The Assistive Technology Blog

Brian Friedlander at assistivetek has posted a nice video showing how to use this feature. Check it out at
http://assistivetek.blogspot.com/2010/07/myscript-for-livescribe-plug-in.html

Consider this option, Direct from Ning.com "Pearson, a leader in education services, technology and school solutions, will be sponsoring Ning Mini for free for North America K-12 and Higher Education Ning Networks. This program is opt-in, so please visit the Pearson registration page to find more details and get signed up. Ning and Pearson will not take any action on your network without your consent. If you have a Ning Network or are creating a new one, submit your information on the Pearson registration page to get Ning Mini for free!" http://about.ning.com/pearsonsponsorship/

We've just stumbled upon a really cool new iTouch app.... Read To Me. Not only does it do the obvious, read the text aloud, but you can import text from Google Docs or the Web! Less that $5.00!

If you purchase a 32 or 64 GB iTouch, you then have access to many of the universal access features!

Explore various online applications provided Gizmo's Freeware. Please note that some of the applications were created overseas and their websites may not be in English, but you will find what you need following this link:

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gizmosbest/~3/kVjMCCQ19mo/best-free-online-applications-and-services.htm

In November 2008 the Virginia Department of Education released materials for school divisions to use when developing operating guidelines and service delivery models for assistive technology. Included in the document Assistive Technology: A Framework for Consideration and Assessment are definitions, laws, consideration guidelines, and a process for assistive technology assessment. Sample forms and additional resources are also provided. These documents do not replace any federal or state regulations but are designed to assist Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams in planning and implementing assistive technology (AT) services to students with disabilities.

Many of the resources provided have been developed by national leaders in assistive technology. Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) acknowledges these experts Penny Reed, Joy Zabala, and Gayl Bowser for providing leadership and their expertise to the development of assistive technology services in Virginia. Acknowledgment is also given to the following projects: the Wisconsin Assistive Technology Initiative (WATI), the Georgia Project for Assistive Technology (GPAT), the Oregon Assistive Technology Project (OTAP), the Texas Assistive Technology Network (TATN) and the Louisiana Framework for Conducting Assistive Technology Consideration, Screening, and Assessment for creating model AT documents and procedures, for generously allowing other AT programs to use their materials, and for inspiring others to continue to learn more about AT.

Click on http://www.ttac.vt.edu/vaatpp/index.html to read more and access these resources.

...on matching the right AT to the student you are working with!
Click on http://www.wati.org/ and then "Supports."

Make sure you register soon for this engaging conference that offers cutting edge information on learning and assistive technologies at http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/conf10-overview/

...and found this link which gave me some more ideas!

Click on http://www.trcabc.com/resources/teachers-corner/top-10-classroom-uses-for-highlighter-tape/.

I have always appreciated the universities that ask their engineering students to use their knowledge and newly acquired skills to create a product that will change people's lives in a big way. Check it out!

http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?org=NSF&cntn_id=115433&preview=false

Here's a great "access app" from our friends in Scotland on how to keep accessiblilty more universallly available for your web users at http://access.ecs.soton.ac.uk/ToolBar/

I just read an interesting entry on assistivetek.blogspot.com about Context Discovery. It's a website summarization tool. You enter a URL into the program and it makes a summary for you from key words. Brian Friedlander shows screenshots and describes the process on his iPad here: http://assistivetek.blogspot.com/2010/07/context-summarizer-on-ipad.html.

By the way...his reviews are pretty good, and he shares his experiences, often with screenshots. Look around the site while you're there!

(Sometimes you just have to ask.)

We answer that question here: http://www.vcu.edu/ttac/assistive_technology/about.shtml.

There are so many reasons why you might want to create a screen recording:
- Help students show what they know
- Provide directions for independent work
- Provide tutorials in using software or exploring/using internet sites
- Provide background knowledge for tutors, families, and others who support students
and more!

Want to know how? Click here: http://ttactechtuesday.pbworks.com/Windows+Media+Encoder

The importance of literacy development cannot be emphasized enough. Access to the printed word is the how we develop these skills. For those who are blind, the printed word means nothing and as educators and families figuring out how to help these students access print is essential. Touch Graphics Inc. and Exceptional Teaching Inc. have teamed up to develop SAL2 a next generation Braille literacy courseware that runs on a Talking Tactile Tablet. Students are able to practice their current Braille skills and enhance their Braille reading and writing skills. Check out their progress.
http://www.touchgraphics.com/research.sal2.htm

A recent article in Education Week addressed online schooling for students with disabilities (http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2010/06/16/03speced.h03.html?cmp=clp-cec) and noted that AT implementation can be challenging in a virtual environment. The article quote Heidi Silver-Pacuilla, from the Center for Implementing Technology in Education, as saying,
"Virtual schooling can be as inaccessible as physical schooling if accessibility is not built in," which is a reminder to all of us that every environment should be considered when determining a student's need for AT. The author adds, "For instance, many assistive technologies that students with special needs may benefit from--such as screen readers or audio transcribers--are high-bandwidth applications. Without a powerful Internet connection at home, those assistive features are unavailable to students." Good things to keep in mind, fellow AT team members, as our world changes around us!

...and how far we've come!

Check out this 2002 article by Gregg C. Vanderheiden from the Trace R&D Center, University of Wisconsin at Madison. He presents an account of the early days of augmentative assistive communication through a personal narrative. Enjoy!

http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/02/39/6/sup/vanderheiden.html

This is a great tip from our AT friends in Loudoun County Public Schools,

"Choose easy to read fonts - nothing too curly or fancy. The Verdana font is reported as the font that is most easily read. Times New Roman, Comic Sans and Arial are examples of others to consider. For some students you may need to present a variety of documents using different fonts to help them generalize the variety of ways letters can be presented"

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/deffont

Wonder what makes an interactive whiteboard (e.g., Promethean, Smartboard, mimio) "interactive"? Find out by checking out the materials here:
http://ttactechtuesday.pbworks.com/Using-Interactive-Whiteboards-as-Literacy-Tools.

This was today's TechTuesday topic; if you missed the event--now you have the materials! Don't want to miss the next round of TechTuesdays? Keep an eye on the T/TAC training calendar: http://www.vcu.edu/ttac/professional_development/

Want to learn the latest research in touch technology? Check out Touch Graphics Inc. and learn what is the latest in development and what a fun place to work!
http://www.touchgraphics.com/research.htm