Healing Hiatus

Long Version of Story:
In what has to be one of the most bizarre things to happen to me yet last night I was mauled in the left hand (at the base of my thumb mostly) by this neighborhood stray cat I pet frequently.  If you have never been bitten, forget mauled, by an animal let me give some news, it hurts. 

I drove myself, in my pjs (since I had run down to put out the trash in my pjs) to the ER with my hand wrapped in some blood soaked gauze.   Treatment started with a wash of the bites (there are about eleven of them) and a hand soak in a betadine solution.  Since the feline in question was both unknown to me and whereabouts unknown I was treated immediately for both possible bacterial infections and rabies. Yup, rabies.  Forget what you learned on Different Strokes, the injections were not in my stomach.  Ten injections of Rabies Immunoglobin were given into my backside, thighs, upper arms and into the wounds.  Then the first of five rabies vaccines was given DIRECTLY INTO THE WOUNDS, that would be along my thumb joint.  The vaccine is about the thickness of corn syrup and it was took multiple "sticks" to get it all into the swollen and unyielding joint area.  Then I was given a tetanus shot.  I also had two IV drips of anti-biotics.  Nausea inducing anti-biotics.  Finally I was bandaged, given the dates for my future returns to the ER for more rabies vaccinations, and told that at my third visit I will be sent to see a surgeon if I am still unable move my thumb.  My good hand full of prescriptions and a note to return to work I headed home, it was about 3:30 AM.

Touch typing is impossible, so I have done this via one handed hunt and peck.  I am exhausted from the medications and nauseous from the anti-biotics.  Thus,

Short Verion of the Story:

I am taking a blog hiatus to recover.  I plan to return either after Thanksgiving or after my last rabies vaccine injection (12/17) when ever I feel the closest to "myself" again.

Kate

I am this many! Happy Blog Birthday!

Today marks the third birthday of Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs! Whoo-whooo!

What started out as a way for this special education teacher to give back (and keep busy during recovery from ankle surgery) has turned into something much, much bigger. Approaching 1,000 posts, 130+ Google foll0wers, an average 850-1000 visitors a day, nearly 500 Google Reader subscribers (and who knows how many other RSS readers) and about 500,000 visits total since inception. Wow! Who knew?

There is also now an active TLWMSN Ning (online discussion group) and a Facebook Group.

If this blog has helped you this is your time to come out of the woodwork. Please comment and leave some blog birthday wishes!

Thanks, Kate Ahern, M.S.Ed., creator and author of the Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs Blog

Wordless Wednesday - Juicing for Key Lime Pie

Time Timer iPod App

We have a morning routine that goes something like this: the students gather around the projector for morning meeting and one of my wonderful teaching assistants gathers up a behavior chart, a dry eraser maker, and a huge Time Timer.  She approaches a student and reminds her of her ability to earn a reward by collecting ten stars.  A star is given each time ten minutes passes on the Time Timer without incidence of interrupting/disruption and a bonus star is given for each appropriate AAC device activation.  Through our morning meeting I watch the student and the staff quietly interact as they draw dry erase stars on the chart and re-set the Time Timer for ten more minutes. 

Ironically, almost, the reward this student earns is use of the classroom iPod touch to listen to music.  She uses Flick Tunes to be able to more easily change the song, but in general is just content to have music on.  

Won't it be cool this week when I can download the only app I have been waiting for from the iTunes store and have this entire process move to the iPod Touch?  The Time Timer App (get it in the iTunes store) is a way to have a Time Timer in your pocket.  It is perfect for counting down those difficult transitions (we just used our "old fashioned" Time Timer for this the other day, a student who does not like to leave on Fridays is given a five minute countdown on the Time Timer and then leave school like a pro) on the go.

We will even think about adding one of the many star charts apps (iAchieve, iRewards, Earn It Stars) to our iPod Touch as well, so the entire process from the Time Timer to the stars to the music is in one place - on one iPod. 

Power Point Add-On for "Switch Happy" Students

NCTE: Scoilnet

  a. Scoilnet Newsletters.

  b. Positive feedback about Scoilnet from CPD courses.

NCTE: IBM Kidsmart

Schools across the country have once again benefited from IBM’s continued commitment to education and innovative use of technology in education when they received Young Explorers™.  This is IBM’s 10th successive year of the very successful and innovative KidSmart Early Learning Programme in Ireland.

RDS Primary Science Fair

The RDS Primary Science Fair provides an opportunity for 100 lucky primary schools to exhibit a class project at the annual BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition which will be held at the RDS in January 2010.

Clare Teachers Embark on European Web 2.0 Project

Teachers from eight Primary and two Secondary schools in Co. Clare have been taking part this week in workshops in Clare Education Centre and St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Tulla on how to use the latest Web 2.0 applications like blogs, photo galleries and Skype and other open source tools for teaching and learning

BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2010 - record number of entries

A record number of schools have entered the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition for 2010, proving that interest in science, technology, mathematics and engineering continues to grow throughout the country.