Final Thoughts, Links, and Breaking News
Final app: Khan Academy Kids released early learning app for ages 2-5 with thousands of learning activities including books, songs, lessons, and games to foster math, reading, and social/emotional growth.
- here’s a link to the announcement: https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/07/12/khan-academy-kids-launches-for-early-learners.aspx
- the link to Khan Academy Kids website: https://www.khanacademy.org/kids
- ready to try Khan Academy as a teacher, parent, or student? Watch the Beginners Guide to Khan Academy (13 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdB5qhGRSgQ
- download FREE app from Apple App Store (available in beta for Android)
How Can the Learning Disabled Find Meaningful Work?
In previous units, we’ve learned that many autistics have great attention to detail and enjoy doing repetitive tasks. We’ve also learned that some with AD/HD seem to have strong “big picture” skills relating to creativity, analysis, planning, and being visionary. These are traits that are in demand by employers, yet the disabled often have great difficulty finding work. The 15-min video below develops the idea that we are wasting talent through the assumption that the neurodivergent will not fit in in real organizations. Hannah Barham-Brown shows how the special traits of the disabled can be employed to stop wasting their talents:
Article: neuroscientist David Eagleman tells 10,000 educators about neuroscience discoveries about creativity in kids (and why it’s critically important): https://thejournal.com/articles/2018/06/25/what-neuroscience-teaches-us-about-fostering-creativity.aspx
Check out Eagleman’s 1-page bio on his Stanford faculty page (IMPRESSIVE GUY!!!): https://people.stanford.edu/deagle/
Reinforcing the Need to Engage Neurodivergent Students Early
Watch the 10-min video below of a school (with a blind principal) that expects to help neurodivergent kids as individuals in real classrooms — both with and without technology: