A New Year and New Opportunities

As 2012 begins, I'm delighted to be involved in several brand new projects and working with new clients as well.  At the same time, I'm completing several projects that were in the works in December.

Top of the list for the beginning of this month (with an imminent deadline!) is a major National Endowment for the Humanities grant I'm spearheading for the New Bedford Whaling Museum.  This is a terrific opportunity for me to work with a major local museum and to spend time on site at meetings and exploring galleries with staff - something I've missed as I've worked almost exclusively with clients located at a distance from Cape Cod.

Pico Island in the Azores, from "A Whaling Voyage Around the World"

Meanwhile, I continue to work on a variety of educational projects.  Right now, I'm continuing to work with Michigan-based A-Pass Educational Group on a project for a major publisher.  My job: to turn print textbooks into interactive lectures and assessments using a presentation software called Articulate. This is a long-term project which will run through March.

A new client, The World Scholar's Cup, is an international educational organization that challenges youth to engage with, debate and conduct research surrounding a variety of academic topics.  My challenge is update and enhance a resource guide on the topic of biotechnology - making it accessible for kids in grades 6-12 from around the world!

As before, I am continuing to work with the online magazine Autism After 16, researching and writing articles on autism-related topics such as IEP's and transition planning; community inclusion; and much more.  In addition, I continue my consulting work with the Boston Children's Museum and Boston Museum of Science, all of which focuses on best practices and training for inclusion of kids and families living with autism.

As the Year Draws to a Close, Projects Continue to Bloom

It's now December, and with the change of seasons comes a whole new crop of projects and activities.

This month, I'm writing the third in a series of "mini-books" for seniors interesting in getting involved with computers and the Internet.  So far, I've written two 7,500 words books on "Digital Cameras" and "Email," and am now in the process of creating a book called "Introduction to Your Computer."  The books, created by a small publishing company, will be packaged and sold as a set with a total of ten titles.

I'm also excited to mention that I've begun a major grant writing project for the New Bedford Whaling Museum.  The Museum is a wonderful community resource, as well as a well-class historic museum, so I am delighted to included in their important work.

Meanwhile, I continue to work on a variety of educational writing projects.  I've just finished a large assessment project, and will shortly begin creating storyboards for an Articulate-based "interactive lecture" series.  Educational writing seems to be experiencing a boom, and it's exciting to be on the forefront of the digital publishing world!

Projects in Process: Fall 2011

As the school season progresses, I seem to be taking on a wide variety of educational projects - some digital, some print.  It's always exciting to be in a learning mode, and as an educational writer you can't help but "learn something new every day."  Here are some of the projects in process right now!

• I'm putting the finishing touches on over 30 interactive high school-level lessons on anthropology and sociology for a major virtual education firm
• I'm knee-deep in developing storyboards for a first-grade Singapore Math program to be offered via Promethean software on Smartboards
• I've just begun researching ssue #8 of Stream Explorers, Trout Unlimited's educational magazine on coldwater conservation and wildlife

I'm also excited to announce that I'll be working with the Children's Museum of Boston as a consultant on a grant-funded project intended to support inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorders in afterschool programs.

Last but not least, I'm in the early stages of developing an IMLS grant to support access and inclusion of families with autistic children at two museums in the greater Philadelphia area.