Slide-A-Round Math Manipulatives

My son and I were at a gas station near Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport.  A Georgia state trooper was parked next to me by the gasoline pump.  The state trooper roller down his window and asked for information about Slide-A-Round Math Manipulatives because he saw the magnet on my car.  The state trooper stated that he and his wife are very concerned about his son’s progress in math.  After discussing his strengths and weaknesses, we decided that the 100x and Money manipulatives would be in his best interest. After doing a short demonstration by the gasoline pump, he purchased those manipulatives for his son to use during the 2013-14 school year.  I never really thought about being able to help a student at a gas station.  My goal is to help one student a time regardless of where I am.

I spoke with Jodi Burr, Assistive Technology Strategist at the Northwest Assistive Technology Center.  We scheduled a training session for her colleagues to effectively implement the manipulatives in their classrooms that her center recently purchased.  This is so exciting! While I am teaching my students at Elm Street Elementary in Rome, Georgia, my manipulatives are helping students about 600 miles away. The dream keeps on getting bigger!

I would like to thank Rebecca Cowan-Story, Georgia State Coordinator of Deaf Blind Services, for the opportunity to demonstrate my math manipulatives at the Cave Spring Vocational Rehabilitation Center for individuals who might have macular degeneration or other low vision conditions. My goal is to help one person at a time by sharing my ideas with parents, teachers, and specialists.

I met an administrator, Donna Morris, Assistant Director for the Tri- County Special Education Association, in Bloomington, Illinois. Even though I “dropped by”, she still made time to hear new strategies to help her students. After a short demonstration, she was willing to share my contact information with her colleagues. We discussed how my math manipulatives can be used to differentiate instruction in all academic settings and the limited manipulatives for students to use to round numbers up to 10,000,000.

I demonstrated my math manipulatives to Beverley Holden Johns. Because my manipulatives would be effective for all students, Ms. Johns invited me to present at the 2014 Illinois Council for Children with Behavior Disorders Conference on February 1st and exhibit at the 2013 Illinois CEC Conference on November 7th-9th.  After I meet my commitments to schools and school systems and have time available on my calendar, I would like to accept her invitation.

Follow my blog for more information regarding my attendance at the conferences.

I have scheduled a demonstration with Beverely Holden Johns at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois on June 14th. I am eager to share my differentiation strategies and fractions manipulatives that can add or subtract whole numbers with different denominators without paper and pencil with her.

Ms. Johns also invited me to the 2013 Illinois Council of Exceptional Children Conference in Lisle, Illinois on November 7th-9th.  I will do my best to be there because I am sure it will be  a great conference!

I would like to Gayle Morrison at the Yarmouth  County Learning Network in Nova Scotia, Canada for purchasing some of my math manipulatives to help her students.  To make a long story short, when I first designed my manipulatives, my immediate goal was to help the students in my inclusion classroom. In just few months, they have spread from Rome, Georgia to Martinsburg West Virginia to Monroe County, Florida to Jean Massieu School for the Deaf in Salt Lake City, Utah and several other places in between.  Now, they are being used in Canada! I am very grateful for Ms. Morrison and all of the other teachers, administrators, and parents who are willing to use my manipulatives as a Plan A, Plan B,… or Plan Z to help provide a solid math foundation for their students.

I had a great discussion with Darryl Lum, AT Manager at the Assistive Technology Resource Centers of Hawaii. Mr. Lum offered to share my manipulatives with his colleagues. I really appreciate his support and dedication to provide alternatives to teach students with disabilities.

Dawn Adams, Vision Consultant for Region 8 in Texas, has invited me to demonstrate my manipulatives to her colleagues during the first week in October.  Ms. Adams first saw my manipulatives at the 2012 Texas Assistive Technology Conference in Houston and wanted others to see them firsthand.  I am also scheduling other follow-up demonstrations during that week in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

I appreciate Carrie Bearden’s invitation to present at the Kentucky Council of Exceptional Children’s Conference in Louisville in November.  Within the last year, I have had the opportunity to personally share my ideas in several different states and talk to many educators across the country.  After a few details get worked out, this will be my first conference in Kentucky.  Based on the professionalism of American Printing House and several other educators with whom I have spoken on the phone and via email in Kentucky, I am sure this will be a great  learning experience for everyone!

I spoke with Hubert Staley, an educational specialist with the Alabama Department of Education, and accepted his invitation to present at the Alabama MEGA Conference coming up July 15-19 in Mobile. For those of you who will be attending this conference, my presentation is scheduled for Friday, July 19th. I look forward to meeting with people and putting faces with names.