Teaching by Design: Using Your Computer to Create Materials for Students With Learning Differences

TEACHING BY DESIGN grew out of the author’s personal need. Her daughter, Ashley, has multiple disabilities that affect her visual, language, and motor skills. Kim shares her excitement for using the computer to solve the puzzle of Ashley’s disabilities, enabling readers to learn to do the same. She stresses the importance of presentation and demystifies for the reader how design variables – images, type style, and layout -- can affect learning.This innovative, practical book teaches how to use computer graphics programs (Microsoft PowerPoint, FreeHand, Illustrator, AppleWorks and CorelDraw ) to create, design, and adapt educational materials for people with profound to moderate developmental disabilities of all ages. A companion CD-rom included in the book provides dozens of timesaving graphic templates that give designers a head start in the process. More than 30 recipes provide easy, step-by-step instructions for creating dynamic, customizable materials, such as a Game Spinner, Telling-Time Worksheet, and Flash Cards. Creating materials requires basic computer skills that many readers may already have or can easily learn. The book is organized into the following sections: · Graphic design considerations: How presentation variables (images, layout, type-style) affect learning. · Graphic skills, programs, and resources: Tips on using specific graphics programs; where to find images and buy art supplies and materials. · Recipes: step-by-step instructions. Each recipe indicates: o What Materials You’ll Need (Arts & Craft Supplies; Software; Hardware) o Level of Difficulty (Most are Simple) o The Skills to Teach: What areas of learning can be addressed with the finished product -- visual perception, math, language, communication, reading, handwriting, or self-help. · CD-Rom: Includes ready-to-use graphics templates to use in the projects described or to adapt into something new

Kimberly S. Voss is the author of School Fonts for Beginning Writing and Transitional Fonts for Emerging Writers, published by Mayer-Johnson. She has nearly two decades of experience modifying and creating materials to teach her daughter to read, write, spell, and communicate. She speaks nationally on the use of computer technology in special education and rehabilitation. Voss lives with her husband and three daughters in Tulsa, Oklahoma.