iPad for Special Education

This article is mainly aimed at children/adults who are mentally challenged.

As a brother of a mentally challenged sister, I completely understand the different obstacles that come with daily life. It takes a lot of patience to deal with people of her nature. The biggest things are: constant reiteration of the do's and don'ts in life.

My sister hasn't been in school for a long time, and has different issues that upset her...i.e., writing her name, her ABC's, and counting past 10. Most of us take these simple things for granted, but i don't. I relish in the fact that I know how to put my shoes on the right feet, tie my shoes, write my name, and able to do simple hand-eye coordination tasks.

I am a gadget freak! When it comes to technology, I have to have it all! When the iPad was released, I couldn't wait to get my hands on one! Just a little over a month ago, I indulged and bought one. I was on cloud 9! Browsing through all of the killer apps that was available on the iPad had in the app store...I didn't know what to do with myself.

One day I was watching Netflix on my iPad, and that's where my interest was sparked about the educational possibilities of teaching people with mental challenges began. My sister asked if she could watch Dora the Explorer on it. Now mind you, she is a Dora the Explorer aficionado! She can (and will) watch Dora all day and night long if she could. After observing her watch her favorite show, I decided to teach her how to press "pause" and "play." She felt like a "big girl" watching her favorite show on my iPad. Angela, my sister, had learned quite a few things off of Dora. For example, my other sister (Jennifer) and I like to speak in Spanish around our family...mainly because no one understands Spanish in our family! Well, one day Angela was having a rough day with emotional outburst, and then Jennifer said "Let's giver her some medicine to calm her down" in Spanish. Angela, looked at us and said, "I don't need medicine to calm down!" Jennifer and I looked at each other with the biggest stunned looks on our faces. Angela had learned to speak and understand more than just the basic words in Spanish. (BTW, thank you Dora! We now have to learn to used a different language! lol).

Angela's retort in the translation of our Spanish had my brain moving a thousand miles an hour. Using Netflix was just a beginning point, in my mind, of where Angela could learn better eye-hand coordination and other basic skill sets. After scrounging around the App store, I found some amazing apps that would be extremely beneficial for almost all people with mental retardation!

1. Netflix: Netflix uses simple controls of pressing pause and play. When the person has learned these 2 basic steps, take him/her to the next level of making the screen bigger and smaller, and then finally to the level of picking their own show(s) and pressing the PLAY icon. This App is FREE!

2. Intro to Letters, by Montessorium: What a great little app this is! You have the whole alphabet in front of you! You can press the different letters to trace with your fingers or with an iPad stylus (I HIGHLY recommend the stylus. It allows the person to feel like they are using a pen/pencil). You all get to press a button to hear the letter pronounced! Another great advantage. The purchase prices is $4.99, but definitely well worth it! Here are the rest of the details from the App store site:

Intro to Letters includes a special recording area for iPad and iPhone users, where your child can listen to their own voice, as they practice to enunciate and name the letters of the alphabet.

Intro to Letters also offers two modes for learning letter shapes, names and sounds. "Random" mode harnesses the proven Montessori approach to learning language — isolating small groups of letters or phonograms, allowing your child to focus on them and trace them into memory. Want to target a specific letter? Flip over to "Practice" mode, where your child can choose which letters to focus on.

3. Penultimate: This was a free app, but I believe it is not $1.99. It's another MUST have, especially with the usage of the stylus! They can practice writing their ABC's, names, and just about anything! The app has 3 to 4 different paper style appearances. The parent or teacher can actually create the guidelines for them to trace, and then have them do it on their own.

4. Dora the Explorer Chrimstas Adventure: Nickelodeon is doing a phenomenal job at designing interactive story books! From using fine motor skills, to visual and verbal interactions. Nick gets 5 stars from me! I'm actually in the process of showing my sister on how to use it, and then leave her off on her own. The iPad book app was $4.99, and I haven't regretted buying it yet! This app actually brings the characters to life, and allows the participants to get lost in it! Word of caution: The pupils will learn Spanish, so be cautious of what you say! LOL!

5. Fruit Ninja: Believe it or not, I highly recommend this app! It helps with a lot of hand coordination! It has lots of bright colors and movement! Mentally challenged people need to see lots of different colors to spark their synaptic nerves and excite their eyes. The price is $2.99, and you'll definitely love it!

6. My Coloring Book Free: Yes! It's FREE! It comes with 37 different pictures to color in! It works on the premise of the the "paint bucket" tool found in a lot of design programs. They pick the color and the spot they want to fill in with the color. Another great hand-eye coordination app. The best part is that they can actually save the pictures, you can print it if you want, and you can re-use the same picture over and over and over again.

7. Baby Flash Cards: It's FREE, too! It shows an extremely adolescent picture with the associated word. It will even pronounce the word for you with the coinciding picture! It contains a bank of over 200 words and pictures! Not too bad for something free!

8. Read Me Stories: It's also free, but it has a lot of different in app purchases for stories! Which does make it great. You can choose which story books you want to buy. The books are done in a matter of where a 5 to 7 year old should be able to read, but the best part about it is that it actually "reads' the story for the person using the app, while following along. You get a new free book daily, and the person gets to learn a lot. It features no words in each story, and to properly say the word while reading the word. Plus, if you really like the book...there is an in-app button to buy from Amazon.com.

Well, these are my top picks for now! The biggest part in the beginning process is to have a lot of patience in showing these amazing people on how to use the apps, including the basics of launching and closing an app. Don't lose faith! Don't lose patience! It will be a difficult task on your part, but with true diligence you will see a great difference in their learning capacity. You will have to do a lot of moderation at first, but you will see how you can start letting them go on their own one step at a time. Of course, you might see yourself indulging in these apps!
I hope you enjoyed this blog. If you have any other apps that you would like to recommend, please post a comment and share! Many kind thanks in reading and sharing!

Over 10,000 Dead in Japan

There are over 15,000 people still missing.

To learn more, Click here to read

The U.S. Faces Possible Long Term Stay in Libya

1http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2011/03/world/libya.civil.war/?hpt=T1

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42177894/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/

How is the U.S. Military interaction in Libya concerning you?

What is your biggest fear about our Interaction?

Do you think that we are spreading ourselves, as Americans, to provide world-wide assistance to Libya and Japan?

What kind of threat does Gadaffi possess if he remains in power? (Rumors are that he might!)

Please provide me with feedback for upcoming article.

You can respond via e-mail (dmurphy74@gmail.com) or post your comments under.

Gaddafi Vows to Fight Back

This is is all just too insane with what's going on with the world right now. Between Japan and Libya, what's going on?

Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post

Japan to Bury Nuclear Plant

I find this absolutely amazing.

Japan has increased their nuclear level from 4 to 5, this based on an International Nuclear Event Scale. This is a common practice based throughout the world. France rebutted and stated Japan should actually increase it to a level 6. A level 5 incident is comparison to that of 3 Mile Island. Chernobyl was a level 7, which from my understanding is the highest of levels.

Japanese are still being encouraged to stay inside, and to leave all fans and air conditioners off!

They were given instructions to wear wet towels,clothes, and face masks if deciding to go outside.

AND if you do go outside, they ask that the citizens and strip and take showers immediately. Sounds pretty safe...huh?

More on this, and the plans for the burial of the Fukushim Dai-ichi Nuclear plant can be found here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/18/japan-nuclear-plant-_n_837596.html

Over 200,000 Japanese are asked to evacuate and stay inside!

Full Story here ===> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Nuclear Reactor now on fire. A meltdown is now a foreseeable future. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Japanese Government Warns Those Nearby Nuclear Plants to Stay Indoors to Avoid Radiation Exposure

This just in from the Huffington post!

Japanese Ordered To Stay Inside! (click link to follow story!)

There are so many different scenarios going on right now.

The Japanese Government is doing the best they can to avoid a full meltdown.

Fourth Reactor Now on Fire in Japan!

Tuesday morning, as an explosion at the most crippled of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station damaged its crucial steel containment structure, emergency workers were withdrawn from the plant, and much larger emissions of radioactive materials appeared immiment, according to official statements and industry executives informed about the developments.

Workers at the Nuclear Power Station are now leaving. If all workers leave, a meltdown is inevitable. The issues they are dealing with now is hopes that the prevailing winds don't blow southward towards Tokyo or westward across Japan and to the Korean Peninsula.

“It’s way past Three Mile Island already,” said Frank von Hippel, a physicist and professor at Princeton. “The biggest risk now is that the core really melts down and you have a steam explosion.”

Citizens can be seen wearing masks while going about their daily lives. Radioactive steam is being release, and drawing major concerns. What will happen next? We pray that another Chernobyl doesn't occur.

Third Reactor Failure in Japan

The anxiety of Japan, and the rest of the world, rose high when the announcement of the failure of the third reactor. And now, Fukushima Daiichi officials announced the fourth reactor is now on fire. The world stands on its toes to see the reaction of Japan in how they will move forward.

The death toll has already rose to 2,414 people, with at least 3,118 people still missing. Reporters from across the globe are trying to reach as many citizens of Japan...recording their stories of the events that unfolded. One account, which touched me the most is as follows:

"She had been waiting for help all night, outside. She had been washed away by the wave. ... The moment she opened the door of the house, the water flooded in. ... She grabbed hold of a tree and hung on, hung on for dear life with the water all around her. A ... floor mat floated by, and she grabbed it and held on to that."

As the woman spoke in Japanese, the interpreter's voice trembled in English: "Her daughter was washed away. She was washed away, and she has not found her." (NHK Reporter & Interpretor).

Japan Trying to Cool Reactors From Possible Meltdown

Japanese efforts to prevent a nuclear meltdown by flooding reactors with seawater are a last-ditch attempt, but do not mean that a nuclear tragedy is imminent, experts said Sunday.
Nuclear experts who have followed the developments at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan say that despite several setbacks, the possibility of massive radiation exposure remains low -- at least for now.
Japanese officials are keeping an eye on two nuclear plants that have released radiation beyond normal levels. At the Daiichi plant in Fukushima, in two of the three reactors -- Nos. 1 and 3 -- the Japanese government is assuming, but has not confirmed, that there has been a partial meltdown because of the powerful earthquake and tsunami that struck on Friday. At a second plant, in Onogawa, excessive radiation levels also were recorded, though officials have told the United Nations' atomic watchdog agency that the situation is "under control."

They report that they don't expect a complete meltdown.

The Sea water "appears" to be working, but with the unlikely side effect of corrosion from the the salt and boron in the water.

James Walsh, a research associate from MIT claims, "..a mixture of salt and boron is the last thing you want to do. It is essentially a white flag waving stating 'The plant is done.' They are using this as a last resort to impede a partial or full meltdown." A meltdown is a catastrophic failure of the reactor core.

As of now, they are picking up high levels of hydrogen inside the reactors...which is an indicator of a potential precursor of a meltdown. As of today, Japanese officials are still claiming this is not a meltdown."

The biggest dilemma that Japan is facing is the combination of the 8.9 earthquake mixed with the tsunami. The earthquake knocked out the main cooling system, and then the tsunami washed over the site and knocked out the backup generators.

All eyes are upon Japan in how they are handling this detrimental situation. Even though they are one of the most prepared countries in dealing with natural disasters such as these that occurred, everyone's skills are still put to the test. Global specialists are lending their hands and knowledge to assist where they can.

Japan hit by Earthquakes & Tsunamis

This disastrous event has left a death toll of 1,ooo people and climbing.

The world has come together in peace and support for this crippled community.

Thus far, there has been a report of over 40+ multi-tremors, called after quakes.

The Following videos have left the world in awe and stunned.

As I watched the whole ordeal unfold, I grabbed heart in sigh for those being washed away

while still in their vehicles...with no clue of what was to come. I saw it coming. I wish I could've stopped it.

I send my most heartfelt condolences to the people of Japan.

You have my Heart.

You have my Love.

You have my Prayers.

Attached are videos of the event.

Imagine for just a moment...

A time and place where we don't lose sight of human contact and emotion.

We are on the verge of this very practice: text messaging, e-mail, facebook, myspace...just to name a few!

When was the last time you actually took a moment out of life to write a "handwritten" letter...and I mean more than just writing the address, salutations, love and all that other jazz. Humanity as a whole, has almost lost this art of writing.

Yeah sure...we sit...we blog...we "like" and we tell the world how we are feeling at the moment.

The time has come to re-establish ourselves as human beings in connection with each other.

We are all so afraid of moving in a direction that would be a great thing.

What are you afraid of?

Write a letter.

Call a friend.

Make a lunch date.

Get out of the house.

Step away from the computer and put your cellphone down. Trust me...you'll be fine without for a little bit.

I have to go take a walk and breathe in life for a while.

Why don't you take a moment to do the same?

There's a whole world waiting for you...ya never who might run into or meet.