It is accessed by clicking on the picture of the silly man on the toolbar.ĭragging more than one image into the Symbol Finder The Symbol Finder is the part of Boardmaker that enables you to search for and view images that are part of the Boardmaker symbol library collections. Importing a saved image into the Symbol Finder by dragging and dropping an image from a saved file or web page.by using the import tool from the File menu and.There are two main ways of adding new images to your Boardmaker creations or symbol library: digital images taken with your camera and saved onto your computerįile formats supported by Boardmaker are jpeg, bmp, emf, wmf, gif, png.You can now easily import different images temporarily or permanently into your Boardmaker picture collection. There will be times that you just can’t find the picture or symbol you really want from the existing collections in Boardmaker? Here’s how you can add more. Personal preferences of the learner may play a part in deciding what pictures are used. Some learners may find it difficult to generalise across picture and symbol types and may need to learn and use a consistent set for communication or literacy support. What pictures or symbols you use in the activities you create will largely be based on the needs of the learner(s) and the task involved. So please, please, please, don’t EVER take your paraprofessionals for granted.Enhancing your activities by using more pictures Thankfully we have been gifted with a new para and boy, do I ever feel lucky. I probably would have gone absolutely crazy without him… and I’m sure there are times when I did go crazy. Especially the one who has been with me over the last year when we lost the 2nd para in February until November when we got a new one. We all teach something different and we’re all in different stages of teaching, but we’re there for one another… and it really has made a world of difference. When I feel like I’ve tried everything, I know I can always turn to this group of special people and ask their opinions. I have found so much solace, in good times and rough times, in a special ed group on FB. But you need someone to go to when you feel overwhelmed or someone you can share the successes with! Don’t keep it all inside, there are people out there who support you! It can be someone in a different state or country. Your mentor doesn’t have to be someone at your school or in your district. Whether you’re a veteran or a newbie, or somewhere in-between the two, you need a mentor. It’s rare and hard to come by being a special education teacher, so if you happen to be at a school where you feel and are supported, know that you are one of the lucky ones. And I don’t just mean from your assistant principal and principal… you need it all the way up. This is a big one because if you don’t have supportive administration, you’re going to have a rough time. For example, the day one of my students pooped in the urinal ( see, I was speaking from experience!) I was mortified… but now it’s absolutely hilarious. Some days you will go home so frustrated, defeated, or overwhelmed that you just want to break down and cry… and sometimes you’ll be able to do nothing but laugh about it. You will see everything… and I mean e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. You may find humor in me writing about them, but in all seriousness… you need them. Now these are the things that cost you nothing. This stuff is genius! Now it isn’t strong enough to hold weight onto your board, but it works great for cookie tray tasks and hanging papers on the front board. You know what’s best for your students, so if the only way a student will finish a writing activity is if you reward him with fruit snacks, well then you’d better make sure you’re stocked up. And, honestly, some of them are only rewardable with food. I know that lots of other teachers will tell you no candy or treats for kids, but guess what… our kids thrive off of rewards. Yes, YOU need to have that secret candy stash for when that IEP meeting lasts just a little too long… or your room got trashed from a meltdown. This can be anything that you and your students like. Set up work task bins, organize all of your manipulatives, or use them to house snacks and other goodies. Color coded bins and any type of plastic containers are just what any SPED teacher wants and needs. I could just stare at that picture for days… it is just pure teacher Heaven.