Low Tech: Highlighers and Highlighter Tape

Everyone knows that second to my love of sticky notes, is my love of highlighters! They come in many shapes, sizes and colours.



They can be funky and great for children
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They may be unique in shape that can make them easier to hold

Image from http://singaporecorporategifts.com/



They come in all kinds of colours and a vareity of brands.
(These are my personal favourite)
Image from http://officesupplygeek.com/



They can be designed for specialized grips
Image from http://imprintitems.com/

 There is also another wonderful product call highlighter tape. This is great because it is removable and can be used in textbooks or storybooks without ruining the pages. It is also a great alternative to highlighters if the fine motor difficulties make drawing a line a challenge.

 

The tape also comes in a
variety of colours.
Image from http://www.callowayhouse.com

The tape comes in a variety of
widths and can be put on a spool
for ease of use.(And convinient storage!)
Image from http://lakeshore.biz/home/home.jsp

Some uses for highlighters include:



Isolating key words or instructions



Isolating key information from a body of text.



Indicating important dates, appointments, or as a

reminder of what your shifts at work are.

I hope today's blog was helpful! Feel free to send me pictures of the interesting things you have done with highlighters!

Now just to share with you a photo of one of my favourite things....it's a highlighter and sticky notes!!!

Image from http://store.officeworld.com/

Low Tech: Magnifiers

Sometimes visibility is the barrier to success for individuals. Glasses are a great option for many, but for those who do not have that option or who need a little more help, there are maginfiers.
They come in several forms and can be fairly inexpensive.



There is the hand held magnifying glass.
Image retrieved from http://www.ccrane.com




   There is the magnifying sheet. 

Image retrieved from http://store.lighthouse-sf.org/





There are the magnifying bookmarks that can also have reading panes in them. These are the most portable and flexible in use. They can fit into a wallet, purse, or backpack and you can attach a coloured ribbon to them to make them easy to find.

Image retrieved from http://www.wrappedandready.co.uk/

 

Have a fantastic day!

Low Tech: Sticky Notes!

Sticky Notes have to be one of my favourite low tech tools because they are so versatile and come in all shapes, sizes, and patterns!

Sticky Notes are flexible in use, inexpensive, and can be used at school, at home, and for things in the community. Below are some examples of sticky notes from my (unhealthy) collection:

 They are great for reminders around the house:

 

They are also great for organizing the book you are reading!

They can help you isolate important information and are perfect for leaving reminders on the page.

They can also help with creating story maps and organizing thoughts for writing.

I hope today's topic was helpful! I know I love sticky notes and find them useful. Some people might say it is an addiction though...

Have a great day!

What do High and Low Technology Mean?

I thought I would start off with a simple description as to what high and low technologies really are. For simplicity sake, I will refer to them as High Tech and Low Tech for the remainder of this blog


High Technology refers to any assistive device that requires training and is often expensive. High Tech devices are generally electronically or mechanically based such as computer software and motorized wheelchairs.


Low Technology refers to any assistive device that can be easily used and costs very little if anything. Low Tech devices are things that can be bought from a dollar store or found around the house.


Anytime I talk about a device or tool I will be sure to indicate whether it is low or high tech!


Another term I would like to give you is Universal Design. In short, this means that something can be used by nearly anyone without any modification. One low tech example is curb cuts at the ends of sidewalks and walkways that can be used by people in wheelchairs, the elderly with canes or walkers, people with rolling suitcases and even delivery persons. A high tech example is the automatic doors to stores and offices that allow people in wheelchairs to access the builiding without the need to pull a handle or turn a knob. These automatic doors can also be used by someone with an armful of packages! Universal Design applies to everything including the home, community and schools.


Resources:


The Center for Universal Design (CUD) [North Carolina] http://www.ncsu.edu/www/ncsu/design/sod5/cud/
Universal Design For Learning http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/UDL/


Have a fantastic day!