Product Review of Do 2 Learn

Product Review of Do 2 Learn Visit Their Website In search of emotions cards to use as part of my social skills programs and the article I wrote on Emotional Literacy, I found Do2Learn.com, a great resource for emotions, but with a range of other offerings. Not everything on offer is of equal quality or value, but the unique quality of the free games and social skill songs make the whole site worth adding it to your favorites. In an effort to make a full offering of activities as well as their super interactive games, the publisher put up some kind of lame art and writing activities. They are overly simple, lack much specificity and replicate things that are free on other sites. The interactive games, on the other hand, are super for children with disabilities, especially students with poor skills and an interest in computers. They are also great for classrooms with Smart Boards or Promethean Boards, as these boards act as giant touch screens, and students with poor motor skills get a bit of gross motor activity in as well. A Mix of Free and Inexpensive Games and Resources The free computer games and songs come with some companion activities, which are generally sold as inexpensive digital files delivered to your email. Resources for Emotions I stumbled on the site in search of emotions cards. I have a set that was already in my classroom, but I wanted to find other resources to recommend to my readers. I stumbled on the feelings cards that  you can print on your color printer. It uses the faces of real models, faces that reflect diverse ages, races and ethnic backgrounds. And when I found the ​Feelings Game, another free resource, I was delighted. I have been using it with my class on the Smart Board in my classroom. My students take turns tapping the sad or angry person on the nose. It also has three levels, from matching the face to the emotion, moving on level 2, where you read a scenario, and choose how a person would feel, and finally reading a scenario and naming the emotion you see on the persons face. There is a second free activity is the Facial Expressions game, which allows children to manipulate facial simulations to mirror human facial expressions. In some ways they seem kind of creepy, but students on the autism spectrum love the computer, and it does help them isolate specific aspects of facial expressions, from the direction of the eyes to the shape of the mouth. A Cursory Survey of Disabilities and Disabilities Terms It seems that the creators of Do2Learn are attempting to create a comprehensive special education website, but the informational pages are cursory at best. The disabilities sections offer both definitions of the disabilities and an adjoining page that lists strategies. And List is the right word: the strategies are dense and dont provide the logic behind choosing specific interventions. They are not written with enough specificity to inform the novice, nor enough structure to help professional plan interventions. Worksheets and Activities for Students with Disabilities The Do 2 Learn team also attempt to provide a broad range of activities, activities for students from a range of ages, disabilities and challenges. I work in the same field, and know the challenges of creating attractive worksheets and materials to support the range of needs for children. They include fine motor activities like cutting, letter recognition and Math activities. I find the activities they create worthwhile, but with poor production values. By all means, feel free to use them, but they are not the reason for a trip to Do 2 Learn. Picture Cards Do2Learn has created their own pictures cards to be used for Picture Exchange. They seem pretty comprehensive, and may work as a suitable substitute for PECS, Boardmaker symbols or Pogo Symbols. They claim to have over 2,000 symbols, but without access to their picture making system, its hard to gauge the range and readability of the pictures. Still, Id check them out before purchasing one of the other two systems. Do 2 Learn: The Destination for the Feelings and Emotions Resources Put Do 2 Learn in your favorites, if you are doing social skills and emotional literacy activities. These are outstanding. The color and math Mahjong games will be fun for your students, as well. Put shortcuts on the computers your students use, especially for young students or students with emerging skills. They will enjoy them. The other activities that make it worth the trip are the social skill songs for safety. Not songs you will want on your IPod; still, paired with short videos they are catchy and will help young students with disabilities remember important steps to guarantee personal safety. By all means, make the trip. Check out Do2Learn and see if they have resources you can use. Visit Their Website

40 Back From Christmas Break Writing Prompts

40 Back From Christmas Break Writing Prompts Christmas break is over and now its time to get back into the swing of things. Your students will be very eager to talk about all that they did and received over the holiday break. A great way to give them the opportunity to discuss their adventures is to write about it. Christmas Break Writing Prompts What was the best gift that you received and why?What was the best gift that you gave, and what made it so special?Write about a place that you went over the Christmas break.Write about something you did with your family over Christmas break.How did you bring joy or happiness to someone other than your family this holiday season?What are your familys holiday traditions? Describe all of them in detail.What is your favorite Christmas book? Did you get to read it over break?Are there any parts of the holiday that you didnt like? Describe why.What are you most grateful for this holiday season?What was your favorite holiday food that you had over break?Who was the person you spent the most time with and why? What did you do with them?What would you do if Christmas, Hannukah, or Kwanza was canceled this year?What is your favorite holiday song to sing? Did you get a chance to sing it?What did you miss the most about school when you were on break and why?What was one new thing you did this h oliday break that you didnt do last year? What will you miss the most about Christmas vacation and why?Did you get to see a movie over winter break? What was it and how was it? Give it a rating.Think of three New Years resolutions and describe them and how you will keep them.How will you change your life this year? Describe the steps you are going to take.Write about the best New Years Eve party that you have ever attended.What did you do for New Years Eve? Describe in detail your day and night.Write about something you are looking forward to doing this year and why.Write about something you hope will get invented this year that will change your life.This will be the best year because†¦I hope that this year brings me†¦.Make a list of five ways your life is different this year than it was last year.Its the day after Christmas and you noticed you forgot to unwrap just one gift†¦This year I really want to learn†¦.In the next year, I would like to†¦.My least favorite thing about Christmas break was†¦List three places you wish you could have visited over winter break and why. If you had a million dollars, how would you spend it over winter break?What if Christmas only lasted one hour? Describe what it would be like.What if Christmas break was for one three days, how would you spend it?Describe your favorite holiday food and how you can incorporate that food into every meal?Write a letter to Santa thanking him for everything you received.Write a letter to the toy company about a defective toy you received.Write a letter to your parents thanking them for everything you received for Christmas,If you were an elf how would you spend your Christmas vacation?Pretend you are Santa and describe how you will spend your Christmas break. Celebrate the Holidays with Christmas Activities

Police and alcohol abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Police and alcohol abuse - Research Paper Example Alcohol forms a significant component of cultural, social and interpersonal associations in most societies across the world. According to Doherty and Roche (2003), alcohol is the most widely used drug in the world in spite of its well documented adverse effects on health and social order. Medically, research has demonstrated that consuming moderate amounts of the beverage is beneficial to health by reducing incidents of cardiac ailments especially among the elderly (Lindsay, 2008). However alcohol abuse is a major global concern, affecting people in various professional backgrounds. The adverse effects of excessive alcohol consumption to the user and others are documented in numerous research studies. Excessive alcohol consumption is a major contributing factor of premature death, high morbidity rates and accidents in the population. In addition, it increases of interpersonal violence and aggravates mental illnesses such as depression resulting to high suicidal rates in the contemporary society (Doherty and Roche 2003). In the police force, alcohol consumption does not only cause health problems, but also impacts negatively on the officers’ performance. In a profession that requires high levels of alertness, alcohol use lowers reaction time and reduces mental and physical coordination. A combination of these factors results to reduced productivity in the work place, high levels of absenteeism and increases the risks of work related injuries and accidents(Lindsay, 2008). Research findings on drinking habits of police officers indicate that they drink higher quantities of alcohol in a given occasion compared to the general population (Amaranto, et al 2003). Several factors are attributed for alcohol abuse in the police.

Nursing care to transgender Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Nursing care to transgender - Research Paper Example Nursing care to transgender: Current state of knowledge Both the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force define transgender â€Å"broadly to include those who transition from one gender to another (transsexuals), and those who may not, including genderqueer people, cross-dressers, the androgynous, and those whose gender non-conformity is part of their identity† (NTDS, 2011, p. 12). Gender non-conformists include lesbians, gay, and bisexuals (NTDS, 2011, p. 12). Provision 1 of the Code of Ethics for Nurses of the American Nurses Association (2001) pointed out that â€Å"the nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.† The preamble of the Code of Ethics prescribed by the International Council of Nurses clearly and unequivocally pointed out that nursing care must be respectful and unrestricted by gender and gender orientation (ICN, 2006, p.1). In line with the codes of ethics mentioned, this review of literature seeks to find out the current state of knowledge in gender-orientation-sensitive health care. ... literature seeks to find out what material can be considered as the material that can provide a basic reference for protocols and approach towards a gender-orientation-sensitive health care. This review covers materials from 2009 to 2012 and starts from a review of literature conducted on the subject in 2009. Thus, the inclusion criteria followed for the literature review are works written from 2009 to 2012, published in nursing or health journals, and must have the word transgender in the title of the material. The exclusion criteria included materials that are unpublished or non-journal articles, published earlier than 2009, and those that are only online materials. Other materials appear in the bibliography because they are relevant to be discussed in elaborating the points articulated in the selected materials. In a review of literature Addis et al. (2009, p. 647) pointed out that â€Å"member of various groups will have different needs, risks and expectations which impact on he alth, well-being and patterns of accessing health and social care services.† Primarily based on this point, the authors justified why a review of literature on social and health care are important among the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older people. The focus of the authors’ integrative review of literature was to find out what research has indicated to be the appropriate guidelines or principles in health care among transgender people. Addis et al. (2009) pointed out that transgender people have been largely unknown, together with the gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. Based on their 2009 review of literature, Addis et al. observed that among the main themes that can be derived in the health care studies involving the social groups are isolation and their state of mental health.

Business to Nation Building Essay Example for Free

Business to Nation Building Essay There are three particular foundations sustaining any process that concerns nation building: government representing political leadership; civil society or the citizens of the country; and business or the economic sector. These three concepts must work together and as much as possible, work together harmoniously to drive the said nation-building process forward because they serve as the hands and feet of the nation. Business is the cornerstone of prosperity in society: companies create the resources that permit social development and welfare. Companies, through their commercial operations, actively contribute to progress in society. Obviously, the government alone cannot accomplish things especially its projects and programs on its own. Had it been capable, it would already have done it. Without the businesses around, the government wouldn’t work out the plans it opt to undertake because it needs funds coming from taxes and taxes comes from these establishments. The ability to produce an added value for firms – profit – is the basic prerequisite for business, but it is also a foundation for prosperity in society. Only profitable companies are sustainable in the long term and capable of creating goods, services, processes, return on capital, work opportunities and a tax base. This is what business does better than any other sector. Hence, companies’ basic commercial operations are the primary benefit they bring to society. Companies benefit society by: Supplying goods and services that customer cannot, or do not want to, produce themselves * Creating jobs for customers, suppliers, distributors and co-workers; these people make money to support themselves and their families, pay taxes and use their wages to buy goods and services * Continually developing new goods, services and processes * Investing in new technologies and in the skills of employees * Building up and spreading international standards, e. g. or environmenta l practices * Spreading â€Å"good practice† in different areas, such as the environment and workplace safety The role of business in the development of society can be described in many ways. In another point of view, they are sometimes referred to as the company’s corporate social responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility is a less broad concept than civic involvement. Even though there is no set, internationally accepted definition, this is often described as a voluntary responsibility that transcends the demands of national legislation and includes the human rights and environmental and social issues. Another definition of CSR uses sustainable development as a starting point. In practice, CSR means that businesses meet the demands of national legislation and, where this is inadequate, look in addition to a collection of established, fundamental freedoms and rights that are globally recognized. CSR demands that businesses manage the economic, social and environmental impacts of their operations to maximize the benefits and minimize the downsides. Business is the ‘game-changer’ of today’s world. We are significantly dependent on them. Majority of our day-to-day activities are involved with an interaction with various kinds of businesses (whether you felt hungry and decided to buy food or you just went to a parlor to have a haircut). But what’s good to know is that they do not benefit from us alone whenever we pay their goods or services but they give mutual advantage for the welfare of the greater society by having their own share in nation-building, too.

Graduation Speech :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Tonight is a turning point in our lives. We've struggled through 12 longs years together to make it to this stadium -- to wear these ridiculous looking caps and gowns as our families watch us proudly. But tonight is more than just a ceremony, it is the closing of a chapter in our lives, the end of our public education. Our education has been a time of maturing, goal-setting and self-discovery. Mostly this has been positive. Time sure flies, so my parents say, but I think it's been a long 12 years -- 13 if you count kindergarten when our parents first put us on that big yellow school bus. As time passed, we discovered that school wasn't so bad. We learned reading, writing, arithmetic, and of course, our most scholarly class: recess. Junior high was another story. We were very eager to discover ourselves and to mature -- perhaps too eager. Above all, we learned to think a lot about ourselves and not much about anything else. High school has been a time of self-discovery for all of us. Suddenly, in high school we got responsibility -- more than we wanted. We balanced jobs, sports, family, friends, and of course, homework. We also found ourselves busy with school assignments -- chasing down butterflies for our biology insect collections, parallel parking the family car for driver's ed., going to the library to actually do research and pulling all-nighters to write our term papers. It is not surprising that by the middle of 12th grade we began to develop a little syndrome -- sometimes referred to as senioritous. However, we managed to trudge through the last part of this year to achieve the dream and goal that we've worked so hard for. High school has really been about setting goals and accomplishing them. As this chapter closes in our lives, it gives way for the opening of many more chapters to come; all of which will bring new challenges. Accomplishing our dreams is what gives meaning to life. The poet Carl Sandburg said, "Nothing happens unless first a dream.

The Katrina Breakdown

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina may be remarked as a very important aspect to understand the relationship between federal, state, and local governments when it comes to major catastrophe. In Katrina’s case, federalism is seen as central to what was largely a government-created disaster. Numerous scientific articles are trying to offer various interpretations of what went wrong and why; however, out of all perspectives, I find Stephen Griffin’s argument most persuasive. Yes, I may agree with Martha Derthick that there were both success and failures in governmental responses to the disaster, but I also find this idea less persuasive because there were more failures than successful responses. I may agree with Marc Landy’s position that federalism was put to a difficult test that required effective decisions, speed and coordination, and I agree that some citizens were not cooperating with the mandatory evacuation orders and consequently were the ones to blame. However, Griffin’s examples of governmental failure show something valuable about the nature of federalism. First of all, he proves that federalism is not simply about the fact of the existence of federal and state governments. Federalism is also about localism. Despite being dependent for their legal authority on state governments, local governments have substantial legal and political authority. Prior to Katrina, federal disaster policy had been based formally on the idea that local governments knew local conditions best. However, one of the most unusual characteristics of Hurricane Katrina was how it blasted away the entire local government infrastructure in New Orleans. It challenged assumptions as to how the federal structure needed to operate, not just during a crisis, but also in preparing for crisis situations. It also removed the basis on which the National Response Plan was built. Second, the failure to respond to the disaster exposed one of the few real structural weaknesses in the U. S. Constitution – a mechanism to coordinate the work of local, state and national governments. While Washington had difficulty making long-range plans, coordinating its actions and political decisions, local, state and federal officials were debating over who was in charge. The fractured division of responsibility – Governor Blanco controlled state agencies and the National Guard, Mayor Nagin directed city workers, and the head of FEMA, Mr. Brown, served as the point man for the federal government – meant no one was in charge. For example, the evacuation was delayed unnecessarily because the federal and state governments could not communicate effectively about who was supposed to provide transportation. It meant that officials were unaware that there were thousands of people without food, water, or bare necessities. The consequences of this governmental paralysis were appalling human suffering and the humiliation of the U. S. government in the eyes of the nation and the whole world. Another part of the problem was that the scale of devastation was vast. It appeared that Katrina was beyond the capacity of the state and local governments, and it was beyond the capacity of FEMA. Federal authorities were waiting for state authorities who were supposed to combine local decisions to request resources in an emergency. However, when local governments and communications had been wiped out, state authorities did not know what to request. The extent of the crisis meant that state officials were unable to cope. In other words, when the crisis hit, different agencies could not communicate with one another due to different types of systems. When in fact, Katrina was a national problem and could only be solved by a national mandate. It seems that the federal system must be a certain way because it has always been that way – it is a system that the founding generation designed and thought was well-justified. Among other effects, this saves officials from having to fully confront their own responsibility for how the system is run. In Katrina’s case, for instance, there was no justification for allowing local and state authorities to fight for years over who was going to buy which communications system. They should have not fight over the idea of how the block grants needed to be distributed. Indeed, they would not have been able to fight at all were it not for the federal dollars they were receiving. Unless some institutional and constitutional lessons of Katrina are learnt, if another terroristic event, or a massive earthquake, or even another hurricane happens, we will get the same ill-coordinated response. We need to stop our customary thinking about what federalism is and what it requires in order to prevent another disaster. The formal structure that does carry over from the eighteenth century is misleading because it has been supplemented and subtly altered by continuous institutional change. To quote Stephen Griffin: â€Å"The federal system as it exists today is our system, not that of the founding generation. â€Å"We† – generations still alive – created it and we are continuing to change it. † In any event, if this system is ours, we are responsible for its successful operation and we can decide to change it for good and sufficient reasons.