dimensional diagrams (great for science courses) and a “quiz me” button that tests students on the material in portions of the textbook.

HearBuilder 

Phonemic awareness*, the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in language, is essential for learning to read. While most children don’t require much work to develop their phonemic awareness, others cannot hear the difference between ship and sip or determine that rock and sock rhyme but rock and rack do not. For children struggling to hear and differentiate between the sounds of language correctly, HearBuilder software may be a useful teaching tool. The software, designed for students from kindergarten to grade 4, helps children develop nine areas of phonemic awareness, including syllable blending, syllable segmentation, phoneme deletion, phoneme addition, and rhyming. The lessons can be set to different levels of difficulty according to student skill. Customer reviews have been positive, and research, available for perusal on the HearBuilder website, has indicated that the product is effective.

*Note: The terms “phonemic awareness” and “phonological awareness” are often used interchangeably, though their meanings differ slightly. Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to hear phonemes, or the smallest units of sound, in language. Phonological awareness involves both sounds and letters and so goes beyond simply hearing sounds.

NYC Elementary School Guide

Lacking the bells and whistles of the apps and software listed above, a decidedly low-tech resource may nevertheless be helpful to New York City parents of young children interested in finding the right public school match for their child. The Department of Education has just released its 2012-2013 Elementary School Directory, with information about the registration process and on individual schools.

Fall Events for New York Parents

Autumn begins next week and here in New York that means that fall programming is beginning at the city's cultural, educational, and other institutions. We want to let you know about some of the programs we think can be helpful for parents and students.

A new program for parents begins tomorrow evening at The American Museum of Natural History in New York. The Wired Child: How 21st Century Technology Affects the Brain will look at how the technology which our children and teens are using impacts their brains and development. The program is in four parts, each on a Thursday evening, and features presentations by such speakers as Dr. Pamela Rutledge of The Media Psychology Research Center, Dr. Douglas Gentile, Director of the Media Research Lab at Iowa State University, and Dr. Kirk Erickson, Professor of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. The fee for the four sessions is $240 and registration is available online.

The JCC in Manhattan is beginning its fall season with programs for parents, children, and teens dealing with learning and related issues. Among their offerings are separate programs for teens (Transitions) and for young adults (Adaptations) with learning and social difficulties, groups for which services are often limited. There are fees for all JCC programs.

Everyone Reading (formerly the New York Branch of the International Dyslexia Association) has several upcoming workshops for parents and teachers scheduled for this fall. These workshops cover topics from an overview of dyslexia, to spelling, to teaching social studies. There is a full list of workshops, all of which charge a fee, on their website.

Another New York City group gearing up for its fall programs is Resources for Children with Special Needs, whose free programs take place in locations throughout all areas of New York City's boroughs. The topics range from "Understanding Your Child's IEP", to "Special Education Made Simple," to "Getting Ready for High School." The programs are geared for parents and groups. Schools and organizations can request specific topics or arrange for presentations in Spanish.

Last, but not least, our own Susan Yellin, Esq. will be speaking at Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, New York on Getting Ready for College: A Guide for Students with Learning Differences and Their Families on Thursday, October 13th from 6:30pm – 7:30pm. There is no fee for this program but pre-registration is required. Contact jane@plattjohnson.com to register. Mrs. Yellin is the co-author of the award winning book, Life After High School: A Guide for Students with Disabilities and Their Families (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2010).