you're translating and relaying that information. I remember that as I listened to the instructor guiding the students through works by(You're able to take in some of the information while you're translating and relaying that information. I remember doing just that as I listened to the Ms Everett guiding the mainstream and deaf students in her class through works by Tennyson and Alcott, and all the rest! While listening to one lecture on one particular day, I suddenly remembered a card game called Authors that I played as a child with my cousin Joan at my Aunt Marion and Uncle Bob's house. "Do you have "House of the Seven Gables by Hawthorne?" I'd ask my cousin and she'd give me the card with a list of four of Hawthorne's works and a painting of the author.
- Our First Product:Wanting to find that deck of cards for my daughter and finding it was out of print, at the urging of the owner of "Grand Games", a game store on Nicolett Island "back in the day", I decided to publish my own deck, American Authors. I would need a company name and after watching "Man From LaMancha" on "video tape" one night with my family, I decided that the concept of 'dreaming the impossible dream' would be the basis for naming our company "Windmill Works".
- Expansion of Company: From there, my ideas expanded to wanting to combine my knowledge of teaching techniques with Mike Olmon's software programming skills to create classic fun learning matching games for the computer learning. It eventually led to the unique creation, Presidential Solitaire, a computer game in which the player learns the order of the last 13 Presidents simply by playing. At the same time, we created other classic software learning matching games especially for deaf/hard of hearing and other emerging English language students
- Our Growing Product Line: It has always been my goal to make learning pertinent not only to deaf and hard of hearing students, but to all learners. Thus the concept of designing a software program by which teachers can input their own content into matching games withComputer Game Makerand Computer Game Maker LITE was a project that has been exciting to create. Windmill Works was thrilled to have created a software program of Texas state symbols for a kiosk in the children's educational section at that state's Historical Museum in Austin, Texas. We hope to be able to customize more games for a number of museums and websites in the coming months!
- 2014: We have combined all of our efforts in the past 20 some years under one umbrella and have called that umbrella,Language Rocks!
- When I'm not working on new content and updates for the educational software created by Language Rocks, The business is a US based woman-owned and operated family business. When we're not busy adding new online learning games, creating apps such as The Perfect Husband App andLive from Milwaukee, It's Tuesday Night, we're working on the next book in the Lucky, the Left-Pawed Puppy series, more essays, and audio clips.
- We're never too busy, however, to give your suggestions, comments, questions, individual attention when you email us at: comments@languagerocks.com
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Again, our thanks for your visit and please don't hesitate to contact us. As a small company, we pride ourselves on being able to give individual attention to our customers and their needs!
Best wishes, Billie Kelpin Olmon and Mike Olmon
Language Rocks was originally started as
Windmill Works in 1985.
- The Story: I happened to be working as an Educational Interpreter in 1985, having taken a little break my previous Deaf Education teaching possitings. I remember interpreting for Ms Everett's fantastic English Literature class that year. As those of you who are in the field know, interpreting can provide a great deal of inspiration because while you're listening to lectures, trying to find the precise translation for your students, your brain is in some kind of "super drive" mode. You're able to take in information while
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