Posts by Ian Bean
Complex Needs and Switches: It Could Be You!
Posted in Techniques & Tips
Ian Bean October 8, 2011
Ian Bean October 8, 2011
I had a lovely day yesterday. I spent it in the company of five colleagues from a special school in the Midlands who had asked me to work with them to develop their use of switches in school. This was a good school where ICT is used in a way which was meaningful and appropriate to the needs …
Symbols 101 Part 3
Posted in Techniques & Tips
Ian Bean September 23, 2011
Ian Bean September 23, 2011
“What symbol do I use for ‘pursuant’?” I recently delivered symbol training for an organisation that provided sheltered housing for people with learning difficulties. Like many organisations working in this sector they wanted to ensure that their written communications with their tenants were accessible. They purchased symbol processing software and asked me to help them. The training went …
The trouble with lists …
Posted in Sources for Quality App Reviews, Tools & Resources
Ian Bean September 12, 2011
Ian Bean September 12, 2011
Like many colleagues, I am very interested in how new technologies are being used to classrooms to support learners with communication, cognitive and other difficulties. Right now I’m researching the use of ipads. Like many of you I see these in schools and I’m constantly being asked for recommendations of the best apps to use. My research has …
Symbols 101 Part Two
Posted in Techniques & Tips
Ian Bean August 30, 2011
Ian Bean August 30, 2011
In the previous part we discussed the importance of ensuring the symbols we choose actually communicate the information that we hope to impart. Is it obvious what the symbol means? If not can it be decoded by the child considering their level of understanding or do we need to teach the meaning of the symbol? In this section …
Symbols 101 Part One
Posted in Techniques & Tips
Ian Bean August 19, 2011
Ian Bean August 19, 2011
Symbols have been around for many years and it’s very rare for me to visit a school where they are not using one symbol set or another to support their students. From the earliest days when colleagues used to physically draw pictures over words with pencils, the use of symbols has provided support for early literacy, communication and …
