Thanksgiving App Sales and Braille Apps

Did you know you can like the maker of your favorite apps on Facebook? This will allow them to alert you about new apps you might like or let you know when their apps are on sale.

I noticed at a lot of app makers  are having Thanksgiving sales this week. See if you can get some good deals!

Technology in Education and Brain Parade are both having sales this week.

Speaking of Apps...what about Braille Apps?
I'm using Tom's iPad to learn braille. Tom's vision therapist has been working hard on Tom's pre-braille skills so I feel like I have to step it up and work on learning Braille. Tom and I read together every day and I try to make sure at least a couple of the books we read are Braille books. I keep asking our friends and family for Braille books for Christmas so maybe he will have a good Braille library very soon. Tom really has a lot more patience for books that have Braille.

And we got a Perkins Brailler (the new style) from Tom's vision teacher! Lucky us!!! Once I get good at Braille I could try to add braille to some of Tom's regular print books but I'm not that good yet. I can do a book with very little text with my braille labeler but anything with paragraphs need a professional touch.

 I have been using an app called BrailleCoder to test me on my skills. It has matching tests, multiple choice and finally fill in the dots testing for the braille alphabet. I am definitely getting better after working with this program.

Once I get proficient on the alphabet I will need to move on to learning contractions or level two braille. Braille uses contractions just like we do in written English. It allows one or two braille symbols to stand for a whole word that is commonly used: the, after, because, cannot, their.

I have not found an app with Braille contractions yet. Hopefully one will be out by the time I need it!

EDIT 11/27/11
There is now an IEP Checklist App for the iPhone/iPad!
My son is only two so we aren't ready for IEP's just yet. (We don't do those in Pennsylvania until children are age three and services are provided by the school district.) But I know we will be making that transition soon.

An IEP Checklist app is a fabulous idea! It can help keep everyone on track at the IEP meeting and hopefully make for a more productive and fair result. What a great tool!