My Point of View ....

App Rubric to guide you in app selection

2012-02-05T12:12:00.002-05:00

There are over 100,000 apps in the app store according to Apple. As an educator and AT Specialist I was struggling with the evaluating apps for the students that I support. How do you know if the app is right for the goal you are working on with your student? I searched and found no information on how to judge the app with the details I needed for the special needs population. Most of the 100,000 apps in the app store do not have the features that are needed for the some of the special needs population but in general they do not have the needs of the general population. We are a country/world of many languages however most apps do not support multiple languages at least in the American app store.

The purpose of the rubric is to help guide your choices, it is not the end all. Just because an app score lower on the rubric doesn’t mean that it does not support a specific student needs. For example, an app that is used for behavior management such as the Autism 5-Point Scale EP is not going to get a high number on the rubric.The question you need to continually ask yourself is: Does this APP meet the students’ needs or specific goal you are working on? If the answer is YES then that is what matters. It also means that you can continue your search for an app with those features you like in that app but may offer you growth potential. This rubric was designed to address academic selection. I needed something that could offer a more objective way to view the apps. Most times when you read reviews it is subjective. I wanted something that was free of emotion or or personal prejudices.

There are many wonderful app review sites out there that can lead you in the right direction. They give their point of view about the app but since they don't know your student the review cannot tell you if it will meet your students needs. It is important to evaluate the app yourself. If you don’t have the app check to see if your friends have the app so you can have hands on time. Contact your local lending center in your state to see if they have the app so you can borrow it, try it, and evaluate it. It isn’t enough to watch a video of the app you are thinking of purchasing, having someone else point out the highlights of the app.

Please offer some feedback on the app rubric. If you would like to see something added or wording changed.

Here is the link to the Rubric that was developed. Please note that I am always adjusting the rubric so check back to see if it has changed.

http://www.4shared.com/file/9M0-HR0N/iapp_evaluation_Rubric.html

Not always what it seems...

2012-01-18T23:22:00.009-05:00

Today I was in a session with a student that is learning to use Intellipad (Name change coming). The teacher made a comment prior to my session that this student was doing a perseveration behavior with the text to speech in the word prediction and smiling at the teacher as the student was tapping the screen. I found this odd because the student had used text to speech in the past and also used the word prediction program in the past. Although odd, I figured to take the issue at face value. It needed to be investigated.

I decided on the following course of action:

First ask the student about the use of the product and how they felt it was going, any difficulties and was it helpful.

Second was an observation of the student using the device.

I sat away from the student so I wasn’t peering over their shoulder but close enough to see and hear what was going on. The student had to type a journal entry in response to questions written on the blackboard.

The student started to type and I heard the word prediction (list to the word) and then student selected the word (word speaks again). So far so good. This went on for about 5-10 minutes. Then I heard the same word repeated over and over. A word I knew the student could spell and type. I let it go 2,3,4,5 the student staring at me with a smile. OK time to get involved.

I asked the student, “why listening to the word so many times?” The response, “It isn’t typing word just saying the the the”. So I give it a try, 1,2,3,4 OK I think I can stop now.

Hmmmm. So what was perceived as this student having a perseveration behavior with the text to speech and smiling at the teacher really was not really what was happening at all. The student was having a problem with their device and app. The student wasn’t sure how to ask for help. So the student would turn and look and smile at the one person in the room that they hoped could help them. The student just wanted to get the teacher's attention without being disruptive to the other students.

The moral of this story is that before you assume a student is performing a behavior for attention, take a look at what is going on. There are times that it can be a behavior but even a behavior has aspects of communication. But there are times something is happening because of a malfunction of the tool and they don't know how to explain it.

Even with technology students need support and sometimes more support until they master the skill. Moving from an iPad from a computer was a huge jump for this student. The student had used a computer for 17 years. The iPad was a new tool that had only been used for recreation. This student was not using it as a learning tool means all new expectations and skills.

The solutions were simple ones:

The student was given a stylus for using the word prediction. This way the student couldn't accidentally hit the speaker and word at the same time.
If it repeats more than twice, just copy the word or type the word to the best of your ability.
The student was given a help me card to indicate that help was needed. I made enough for the 10 other students in the classroom. They were shown if they need help, place the card in front of them.

Access to the iPad

2012-01-16T14:46:00.008-05:00

The past few weeks I have been working with three young children that have a form of MD. Not all the students are from NJ. Each has a different type of the same disability. All three are unique and amazing in different ways, what each have in common beyond a DX is their drive to be as independent as possible. All their hopes and dreams involve one form of technology or another.

The oldest student is in high school we will call him Bob. His personal goal is to be able to access the internet so he can Facebook with his friends and get on MySpace (yes it is still there). Bob loves music and wants to be able to create music writing, playing and producing music. He also knows he has to do school work not as motivating as the first two goals. Bob is currently attending school on a regular basis but that can change at any time. When it changes because of illness, he will receive home instruction 10 hours a week.

The middle school student we will call him John. His personal goal is to be able to play his games on Playstation, Wii and some computer based games. John is an avid reader and wants to be able to access books that are not assigned by the school. He knows he can listen to books but he wants to be able to READ not listen. John also enjoys school. However, he is on home instruction because of mobility issues. He has a wheelchair but also lives on the third floor of a high-rise building. The elevator has been broken for 5 months and no one knows when it will be repaired.

The youngest of the students we will call him Juan. His personal goal is to be able to enjoy time playing with his sibling and family. So many of the things he can do is hand over hand or isolation play. Juan has the most significant limitations of his movements but has the best head control. Juan enjoys using the computer to join his class for 30 minutes a day. Juan would also be able to listen to books (he is just learning to read). It is something he can share with his family or do by himself. There are games he can play also that if he played the typical way he would be a spectator. Juan at this time does not go to school but that could change with time. Juan enjoys school in short burst. He receives home instruction for a total of 10 hours a week.

Now that you have the background of my three amazing young men there is something that all three could benefit from. I am going to say it, the iPad. Yes, I said. I know you are shocked. The key for these young men are about direct access. If we had to use a computer none of these students would have direct access. We would have to find an alternative method of access. Voice recognition, eye gaze, switches and more that may not be as efficient as direct access. Eye gaze is a form of direct access but since the students don’t need AAC private insurance or Medicaid would not pay for the devices so it would be up to the school district to purchase the devices. Since they are school based machines the question always is can a student do personal activities on the device. The answer there is it depends on the district. It depends on the type of software they will be using.

Each of them has different goals and different needs but all three have another thing in common. Limited movement of their fingers IF the students are physically supported. Each of their supports look different but offer the support the individual needs to access the device. The amount of touch that is needed is great because it is barely a touch. The quantity and quality of apps make it a device that individuals can have a diverse set of tools.

So what have we yes we because I don’t work in isolation, I work with the student team which includes the parent, OT, PT, IT staff and whoever else I can wrangle into the mix. Each of us has skill sets that are needed when working with complex needs.

For Bob, for computer access was voice recognition but he found that he couldn’t play music. He also couldn’t use the VR in the classroom. Access to the iPad we used a wedge to support his hand. We used a small platform built off the wedge to support the iPad. We also gave it a way to rotate by using hardware. We placed little suction cups on the edge so the student can rotate the iPad when needed.

Apps that he is using:

AKAI Pro SynthStation APP

Symphony Pro

Jump Desktop

Computer software:

Dragon Naturally Speaking

Write: Online from Crick : Bob uses the Jump Desktop software to use Write: Online

For John, computer access was using his PS3 Game controller. He is able to zip around the screen like you and I do with a standard mouse. He uses voice recognition for writing long assignments. John prefers the standard Windows 7 on-screen keyboard with word prediction for short assignments. Now because he spends the majority of his day in a supine position so we needed to find a mount that could let us get the iPad into his field of vision. Then the other issue was creating a way for him to access the iPad. We used a very basic thera-band sling. We used different colors depending on the speed he needs to tap. For games we use yellow and when he is working on something that needs stability we might head to red or even black. It comes down to his day. Then there are times we use cloth slings that his grandma made using lamb wool and satin.

Apps that he is using:

Jump Desktop to share the computer screen. It allows him to collaborate with peers and do activities that the teacher has created in MS Word, and Excel.

Dragon Go to research information on the internet

Go Go Gadget is a game he likes to play

Talking Calculator

Graphing Calculator

Recorder for recording reading, writing and questions he has for his teachers.

For reading he is using the Kindle App

Facetime to speak to his teachers at prep time for homework assignments

Computer Software:

Adobe Student and Teacher

Dragon Naturally Speaking

Apps:

The youngest of the group, we are still working out with the things we will offer. Right now we are keeping it simple. For access, we are using a sling option that was purchased from SMA website. However, we will be changing this. We want to give him more movement than the sling offers at this time. We may land up with a different sling system. Computer access at this time is not something we are working on however that will come later in the year. Right now the most important thing is to get him to access the iPad and some activities that he and his siblings can do.

Apps:

Chutes and Ladders

Free Kids Counting Game

ClickySticky

eliasFARMS

There are other apps that are being used. A total of 25 apps that align with the student's school curriculum.

Facetime to access his classroom for the morning meeting (calendar and schedule) and literacy circle (vocabulary and read aloud).

Access for these three overlap at some point but each is set up a little differently in the height and the support that is used. For adults you can find some sling pre-made equipment but when working with children and young teenagers, you pretty much have to make what you need.

I will do my best to get a picture of the alternative access that could be used.

Happy New Year's and All that Jazz

2012-01-02T12:48:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!

So what will 2012 bring. Honestly, I don’t know. Sorry, I do not know what it will bring as I don't have a crystal ball and my psychic ability only plays in déjà vu mode. The déjà vu I am having at the moment is trying to figure out what my blog should and could be.

Should it be tutorial based? Should it be product demos? Should it be ……. You tell me.

PS3 Game Controller as a Mouse

2011-12-14T12:34:00.009-05:00

I am excited to enter my first video tutorial blog post. I hope you enjoy this. Let me know what you think about it. Video below items needed.

These are the items you will need to have to make your PS3 Game Controller as a mouse.

1) PS3 Wireless Controller

2) Micro USB Cable

3 ) Determine if you have a Window 32 bit or 64 bit computer.

4) Download Driver from Motion in Joy website: http://www.motioninjoy.com/download

60 minute segment – Apps for Autism

2011-10-29T12:57:00.002-04:00

First let me say, I am a special education teacher and assistive technology professional for over 18 years. In my 18 years, I have never seen such a hard sell for a tool like I have for the iPad. For 60 minutes to jump on the band wagon and hard sell for this device is mind blowing. I used to respect the news pieces from 60 minutes. Now I will have to question everything they say and show.

If no one else is going to Autism sells. If this segment was APPS for individuals that are non-verbal, APPS for special education, APPS for individuals with disabilities, Let’s Talk APPS, I am sure the hype around this segment wouldn’t have been there. Autism sells. We all know someone that is on the spectrum. We are all seeking a tool that opens the window, the door to individual's thoughts. But one device isn’t the answer for every individual with autism.

I take offense with this segment on a couple of different levels. The first part, seriously do you want me to believe that Josh has NEVER been exposed to any other form of communication device be it a dynamic screen, a text to speech device or even a better developed static board? Really? In his 27 years on this earth, he has never so much as used a PEC, a computer keyboard, a computer program that has text to speech or give the young man a Franklin speller with speech would have been better and more productive than a STATIC crumbled QWERTY board. If I put things in perspective, maybe he wasn’t. The first Dynavox was introduced in 1991. They were big, heavy devices that were marketed to individuals with physical disabilities. The first device that I can recall being used with individuals with autism was a PRC device in the late 90’s I believe it was the Alphatalker. Josh is a 27 year old man who would have ended his educational / transition year 6 years ago. That would have given his educational placement, medical professionals, parents and other professionals that came in contact with Josh 10 years to try ANYTHING. But everyone waits until the miracle iPad was designed by Apple. So if that miracle iPad was never designed and marketed, poor poor Josh would have nothing to use. Come on, Really? You want me to believe this.

First off, why is he using proloquo2go. Josh has the ability to type whole words? Why is he using a symbol based communication system? I am sure he has more to say than what is programmed into the device which means he should be using an app or device that gives him much more flexibility in language. Has Josh used the device to spell at all since he has gotten the “miracle” iPad? If not, why not? He should be using the tool to the fullest of its capacity and not just relying on the picture supported communication. Please someone offer to evaluate Josh so he can have a tool that meets his language needs. If in the end proloquo2go is the tool that gives him the greatest language capacity for his ability wonderful.

As for the rest of segment, the school in Canada. So they are using proloquo2go in a study with their students and a few others apps. Here is a shocking statement. There are more apps on the market then proloquo2go. Yes, proloquo2go was the first app for AAC but it isn’t the only one and dare I say it, NOT ALWAYS appropriate for every user. If the school is actually doing research on the effectiveness of the iPad for communication shouldn’t they be using tools that are appropriate for the user. Some of the students are emergent users. Emergent users – limited fields, no categories immediate feedback. Hand over hand assistance to select out of a HUGE field is not appropriate and is counter productive. Where is the independence in that?

How about the young girl “counting”? Let’s define counting. Name or list (the units of a group or collection) one by one in order to determine a total as defined by www.thefreedictionary.com/. I will give you on the iPad our little friend was visually attending. But how long was it after her introduction of the iPad was it instant like we are lead to believe? Again, I am going to say it DOUBT IT. As for counting on the iPad, our little friend was NOT counting. She was visually attending to an activity that was working as a VIDEO. If she would have touched 1 then 2 I would say she was counting. I can’t even say she was doing number identification because she was not an ACTIVE participate in that activity. She was PASSIVE.

The one piece that I have to say was the best piece was the young man that was doing the cause effect activity and he kept returning to the TIGER and reacting. That was believable and his mother saying there is no such accomplishment as a "tiny little thing". Those are the experiences that I have every day. In my 20 years in special education, regardless of the tool, it is always the small things in life. It is the small accomplishments that we take with our students, children and the disability community.

So many say the iPad is the “miracle” tool. Let’s try the same population of children with a different tablet type tool. Do we get the same responses if so does that not make us question why? Giving it some thought here are a few of my ideas. The first I would think that the device is positioned that there is not background issues. The device often is laid flat. There is an end visually. So it could be that children aren’t struggling with depth perception or other visual concerns. Second, computers students have to use a mouse. Mousing skills are tough for some individuals. It is a second layer of understanding. I move this item, an item on the screen moves and then I have to target the item I want. Mm… multitasking skill which we already know children with disabilities struggle with. Even with a touch window you are looking at difficulties because children struggle with proximal stability. Without proximal stability children struggle with distal mobility. In non therapy language, you have to have good mobility and strength in your trunk before you can use your hands and fingers. So if the touch window is in a vertical plane, it is harder because I don’t have a steady base of support. With the iPad, I can rest my arms on the table, have a smaller movement so I don’t lose my base of support. Thirdly, portable. Computers have to stay at one place. With the iPad student can go where they are more comfortable.

As an assistive technology consultant, I struggle every day with hopes that the suggestions that I am making are sound reasonable meeting the needs of the individuals with disabilities that I come in contact with. This segment just trivialized assistive technology for individuals with disabilities. It managed to put chips, dings and holes in all the work that has been done in the field of assistive technology. Assistive technology professionals, parents and therapist have worked tirelessly to get the message out “ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL”. We need to look at the individuals needs and abilities. In 13 minutes, they had the message sent “If your child has autism, the iPad is the ONLY tool to use.”

Tools are tools. The tool is not the miracle. The tool may help unlock the window but it is the individuals that push, pull and are consistent with using the tool that opens the window and allow the potential flow out. This means it is the parents and professionals that work hard and are dedicated to improving their children/students they work with that make things happen.

I remember a saying my grandmother used to tell me “Remember it is not fancy paper, the bows or even what might be inside the the package that makes it special but it is the the message of the package that makes it special.”

The iPad is supposed a tool for the masses. It is a UDL dream come true. However, again that wasn’t what was expressed and shown. So is it a miracle, no. I am almost positive Steve Jobs didn’t have individuals with disabilities in mind. He was thinking of the MAJORITY not the minority. We were just lucky to benefit from the tool. It still doesn’t make it a miracle tool. It makes it a well designed tool. It is a tool with the right app it is can be a door opener. But honestly, the iPad isn’t anything without the APPS. If the device just had work based apps, how many children with disabilities would be benefiting?

Summer Reading : Ways to motivate

2010-07-09T12:08:00.001-04:00

It is summer in NJ if you could not tell it by the calendar you can surely tell it by the heat and humidity. Many of us enjoy a nice lazy summer lounging at the pool or beach with a good book. On the other hand, our children often are required to read an hour a day or do a book report for their summer reading. I am not sure who the schools are punishing the children or the parents that have to fight with the children to read a book when all they want to do is have fun in the sun. To decrease the fighting in my home here are a few strategies that I have used:

The one page read: I scan the book onto a standard piece of paper and place it in a top loader. It becomes their placemat for breakfast. I have even been known to staple it to the back of the cereal box. (Since two pages fit on one standard page – I get 2 for 1).

Shared silly reading: When we are doing this, we have cards we made up and the person picks how they will read. There are times it is a silly voice, standing on one leg, ringing of bells when we get to a specific word.

Audio books: Yes, I know Audio books are not considered reading. However, you can work a deal you read one chapter you can listen to one chapter. Often what will happen is the student will follow along in the book.

Reward reading material of choice: If my niece or nephew finishes their assigned reading for the week typically, 1-2 chapters they are given a reward of more material to read. This can range from a comic book, graphic novel, magazines or a game.

Roll the dice: A game of chance depending on how you roll the dice you may end up with as little as 2 pages or 2 minutes or up to 12 pages or 12 minutes of reading. The way we play is you have a choice before you roll the dice are you going for pages or minutes. If we do this method we, play at least 3 times a day.

Give a purpose to reading: When my niece and nephew have a book for summer reading, I read the book before they do. I set a purpose for each chapter. I might have them look for idioms, comparisons, something that reminds them of somewhere they have gone, or a hunt for a hidden message that I created using little dots over words that spell out a special treat.

If all else fails bribery always works. I give a penny for every page read. Since most of the books my niece and nephew are reading are between 300-400 pages, they make $3-$4 dollars. If they complete the task earlier then their established deadline, they can double their money. If they complete the writing assignment that typically goes with their summer reading, they can triple their money.

If you have a creative way to help your children or students get through their unwanted summer reading, please share. I am always looking for new ways to motivate more reading in my family.

Merit pay Possibility - WRONG to base it on Standardized Test

2010-04-12T16:09:00.002-04:00

I am a strong advocate for change needed in our schools. There are many reasons that our schools. In addition, not for one second would I put the failure of the schools on the backs of the teachers that stand each day in front of the class trying to make a difference in the life of the students before them. At one time, teachers were only responsible for teaching academics now teachers are responsible for raising the child. Yes, I said it. Teacher not only teach reading, writing and but we teach safe sex, drug and alcohol abuse education, character education, foreign language, nutrition and computer and Internet education. The law makers have increased mandates that the public schools have to do regardless of the money to do it. Every year there is new unrealistic burden placed on the teachers to do their job.

In many states, we are talking about merit pay based on student performance. Honestly, I am a student with a learning disability; I struggled with reading and writing. It is not right to judge my teachers abilities to teach on a standardized test. When I am in her room she is able to support me the way I need, I have tools that I am able to use to support my reading and writing. On standardized test, I must go it on my own. You have taken the supports that are deemed needed by the people that know me best and say I cannot have them. Why should you base my teacher(s) ability to teach me on the test if you remove the supports I need to learn?

There is a story that I had a pleasure of reading. It was written by Jamie Robert Vollmer called the “Blueberry story” . If you haven’t had a chance to read it I highly recommend it for everyone that thinks they have the answer for education. There are no easy fixes, solution or decisions to be made. For every decision that is made there is consequence. Merit pay makes sense on paper and in the business world however it does not translate to the classroom. In the business world, if you do not like the way a team member is performing you can release them from their responsibilities. If you don’t like the way a student is performing you as the teacher have to find a way for that student to perform to their ability.

Standardized test is a snap shot of students’ ability. If that student is not feeling well he/she will not perform well. If the student is reading 2 years below grade level, he/she must take a test at their grade level with no reading supports. They cannot ask question for clarification, no one can help them to sound out a word and they cannot use their talking dictionary to find out what the word means. If you want merit pay to be fair, than school systems need to find other ways to evaluate merit. Using standardized test is not the answer. Standardized test do not tell you how an individual functions in everyday life.

I am a student with a learning disability. I am an adult with a learning disability. I earned my undergrad and Masters after your standardized test said I should not be able to achieve that. I was a teacher to students with emotional disabilities, multiple disabilities and learning disabilities. Your standardized test told me I was not able to do perform math and reading as well as my peers. I am a consultant that trains teachers, parents and administrators about tools to support their students to perform better in reading, writing and math yet your standardized test proved what? Is your standardized test worth the paper they are written on? I have accomplished what your standardized test said I should not. I accomplished what I have because of the teachers that day in and day out worked with me, gave me the tools I needed to learn, they gave me the strategies that help me function to my ability. My teachers are the ones that told me to shoot for the stars because there is one with my name on it.

Maybe lawmakers should start acting with common sense and stop listening to the lobbyist about what our students need. Start listening to the teachers, the students and the people that are in the trenches every day. Stop making decision based test results. Start making decisions on experience.

Disney Books Go Digital

2010-04-02T20:26:00.002-04:00

Disney has made over 600 books available in digital format. http://disneydigitalbooks.go.com/ It cost approximately $80.00 year. The site offers three levels of books Shared Reading and Beginning readers (picture books and early readers), Reading on my Own (storybooks and readers) and Level 3 Reading Chapter Books.

You read the books online, you can highlight a word you are not sure of and it will pronounce the word to you. If you want further information, it also has a dictionary. The dictionary does not read the definition which is interesting since they went as far as having a dictionary. If you cannot read a word, often you cannot read the definition.

For individuals that use switches, the site is not accessible. The stories are read with highlighting and start automatically. It also turns the pages for you automatically. You can pause the story but you cannot change the rate of speed in which it is reading to you.

After the story is over you get a special treat, I SPY. You are given eight pictures that you have to go through the story again to find. I was disappointed with this feature because I thought you would get to click on the pictures in the book and something would happen. Nope.

The site has a few different gems that you have to search for. I like the Cloze Activities for writing your own story. You can create your own bookshelf with your favorite books. There is even a bookshelf for the books that are in progress. It even has a reading log of all the books you have completed and it can be printed out.

It has a 7-day free trial. See what you think. Find some things that I did not find.

Visual Supports - They are important

2010-03-24T22:33:00.003-04:00

I have observed children with disabilities in many different environments across New Jersey. I have had the pleasure of observing many classes that used visual supports with great success. Some of did a great job of making visual supports that were meaningful and helped the students become more independent and successful in the environments. Other classrooms had visual supports that had no meaning to the students. The visual supports were just decorations around the room that become visual noise or distractions. It always amazes me when I go for an observation of students with language disabilities and there are no visual supports for the students. Regardless of the student’s disabilities, visual supports are what help make sense of our environment. As a typical individual, I use visual supports on a daily basis while I am driving (GPS, street signs, directions) or list (whom to call, what I need to purchase, and chores I have) and I have my blackberry to make sure I show up to appointments on time.

Visual supports help an individual focus on priorities and decrease the auditory distractions of words which turn into the Charlie Brown teacher WAWAWA WAHA WAH WAH. Visual supports allow us to feel confident in what is being asked and that the expectation are very clear. Children with disabilities often are asked to negotiate through a maze of expectations throughout the day. As humans we are verbal noise making machines, do this, go there, listen, look, stop, go, sit, stand, quiet this, quiet that and all between and over the conversations the adults are having of how traffic, what they had for breakfast, what they will do later what they did last night. If you ever get a chance to just sit back and listen, you would be shocked at the amount of verbal language being used all around students that struggle with expressive and verbal language. We want to be language models but often we are language samples of projectile vomit. Yes, I know very graphic but now you get the idea.

When I visit a classroom that has “show and tell” visuals or has no visual, I always want to ask the teacher “how does your students survive this environment?” because I have language and I want to shut down. I know that sounds harsh. However, when an individual does not understand language or interpret what you are saying increasing the number of words, saying it louder is not going to make it any better than it was before. The only solution is to help each other understand each other with supports that communicate the content of the message.

Utilizing visual supports for individuals that struggles with language helps the person plan and prepares for what will be happening. It gives the individual a point of reference so they can refer back if they feel unsure or need to double check the steps on a task they are doing. It helps them feel in control in a world that they have so little control. It decreases the anxiety over the anticipation of what comes next and what is expected of ME. Because in their world, everything is unexpected, uncomfortable and confusing without supports to explain it.

Visual supports do not have to be fancy. You do not need brand named software to create the visual supports. Visual supports have meaning because we GIVE them MEANING. As the teachers, therapist and parents we give meaning to the world that our children are part of. We label the world for them. Just like there are 100’s of ways to say Grandmother there are 100’s of ways to use symbols. As I said, we give meaning to the symbol. For example, a picture of hands, can mean quiet hands, hands on lap, hands at sides, hold hands, clean hands and so on.

Please remember that you can use real photos, drawings, images from clip art to make visual material for students. It doesn’t have to be expensive software to make it have meaning.

What to do:

Do not label furniture with their names unless you want the students to practice labeling. Label with expectation: Chair: Sit, Table: Work, Sink: Wash
Keep visuals at the students’ eye level. Think of visual strategies as marketing as they do in the grocery store. Everything that is yummy and not good for you is at eye level of the children. Go down the cereal aisle.
Have multiple copies of the symbols you are using. They will ripped they will get lost.
You have to teach the symbol and the meaning before you expect a student to understand to use it.
Need to have a change card so the students have some way of knowing that something unexpected is going to take place such as a change in routine, activity or therapist.
Laminate the picture with tape, contact paper or real lamination.

Resources for visual pre-made supports:

Software you can use that you already have:

Word processing tools: Word, Word Perfect, Works, Google docs
Spreadsheets: Excel,
PowerPoint
Paint

Software to use to make visual supports

Ergonomics in the classroom

2010-03-05T12:45:00.003-05:00

Often when I visit a classroom, I look at the environment in which the student needs to function. One of the things that often amaze me is the number of students that are sitting at ill fitted desks and chairs. I know it is difficult in middle and high school to make sure the students have the proper height chair and desk but in the elementary school, there should be no problems since the students spend the majority of their time in the same class all day.

When most think of ergonomics, they think computers. When I think ergonomics, I think of the general environment. Our students are sitting at desks that are either too high or too short. I recently went to visit a classroom of a 3rd grade student. The concerns were that the student’s handwriting was difficult to read, student would fatigue and the student complained of arm pain. This student was on the petit side. When they pointed the student out to me, all I could do was shake my head. The students’ desk was two pegs higher than it needed to be for her. For this student to write she needed to lift her arms up onto the desk raising her shoulder. No wonder this student was complaining of arm pain and getting tired. This meant she had decrease control over the ability to use her pencil. This students chair when she sat back she could not put her feet to the ground so she was moving all over the place and sitting on her legs. The rule of the classroom is 6 feet on the ground. This student even if she wanted to could not accomplish this task. After explaining my observation to the case manger, we walked down to the building principal. I again explained the situation and asked if a maintenance person could visit the classroom. We had the students all line up against the wall, picked three students at a time and asked them to find a chair they liked and to sit in the chair. If it was a proper fit, the chairs were labeled with the student’s name. For the students that were in-between chair sizes we created different footrest (this was done over time). Then we had the student take the chair to their desk. The maintenance person, teacher and I lowered and made desk higher for the students. I returned to the classroom a week later to talk to the teacher about the concerns. The student’s handwriting was still difficult to read but you could read it, she was no longer complaining about pain and being tired. The teacher noticed that the students seemed to be more comfortable and not wiggling in their chairs as much.

Sometimes it is not a tool that is needed but the environment that needs to be adjusted to meet the needs of the individuals working in it. It takes just a few minutes to adjust chairs and desks throughout the year. There are benefits to making sure students have the proper environment to do their work.

How to check for proper height and fit:

http://www.communityplaythings.com/resources/articles/chairchart.html

Resources:

http://ergo.human.cornell.edu

http://www.ergoindemand.com/about_classroom_furniture.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?Ergonomic-Classroom-Chairs---Taking-Care-of-Students&id=2447115

Mindful of how we learn regardless of format

2010-03-02T20:51:00.003-05:00

Today I sat through a webinar about Google Apps Education. Did the webinar meet my expectation? I must answer a big fat NO. I will not hold the presenters accountable for not meeting my expectations because there are two aspects to every presentation a person attends that impacts their view of meeting expectations. First, is the format in which the presentation takes place. It was a virtual presentation. The presenters were using a well known web conferences software. The presenters were comfortable with the software and able to use the features that were needed. However, this is the first webinar that I have sat through that the participants were not able to interact with the presenters or other participants. If you wanted to ask a question, you had to write it in the question box and hope they got to your question or felt it was important enough. The best analogy that I can think of: you go to the doctor’s office, you sign in and the receptionist tells you that the doctor will be right with you. Two hours later, you are still sitting there waiting while everyone that came in after you gets to see the doctor.

I think the second area is the concern of the participant especially in a webex presentation is understands how your learning style affects your ability to participate in the presentation. If I use the Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence, I am interpersonal. I enjoy interacting with others, I want to participate in sharing information and experiences. This presentation did not allow me to interact so I became disengaged to what the presenters were doing. I am also a kinesthetic learner. For me to feel part of the presentation I often need to physically be involved. For some presentation, this is not possible so I will try to take notes. This allows me to remember the information that is being shared.

This presentation made me sit down and evaluate my learning styles and why I did not feel my expectations were met. There was one big gorilla staring at me. It came down to format, material being covered and my ability for buy in.

Format is a format that I typically crave. I am not a brick and mortar person. I do not like sitting and hearing a lecture. I want to be able to work at my own pace. I want to be able to split my attention between tasks. The webex classes are typically perfect for me. If I zone out, I can always go back and re-listen and watch.

Materials there were no handouts, outlines or references that were sent to the participants. So unless you followed 100% on screen and could follow their flipping and moving between screens and jumping between presenters.

The buy in is always so important. Being a consultant, I do not have much say in the district technology plan or how technology will be used in the district. I would love the opportunity to be part of a district team one day helping integrate technology and AT into just technology for all learners. For right now, it is more a curiosity thing. Like a cat, I was killed.

The concept of the presentation is how this school district had their staff and students using Google Apps Education. It was a wonderful strategy that they started with saying it was just a calendar to their staff. There was a team behind the scene building the resources for the teachers. As the teachers became more proficient at using the calendar tool, the behind the scenes crew was adding information. There was no expectation beyond “it’s a calendar”. I love the concept and may try to implement it with some of my teachers and parents that I support. I think it has wonderful possibilities.

As for now, I have learned a valuable lesson; virtual presentations still need to be mindful of individual learning styles and we need to make sure that our audience feels connected to us regardless.

Resources:

www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html

http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic68.htm

http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm

http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp

http://people.usd.edu/~bwjames/tut/learning-style/

This is the way to spell-check and thesaurus

2010-02-02T18:59:00.002-05:00

I am by all accounts one of the worst spellers and grammar truly has no meaning. Nevertheless, I sit in front of my computer screen stressing over red, blue and green lines telling me what I am writing there is something wrong. MS Office has an excellent spell check. Over the years, my spelling and grammar skills have gained in strength. Personally, I feel it is because of two factors. The first is because using the computer allowed me to have greater control over the words I used to express myself. I do not have to worry if my vocabulary is inferior or superior to others because the computers can level the playing field. The second is that I learned from visual examples of well-written work. I did not learn to read for understanding until I was in the 10th grade (16 years old). Before that, I could read the words on the page, but they were just words that cluttered the page. Punctuation was just more characters on the page that danced around. I truly did not learn how to use punctuation until I was out starting my masters. If it were not for peer MODELING and COLLABORATION, I would still struggle with grammar.

Spell checks are wonderful tools however; if you do not know how to spell most often, you cannot guess from a list what word is correct unless you have a strong visual memory. This does not mean that I do not believe in spell check. It means that I believe that the student has to use more than just spell check. I believe a student should be made to feel proud of their "safe" vocabulary. It does not mean, I do not believe that they should not develop a more robust vocabulary. It comes down to giving them tools that allow them to enrich their writing while still playing it in their comfort zone.

Some of the activities that I have my students do is the graveyard spelling. Graveyard spelling is that the students read or listen to their document. They highlight words that often used in student writing (like, angry, mad, big, calm, quiet, said). A list of words commonly used in students writing can be found at http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2BarLP/larae.net/write/synonyms.html . I also have the class generate their own list of words. The students then place these words on a headstone. Around the headstone, we place flowers of synonyms that may replace the word.

I love visual thesaurus http://www.visualthesaurus.com/ . The subscription fee is minimal $20 for the year. I waste more than that on bad coffee and crap I find in "that is easy" store.

http://freethesaurus.net creates a huge list of words on a page. If your students are able to mouse over the words, they get a definition of the word.

Visuwords is very similar to the visual thesaurus. For students with visual impairments it can be difficult to see because of the size of the font. I like how they color code parts of speech and they have a key at the left side of the page to help you understand the linking of the words. http://www.visuwords.com/

I also have students keep a personal dictionary/thesaurus. High tech solutions are lovely and most of the time they are right there for the use. However, there are times that the student needs to use their low-tech methods. We use address books as a dictionary. For some of my students it is a small one no bigger than an index card for others, we use a 3 ring binder. It all depends on the method the student likes and feels comfortable with. I have some students that create an inspiration page with the word and then they use the bubbles to create thesaurus list but also drag a picture to help them remember.

I do not use the spell check feature just when the students are writing. I will often place a document on the desktop that the students are responsible for correcting the spelling. I turn off the spell check in MS Word – turn on the Review tool and allow the students to correct the document. I will purposely misspell words that they are familiar and unfamiliar with.

A tool I use to help create misspellings is the Dumbtionary http://www.dumbtionary.com . You type the word in correctly, and you will get the word misspelled the way a student may misspell it.

Spell checking tools that I like that are free

MS Word and MS Works both of these products have a decent spell check. MS Word definitely has a stronger one that Works.

Google: if you have internet access and you are having a difficult time spelling a word try typing the word into Google. It can correct most words.

www.SpellCheck.net
you can correct a single word or a document that is no more than 20,000 characters.

http://orangoo.com/spellcheck/ you can correct text by cutting and pasting it into this application. This is great for IM and social networking sites.

http://www.jspell.com/public-spell-checker.html
Spell checks English, French, Spanish, Italian or German.

http://www.spellcheckanywhere.com/ this is one of the programs that I use. Since I struggle with writing, it is often difficult to write something say in FACEBOOK because it does not have spell check. I can pull this program up to correct my spelling. I also use their Grammar anywhere program. If you use Google Chrome it has a BUILT IN spell check.

http://spellcheckplus.com/
not only corrects spelling but also supports grammar correction. It does a descent job correcting grammar and spelling.

Games

http://www.funbrain.com/spell/index.html
This is a game that students can play. The student has to identify the misspelled word and correctly spell the word. This game can be created in PowerPoint, Excel and MS WORD if you wanted to do it with your spelling words.

Ready for a change

2010-01-31T22:40:00.002-05:00

No matter how fancy the tool, it is not going to implement itself into your classroom. Implementation takes time and planning. It takes careful consideration of why you are using the tool for a specific student or classroom. Implementation of technology is where/when the we often fall flat on our faces. The software, hardware is on the computer system but the teacher is not sure what to do with it, how to use it or when to use it. The words "Use it often and at your discretion don't have much meaning". With that said, my blog is going to take a turn. I am going to move away from showing the new big thing and talk about the important thing how do these tools get used in the classroom with all students.

First things first – technology is not about the bells and the whistles. You do not have the newest and greatest to be in the technology forefront.

Second thing – it is not about the STUFF. You can have a classroom of stuff but still have nothing.

Third thing – it is about using what you have and what you are comfortable with. Once you start using, what you are comfortable with you will start to feel eager to try something new.

Fourth thing – admit it and own it. Admit what you do not know. Only way to get help with something is admitting you are not sure about how to use the tool or what features it has. There is no way you can use it with your students if you cannot use it yourself. Yes, there are students that can run circles around us adults. Once you admit where you need help you own the problem but you are also own the SOLUTION.

Fifth thing – Search and FIND. You are not the only one out there that is struggling with implementation or learning how to use a tool. All you have to do is go to your favorite search engine and type name of the tool you are trying to work with and you will be amazed on what you will find.

Favorite sights for tutorials:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/HA102184981033.aspx Tutorial for MS office products.

http://www.youtube.com has various tutorials.

http://www.teachertube.com/ has various tutorials.

www.setbc.org
excellent resource for assistive technology tutorials.

http://eduscapes.com/sessions/smartboard/short video tutorials on the smart board. The best thing is the ideas on the website.

Favorite blogs:

http://teachingeverystudent.blogspot.com/

http://teachingall.blogspot.com

http://www.teachinglearnerswithmultipleneeds.blogspot.com/

http://attipscast.wordpress.com/

Hello! From ATIA

2010-01-28T17:50:00.001-05:00

Hello! Everyone

I hope everyone is doing well in their neck of the woods. I am sitting in sunny cool Florida enjoying ATIA. I had the pleasure of sitting in a few sessions and going into the exhibit hall. First let me say that I am an ATIA newbie. I cut my AT teeth at Closing the Gap. But I have to admit, ATIA may have won me over. When I walked into the exhibit hall, I had that feeling that I have been missing at Closing the Gap, the child in the toy store feeling. When I entered into the exhibit hall, I entered into my amusement park. Which way to go? What do I want to see? So I did the let's go this way and just random pleasure of seeing what was new and exciting.

Hands down the winners for today are:

Switch access for the KINDLE. Yes, you did read that correctly. It will be sold by Origin Instruments (http://www.orin.com/). They are expecting it to hit the market in about a month. With the switch access you will be able to turn the pages forward and back. It will come with a mount that can be secured to a person's wheelchair or other location (table or desk). The cost is will in the $300-$350 (price subject to change).

Software called Point and Chat (www.simtalk.com/PnR )for AAC users – it allows AAC users to Instant message and text messaging using their device. The message is typed in using the symbol communication from Saltillo Corp and converts into text. The piece that most will be frustrated with is that the message to the AAC user is in text also not symbol based. Don't be too sad because the software has text to speech. After sitting through Caroline Musslewhite's workshop in literacy, I have to say it not coming in symbols rocked my world. Often text messages and IM's are using high frequency words or easily decodable words. For students and young adults this gives them an additional opportunity to practice literacy without symbol support but they have the text to speech there if needed as support.

ComLink ST3G (www.frs-solutions.com )is a device that I have not seen before. However, I have to say I really like their hardware. The device usesThe Grid 2 Communication software with symbol Stix Symbols from Tobbi Communicator. The device is durable. It comes with a nice rubber bumper on the covers the edges of the device. It is made of durable material without the extra weight. The flexible stand and handle are great. HANDS down the BEST Speech from a device that I have heard yet. I know other devices use the same speech engine as this device but for some reason it was clear even in a loud (very loud) vending hall without additional speakers. They also have an eye gaze system. It uses similar technology as other AAC devices (add on eye tracker).

Awww … another tool that I was excited about ….. The PenFriend. No it is not the software from Crick. This is an actual pen that you use to create "hot spots". It was originally designed for individuals with visual impairments or who are blind so they can read labels once tagged with the special self-adhesive label. Now that doesn't sound very exciting however let's think outside the box of labels. This tool can be used for students in the school building, during reading activities (definitions) or as an AAC tool. There is no limit to the length of each message that the label can hold. The pen records 70 hours of recording. You can do whole books or take a snapshot of a video or their favorite artist and they can listen to an MP3 of their favorite song. It comes with 127 labels in a mix of sizes and shapes. The price tag again is a tad steep but for a tool that can do so much, I am thinking I am going to put one in my tool kit.

More to come in a few – I have to get to the GYM.

Electronic E-readers - Tracking of infomation

2009-12-27T11:44:00.005-05:00

Yes, I know…. I need to update the blog. So here we go. For Christmas, I received a Sony E-reader. I have no real reason to need one but my parents thought it would be an excellent gift because I can read 350 books on one device. I do not read 350 books in a year. Maybe, just maybe I read 100 books a year. It is not that I do not like reading, I really do. I am fussy about the authors or the topics that I read. I have my favorite authors. I also have topics that catch my attention. I will never need 350 books at one time.

In the interesting of using the tool that I really did not know I needed, I started to research book sources. I came across the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It opened my eyes to a conversation that I should be having with the adults that I recommending these devices too. In general, we think it is "cool" to be able to use a search engine and locate our name and we get all excited on the number of hits we have. Honestly, it is very scary to have that much information on the internet about oneself. That information can be used against you as easily as it can be used in a positive fashion. We do not think about the devices that we are carrying that have Wi-Fi capability. What information are we leaking every time we do a search? Everyone knows that Google the largest search engine used today keeps information on you. The searches you performed. We are supposed to be comforted that it helps them find the things we want faster. It helps Google create better tools for their users (spell check).

Google also has their new Google Book Search Project. Now Google, will have their web servers automatically log the books, pages, how long you viewed the page and what books or pages you go to next (EFF). Now as a teacher, I can find many positive reasons I like this. For instance, I can see what books my students are interested in reading so that I can engage them in reading material of interesting. I can see how long they viewed a page. I then can have a conversation with a student as why it took him so long on a paragraph (vocabulary, comprehension or busy talking to a friend). I can then see if my student picked other books that were a reference from the book that was assigned. For example, if my students were reading Romeo and Juliet, did my students then look up information on where Shakespeare was born or lived, Cliff notes, easier reading or totally off task.

On the other hand, it is disturbing to know that a search engine knows so much information about my likes and dislikes. I barely know what I like and dislike. I am thinking for my next job interview, maybe I should have a Google rep with me so when I draw a blank, he/she can jump in with a list of likes and dislikes. The amount of information that is stored on our searches via our computers, hand held devices and now our e-readers (not the Sony E-reader) can be stored for more information.

The conversation that I need to have with my consumers especially my adult consumers is the pros and cons of the device they are looking to purchase. I must now include a conversation about the information that their device may leave behind. Until I read the article on E-Book Guide to Privacy, I honestly did not give it much thought. It is an important conversation to have. I would rather have knowledge of the information that I may leave behind than not knowing.

I am not a conspiracy freak just think that we are far past big brother watching us. Our mobile phones have GPS, our cars have GPS, our cars have E-Z pass and our watches do everything but tell the correct time.

Welcome Back to School

2009-09-03T09:24:00.002-04:00

Let's all start the school year off with a commitment to decrease the number of worksheets, dittos and busy work that the students are doing. Let's get the students actively engaged in activities that have meaning and show them a purpose to what they are learning.

I know worksheets are easy and fast. Save them for when there is a sub or class time is cut short for some reason. Worksheets are busy work. They don't actually reinforce the skills you are teaching. General education students zip through them and classified or students that struggle with learning either lose them or don't do them. So why waste another tree. Play a game, come up with the a song, have the students demonstrate how the information can be used.

Allow the students to use the technology that they have. If your students have cell phones start using them for activities in the classroom and homework. Check with the parents to make sure the students have unlimited texting or picture capability. There are so many ways that students can use their cellphones without making a call. An example of an activity, find 5 compound words in your environment and take a picture of the object then label the picture. I live on Bayview = Bay+view, newspaper = news +paper, and flowerpot = flower+pot. This is a way to have the student learn that their cellphones are more than just a communication tool.

Have students work on projects. We are in a digital world and students are losing the face to face communication skills, and problem solving on and off the computer. They can still use technology for the projects.

Have the students write a daily blog line. Example: Ms. Van Houten's things we learned today.

JS: I learned the word compromise means finding middle ground in a disagreement.
NB: I learned that 1/2+ 3/4 = 1 whole.
AD: I learned that our state bird is the Eastern Goldfinch. There was one sitting on the bird feeder at the window during math.
CF: I learned that NJ state capital was not always Trenton.

You don't have to use students names or even initials, you can just have a list of things that were learned. It is a way for the students to demonstrate what they learned in the day, practice their writing skills, and share with their parents what happened in school. For younger students you can use pictures or a list of words they can pick from.

Hope you all have a wonderful school year. Try to decrease the number of dittos - worksheets by 2 a week. Although it takes extra planning it is well worth the journey you will have together with your students.

Able Net Looking for Artist

2009-09-03T09:22:00.001-04:00

This is directly from Able Net new release:

CTG Conference Scholarships Available for Participating Artists
As part of their "Accessing the Artist Within" project, the Anne Carlsen Center is hosting an adapted art show at the Closing the Gap Conference in Minneapolis, MN. The purpose is to showcase how assistive technologies can empower students to explore the artist within themselves. See how AbleNet and other current technologies give children the tools to express themselves through the arts.

Do you know an inspiring artist who uses assistive technology to create their work? In mid-September, 10 artists will be selected to attend an art exhibit and reception at the CTG Conference. Each chosen artist and his/her family members will receive a conference scholarship and free art and design software. Artists, ages 5-21, who want to participate in this project must complete an application and submit a digital copy of their art to be included on the Anne Carlsen Center's Web site. A detailed list of requirements, along with application instructions, can be found at www.annecenter.org Also view artwork created by several of their students by clicking here!

For additional information please contact: Mark Coppin, ATP Assistive Technology Director Apple Distinguished Educator Anne Carlsen Center 701 3rd ST NW Jamestown, ND 58401 1-800-568-5175.

How successful is your IEP?

2009-04-05T21:50:00.004-04:00

How many people actually evaluate how well a student has performed on their IEP over the year? I do not know many that truly evaluate the IEP as a whole to see how well the student performed. The first thing I do when I receive a new student on my caseload is I evaluate the IEP. The IEP is the contract between the parent and the school district. For me to understand where I might go with a student curriculum and assistive technology, I need the snapshot of what is expected and how the student is performing on those expectations.

The first thing that I find that is frustrating is that progress reports are rarely marked. Why bother writing an IEP if you are not going to mark it? That is like going to a restaurant a famous steak house and ordering a McDonald’s hamburger. If you go to the effort to put your thoughts down on paper, mark it.

The second thing that is frustrating is the lack of data. Honestly, showing me your grade book is not going to show me why a student is not performing. Your grade book is just numbers that add up to another number. What does that final number mean? For me it means nothing at all. Show me the students work. You heard the saying “Show me the money!” Mine is “show me the DATA”. I want to see the inconsistency in the students’ performance.

So for me to do my job, I need to look at the IEP with a tool that allows me to see how well the student is achieving the entire IEP. This is what I do:

Count the number of objectives including the carrying statements.
Count the number of achieved objectives.
Divide the number of achieved objectives to the number of objectives.
Review the achieved objectives. What do the achieved objectives have in common?
Review the unachieved objectives. What do the unachieved objectives have in common?

The second piece requires that the IEP team work with me.

Of the unachieved objectives that have progress marked, do you feel these objectives should be continued? If they are continued, are they going to be the same as before or changing it.
Of the unachieved objectives that have not been introduced, why haven’t they been introduced? If they have not been introduced, are they going to be carried over? If they are going to be carried over, these are the objectives that need to be discussed.

The third piece:

If a student has not achieved 80% of their IEP than there is something wrong with the IEP not the student. A student should be able to achieve a personalized plan especially if it was written with the student in mind. The goals and objectives should be able to be achieved in the time allotted. This means that there needs to be a serious conversation about the amount of time the student has in school. How that time is spent in school. And how the therapist and classroom teacher can collaborate on objectives. It is important to note if something major happened in that year for example increase in absences, complete change in staff or school or medical concerns than it might be difficult to reach the 80% achievement.
My formula to an IEP is; I multiply the number of achieved objectives by 2. That is the number of objectives that should be written into an IEP. If I am writing objectives using the data I have, the student should be able to achieve double the amount of objectives in one year. I would rather call a parent and say your child has achieved their entire IEP and we need to write a new one than sit across from a parent and show them so little achievement.
Collaboration is necessary if you wish for students to generalize skills. It does not matter if the student has a learning disability or the student with signification disabilities. The team needs to work together and keep communication open.

Good Luck, in the development of your IEP's this year. I hope this helps others develop IEP's that are meaningful, achievable and successful in reach our students potential.

Egg tastic

2009-03-31T23:31:00.003-04:00

I recently started working with adults with traumatic brain injuries. There are unique challenges for individuals with TBI when it comes to cooking. One of my clients is always looking for something to help her with eggs. Due to her injuries she finds standard timers difficult. While watching a cooking show they showed a very cool egg timer. It is called the Beep Egg.

The Beep Egg is simple to use. The beep egg gets dropped into the water and indicates with a beep when the water is boiling. Now that is great for someone that needs to make pasta. If you are making eggs the BeepEgg will sing you are “Killing Me Softly” when the egg has reached the soft-boiled point.

If you here “I wish I was a Hen” than you egg has reached the medium boil egg. This is where my eggs typically landing without effort because I get distracted. Hard-boiled eggs are typically my specialty however for individuals that need assistance when you hear strains of "Carmina Burana."

This device is not available in the US at this time. I am finding that most of the cool and fun products are only found in the UK. The Beep Egg is available from http://www.firebox.com/product/2297/BeepEgg for £14.95 or $21.20.

I have one on order to check out how it works. I am hoping it helps my client and my father.

What I have learned

2009-03-28T13:20:00.001-04:00

When I started to write this blog, work and the field of assistive technology or technology was very important to me. A little over a year ago, my family suffered a tragedy. Over the past year, I have been evaluating what legacy I would leave behind. This past year, I have sat on the sidelines and watched. Today, I am going to share what I have learned this year.

Family:

I have learned that family easily has to be your priority. We are so caught up in the things that we are doing that we often forget to pay attention to the people that in our lives. We think that our family will always be there and we will have time to talk, go out or spend time with them, we just have to finish this. However, sometimes we do not have the next minute, hour or day. We need to stop thinking of everything on our To-Do list and spend time with our loves ones. The things on our TO-DO list will be there tomorrow. You have to balance what needs to be done now with what you might be missing with your family. For me, my family is not just my sister, brother, nieces’, nephew or cousins it is the people that have stood by my side and supported me when I could not support myself. They are the individuals that held my hand and pulled me forward. They are the individuals that saw the sadness behind the wall. Family is what we make it.

Work

I have learned that work is what pays the bills. I have learned that work is not what should define who you are. I am a teacher. I am an assistive technology specialist. There are titles that define my job but they do not define me. I do not want people to remember me for my title but for the compassion and love that I have for the individuals that I work with. I treat my students, consumers or clients the way they should be with respect. I do reach out to them when they need me but I have learned that some issues do not have to be dealt with immediately. Before Brittany died, I would feel guilty if I did not answer an email or phone call immediately because someone needed help. Now, although I do answer quickly with 24 hours if it is just a question – immediately if a true emergency (something that can do harm). For the most part, I have learned that my job is 9-5. That after five, it is my family time. I have learned that I do not need to know it all and be the first to tell about it. I need to know what I am talking about. I need to share my experiences. I need to help when no one else has a suggestion. My help and support should be outside the box and not just cookie cutter.

Legacy

Everyone battles with what be remembered when he or she is gone. For me, it is that I was a good hearted person who cared for others. She went out of her way to help others in need. That her family was the most precious gift she was given. That she fought for the rights of the underdog. She spoke her mind and did not care who was listening. I want my legacy to be about my actions and not just the words that I wrote in a report or blog. I am still learning how to improve my legacy.

Fun and Laughter

I have come to terms that we need to have MORE FUN. We need to be able to laugh at ourselves and the things around us. The economy is horrible but having fun does not have to be expensive. The only cost to fun is your time. When Brittany was murdered, I could not even imagine laughing or smiling again. Nevertheless, those things happened and you feel guilty because the person is not here with you to share it with you however, you suddenly get how important laughter and smiling is. Laughter even in the darkest moment makes you realize that things are not as bad as you think. Take the time to have fun and laugh. You want to create those memories with your friends and loved ones. You want to sit around the table and laugh at the stupid things you have done together. These stories and memories are what life is about. So move away from the technology and have some great fun with the people that love you.

Technology

I love technology. But here is the thing… put it down and move away from the keyboard. Your email will be there when you are finished with the important things. Family, friend, and the great outdoors. Technology gives us a view of so much but what is right outside our window. It gives us connections with old and new friends. However, if you spend more time looking at a flat screen than you do a person you are wasting precious time. Make eye contact with the person you love. Really pay attention to the people you pass on the street. OK be careful you do not want to be over friendly or freak people out because of the staring. There are so many great things to do in real time. You want to make connections with real people in real time. Technology changes in a heartbeat but so do the people in our lives. The next best thing is tomorrow’s thing to complain about.

I also learned that technology could be a tool for prognostication. I now mark off times in my day that is email time, FACEBOOK time and web searching. I found that I was spending excessively too much time on things that took me away the important things. So now, I set a timer for 15 minutes for email and FACEBOOK every hour. In that 15 minutes, I get to answer what I can and move on. It sounds crazy but on any given day, I can have 200 or more emails that are from list servs. The beauty of list servs is everyone shares his or her experience and opinion. I do not have to read every single one and I do not feel the need to get in the middle of a disagreement unless I feel strongly about it. This makes me be more accountable to me and what I have to say and share.

This blog

I honestly do not know what this blog will or will not be. There are many things that I want to say but they are not always positive. I get frustrated that the educational system lacking a vision for students in special education or even regular education students. I have focused on students with an IEP. The students that are failing are not the students with IEP’s. The students are falling through the cracks are the students we need to start focusing on. We have students that are leaving our schools who cannot read, write or do simple math but were not disabled enough to have a 504 or IEP.

I am frustrated that we waste money on technology in education and no one wants to admit it. Technology is a tool. It can be a powerful tool but having it and not knowing how to use it is a waste. Do not complain that your school does not have something when you can walk past classrooms and the computers are not being used. Technology is a wonderful tool. However, if you do not use what you have you should not be asking for me.

I honestly do not know what this blog will be or not be. I am taking life one day at a time. There are days that I do not want to do anything. There are days that I am not motivated to leave bed. What I do know is that I am blessed to have individuals that are in my life and I am living a blessed life. If you choose to join me on my journey, I appreciate your patience with me. If you need to move on, I also appreciate the time you have spent with me.

Thank you for your time. Come back and visit if you wish.

Holiday Gift Ideas

2008-11-23T13:10:00.001-05:00

With the gift season just around the corner, I wanted to share a few sites that I have used for gifts. I try to be unique in my gift giving. I try to think about the individual or couple that I am purchasing for. Last year the big drive for me was gifts that gave back. This year with the economy being what it is I thought I would find gifts that I could afford and that people in my life need. Everyone needs a good meal. There are times in our lives that we just don't want to cook or we just need some RR from our lives. So I have decided to purchase dinner and movie tickets for all everyone on my gift list. Sorry, if you are reading this and you are on my gift list there will be no surprise for you when you open your gift bag.

Like everyone I am on a tight budget. So to purchase gift cards for local restaurants I turned to http://www.restaurant.com/ . It is like buying a savings bond. You pay a fraction of the cost of what the cost it. For example, for a $25 gift certificate, I paid $10. You don't have the chain restaurants on this site. It is the Main Street restaurants that might be owned by a neighbor or friend. Giving back to your community is important. With the gift certificates being a fraction of the cost, I can purchase more for my money. Instead of getting one restaurant for $50, I can now send my friends and family out 5 times. Yes, there are some strings attached. Some restaurants require a minimum so when you purchase watch the little notes.

Discount movie tickets are the best. This is something that takes some practice. I use either the entertainment book or my credit union they have the best deals. You purchase one ticket and you get a ticket for free. The tickets are typically good for all movies times.

There is a risk to the gifts, I have purchased so many businesses have are going out of business. You need to make sure you have a well established business and that they are not going anywhere. The risk is there and you need to make sure it is a small a risk as possible.

Worse comes to worse, I spent ½ the amount I would have on holiday gifts that get no use like the Handheld game, the video camera they couldn't live without or the clothing that was so in when they picked it out but when they opened it on Christmas morning it was so yesterday.

Take the Time to say THANK YOU - it's FREE

2008-11-19T15:04:00.005-05:00

You don't have to agree with the politics of the war. However, everyone should thank a solider for what they do. They are doing that many of us have made the choice not to do. These men and women are defending our freedoms. Without the military we would not have the right to openly agree or disagree about the things we don't like. So take a moment and say Thank you. Show the soldiers that are away from their familiar for the holidays that we appreciate them as humans. We of us have jobs that sometimes no one appreciates but in the end we have a pay off that makes it well worth the effort. Take the 1-2 minutes and just send a note of thank you. The card you write today may be the difference in that soldiers day, week or month.

Something cool that Xerox is doing...
If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card that is designed by children of all ages, select a pre-written message or write your own message and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send just one!!!
This is a great site. Please send a card.

Christmas Wish List

2008-11-07T23:33:00.003-05:00

I really do try to keep going with the blog but life seems to keep getting in the way. So with Christmas fast approaching I thought it would be nice to see to suggest some toys. The toys are not specifically for children with special needs but are user friendly.

Wii Fit: If you can get your hands on the Wii Fit it is the toy for the whole family. Even if you exercise everyday this is a game that makes it a little more fun. The Wii fit goes along with the wii gaming system. It is a way to keep everyone active in a way that most are not. For the soccer game you have to stand on the Wii Fit unit and move left right forward back head the ball. How about Yoga, nothing like have your own personal yoga instructor. The Wii Fit system keeps track of your BMI. My wii character has been turned into a weeble wobble and she does fall down.

Tag System – LeapFrog – Yeah a toy that reinforces early literacy. The Tag System has a small infrared camera at the tip of the Tag reader which is a large pen. The Tag system can read letters, words and sentences. You have to use a huge selection of specialized program books that go with the Tag system. It does not work on books that do not have the specialized dot. This is a toy that allows struggling readers take control over their own learning. I remember trying to learn to read, sounding out the words, skipping words and trying to get content then going back to the word. This tool allows you to hear the word as many times as you need to have it read to you. It makes the words come alive for early learners and older learners.

Funny Phrases Game: Works with the Tag System. 250,000 silly sentences. What better way to learn language and literacy but by creating silly sentences. Touch the words with your Tag™ Reader and hear them aloud!

Tag Super Speller Team up with Ozzie and Mack to play interactive games and build more than 300 words! Additional learning activities include finding letter names and sounds and how to spell three- and four-letter words.

Poingo Reading System: If you are a fan of LeapFrom Tag system you will also enjoy the Poingo system. Unlike the Tag system the Poingo allows you to touch words and pictures that are in specialized Poingo books. The Poingo system has 6 different books at this time. You can hear sounds as well as music. The pen is a little easier to hold and the buttons are easier to work for a young child. I also like the built in picture walk. Here is a online demo: http://www.mypoingo.com/web/cars.jsp The sound is not as good as the tag system. But the features that are not in the Tag is nice in the Poingo.

Elmo Live – if you haven't had enough of Elmo here is another one. Elmo Live actually speaks through his mouth. It is just like the Teddy Rumpkins from the early 80's. The biggest difference is that the head moves back and forth as he speaks, his arms wave, sits and stands and even crosses his legs while telling stories and jokes. Elmo sings songs and plays games. This Elmo is all the past Elmo's rolled into one. Great toy for literacy and social interaction. What is better than a friend sharing jokes with you that you can share with another? Cost : $60.00 plus taxes

Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Waterproof Digital Camera – this is the camera I have been waiting for. Little kids need a camera that can be go the places they go purposely and accidently. The camera can hold roughly 170 high quality photos. The photos are stored on flash memory no SD slot. The camera is recognized by the computer as a mass media unit. No software installation is needed. My 4 year old niece loves her camera. She was able to take pictures, view the pictures, delete the pictures and even print her pictures. Cost: $50.00

Fisher-Price Disco Dancin Wubbzy - Disco is back baby! This is a character from a TV show for children. But really who can turn away that does cartwheels, the worm (not really Disco), head stand and the wiggle. So ok – Disco really isn't the right name for this toy. It is more of a 80's break dancing toy. But hands down kids love playing with this toy. It does require batteries.

Wild Planet Hyper Dash a toy to keep your children active and following directions. There are four different levels that allow improvement players skills. Level one uses colors. The device calls out a color and player dashes toward the target. Level two uses colors and numbers. The third level uses commands like strike, double strike, and reverse. The fourth level is the hardest level. The players have to solve math problems. There are other special commends that "team" playing. This is a race against the clock including activities as a memory game. This is a light touch toy. The toy has RFID technology which means Radio frequency. Rough play over a period of time will cause the toy to break.

UNO Flash the device calls the directions and colors. You have to pay attention when the device flashes red in front of you it is your turn. But if you don't pay attention your turn is up and you lose. All the rules are changed and the device takes care of them for you. If you like UNO this is a great game to have for the family game night.

The Exhibit Hall - Software

2008-10-19T00:04:00.005-04:00

Ok I screwed up. I deleted my whole section on AAC. I will have to repost it tomorrow. I am sorry.

Slate Software, Inc. : Slater Software has upgraded their software Pixwriter and picture library. The library is roughly 9000 high – resolution Literacy Support Pictures They has also created additional science and health curriculum materials out. If you haven't checked out what Slate Software is doing you really need to have over to their site. The curriculum materials are very well constructed and developed. The most exciting thing is that the teachers do not have to spend their time create the materials and they can focus on the important things, teaching, interacting and enjoying their students. Slate software also has free materials on their website. Check their site and see the other products that they offer.

Stages software has developed a new Math program. Stages software has been around for a long time but this is the first time that they have moved from language/literacy to math. I had the pleasure of sitting through a workshop about this specific piece of software because it is an area in general that is lacking for our students. The author of this program has made sense of the research on math. The activities are well organized in an attractive package, easy to follow and it collects meaningful data. The software can be used with all students in your classroom. The software has screens that are about the task that the student is working on. The screens are clean and none distractible backgrounds. The software is not drill and skill software. It allows the student to demonstrate competency of what they know and don't know so you can focus on the skills they need based on the data collected.

More tomorrow …. Tired, sorry.

Workshop Sessions

2008-10-17T01:22:00.001-04:00

8:00AM - How to assess, teach and use the Head as an Access site for AT: Given by Karen Kangas and Lisa Rotelli. If you get a chance, please take a class with Karen Kangas. Karen's background is in seating and positioning. All I can say is WOW! She had me sitting up straight in my chair wide eyed and ready to learn at 8 am.

Here are the highlights of the presentation:

1. Get over the myth that the head isn't the place to start. Follow the development of the human body. The head develops before the trunk or limbs.

2. If you don't have proper position then you might as well start there without positioning then you can't have true control.

3. Electronic switches vs. mechanical switch - the feedback isn't the click you hear but the success of participation.

4. Single switch access is the most difficult. Give two switch access to a student and you give a person independence.

5. Fatigue is cognitive not a physical fatigue.

6. Hands are the last extremity to develop. Control of the hands does not happen until puberty.

7. The Switch is not the activity. Do not make switch activation the activity. Making the switch the activity is similar to taking the pen cap off the pen and saying the student wrote a paragraph. Having the proper tool just makes the participating the activity.

Here is the task analysis of using a mechanical switch:

Location
Touch
Press it
Hold it
Release it

It requires graded movement. Majority of individuals that are using switches do not have graded movement. It is all or nothing but we expect control.

10:00 AM Cliff Notes about Nimas

This may not be the most exciting conversation but it is important to understand how NIMAS and NIMAC affect accessible text.

Students with a 504 are not eligible for NIMAS – NIMAC files.
State and local educational agencies are responsible for having it in their contracts with textbook companies. This is not a special education issue as much as it is the issue with the person who is ordering the textbooks. So that means we need to start with a conversation with the people that ORDER the books.
NIMAC and NIMAS are for elementary and secondary because they are covered under IDEA.
All states were required to be registered for NIMAS.
Definition of PUBLSHED the OSEP defines it as AVALABLE for PURCHASE from July 19, 2006 that means not that to book was created in July, 2006 but that it is STILL FOR SALE.
PRINT DISABILITY has not been defined by IDEA – it is defined in other laws so the OSEP hasn't at this time defined what it means.
All digital material is not accessible.

Websites of Interest:

http://aimcast.blogspot.com

http://aim.cast.org

http://nimas.cast.org

http://www.nimac.us/

12:00 – Taking applications with you. This is a workshop that talked about using the USB or flash cards to store portable applications. I didn't get a handout because I arrived late. I am hoping to get one from the presenter. But the presentation is about the applications that I wrote about in Sept.

2:00 – Closing the Gap 2008 Presentation, Portfolios That Work by Mary Ann Lowe SLP. D., CCC-SLP and Samuel Sennott: Portfolio's are not a new concept to education but the way that these portfolios are being used. The electronic portfolios are being used as a living document that grows and changes with the individual. It is a documentary of a child's progression in skills as well as keeping track of all the materials for the team in ONE location. No two portfolios are alike because individuals are not alike. The content materials are systematically placed but what goes into the content of the portfolio is left up to the individual. For more information, you can check out the website: http://alltogether.wordpress.com/

4:00 – Helping teachers understand UDL and Differential Instruction

Switch It Time - Jumps into Gaming

2008-10-16T22:55:00.003-04:00

I putted around the exhibit hall today. I was trying to find something that was worth writing about. When I go through the exhibit hall I am on a hunt looking for something that two switch users or a switch user and a peer can do together. Switch In Time which is typically known for the music software for switch users has jumped into gaming for student that are switch users. Their newest piece of software is called Super Switch Hitter. There are many features that I like in Super Switch Hitter. It is Wii version of baseball for switch users. Baseball is the all American game that every child should get to play.

Switch modes: Single Switch, Multiple switches, Auto scanning, two step-scanning

The first is that realistic based graphics. The pitcher actually throws a ball; the batter actually hits the ball foul or into the field. The players in the field also play their part. You can have auto-fielding.
Another aspect is how customizable the software is to the students that may want to use it. The ball size varies from eraser size to roughly a quarter with a black frame.
The speed of the ball goes from crawling slow to flash speed. For me, I like the "hover ball" this is great for batting practice. It is errorless batting.
When you hit a home run --- the student gets to hear --- We Will Rock You.
You hear the ball hitting the bat.

If you are at Closing the Gap – make sure you check out SWITCH IN TIME booth. It is in the main hall directly across the Don Johnston.

OMG ! Lesson learned

2008-10-16T00:26:00.004-04:00

If I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have luck. This has nothing to do with my presentation that I attended. But you must here this story.

So I checked in on Monday to the Sheraton South in Bloomington, MN where CTG happens. I am told that I must leave a credit card on file with a $40 hold for any charge I may send to the room (food, drink, internet, movies). So I agree that I will leave the card just for the $40 but I do not want the hotel to hold my credit card for the hotel because a PO is being faxed to the hotel once the accounts receivables contacts me with the cost of the stay. The receipt I signed was for $40 on my ATM card. So tonight before heading down to dinner, I decided to check my bank card ... guess what the brain surgeons did... you got it charged my ATM for $1206 for my hotel stay. The most amusing piece of this is this - it isn't human error, it is the systems fault. yes, the systems is not the who checked me in. the system is not who swiped my card and had a conversation with. the system is not the one that checked my photo id. The system can't do anything unless the HUMAN helps it operate. They said the girl did everything correct according to procedure. Except that she did not uncheck the box that said charge to the card.

The kicker of all this is that the hotel received the PO for the cost of the stay today. They were paid in full. If I didn't check my account tonight, they would have been paid twice for the hotel stay.

So tomorrow, I have to go to the front desk again, they will take me to the "business office" so we can fix this. I am sure it is going to be a nightmare for the next few weeks until we can fix this nightmare.

Here is my lesson:

I will never again use my ATM or credit card for incidentals. I am going to go to purchase a Visa gift card for $50. They can charge the $40 to the gift card and if the "system" wants to charge the credit card more -- Good Luck.

I understand that errors happen. But when the "system" doesn't allow you to check past notes, what was received for the customers account and you can't fix the issue immediately there is a problem. All the manager on duty had to do is fax a letter to my bank to release the funds. Except she couldn't do that because " the system" doesn't allow her to do that. What she could do was given me dinner in the restaurant.

So there is my Lesson. I hope no one else has this issue. I will start to blog about the exhibit hall and workshops I attend tomorrow.

Closing the Gap - Off to a Rocking Start - Preconference

2008-10-14T22:08:00.003-04:00

Today was the first day of pre-conferences at Closing the Gap. I had mix emotions about attending the conference because of my back and family concerns. I knew once I arrived in Minnesota all those concerns would wash away. Ok the back is still an issue but they have great beds. So let me tell you about a great workshop that I attended.

The workshop was presented by Keri Huddleston, Teru Langsdale and Moria Soulia who are from the Washoe County School District in Reno, NV. It was called Making a difference with your consultative services. The presentation was straightforward, well throughout and very laid back. It was the perfect workshop for me. I needed a workshop that would ease me into Closing the Gap mode.

As an Assistive technology consultant, I am often viewed as the “hitman” coming to tell the “team” what they could do to improve their services to a specific student. So without all the nice jargon – what you are not doing that you should be doing. This presentation had you looking at your process of delivering services. The first thing is that you need to make sure you at the “teams” to serve them. You might be shaking your head but keep reading. I often think of an AT consultant as a bridge builder. It is important to listen to what everyone on the team thinks and validate what they believe or think. If you do not listen and understand their feeling, then you will get nowhere quick. That bridge just became a frail vine. The first step in the process is the information gathering. Decide on what information is important to you to do a good service and secondly make sure the process is not overwhelming. You have to make sure you can document your intake and information you are gathering.

The next piece would be the decision making process. Again, this is a meeting and it is important to DOCUMENT the meeting. The notes should be shared with everyone that are present and absent. No volunteering another member for something if they cannot or didn’t make the meeting. Make sure there is nothing that can be lost in transition. Always make sure that you give timelines, follow through with how something is or aren’t working.

This was the eye opener for me. We all can make a laundry list of the things the staff members need to do or could be doing for the student but really we need to be asking, what laundry list we can create to about the staff and their needs. What is making the individual or team not to buy into the technology for a student? What are they strong at and what skills are they lacking? This is what I walked about thinking. We need to really think about SETT framework in relation to the staff. If the staff does not feel supported, does not feel validated and does not feel their needs are being met then how can we expect the staff to support the student?

Documentation about training and support is a must. Document every move you make. As a consultant you need your paperwork to talk for you. It needs to outline what you have done or haven’t done. The process needs to be see-through to everyone on and off the team. A person walking in off the street should be able to read the information and just pick up where you left off.

I really liked the concept that the building principal should sign off that they know about the assistive technology services. I know this is something that is lacking in my referral process. The building principal is going to be the on-site person to help you get things done if things aren’t working the way it is planned.

I also walked away from this presentation with the feeling that we will always be in the process. It is a give and take. We need to treat AT consultation in the district as we would a business. Make the plan, create your mission, Outline how it will happen and make sure the procedures are in writing.

If you get a chance, I recommend seeing the presentation. I know I did not give the props it should have. Any questions, please feel free to ask. I will do my best to answer.

I have arrived in Minn. for Closing the Gap

2008-10-13T23:24:00.003-04:00

I have arrived at the hotel. I am all prepared for my first preconference session that starts at 8am.

Here is what I learned suitcases can't weight more than 50 lbs or you get charged an overweight fee. It isn't worth bring a second page because it will cost you .....

There is a $15 charge for each bag you carry. Crazy I know.

A taxi from the hotel cost $33 with tip. The hotel shuttle wasn't coming for another 2 hours. Sorry love the airport but didn't want to be like Tom Hanks sitting around for hours. Just wanted my bed at the hotel.

Being at CTG for 2008 -- priceless.

If anyone has a question please let me know. I will try my best to find the answer.

Win Boardmaker Plus

2008-09-24T22:34:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note - enter to win Boardmaker Plus. It is worth a shot and win your own copy. Just remember don't use your work email or do it during work hours. If so, technically it belongs to the establishment that you work for.

http://www.dynavoxtech.com/win/

Road Warrior - My personal top 10

2008-09-23T22:47:00.004-04:00

I have been a road warrior for the past 7 years. For those that are wondering what I define as a road warrior, I define anyone that is a road warrior if they spend more time in the car or plane then they do in their own bed or home. I travel on average 1300 miles a month just for appointments. In the years, I have traveled I have found ways to make my life just a little easier.

1. GPS - if you don't have one, you need to get one. I strongly suggest one that is active updates (Satellite) and gives you traffic updates.

2. Neat Receipt Scanner - this has made my life so much easier. I am the first to admit that I have a horrible with paper. This device allows me to manage my receipts, reports from school districts, worksheets for students and anything that can be scanned in single sheet. If you are a road warrior, you have to save your gas receipts, food receipts, store receipts for expense sheets. This device makes it super easy with just a push of a button. You can organize your material fast and easy. Runs off the USB.

3. Portable Printer - I don't use my portable printer. I have a lightweight printer that I use for evaluations or just fast reports. I have found that it comes in handy when you need it RIGHT NOW. The printer cartilages can be expensive but if you only print what you have to it isn't that much. Runs off the USB.

There are other options but I have found them to be inconvenient such as Printeron or Printme which allow you to virtual print to specific hot spots. I found that Staples or Kinkos can take a PDF and print it just as easily with no contract or monthly service.

4. Paper - I hate paper being left in an open package in the car. It allows dust, moister and other stuff to get on the paper so I found a plastic case that is perfect for holding a ream of paper. It keeps it protected; I always have clean and dry paper. The plastic case actually looks like a plastic brief case.

5. Sharpie or Felt tip markers for writing messages or directions. Pens always run out of ink, they don't write on many services and the sharpie or felt pens are perfect for fast notes.

6. Large Post it note pad - Nothing works better when you are on the side of the road trying to retrieve voicemail or take directions. Stick it to the steering wheel and write away you don't have to worry about the note moving as you write.

7. Car adaptor for your electronics - A laptop battery or your cell phone can only last so long. The car adaptors allow you to charge your batteries when you are working on the car. Now don't get silly don't try to run all your electronics at a time, pick and choose what is a must have.

8. WIFI finder – Yes, I admit it, I borrow strangers opened WIFI. If they are going to leave it open, I am going to us it for checking and sending email. Rarely would I send files. If you feel guilty about using someone’s free WIFI then you can find many stores or restaurants that have free WIFI while you eat or sit outside the building.

9. File Tote – offers you document holders, binder space and a surface to lean on when working. I like the file totes that are canvas and zipper because when school ends for the year, I can fold up and store for the next season.

10. Internet back up space – I go for the free space especially if you use encrypted files. It allows me not to worry about thumb drives, which computer a file is one or if someone has to wait for something. The best is that you don’t have to stress that the computer hard drive has lost your files.

Syncing Files to the Jumpdrives

2008-09-09T23:28:00.005-04:00

It seems that technology and I have come to an impasse. My work laptop is on its last byte and it needs to hold off just a little longer until a replacement comes. My home system apparently thinks that it needs an overhaul piece by piece. In the last three weeks I have replaced the power supply, the video card and now the hard drive is working so slow, I think it is a commodore 64. So to say the least I have been very cranky with the anxiety of backing up my files and securing that everything I need is off the systems before they finally tell me good-bye for the last time.

In the past Windows had the briefcase system which I think was the most valuable under utilized free useful program that Microsoft offered. The Briefcase is like a folder only better because it synchronizes the files. For anyone that is jumping from computer system to computer system this is extremely helpful especially when updating communication boards, reports or note files. The Briefcase synchronizes and updates the files on your original computer to the modified versions when you reconnect your portable drive to the desktop computer. I like this system because the Briefcase stores and displays the update status of files. It keeps track of whether a file is linked to the original file on your main computer, or whether it is a stray file (a file that is not connected to another file on your original computer). Since I am losing the battle of the computer systems, it is extremely helpful to keep track to keep my files organized and to keep track of the most recent versions of your files. I use this with all file formats not just MS Products.

Most do not know that the Briefcase is still on their computer systems. In Microsoft wisdom they hid it. Here are the steps to locating it:

How to Create a New Briefcase

Right click on your desktop. A menu will appear.
Click on New.
Click on Briefcase.
Right click on the briefcase. A menu will appear
Click on rename – name the briefcase.
Locate the files you want to move – drag the files to the briefcase.
When you double click on the briefcase you will receive a message – click ok your files are now in the briefcase.

Now you know Microsoft is always looking to improve. They have made a new improved, faster way to move data. The new application is called SyncToy. It is a little more advance then the Briefcase because of the way it synchronizes files and tracks files. SyncToy is a free download from Microsoft .

The first thing you have to do is create a folder pair. A folder pair is a collection of data items that tells SyncToy how to synchronize two folders. What is cool is you can have subfolders. For example, one folder pair might be defined to synchronize a copy of a folder named "My Pictures" on your desktop computer and a folder named "My Photos" on your laptop computer. SyncToy saves how you want your folder pairs synced so you can sync again and again with a single click of a button.

Remember this is a BETA tool so things don’t always work seamlessly. I have been only running it a week. So far so good but the forums talk about some of the issues. I am optimistic that SyncToy is going to be a wonderful tool when it comes out of BETA.

What is there to be excited about

2008-09-02T22:28:00.004-04:00

Let's start with WELCOME BACK TO A NEW SCHOOL YEAR

Then let's move onto what can we get excited about.

How about a new product from Crick Software? I am so bummed that I didn't get to beta test this product for them. The WriteOnline tool is all a tight little talking word processor, word prediction and their Word Bar. Honestly, I love Crick products. One of my all time favorite products from Crick is the Word Bar. I use this with my niece for her frequently asked "how to spell words" and giving her a functional word bank to cover the topic that she is writing about. Now I haven't seen the software so I cannot sing the praises of the software. I can tell you from the screenshots that the talking word processor has the look of MS Word. You have to look very hard to realize that it isn't MS Word you are looking at. The layout for the word predication opens as a toolbar on the side of the screen. I would like to know if I can pick where the word prediction is positioned or if I can make the word prediction follow my cursor. There are pros and cons to each of these. My guess is that the word prediction has been improved, it was a decent tool prior so I am sure it is going to be up there in with WordQ and Co:Writer. From the description offered on the website it looks like they have given you many options for different levels of your writers. I am excited about the possibility of offering this tool as a possibility for the UDL toolkits in school districts. The next big question would be can you purchase the word prediction as a stand alone for students that just need that tool. I can't say enough nice things about Word Bar. It is one of those tools that never gets talked about but it is a great product for the student that doesn't need word prediction but does need support with word retrieval, topic specific words and the personal word wall. It is just enough support for some students. The biggest question that I have is will this product be available for stand alone machines without internet access. I like the fact that companies are moving toward internet portals for applications. However, there is still a need for stand alone products because there are districts that do not have wireless access or internet access in general. I know it is hard to believe but there are students that do not have internet access at home so even though the student can access these tools over the internet it is difficult to do if you don't have that tool. I am hoping that Crick considers the possibility of having this writing tool for individual stand alone machines that doesn’t require internet access. Even if they don't, I am still excited about the possibility of this tool.

Boardmaker Plus Player is something I am excited about. It is something that has been needed for a long time. I am glad that Mayer-Johnson took this route for parents and classrooms. I think they may still find that the sales of Plus decreases and the number of players increase. I can see districts purchasing 2 copies of plus but 20 copies of the player. At first glance you think the price is steep for a player at $79 but you can install the Plus Player on one computer per computer disc allowing students to use the activities you create without having to worry about your Boardmaker Plus disc getting ruined.

Emergency Procedures

2008-08-28T22:00:00.004-04:00

The say there is no furor like a women’s fury and Mother Nature has been showing frustration and power over this hurricane season. We are only up to the letter H and we have already seen Fay cry 26 inches of rain over Florida. I am not exactly sure if Fay had a boyfriend leave her or she just loved Florida so much and was having a tantrum every time Mother told her it was time to move on but she kept coming back like a 4 year old that was told to no more ice cream at an ice cream parlor. There is another storm on the way and the men are trying to flex their power sending out their third to bat Gustav. He is demonstrating to be a sturdy and tough storm. He is heading to the United States and there is warning for the Gulf States. I am praying that he turns away because Florida and Louisiana do not need the visits.

Since Katrina many in the AT field have tried to help people with disabilities and their families or guardians prepare for such weather emergencies. There is a wonderful site that was shared on the QIAT list serv this evening Disaster Preparedness and People with Complex Communication Needs . So many individuals with disabilities lost valuable equipment, service animals and tools during Katrina. It is often said that things can be replaced but you cannot replace a life. This statement is true but for a person with a disability their equipment is their lives. So if you have students, consumers, friends or family, please take a look at what was designed by a collaboration among the United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (USSAAC) Gulf Relief Committee, the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Communication Enhancement (AAC-RERC), and News-2-You, Inc.

Please remember to have your own preparedness kit for your family. I live on the Jersey shore and I can tell you that I wait with bated breath during the North ester storms or Hurricane season. We haven’t suffered from a hurricane in 10 or more years. So as I say we are living on borrowed time since we had to evacuate. With that thought in mind and knowing that weather is not the only thing that can make me leave our home I have done the following:

A plan of where will we meet if we cannot reach other by cell phones.
Cash to pay for hotel – gas and food for a week. I think of the “need a vacation fund”. Our family pulls our funds and creates a special account for these emergency moments.
Make sure that I have a list of all the members of my immediate family with their most current picture.
A list of all cell phone numbers of immediate family.
Emergency contact cards for each person. This is often tricky because when we travel we carry emergency contact cards – we list a person that we are not traveling with. We have special contact people for when we are together.
Our family had to list 2 people that we trusted with our important information. We have purposely picked 2 people that do not live in our state but we trust with our most precious information.
A list of all medications that each member of the family is taking with their doctor’s names, refill numbers and any allergies that they may have to other medications.
Copies of birth certificates, marriage license and insurance policies.
I have an electronic copy of all medical reports and IEP files.
Photos of our cars – the conditions they are in.
Photos of our pets, pet records and shots.
Copy of all credit cards with numbers to call to cancel or get further assistance.
Copy of all banking information.
Scanned family photos and copies of movies or videos stored on DVD’s and internet vault.

I am sure I have missed some things that we have. Now how we store this information.

We each have a set of the documents in a secured location. The electronic information is stored on encrypted jump drives. It is a lot of work to maintain them but it is worth the piece of mind.

Word Clouds

2008-08-25T14:24:00.002-04:00

So often as educators we want our students work neat and tidy. But student in general do not think in the organized manner that we adults do. Children love to play with how things look, how words fit together (not sound together) and how creative they can be. Look on any students notebook that has been doodled you will see Word Clouds. Word Clouds are a bunch of words that are linked together in a creative fashion. They are anything but organized. Visually they are a piece of art.

http://wordle.net/ is a tool that students can use to create an electronic worldle. It is a quick little program that may excite students to use new words in their writing or even encouraging a student to write. In Wordle, you can change every aspect of the word art that is created by using different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. One of the things we know is that words have different meanings to students and sometimes it is not how something is written but the intent the words have. With written words we have to add the tone, but with Wordle we can have the students give us the tone of their writing by being creative.

Have some fun with words. Writing is an creative outlet. Let the students that struggle with writing and often organization have some fun with it.

What about the old Apps?

2008-08-25T00:51:00.003-04:00

About two weeks ago my desktop computer decided that it didn’t need to work any longer. Now you would think I would be stressed but I really wasn’t. Because my back has been so bad, I spent a lot of time flat on my back using my laptop. So all the major work I had completed or was working on was on the laptop. But I still needed the desktop. I am a creator of habit and I like reading my mail on a large screen and I like working on large screen when I am able. Thank goodness for my Sony desktop that I had sitting collecting dust. I am not sure why I ever got rid of the Sony but it is back doing the work that my HP decided was too good for it. So any way let me get to the reason for this post.

The Sony is naked of the programs that I find extremely helpful when creating tutorials or Boardmaker boards, I decided to Google for a program to replace SNAGIT. What is SNAGIT you may ask? SnagIt is a screen capturing program that operates under the Windows operating system. It is distributed by TechSmith. If you are running Vista and don’t need all the bells of the SNAGIT program you system already comes with the basic of the screen capture. However, I cannot live without the bells and whistles of SNAGIT.

You would think I know the address by heart but off I went to Google. I came upon a website that many of you with older computer systems or who don’t care about the newest and latest will love. It is called Old Apps http://www.oldapps.com/ . Now many of the applications maybe of no interest to you but let me tell you a few that are worth getting your hands on:

Snagit 7.0 screen capture software
HyperSnap screen capture software.
WinZip compression software. This is the most common that you see.
WinRAR this is a less recognized zip program but it actually zips better then
WinZip. It is a much tighter compression.
Paint Shop Pro – great for photos

Some of the software is trialware so check the description carefully. Other programs are full working programs with key registration codes.

Happy hunting to find a few gems of your own. I would stay clear of the peer to peer sharing sites. Limewire, Napster and Bearshare are rife with nasty viruses and malware programs. I would also check the company website because some of the applications that are being offered already are free if you use the lite version of the software.

Another great site:
http://www.oldversion.com

Portable Apps

2008-08-24T02:25:00.003-04:00

One of the best products that I have been given from work is TextHelp Read and Write Gold Mobile. It allows me to use students computers that they are familiar with during evaluations or training. I still go through the process of allowing the students to see all the options (WYNN and Kurzweil). So I started to think that there has to be some other applications that I can run from my portable drives.

With just a little searching I came across http://portableapps.com/suite. I am impressed with the list of applications that are on this list. I downloaded the Suite product. In the suite application you get the following the applications

Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition (web browser)

Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition (email)

Mozilla Sunbird, Portable Edition (calendar/tasks)

ClamWin Portable (antivirus)

Pidgin Portable (instant messaging)

Sumatra PDF Portable (PDF reader)

KeePass Password Safe Portable (password manager)

Sudoku Portable (game)

Mines-Perfect Portable (game)

CoolPlayer+ Portable (audio player)

OpenOffice.org Portable* (office suite)

Writer (word processor)

Calc (spreadsheet)

Impress (presentations)

Base (database utility)

Draw (drawing)

I have been using these products on a thumbdrive that I had hanging around it is a 1 gig drive. The application worked seamlessly on any PC computer that I plugged into as long as they accepted USB products. Since I installed the suite and it worked well I decided to give the other apps a whirl.

The new apps that I have added is the accessibility products - on-screen keyboard and screen magnifier. I am not crazy about the magnifier but it does exactly it is meant to do. It has come in handy a few times for my consumers. The on-screen keyboard app just allows you to find the windows on-screen keyboard that comes with windows. The benefit to this feature is that if you are on a unfamiliar computer it will remembers your settings for sound, hover to select or click to select, always on top, keyboard layout and more as you move from PC to PC. One less thing to worry about.

There is only one educational app which is a fun little app called portable planetarium. It is a app that seems will get little use in the classroom. The app that I have to give props to portable apps for is giving GIMP Portable. If you like Photoshop, GIMP is a product that will do the same with less bells and whistles.

If you are a mobile consultant or student, this is a great little application to have on your jump drive. All your settings are saved so there is no stress of having things look different.

Call for Participation 2008 - Closing the Gap

2008-04-22T21:38:00.002-04:00

Just a fast note that the deadline to put your presentation is approaching quickly. The deadline is 2:00 pm Central Daylight Time on Thursday, May 1, 2008.

Tradgey

2008-04-06T13:34:00.006-04:00

I have not blogged in a while not that I am a daily blogger but I also fell off the face of email and list servs. Some of you may have heard but others may not know at all, on March 18th, 2008 my beautiful, precious niece Brittany Cena was murdered. She was taken from our family at the hands of a family member.

The days following her murder, are a blur. The things I remember the most are the rote things that have to happen and no one really wants to do. No one wants to make the phone calls to confirm what was read in the newspaper. No one wants to retell the story over and over again because the more you repeat it, the more it is reality. No one wants to pick out the clothing because what she would typically wear couldn’t be used. No one wants to go to the funeral home and make the arrangements. This is just another dose of reality that our beloved family member has to be laid to rest and we will never see her beautiful green eyes, smile or the hear her laugh until she cries. In the days following any death, the days blur together in the rote tasks. However, the biggest differences are: dealing with the press and having to go to court to face the evil bastard that did this.

Going to court was horrible. There is so much pent up frustration and anger. It is the first time you will face the monster that took your loved one. It is also the first time you begin to see that court is not about the person that was murdered but all about the person that did the crime. You know the press is going to be there. You know the court room is going to be packed with the curious. You are lead to the courtroom by the Sheriff’s offers and victim’s advocate. They explained the procedure prior to you going to the court house. You enter the court room and you hear the snap of the cameras and all the eyes of the curious bearing down on you. You don't look up or around and you avoid eye contact with anyone other then the person sitting next to you. The person that murdered Brittany actually looked at my devastated and heartbroken sister and brother in law and hysterical niece and said “I am sorry, I didn’t mean it”. That is it nothing more, nothing less. The court session last 5 minutes it feels like an eternity and you are shuffled out again. The whole time you stare down the person that took Brittany and you wish that he would just man up and say I deserve to die. Although you also wish no one should feel the pain and sorrow of your heart breaking every second of everyday, you want this person to feel the pain and sorrow you are feeling. You want to transfer the rage, guilt, pain to this person.

Unlike most deaths, you don’t have the press hounding you for the story. “Tell Brittany’s side of the story”, “The public wants to know about Brittany”, “Tell us how you are feeling”, “Do you want to make a comment on …”. The press at times were relentless and cold. The devil knows that they have a job to do but why would they think we would care that the public wants to know. Forget the fact that we are trying to deal with the lose of a loved one; you want us to also care about what the public thinks. The only public we cared about is the public that knew Brittany and cared about her and she cared about them. Brittany’s friends, friends of the family knew Brittany and know the caring heart that my sister Denise has. Brittany’s friends have been such a support system to my sister, her husband, her daughters and my parents. Teenagers should not have to know the pain of losing a friend in this matter or any other way but they have rallied around to give the support and love that is needed at this time. They are a force to be recognized standing up and telling the press “We just want to be left alone”. They have such grace.

The other big difference is that everyday is a new reminder that your loved one did not pass from illness or natural causes. There is not a day that goes by that a phone call, letter or person doesn't arrive to just add onto the burden of grief.

We received a letter from the prosecutor’s office asking us to write a statement about how the death of our funny, creative, passionate Brittany has impacted our lives. All you want to say is please rewind time so you can watch the pain, sorrow, disbelief and shock on our hearts. How do you put into words the impact her death has made? She was 15 years old; she was just 13 days shy of her 16th birthday. There are so many things she never got to experience but the one thing she had to know is that everyone loved her so much. The impact that it has left is, why? We will never know why. Even if the person that murdered Brittany offers a WHY would that fill the void that we have in our lives. I think not. Answering of the why will never erase the questions that we have as a family.

The impact that losing my niece has left on me is that I will never get to experience all the things we had planned. We were going to go to San Francisco. It was her birthday present from me. She wanted to travel and see the world but she wanted to experience SFO because she knew I loved it there. We had plans of going to Italy when she graduated High School. We were going to start planning the trip in just a few months. Yes, Brittany was very much like me in many ways. She liked planning and being prepared. Brittany was my counter part. She was organized and fun loving. I am organized and serious. Her sister is engaged to be married; I am honored to be her maid of honor. Herb her fiancé is a good man. Any man that can tolerate my family is a special person. But Brittany was looking forward to planning the bridal shower, the bachelorette party and everything that goes along with the wedding. We will never get the chance to have her sense of style and flair adds to the parties and weddings.

The impact is even greater then the superficial pieces of our lives. Brittany was such a beautiful soul. When she smiled she made you feel loved. Brittany has a quiet presence when in a group. Although she liked being the center of attention she often would sit back and take the whole experience in. She wanted to experience the whole thing not just the moments. Brittany was a warm soul. She never let anyone friend, foe or strangers go without a smile or kind word. How many teenagers do you know that really embraced being kind to others just because it was the right thing to do? Don’t get me wrong, Brittany could be a “beach”. But often it wasn’t her being nasty; people just don’t like to hear the truth. She spoke her mind and told you the truth even if you didn’t want to hear it. There were rough jagged edges that Brittany had but she was only 15. Those rough jagged edges would have smoothed out and become a shining gem but she was taken before her full potential could ever be recognized.

The impact of losing Brittany isn’t even truly felt at this time. We are still to numb and going through the motions of what we call a life that the impact is not truly felt. We miss her more daily. The pain and sorrow will never go away. Each milestone she never got to experience is going to be knife in our hearts. The impact is that this person she called cousin – the brother I never had and loved unconditionally took her life without remorse. The impact is that you lose all sense of trust and security. The impact is that I will never get to call my niece and tease her about taking my younger niece on vacation or teasing her that she is too young to do something. The impact is that I will never get to call her and yell at her that she needs to step it up and toe the line. The impact is that I will never see her spread her wings and take flight as an adult who I know would have made a difference in others lives.

The impact is that life cannot return to what was once our normal lives because there is nothing normal about having your loved one murdered. We are told we have to got back to our lives and continue living but really how do you move forward.

Software Review: Confident Reader

2008-03-16T10:30:00.008-04:00

While researching a specialist in the field of dyslexia I found this tool Confident Reader. When you click on the website you are greeted with “overcome dyslexia with confident reader". As a professional, I know that dyslexia is a life long struggle and with strategies and support you can accommodate the difficulties that you have in the areas of reading. Now as a family member of a child that is struggle with reading you get the curiosity of a toddler in the toy cabinet. So what is the next magic cure that is going to help my child overcome her dyslexia? What for it……….

Yes, it is assistive technology. Being an assistive technology specialist, I pretty much embrace all new technology that comes to the market. You never know what tool will support the student you are working with. But come on marketing people. Why o, why do you have to say that a child will overcome their reading disability. Assistive technology is an accommodation, one tool in the tool chest to support the student in reading and writing. Assistive technology is not a teacher so it will never teach a skill. It may help with sight word reinforcement but again it will never teach.

I had high hopes and expectations for this software especially since the company says “overcome dyslexia with confident reader” even the big dogs in the game of asssistive technology aren't that confident. Since the company set the bar so high, I set my expectations high.

Word processor:

The word processor has a clean lay out. The menu bar is similar icons to MS Word. The differences would be the settings, spelling and word prediction buttons that appear at the end of the toolbar. The word processor has a feeling of a blog or website. You have an area off to the right for your writing. The size is roughly the width of a standard piece of paper (8 inches wide) and height of 8 inches.

There is a menu that appears to the left side of the screen. The read button, is the top button fairly large. Then under it you have the back button, pause and forward button. Then you have the MP3 button. And then the speech button which you can set to letter, word or sentence. The voice is another menu at the bottom of the page on the left.

I have mixed feelings about having the MP3 button where it is. It just seems like you would want to have common features together such as the reading, the speaker and the typing button. And have the MP3 button seperate from the other features.I know I am being critical but I can see so many student converting their files when they really only wanted to pause the reading. With that said, I LOVE how easy it is to covert the file to MP3 - it's a click of a button and you are rolling.

The software is very easy to set up. The settings include: text to speech, font, hot key, tool bars, typing echo and spelling.

Text to speech: tab that allows you to set your defaults. This is where can select your voice and speed. But you can also do this on screen.
MP3 settings: Output and format that you want the text to be saved as.

Font: Select from the fonts on your computer. Set your default font size. You also set up your background color.

Hot Keys: you can set hot keys for reading/ pause, stop, text to MP3, maximize and minimize, speed up, speed down and change reader.

Toolbars: You can pick check which program you would like the software to work in Word, Excel or Outlook.

Typing Echo: Letter by letter, Word or sentence

Spelling: ignore words with numbers, ignore words in uppercase, ignore words in mixed case, show suggestions, check while typing.

Spell check is extremely poor. The spell check is better in MS word and a free program that I downloaded. For example, I wrote the following sentence, I wesh I coold go to the stor to perchas a new cumputr. The spellcheck in Confident Reader offered wish and could as number 9 choice, 13 spot for store and there were no suggestions for purchase and computer. The same sentence in MS Word resulted in more corrections and better predictability of the word the individual was trying to write. Wish was the second choice. Could was the second choice. Store was the fourth choice. Purchase no suggestion. Computer was the first choice.If this software was meant for individuals with dyslexia, you would think that the spell check would be equal or improved upon then MS word.

The background is very interesting. If you select a background color your background changes but as your start to write the background color stays. However, after you have the program read the text the background is removed from around your words. Even trying to change the color does not make the background become solid again. If I set the background to a color I would want the color to be consistent throughout the whole document.

Pros: easy to use, clear high quality voices, easy conversion for MP3, saves as rtf or txt files, does not visually cue students to misspelled words, highlights full sentences and highlights the words as it reads.

Cons: spell check, funky background, none speaking spell check, no control over font color, highlight of text can't change setence and word highlight to maybe just the word.

Word prediction

The ConfidentReader comes with built in word prediction. Since word prediction typically is suggested for children that struggle with spelling it would be helpful to use a product that actually works with they way they spell. More times then not a child struggles with the phonetic awareness of words. The errors can be seen at the first letter. If the student cannot get the correct first letter the word prediction in this program would not be helpful. The software does not correct phonetic based errors. I tried some frequently misspelled words: cep = keep, phitch = pitch, bec = because (3 letters). Even for a common word "this" I had to add the first three letters before it offered the word on the list at the number 7 location.

Although not all children with dyslexia struggle with phonetics, it would be helpful to have a product that would pick up phonetic based errors. The word prediction did not do this. I am rating the word prediction as poor because the child has to be able to get the first letter correct and for most words you have to put in a second or third letter before the word appears on the list. I was also disappointed that I couldn't change the type of font, the size of font or change the color of the box.

Pros: integrated into the product, you can hear the word by clicking on the speaker to the right of the word. The word prediction has predict in box that follows the cursor.

Cons: No way to change the font size, change the color of the box or font that the word prediction, if you have one letter wrong it will not support writing.

E-book reader:

This feature was not working. I clicked on the icon and all my computer did was search.

Is it worth the cost of $69.00, yes if you don't need a good spell check or good word prediction. However, if you need a good spell check tool and word prediction program, I suggest you keep looking. There are some excellent programs on the market that are reasonable in price and do exactly what is expected. The best thing about this product is the human sounding voices and the easy MP3 conversation.

Please do not take my word for it. Download the software for 10 tries and tell me what you think: http://www.confidentreader.com/index.htm click on the download button. Please be aware that when you unzip the file you will have 14 files on your desktop or other location.

New Curriculum for special needs students

2008-03-10T01:03:00.006-04:00

I have to admit, I don't often get over to the News-2-you website. Many of the students I support have it at school or parents have purchased it for their students at home. Tonight, I was wondering what to do at 1 a.m. so I thought would check it out.

When I first went to the website, I thought I was at the wrong page. The website was nothing like I remembered. It was corporate looking; it lost the feel of fun and educational feel. Now that isn’t a bad thing especially when you are expanding your company’s possibilities to new global market. So although it sounds negative, I like the changes that were made. The site is clean, easy to navigate, visually pleasing and you can find the information that I was looking for without digging.

Now the exciting thing I came across was that News-2- you is releasing a COMPLETE curriculum in the coming year. The curriculum is going to be called Unique Learning System. http://www.uniquelearningsystem.com/

At a glance:

Four separate grade bands. Allows you to teach age-appropriate material regardless of the students’ prior abilities.
25 activities are available to download and use immediately.
Meet the core curriculum standards of state and national
All of lessons are aligned to content standards and include differentiated tasks and progress monitoring strategies to meet the needs of every student.

I can't wait to see what the Unique Curriculum looks like. I say ... It's about time. I might even decide to head back to the classroom since there is now a curriculum to follow and they say I won't have to spend hours with adaptations and modifications.

Call for Presenters ..... Take the step

2008-03-04T19:41:00.004-05:00

Have something to share.... want to be the person in the front of the room creating the conversation about hot topics in AT , going back to OLD school and generating the next big movement, why not present. The conferences are always looking for new presenters.

TRLD - which is held in San Francisco every year is calling for presenters. The conference is on the small size but has a big heart. It will be held January 22-24, 2009. Yes, SFO is not the warmest place in the summer but in the Winter it is a nice cool rainy place. Even in the rain SFO is a great place to visit. TRLD is looking for presenters. Submit March 10th through June 2nd, 2008!

CTG - which is held in Minneapolis, Minnesota is looking for presenters. The conference has an educational background. Minnesota can be warm or chilly depending on the year. It is being held on October 16-18, 2008. Deadline: - 2:00 pm Central Daylight Time on Thursday, May 1, 2008

ATIA - is held in Florida in the winter. How nice to be able to relax by the pool while everyone else is freezing back home. The conference is unlike most of the conferences. The workshops are spread out nicely, you get lunch daily and you get to see the vending hall without worrying about what you are missing. January 28 - 31, 2009 - Orlando, Florida. No call at this time.

Low Cost laptop - NOT the OLPC

2008-02-22T01:27:00.007-05:00

Last year, I was excited about the Foleo from Palm. And then I was disappointed that Palm postponed the release of the Foleo because of poor reviews and constant criticism. With Palms recorder, it was one of the smartest moves they have made. Don’t get me wrong, I am a PALM carrier but I am the first to admit that the company leaves much to be desired. So out to the pile heap FOLEO goes.

Then there was all the hype with the OLPC because it was a tool that was affordable. The problem is that I personally cannot see many students wanting to use something that is such a live color of green. Especially if they are self-conscious about what others may think.

Now there are some products that have been getting a ton of buzz for about a year. Intel was seems to want to do the same thing that OLPC wanted to do. Apparently, there is some animosity between Intel and OLPC. Rumor has it that, Intel said something that OLPC didn’t like it. I really don’t think it matters but everyone needs something to talk about. How else do you get free publicity?

So anyway…

You must check out the Asus Eee PC (pronounced “E P C”). The ASUS Eee PC is an ultra portable notebook computer with prices starting at $399 and $599. The strange little fact is that it was was developed jointly by Intel and ASUSTeK based on Intel's Classmate PC project. The difference is that Eee PC was directed at the consumer market. From the reviews and the blogs about this “laptop”, it is a well liked device. I would say that if you have a student that needs more flexibility then the DANA and you aren’t ready to go the full next step to a laptop this device could be a solution. The hard drive is small, only 4GB hard drive. However, using an SD card (most recommend this); it is a great tool for productivity. It runs open source software Open Office. Comes in a rainbow of pastel colors. Specs for the ASUS According to the website for ASUS - EeePC will also run Windows in the feature. Expect the price to increase.

It is said that the Eee PC was designed for the consumer market and the Classmate was designed for the developing nations. Here is what I don’t understand. If the Eee PC is for consumers in the US, why would you give Linxus and open source software for the price you are charging? The reason I ask this is that the Intel Classmate (not to be confused with the Humanware Classmate sold by DonJohnston,) comes with Windows XP or Linxus options, it can have MS Office 2003 and a 2 gig hard drive if you are running window or 1 gig hard drive if you are using Linux. It retails for $225-$400 depending on the configuration. It is a rugged designed laptop that has a beautiful leather cover that doubles as a sturdy handle. Specs for the Classmate (PDF File)

Mind-Controlled Video Games

2008-02-22T00:22:00.006-05:00

Sci-fi is about to become reality there is a new game controller called the Emotiv EPOC Neuroheadset which can open a world of possibilities for children and adults with disabilities that haven’t been able to play video games. Or people like me who are not coordinated enough to play video games beyond the arrow up and shoot button. Game developers have finally game out with a tool that ALL players can be equal participants in an electronic game.

The Emotiv Neuroheadset is a wireless game control that is designed to allow games to use their thoughts, expressions and emotions to control the game. According to the company the headset can detect facial expressions, emotions and cognitive actions like pushing and pulling objects. According to the company dictionary

No matter how exciting this is for your typical gamer, the possibilities for children and adults with disabilities are off the charts. How cool would it be for teenagers to actually play a game without needing to coordinate body movements, special switch arrays or special set-ups for access?

“The Expressiv™ suite uses signals measured by Emotiv’s neuroheadset to interpret player facial expressions in real-time. It provides a natural enhancement to game interaction by allowing game characters to come to life. When a player smiles, their character can mimic the expression even before they are aware of their own feelings. These expressions can be combined to communicate more complex non-verbal expressions such as "flirt , "look sexy”. ”surprised” or “angry”. Artificial intelligence can now respond to players naturally, in ways only humans have been able to until now.” When I first saw the device I thought children and adults with access issues. But after reading this I started to think of individuals with Autism. Making a game that helps them develop understanding of facial expressions.

As of right now the Neuroheadset will only be sold with the game developed specifically for it but other PC games can be used. The exciting part is that IBM Corp. is teaming up with Emotiv to investigate what the other potentials could be outside of gaming. They are going to explore how humans and computers can interact with each other using the Neuroheadset.
Close your eyes…… and make a wish because realistically the Neuroheadset isn’t that expensive $299.

I am in contact with the company to see if I can see this game control in person. I might need to take a trip to San Francisco. I know it’s a sacrifice but someone has to be the person to go. So I will volunteer my brain to check out the device.

There is not date that I could find for when this can be found in stores or online. They had the launch party on the 19th of February. But as soon as I hear, I will let everyone know where and when it can be purchased. Another article to read:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/18/BUDBV2QMG.DTL
Also check out the video: http://www.emotiv.com/corporate/index.html

E-Paper slap bracelets

2008-02-21T01:01:00.006-05:00

Remember when slap bracelets were just made of thin piece of aluminum wrapped in fabric. Come on admit it, you had one or wished your parents would let you have them. They were the bb gun of the 80’s instead of shooting your eye out; you could cut your hand off. Ok so that is an over exaggeration, you wouldn’t cut your hand off but you could cause a nasty little cut.

The Chocolate Agency has made the next great device: E-Paper slap bracelets. This is an innovative concept so it is not on the market just yet and there is no release date that I could find.

Three cool ways to use the E-Paper www.chocolate-agency.com/en/en.swf

Variant 1: E-Paper MP3-MP4Enjoy music and pictures with the E-Paper MP3-MP4 player bracelet. Thanks to the e-paper technology, this device allows you to manipulate digital content – MP3-MP4 and images as if they were physical prints.

Variant 2: E-Paper GPSMove around freely with the E-Paper GPS bracelet. A “fixed map” function, using a movement-based interface with accelerometers, allows you to virtually fix the map in space and explore it by moving the device around, reproducing the traditional way of exploring a map with your finger.

Variant 3: E-Paper Digital Photo FrameWith e-paper, the digital photo frame becomes very creative and can last forever. It lets you play with images, and create new graphical interactions that change through time thanks to multiple slideshows. The glass cube displays three images at once that interact with the play of reflections. The glass cube is on an aluminum base and three sides are e-paper screens. There is an integrated battery with an induction dock. Put two cubes together and the adjacent sides connect themselves to display a panoramic image, enriching the interactions while displaying bigger photos. Put four, six or one hundred cubes together and see what happens.

If the E-paper can be programmed with images that a student can navigate through, then this could be a possible communication system for AAC users on the go. I could even see it being used for the student or adult who is out on a job site that needs some visual supports to complete a task independently. With this product I can invasion so many possibilities. The only limit is see is the possible cost. You know something cool like this is going to be expensive like everything else in the special needs realm.

Prescription bottles

2008-02-13T20:30:00.002-05:00

For anyone dealing with multiple medications and the tiny labels that are put on the bottles will love this gadget. Anytime I have to refill a prescription, I dread making the phone call but the numbers are so small. I know if I am having problems I know others must be having the same issue.

I have found the gadget to help. It magnifies the label by 2x’s. That doesn’t sound like that big of a deal but that makes it so much easier to see the RX on the bottle. The little gadget is very easy to use, open and all you do is slide your bottle in.Turn the label toward the magnification window and you are ready to go. The cheapest I have found it is http://www.microscopes.com/ms-cn-lm-rx55.html

or http://www.goldviolin.com/Rx_Magnifier_Set_of_2_p/90608.htm

Alternative Keyboard with a Different Look

2008-02-09T12:26:00.002-05:00

I was looking for a keyboard for a young girl that has limited range of her arms and minimal and a light touch. The one stipulation for the keyboard was that she had to use her hands as much as possible but also have an alternative method of access. I think I found the keyboard for her to try in the Lomak had (light operated mouse and keyboard). This keyboard not only addressed a keyboard issue but also a mouse issue for this young lady. A hand or head pointer controls a beam of light that highlights then confirms the key or mouse functions on the keyboard. By confirming each key, only the correct selection is entered, which reduces errors and increases input speed.

I am on the waiting list for the Lomak so as soon as the device comes, I will let everyone know how it goes. There is a US vendor which is http://www.infogrip.com/

UPDATE 3-4-08

I am just 5 days shy of a month since I contacted the company that makes the LOMAK. I still haven't heard when I will get my hands on this device. :0( It does not make me a happy girl. How are you to recommend a tool for a student if you cannot try it out. I will let you let you know if I finally get to try it. JFVH

UPDATE: 4-7-08

It is now over 2 months since I contacted the company that makes the LOMAK. I still haven't heard when I will get my hands on this device. It is very disappointing that I still haven't gotten my hands the keyboard. It is also frustrating because you expect something to happen and still nothing. OK - so I guess this device is now off my list of things to try. I am sorry but life is too short to wait with no response.

The Customizable Mouse

2008-02-09T00:21:00.000-05:00

What would you think if I told you that there is a mouse that is moldable? You would think that I really need to get some sleep because I am delusional. Well you might be right about the sleep but at this moment you would be wrong on the delusional part.

The way you look at a mouse is about to change. The new exciting mouse to keep you eye out for will be Moldable Mouse. The moldable mouse can be kneaded into any shape that the user needs and the shape is maintained. The mouse is made with non-toxic lightweight modeling clay, covered with nylon and polyurethane blend fabric. Just the thought of this has my brain thinking of all the students that I have worked with and suggested a mouse that was the best option at the moment but really was far from optimal. Even alterative adaptive mice are not adaptable to the human hand. Wouldn’t you love to have a mouse made especially for you?

The Moldable Mouse is allows a wide array of hand positions when using the mouse. Customization minimizes the chance of common mouse-related injuries such Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I bet you are wondering how you would click the buttons….. The click buttons and touch-sensitive scroll pad of the mouse are stick-on parts with built-in RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Device), which can be repositioned for maximum comfort. Buttons that you can stick on any part of the mouse, doesn’t that make your mind wonder to all the students or adults that couldn’t use a mouse because the buttons weren’t in the right place for the individual.

The mouse will come in various colors. For the people that want to be green…. The base of the mouse, made of 100% recyclable PC/ABS plastic blend, houses the PCB (Printed Circuit Board), laser optics and batteries.

“Today, modern technology has made it possible for the product to conform to the contours of the user, rather than the other way around.” As we say in the field of assistive technology: Fit the technology to the user not the user to the technology. This mouse is a wonderful possibility.

There is no date for release. So I will have to watch for the date.

Dinner time Help

2008-02-07T00:31:00.000-05:00

If you are like most people the last thing you want to think about after a long day of work is what you will feed yourself or the family for dinner. The other issue that is typically faced what is left in the house to cook.

I had the following items in the refrigerator: chicken, garlic, parmesan cheese. To say the least I am not the best cook. So onto the computer I started to see what I can make with the ingredients. And low and behold I hit the jackpot: http://www.supercook.com/. This site is a life saver for the: don’t know what to make tonight or the pay check can’t come quick enough and we need to use what we got. There are many creative and wonderful dishes and if you are pressured for time, like I was, I picked the first one to show up: Chili Parmesan Chicken. In less then an hour I had a complete balanced meal on the table. No stress, little mess and nothing left over because everyone ate the chicken.

This site is awesome for the pre-planners that cook for the week.

Kidspiration 3

2008-02-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

Kidspiration 3 will be released tomorrow. I am sure you were all sitting on the edge of your seat and waiting for the day to arrive. I know announcement came out 2-3 weeks ago but before I wrote about it I wanted to take the software through some paces. If you are running Kidspiration 2 = Do the UPGRADE. $39.95. If you don't already own still worth the price of $69.00

Kidspiration is a visual mapping tool for written expression. It is a wonderful tool to teach a student on how to create a paragraph from individual sentences and organize the sentences into a complete paragraph. The software was upgraded to 3,000+ symbols to give students visual support in core academic areas. Hands down the increased symbol library makes creating visual supports for students easy. One of my favorite aspects of this software is that a student can create their own symbol (symbol maker) for personalizing meaning. This can be done by drawing or using the black outline symbols that the student can tailor to their individual.

The new improvements to the program in the visual mapping aspect of the software:

NEW Sight vocabulary for the Dolch and Fry word list. Each entry includes definitions, recorded speech for pronunciation, synonyms and antonyms, parts of speech and sample sentences. Word Guide pairs 1,400 words with images to enhance word recognition and comprehension. This feature makes it worth the purchase price. It allows the student to see and hear definitions and a graphic to represent the word. For students that struggle with reading comprehension this makes reading easier.

Improved: One of the improvements that were needed was a longer recording to time. This allows you to create personalize audio directions in your own voice for students. For students that struggle with writing, this is a fast and easy way for students to get their ideas out because they can dictate their ideas into the visual mapping. The recording is very easy to use.

Transfer to word processor: This was an added feature in Kidspiration 2. It is still worth a mention because many do not use this feature. It allows a student to write their sentences or paragraph in Kidspiration and transfer it to word for the final draft.

Now the features that I am most confused about are the new Math aspect of the software. Kidspiration always had a math aspect but it has exploded in this new version. When I think of Kidspiration the Math isn’t the subject that I think of. The math features are excellent additions to the software but why add it to a piece of software that is already underutilized in schools. The argument can be made that this may encourage increased use of the software.

It cannot be said that they did a bad job at creating the templates and the math aspect of the software. Everything that they added can be used for elementary level students in K-4 but the question has to be asked why not create a separate math tool.

The company took a leap of faith last year when the begun their expansion into the math world with Inspirdata. Is the new feature, the company’s feelers for the market of math? If it is, smart move on their part to test the waters and get feedback before launching a full fledge software package for math.

Kidspiration new concepts help students build number sense and spatial reasoning. Math has moved beyond just being numbers. Students now need to explain how they worked their way to the answer. The software allows teachers to create visual representatives for math problems and create visual steps to how to solve the problem.

The areas that the math features focus on are the core conceptual foundations that students need. The areas are counting, place value, computation and geometric thinking. Now for differential instruction or UDL this allows students of all abilities to access the concepts of math. A student can be working on counting, another on one to one correspondence, and another on matching shapes or numbers. If a teacher can think outside of the actual label of the activities they present to the class it can be an awesome tool for all learners.

Directly from website www.inspiration.com

Kidspiration Color Tiles™Students use Kidspiration Color Tiles to count and compare, explore properties of number and operations and develop computation strategies. With Kidspiration Color Tiles, students learn to solve area and perimeter problems and model number patterns and the four basic operations.

Kidspiration Pattern Blocks™Students use Kidspiration Pattern Blocks to investigate the properties and attributes of shapes through composition and decomposition. They produce patterns and tessellations, explore similarity and congruence, experiment with symmetry and represent fractions.

Kidspiration Base Ten Blocks™ Students use Kidspiration Base Ten Blocks to understand place value and strengthen number sense. With Kidspiration Base Ten Blocks, they count, compare, group, partition and create equivalent representations of whole numbers and decimals. Kidspiration Base Ten Blocks also introduce students to procedures for operations on multi-digit numbers.

Kidspiration Fraction Tiles™Students use Kidspiration Fraction Tiles to compare and order fractions and to understand equivalent fractions. They find common denominators; translate between improper fractions and mixed numbers and model basic operations with fractions.

Kidspiration Fraction Boxes™Students use Kidspiration Fraction Boxes to represent fractions visually to build a strong conceptual foundation for future work with fractions. Students compare, order, simplify and find equivalent fractions. They use Kidspiration Fraction Boxes to model basic operations with like and unlike denominators. Kidspiration Fraction Boxes also introduce students to improper fractions, mixed numbers and representing word problems.

Kidspiration Fraction Boxes are a dynamic fraction building tool using denominators up to 36. To build fractions, students set the number of parts and use colors and patterns to represent "parts of a whole" clearly. Students align boxes to model numbers greater than one and to compare fractions.

Safety Tats

2008-02-05T22:22:00.000-05:00

This is a very cool idea for parents and educators. This mom came up with a hip way of helping child find their way back to the family or teacher. She came up with the idea of Safety Tattoos. It is a temporary safety tattoo. It is applied like any other temporary tattoo with a little water and powder.

It has the cute little designs and the contact number. For 30 tattoos it cost $19.95. There is not a person that is responsible for a child that does not fear a curious child wondering off or worse getting lost in the crowd. If you love visiting amusement parks, the beach or enjoy sports like skiing with your children there is always the risk of getting separated or hurt. With the safety tat emergency personal can contact to a parent or guardian especially when you have no where to put identification.

http://safetytat.com

Start-to-Finish Literacy Starters Workshop

2008-02-05T22:07:00.000-05:00

Literacy is a hot topic in the field of special education. It is an area that so many students with learning disabilities and significant disabilities don’t seem to get enough experience practicing. As an AT trainer, I often do trainings on literacy development for teachers that want to make a difference in their students lives. One of the struggles that I often have is that .It is often difficult materials to support and demonstrate the strategies that have been taught to me from going to workshops/trainings with Dr. Karen Erickson and Dr. David Koppenhaver. Finally, someone has put references and training materials to make it easier for trainers to demonstrate the importance of literacy and the possible outcomes.

Don Johnston Inc. is now offering Start to Finish literacy starters Workshop. The Start-To-Finish Literacy Starters Workshop is a two-hour training program designed to maximize the literacy outcomes of older beginning readers using Start-To-Finish Literacy Starters. Short video clips presented by Dr. Karen Erickson (on CD-ROM) and reproducible materials guide staff development.

Even though this material is based on older beginning readers the information can benefit all beginning readers.

Three main benefits:

Brings Karen Erickson’s research-based methods and implementation to your staff at a very reasonable cost. Her research-based methods for implementing Literacy Starters to older beginning readers ensure the best literacy outcomes possible.
Helps the facilitator prepare for and guide group trainings. Describes the workshop preparation, flow, video segments and activities.
Guides participant activities leveraging best practices in adult learning – maximizing learning and classroom implementation.

The cost is $249.00 and you can pre order yours using item code PS06.

Stop the Right Clicking

2008-01-19T23:14:00.000-05:00

When you are working on the PC the most frustrating thing is trying to stop a student from right clicking. You give the student a visual cue or even a textured cue of which button to press and that right click happens. There is a software based solution that is free. Yes, I used that four letter word FREE.

The software is called BabyMouse. BabyMouse is an application that restricts several functions of the computer mouse. The right mouse can be deactivated, all buttons can be set to be a left click and the best mouse clicks can be restricted to a particular area of the screen. What this means that the teacher or parent can pick a specific spot on the screen and the child can only click in that specific spot.

A sister program to BabyMouse is BabyBoard Pro . BabyBoard Pro allows you to control the mouse scroll wheel as well as keyboard keys. Yes, you can block letters from being typed. So if you are working on a student typing their name you can block all letters that are not in their name.

The program works wonderful for little children learning mouse skills as well as students that struggle with the left and right click featurs of a PC mouse. Hands down you can't beat the price which again is FREE.

http://www.download.com/BabyMouse/3000-2132_4-10790738.html

ChoiceWorks Visual Support System

2008-01-19T10:58:00.000-05:00

I was preparing for a workshop on visual supports and I came across this visual support system that I am very impressed with the look of. I think it is something that just makes visual supports very handy and all contained in one place.

The visual support system was designed by a parent (some of the best tools come from parents). The visual support system uses a combination of visual symbols to support the student with their schedule, feelings and waiting and a choice area to motivate the child. Anyone that uses visual supports can attest that they increase a student’s independence in completing tasks and understanding expectations. The most important aspect of visual supports is that it helps students with and without disabilities work on self-control issues. Ideal for teaching routines and transitions for children ages 3-9.

What I like about this tool is that there is no laminating and Velcro needed. Everything is contained within the visual support system. No more worries that a student doesn’t have a symbol or the symbol is all tattered.

According to the website the BeeVisual's ChoiceWorks includes three situation boards, each accompanied by a short story to read with your child to introduce the system:

Schedule Board (blue): 40 visual symbol magnets can be sequenced to teach home routines and schedules: includes symbols for morning, evening and bathroom routines, getting ready for school, going to appointments, and more. Your child chooses his/her reward for successfully completing the tasks.

Feelings Board (green): Supports your child’s ability to gain self-control by providing clear alternatives and expectations.

Waiting Board (orange): Teaches your child the skills for waiting, turn taking and not interrupting. Includes a convenient timer!

To learn more or where to order http://www.givinggreetings.com/chsy.html

Preparing for an IEP Meeting

2008-01-19T10:33:00.000-05:00

Like many people that read this blog or just visit by accident I struggle with the IEP process. I have been in the field of special education for 18 years and still I struggle with creating an appropriate document to help my nieces with their education. No matter how much your opinion is respected by the members of a community when you step into the lions den of the DISTRICT you lose all creditability. The district automatically has the attitude that it is you against them and they are the experts. The one district which I reside in actually wrote my brother and me a letter saying they are the experts on what is best of my niece. I am sure you all know how the response letter went. One day the district will learn that it is not the parents vs the district. It takes two to dance the tango and everyone has to pull their weight.

Even the best advocate for others often needs help advocating for their own child because of the emotions involved. Once you get past the emotions you can step up to the plate and battle for what is needed without being personal. I am lucky because I have wonderful friends that support me and keep me in check with taking things personally. I also am lucky because I have friends that know the right words to use when the district tries to pull the we know best routine.

The reason for this post is that I came across a wonderful website that actually helps you prepare for the IEP meeting. The tool walks you through the questions that you should answer prior to the meeting and outlines the areas that you need to work on. As an educator I have written IEP’s, I have attended many IEP meetings but as a person trying to help my siblings through the maze there are many things that I took for granted. This check list helped me explain to my siblings in plain English without the SPED jargon.
http://php.com/include/resources/iep_prepare.html

For the parents that are preparing for an IEP doesn’t miss the Child Portrait piece. For the younger children the parents write the portrait but as the child gets older and can take on the task, I typically allow the child to write their own. It is important that the child can pick out their strengths and weakness’ and explain how it impacts their learning. When I write it for the younger children, I will ask them questions about their likes and dislikes in school or what do they find easy and hard to do in school. I always find it important to make sure we include the child goal for life. Yes goals change as they grow but it is a great way to document that they have hopes and dreams.

Shake - Rattle Listen to Music

2008-01-05T14:19:00.000-05:00

We all know MP3's are the hot item for children. As educator we know MP3's are a tool for learning. The biggest issues that we have are the durability, the size and cost. I am always on the search for tools that my students with physical disabilities can use without great frustration.

To change songs just give it a shake, hence the name Sansa Shaker. There are also controller bands to control volume and to move forward and back in the song library. The shake feature is used for random tracks. You have to shake up and down pretty hard for the feature to work. It is up and down. You will hear a shutter sound when the song changes.

The Shaker has a built-in speaker to listen without headphones or ear buds. One of the benefits to this device is that you can use SD cards loaded with stories or songs. The advantage of using the SD cards is that you can store and swap stories for the seasons or curriculum.

Included in the package is a 512MB SD flash card, USB cable, a few pre-loaded songs, and a colorful variety of stickers so that kids can customize their device.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2007-12-31T23:52:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR to one and ALL.

May you have a wonderful and happy New Year. Please remember to hold your loved ones near and dear. Family and true friends are hard to find. Keep love in your heart and priorities straight.

Priorities for the New Year:
1. Family will keep you grounded and remind you when you think to highly of yourself.
2. Friends will keep you moving forward and reaching for the next best thing.
3. Fun is needed. If you cannot relax and enjoy your life you cannot appreciate all the things you have to be thankful for.
4. Financial (Work): We all spend too much time doing work and not appreciating our family, friends and ourselves.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Extraordinary Life

2007-12-15T17:27:00.000-05:00

There are times in your life that you meet someone over the internet or face to face that leaves a deep impression on you. For me, this happened two weeks ago, when I was contacted via by Jon Feucht who is the Executive Director of Authentic Voices of America Inc. He had made a simple request of me, please take a listen to the pod cast on his blog page and give him feedback. I listen to podcast and read blogs or other information daily, so listening to another one didn’t seem like any big thing.

So off to the site that Jon sent me http://www.ava-inc.org/ to take a listen. I have a tendency to cruise around a website before going directly to where I am requested. Often I do this because you find out more about the person or the company the deeper you look beyond the surface. What I found out is that Jon has written 2 books on called, “Straight Talks From My Desk” and a book of poetry.

From the Table of Contents in "Straight Talks from my desk"there are topics that are often elephants in the room during IEP meetings and transition meetings, How to be an advocate, How to Work with Attendants and Image. These are things that we overlook in educating when a person advocates for themselves it is perceived as they are complaining or expecting too much, if a person with a disability tells someone what to do people feel insulated that someone is telling them what and how to do something. The one that I find extremely important is the Image. We as humans identify ourselves by our image by the way someone looks, the way they carry themselves or who express themselves to be. Image is our marketing tool but for persons with disabilities image often gets lost in the things they use or their disability and no who the person is.

Jon’s pod-cast gives me insight into a world that I am not part of, the world of being non-verbal. If you have ever met me, I often talk too much or even by meeting through a list serv, I have a wealth of information about everything and anything and from Jon’s pod-cast, I see Jon has some of the same qualities. He is such a wealth of information that can help “specialist” understand what it takes to introduce a communication device to an individual, how to help an individual “buy” into their tools and give strategies to special education teachers on how to improve their instruction to a student with special needs.

I think it is time that we have some first hand advice and just not theory on how something should or shouldn’t be. I myself have a learning disability. I was told I would never me be college material. That I should be happy working at Burger King. It is nice to talk to other students with learning disabilities and saying yes I know where you are coming from because I was there one day. Jon is a person that wants to motivate individuals with disabilities and the staff that support them to look at life in a new way. That just because you have a disability doesn’t mean you cannot have an extraordinary full of opportunities.

I encourage anyone that has a child, teenager or young adult that has a disability to listen to the podcast. Everyone needs a role model and Jon is a great one of many that I stand up and give a standing ovation. It is individuals like Jon that make the battles worth while. Jon is not alone in his journey there are many wonderful people with and without disabilities that show us everyday that we can be Extraordinary if we have a passion, a mission to be connected to others and we want to share our souls with others.

Fly Fusion - Updated Fly Pen

2007-12-09T15:04:00.000-05:00

I am very excited about the updated Fly Pen. I have the old Fly Pen which I purchased last year for my niece and brother. She needs support with writing while he needed help with his algebra class. It has been a wonderful tool but now the Fly Pen has made another jump that makes it even more exciting.

The added feature that is the most exciting for me is the note capturing feature of the device. For many students with writing difficulties we often use a peer scribe or an aide will scribe for them. With the Fly Fusion pen it stores the written notes in the pen and allows you to upload the notes into digitalized notes. The difference between Fly Fusion then other digital pens or notetakers that I have tried is that it is able to read your handwriting and turn it into editable text. It is not perfect and you have to get use to writing with the Fusion. You need to make sure that your writing is legible, that you leave spaces between words and sentences. If a student has illegible handwriting you will not get good editable text. But if the student has fair handwriting the student will get good editable text that they can correct on the computer.

The Fly Fusion has also gotten into the MP3 market. Although this feature of the pen works and will be “cool” for children and teens I would be ok without it not being a feature of the pen. I do have to admit that although I am not hot on the MP3, I do like the Flytones and chose Keyboard. The pen walks you step by step in drawing a 13-key keyboard, complete with sharps and flats, and an instrument selector, which included piano, synthesizer, and other musical instruments including drums, and rhythms. You can customize your Flytones as reminders such as when the pen turns on, scheduler and notes. I will give you that students may become even more distracted by this feature then the MP3 but at least they are being creative. Yeah, I am one of the users that would find it more interesting creating bad music then listening to the instructor.

Leapfrog has also updated their website so you can download and share materials with others. Not all applications are free but they are simple to download if you pay attention to the directions. If you don’t pay attention you won’t know that it is a two step process to download and sync your Fusion.

My biggest frustration was the on and off for reading. I kept turning the pen off when I was writing. Once you get the hang of it, it works like a dream. It is just a matter of holding the pen properly and getting use to the bulk of the pen. Some issues to be concerned about is the top weight of the device. The device is not that heavy just a few ounces but that is a big difference from a standard pen/pencil. If you are going to have a peer use it for note taking, I would suggest that you allow the student to use it for about a week to get to use to the difference in size and week. It would also be good practice to see how the students’ handwriting is supported by the Fly Fusion.

The gift of this pen is all the features but the price isn’t that bad either. You can find it in the stores for between $80. - $100.00 depending on what packages are features. I managed to get mine on sale for $59.00 a few weeks ago and then I purchased some accessories like paper and carrying case. Yes, that is one of the cons of the device, after all the complaining with the first Fly pen you would think that LeapFrog would package the Fly Fusion with a protection case.

What the Fly Fusion comes with:
English - FLY™ Notes – upload what you write or draw to your computerForeign Language - Spanish Translator Games and Activities - Game Pad, FLYtype™ PracticeMath - FastComp™ BasicsMusic - MP3 Player, FLYtones™, FLY Music StudioTest Prep - Pop QuizTools - Calculator, Controls, Scheduler & Settings, TimeFLY Tour

MADE FOR ME MP3 Music Player

2007-12-08T13:47:00.000-05:00

How young is too young for an MP3 player? Have you seen the MP3 player from Playskool that is for the nursery? The Made for me MP3 music player allows you to download up to 2 hours of music from various sources including CD’s, recording of your own voice as well as WMA or MP3. It comes with 50 songs and sounds on four different play lists: playtime, sleepy time, sound effects and favorites.

I am not sure that I would purchase this MP3 for an infant but I would purchase it from a child with special needs because the play button is huge. It is about the size of a big red. The forward and back buttons are separated onto the feet which are about the size of a spec switch. The volume up and down button is a toggle switch which could be difficult for some children to activate (not always a bad thing) and power on button is about a spec switch size on the front but there is an alternative on/off switch on the side of the machine.

The other reason that I like this device is because it can be mounted with a set of connection jammies. Now I am not sure that the jammies are age appropriate but if you can create age appropriate clothing for the MP3 player using the pattern of the jammies.

You can purchase additional storage units. The software that you use to upload the music to is sorted into the different play list. If you want a song to your child’s favorite then you click on that tag and save the song.

Cost is a factor in purchasing this device. It is $79.99 and $49.99 for each additional cartilage.

http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/ProductsByBrand.htm?ID=20213&BR=838

NEW Portable Device with POWER

2007-12-06T16:29:00.000-05:00

For the past 6 months I have been using the beta version of the StudentMate. The StudentMate is a Linxus based portable word processor with all the power of a computer. The device is lightweight (2 lbs) and has built in wireless capability. As soon as your turn on this device you know you are in for a treat. The fist think that impressed me was the color LCD touch screen. The LCD is crisp and clearer then my PALM. The StudentMate screen size is 6 1/2” wide by 3 1/2” tall.

The StudentMate has all the options you could want for your students. It is extremely easy to icon based navigation. You can use the stylus or your finger to move from one icon to the next. The icons are fairly large, easily recognizable (word processor a pencil, calculator the mathematical signs).

The StudentMate also comes with a full featured word processor. Your students can import graphics, use assorted colors and fonts as well as formatting their document to the way they want it to look. It will not lose formatting when you move your files between the device to the computer and back to the device. The spell checker has over 100,000 words. It does not have a phonetic spell checker so your students that stump the spell check may still need some support from you while using this device.

The StudentMate also has a full featured spread sheet. It works and feels the same as Excel. Excel is not used as often by students in the classroom but for the students that are struggling with math (alignment, writing number) the spreadsheet is an excellent tool to use. There are over 300 calculation functions built in to the spread sheet including data analysis, calculations and stats. For students that are younger you can import graphics, draw on the worksheet using the stylus as well as use the symbols and shapes that are pre-installed.

The StudentMate devices interface with the teachers computer via Student Administration Module (SAM) - The StudentMate Administration Module resides on the teacher’s networked PC and allows the teacher to monitor students’ activity on their networked StudentMates. It also allows teachers and students to easily exchange homework, tests and other files between the teacher’s PC and the StudentMates.

The StudentMate hands down is one of the best web browsers that I have seen on a portable word processor. Often the devices open web browsers slowly and then you are disappointed that the pages cannot do flash player. The StudentMate not only opens quickly but it also handles graphic intense sites well also. There is also a 128 BIT SSL (secure socket layer) encryption. The StudentMate was able to handle Webkinz website as well as other sites. Don’t worry; you can block websites so your students can’t visit them doing the school day.

One of the features that I think educators will like the most is the iRespond AnyPlace Web. It is assessment tool to give teachers the full functionality of real-time assessment, grading, and reporting. Teachers can create text, fill in the blank, multiple choices, multiple response, and survey, yes/no, true/false, extended response, and short essay questions and organize them in tests. The iRespond automatically analyzes scores of an individual student or group and generated reports with graphs.

Another great feature of this device is that there is a Student Summary List that allows the teacher to view all of the student’s activities that were completed on the device during a specific time period. Now you can see what tasks they completed and how long the student worked on an assignment.

The organization of files, you have to love a device that lists your documents in a separate tab. On the homework tab a student can list their homework assignments as well as deadlines. This is very similar to the feature To Do List on the DANA.

The StudentMate has a calendar. You have the options of looking at a single day, 5 day or 7 day, as well as the monthly view. For students that struggling with their agenda this is a nice feature to have at their finger tips.

Hands down if you are on the market for portable word processing device, this is a device that you want to check out. It gives you all the features of a computer without the problems of a computer. The price is reasonable and the device is durability. I would take the company up on its 30 day trail to check out the device yourself. http://www.one2onemate.com/index.html

The good:

Adjustable font

If your student cannot use a stylus and doesn’t have great fine motor skills for touching the icons, they could always use an external USB mouse.

You can save information to a USB or Memory Card.

Zoom feature – you can zoom into text and graphics.

MP3 player – can music as well as electronic text files that are converted to audio files

Built in interactive typing tutor.

PDF viewer

Full screen calculator: conversion calculator, in temperature mode is shown to the right. Distance, area, volume and weight modes are also available.

What is missing:

Cannot install your own software

Text to speech – Coming Soon

Paint program - Coming Soon

No word prediction at this time

The Tabletop Photo Studio

2007-12-01T20:08:00.000-05:00

If you work in the field special education with students on the spectrum or students with cognitive disabilities at one time or another you had to take photos of real objects. The key to good photos is to have a clean background. You want no visual distractions around the object that you are snapping a photo of. In a classroom this can prove to be difficult. You can try to put your objects on a solid piece of white paper, black cloth or in the corner of your room so your wall is the backdrop.

While looking through one of the million in one catalogs that have arrived at my home this holiday season I came across a tabletop photo studio. It comes with two backdrops, a compact light box with an integrated diffuser screen, and two high output lights with adjustable, retractable legs. As you can see from the photo it is a neat little package. It folds up into a nice little storage bag so you don't have to it out all the time. I really like this for object pictures. However, I cannot justify the $80.00 cost even if I like this. This Tabletop Photo Studio can be purchased at http://www.hammacher.com/publish/73033.asp?promo=sportleisure

Here is a way to make a least expensive version of the same Tabletop Photo Studio. I would first find a box. I would paint the inside of the box white left and right walls white. I would paint the inside bottom gray and back wall gray or black. The tripod can be purchased at Target for $5.00-$8.00. The lights can be RayoVac 2D Swivel Flashlight which cost about $12.00 - $15.00. To make your own table top photo studio you it cost you maybe $23.00

Color Bug Coloring Toy

2007-11-29T17:47:00.001-05:00

Can you tell what time of year it is by the theme of my post? Well here is a toy that I have been waiting for since I saw it on Oprah last year. It is called Color Bug Coloring Toy. I am very excited because this toy opens some fun doors for children and adults (if they like to color). This is idea can be improved upon if they changed the remote to having IR capabilities. If it had IR capabilities because then people with disabilities could control the Color Bug with their communication devices. As of now you have a standard radio controller to move your Color Bug around the paper which still makes it possible to work on skills.

There is no doubt once I get my hands on these little bugs that I can figure out a way to adapt the toy so more of my students can have fun with the toy. I just see so many possibilities for this little toy. Taking a skill that the student is bored to tears of doing, this would change up the activitiy so that the student is motivated to do the task again.

For example: You can have Color Bug Draws a straight line. Or you can see who can make it to the end of their paper the fastest. You can also work on stop - go - left - right. You can work on identification of objects or pictures by placing three pictures on a pieces of paper and the student has to move their color bug to the correct picture.

Where to purchase: http://www.rcarttoys.com/Retailers.html

If you have one of these new toys - let me know what you think.

Kookey - Interactive Web toy

2007-11-25T09:29:00.000-05:00

I am sure you have heard about Webkins. The cute little plush toys that come with a secret code which unlocks a virtual play land. Well there is a new kid in the block and they are called Kookey's.

Kookey's are cute, plush toys just like webkins but the big differences are on their website. Unlike Webkins Kookey's were designed with an educational purpose in mind. There is KooCollege. KooCollege has a curriculum of 18,000 questions and six varying grade levels, which were designed by a former Teacher of the Year. You can adjust the curriculum for your child to allow focus on their specific needs for improvement in certain skills. Challenging problems are offered in such classes as History, Math and English. KooCollege earns 3 times as much money as playing the games or getting a job.

The site will be available to all on December 1st. Until then, anyone who pre-registers their purchased Kookeys before November 24th becomes a member of Kookeys exclusive KooFounder's Club! The Founders are so important that they will receive an automatic 10,000 KooCoins, other prizes and their name listed in the KooFounders Club for everyone to see. In the meantime, you may browse the neighborhoods in search of your perfect home.

I am sure these toys will struggle to pass Webkins. The age group that is targeted is 5-12 age group. As an educator, I like the concept of this toy because it is going to reinforce academics something that so many virtual toys don't. Because it has an educational piece to it, once Kookey land opens up and I can see how it works and if the educational pieces are there that reinforce curriculum this might be the purchase I make for my niece and nephews teachers to give out as prizes. (Back door into getting technology into the classroom and leveling the playing field for all students).

www.kookeys.com Just an FYI: The opening music is annoying. I suggest turning it off.

Duck - Duck - Duck - Goose - who is the right candidate for me?

2007-11-24T14:25:00.000-05:00

When I was growing up I couldn’t wait to I was old for my first right of passage to adulthood. Most are probably thinking it was the right to get a drivers license but that wasn’t it. I couldn’t wait for real adult passage, the ability to vote.

We are now getting our ducks in order to find the goose. There are so many candidates that are running for the office that how can you tell which one is the right candidate for you? It is so hard to find out where the candidates stand on the issues that are important to me. There are two websites that help you find the candidates that have similar view points as you. The first website was Connect2Elect.

Connect2Elect is a website that allows to widdle down the candidates that have similar views on topics that are important to you. So often American’s stay within their party affiliation. However, just because they are part of the “party” does it mean that they really feel the same as others and more importantly you? The key issues are in four categories: candidate attributes (time served in office, religious beliefs, etc), social issues (global warming, stem-cell research, etc), political issues (health care, social security, etc), and core beliefs (stance on taxes, foreign relations, etc).

In this day and age we need help guide use to candidates that are like us. I feel lost in the sea of candidates that don’t always speak from the heart. They speak from the polls and what they think others want to hear. If they aren’t listening to the citizens of this country which is obvious with the mess we are in. Then start talking about what you really believe. Try being honest. You have one shot to make an impression.

I tried another program that also helps widdle down the candidates. I have to say that I like Glassbooth better for its ease of use. Not because of the information that is offered but for the ease of use. The information that is shared is equal to the information that Connect2Elect.

I liked that I didn’t have to sign into the site to start the process. You start your rank of the issues that are important to you. How you use your points indicates what issues are important to you. When you are finished a list of 3 candidates will appear with your number one candidate that is closest to your political interest. You want further information on the candidates’ click on their name and read the information. There is also a list of quotes and how they voted on issues in the past.

These sites are not about giving you a final choice it is about helping you work your way through the candidates and giving a snapshot into where they stand so you can do further research.

Scriptovia - Student collaborative tool

2007-11-23T19:45:00.000-05:00

Do you remember www.thinkessay.com ? It was a tool for students to collaborative on their writing assignments. Well the creator of Thinkessay has grown up (he is now 18) and now has a new space that is called http://www.scriptovia.com/. About us

"Scriptovia is an online community for students to collaborate and receive feedback on their academic work. This includes essays, notes, lab reports, presentations, and everything else students create to advance their knowledge." It reminds me of a portal of information. Students can turn to this site help on any subject that they may need support in. This site is new so the bulk of literature support.

The more the students participate the higher their ranking. The member rating system can be found at Scriptovia . Members are awarded different colored apples based on their involvement in the Scriptovia community. Apples are awarded based on the amount of member points that each user has accrued.

Karito Kids - A wonderful new product

2007-11-22T12:26:00.000-05:00

My nieces’ birthday is coming up and she wants something special for her birthday. Her idea is a new laptop so she can play Webkins without being in my office. Sorry to say, “This is not going to happen.”

So now we are onto her plan 2. She wants an American Girl Doll. This plan sounds like a better then the first one she thought of (at least cheaper). The only issue that I have is that I can’t convince myself that another doll is something she needs. The biggest conflict that I have is that my mission to have my gifts be gifts that give back to the community. The American Girl Doll company does not fit into my mission of giving back to the community. So it is my job to come up with an alternative plan that would meet her need to have a doll and my mission to give back to others.

You would have thought this journey would take many hours of searching on the internet but in reality it took only 2 different google searches and I found this article “Doll teaches kids about responsibility, charity”. I couldn’t believe my luck. I found exactly what I was looking for in Karito Kids.

Karito Kids is the mastermind of two women that wanted more out of the toys they were giving to their children and make a difference in the world we live. It is a doll with a storybook just like American Doll but it has a Webkin features. This is a win-win for me and for my niece. She loves Webkins, wants a pretty doll and I want her to learn to be responsible for the community. As soon as she logs on she needs to pick a cause from the four offered. The four causes are growing up healthy, learning, habitat or livelihood. The child receives an e-mail updating them on what progress they have made toward their project goal.

The dolls are a little more expensive then American Dolls but the little extra is worth the benefit of giving back to the world we live. It also is worth the little extra money because it is teaching her about the world she is living and making a small impact while having fun.

Here is the doll that she has picked

Find a store in your area: http://www.karitokids.com/storeslist.aspx

EyeClops

2007-11-22T10:02:00.000-05:00

When you look at the device to the left, I am sure you are trying to figure out what it is. The first time I saw it I wasn't sure if it was a little video camera, some type of toy gun or just another toy that would land up collecting dust.

The Eyeclops is a single 200x magnification setting microscope. This little green hand held device allows you to turn your TV into a large view finder. The Eyeclops cost only $50.00. It runs on five AA batteries. Accessories include a holder for examining live bugs.

I am very excited about this device because it now makes a powerful microscope available without a hefty price. But it also allows teachers to demonstrate what students should be seeing in a microscope viewer in real time.

For more information: http://www.jakkspacific.com/

Presto

2007-11-22T09:30:00.000-05:00

Have you seen this? You may think this is a printer for your computer but you would be mistaken. This is a printer that doesn't need a computer. Yes, you have read that correctly. No computer needed. The Presto from HP allows you to receive emails and photos like you would receive a fax. The difference between a standard fax and this printer is that your friends and family send information via an email address that is set-up through the Presto mail server.

One of the questions that you may have is about SPAM. Since you set up a safe list of senders unless an email address is pre-approved, you won't receive SPAM via your Presto email address.

Another neat aspect is that you can decorate your email to your loved ones or friends. Presto has various styles of borders, special announcements and even calendar formats that you can add your photos to.

In this day and age you maybe asking yourself why would you need something like this. The simple answer is for members of your family that does not have access to a computer because of where they live, they do not know how to use a computer or the cost is prohibitive.

I recently purchased one for a nursing home as a gift of giving. I set it up so the residents could receive special messages from loved ones. I paid for one year of email service for a general email address for the whole nursing home. So far the residents are loving the Presto. They feel in contact with their families. They are getting emails from their grandchildren, photos and artwork that otherwise would never be seen by them.

Learn more : http://presto.com/

Voice Activated Grocery List Organizer

2007-11-21T18:19:00.000-05:00

SmartShopper Voice-Activated Grocery List

This device was designed to make your life simpler so you can keep track of your errands, grocery list as well as other things. The device has a library of 2,500 items that can be deleted so you can create your own custom list. The device comes with a thermal printer that doesn’t require ink cartridges. The description says that the LCD is bright and easy to read. I will have to go to the Sharper Image store to see it in person.

For students and adults that struggle with keeping track of their assignments, activities or things they need to bring this device might be the tool that can help them moving forward and being independent. The price is a little high $149, depending on the student or person this might be worth every penny that it cost.

Thumbthing

2007-11-21T00:19:00.000-05:00

Ok it doesn't look like much. But if you love to read this is just a very cool gadget. The Thumb thing fits on your thumb like a ring for the first joint and simply used spread the pages of the book open.

I purchased my thumb thing at a small book store. I found it a great little tool for reading while in bed. I can hold the book and not worry about the pages folding over while reading. I also found it immense help while tracking while reading as a line reader with my niece. When you are done reading it is an awesome bookmark.

http://www.fun-n-nuf.com/prices.html (Wholesale only) You can contact them to see where you can purchase them in your area.

Ear Muff Headphones

2007-11-17T11:43:00.000-05:00

For the person that loves their music but hates the cold these are the ear muffs for you. For this product I was thinking a little more outside the box of just the cold. I work with children that one their heads are too small for a standard headset or they don't tolerate the headsets these ear muff headphones might be the solution I have been looking for. I found them in two places on the Internet the first was Urban Outfitters. I really like the way the quilted ones look like. They look warm but not so warm that the poor kids ears would melt off in the classroom.

The other place I located a set is at Hammacher Schlemmer. This set looks very warm for the outdoors but I would say too warm for the classroom.

Both sets of Ear Muff Headphones cost $30-$35 without shipping and handling. With the holidays you might not have S/H. If you want to save a little more cash, you can look at how the Urban Outfitters constructed their Ear Muff Headphones it might give you an idea how to create your own. I am not very handy with a sewing machine beyond a simple stitch so I would purchase the pre-made ones.

Portable Reader

2007-11-17T08:27:00.000-05:00

There is a new portable readers market. Sony recently updated their reader which can be purchased for $299. So now a competitor has entered the market. Amazon is releasing the Kindle on Monday. There has been some buzz about this new device but most has been speculation. Amazon has kept this device close to the vest. Information would be "shared" here and there but for the most part Amazon has been tight lipped.

The Kindle will retail for $399. There are a few differences between the two devices. The first is that the Kindle will have WiFi capabilities, a headphone port and it's own email address. The Kindle owners are expected to be able to select from a long list of publications for automatic download (50 and 100 newspaper publishers). Amazon has the larges e-book collection and the bundle that your device comes with is impressive.

E-readers have not been the hot ticket Sony thought it would be. In the area of technology the device really was a dust bunny catcher. I am not sure the Kindle is going to feel any increase in the success. If this device was meant for the road warrior there are some major flaws:

1) Wifi Really? But again like the IPhone, I have to go with a specific carrier. Sorry, I already have my cell phone carrier; why on this graying earth would I want yet another carrier.
2) Thank you for email address but why do I need another email address.
3) It has no capability to highlight, make notes on the book I am reading or book marking. At least if I am using my computer, I have the capabilities.
4) It is OMG ugly and bulky. I am hoping the picture leaked from the FCC is just a pro-type and the thing is going to nice and shiny for it’s coming out party.
5) I am not sure if you can zoom into to make the text appear larger.
6) The cost of the device. The device is expensive no matter how you slice it.
7) External light - why didn't they do back lighting. It just seems like something that will get broken when sliding in and out of my bag if I was planning on getting one.

Price is a huge factor for me. I can purchase a high end Palm to read e-books and have all the additional features that I would like to have in one device such as my calendar, email, web access, music and address book. If I am going to spend $399 for this device it needs to offer me something more then an alternative reading format.

The other red flag for me is that the storage of material. If I purchase from an online vendor, I want a storage vault with them. The old saying is Not if but when technology fails. If I am traveling with my device and for some reason I want to re-read a book or share the book with a friend, I don't want to have a back up on my home system or laptop. If I am using an e-reader, I want to be able log on and swap books. These devices are for convinces, so make it convenient for me the user.

I hope that I am wrong about this device. But I have a sinking feeling that this is another dusty bunny babysister.

Make your list .... check it twice .... send a card to a solider

2007-11-17T01:41:00.001-05:00

With the holiday’s fast approaching, I ask that you take the time to remember the men and women that are recovering at the medical centers around you. Even if you disapprove of the War / conflict in the Middle East, these soldiers have injuries that were sustained while they were at work.

As you make out your holiday cards take a few minutes and write a letter to a solider recovering at the hospital. There is nothing more depressing then being in a strange place, being in pain and not knowing what the rest of your life may bring. Allow your hopes, wishes and appreciation to shine through during this time of year. Let the men and women that allow you to still have your freedoms that we take for granted everyday know that someone is thinking of them and wishing them well.

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

Feeding the World

2007-11-15T19:14:00.000-05:00

http://www.freerice.com/ is a website that was designed by a gentleman from Minnesota to help support feed people in third world countries. To date this gentleman with the help of the internet has given 1,897,053,670 grains of rice to http://www.poverty.com/. I love the fact that we are helping the world with the basic necessities of life while helping use practice build vocabulary. I like this dictionary http://www.merriam-webster.com/ because it will pronounce the word for you.

I have found myself using the www.freerice.com each day. It is my task avoidance tool. I allow myself to do 5 words before I go back to work. I then allow my niece and nephew to work on 10 words together using SOLO or Ultimate Talking Dictionary from http://www.readingmadeez.com/UltimateTalkingDictionary.php . The purpose of them doing the activity is not about learning the words for them. But it is about learning to use a dictionary and sharing with others.

Another site that helps feed the world http://www.thehungersite.com . For shopping with this site, I have donated over 200 cups of rice for doing Christmas shopping that not only helped others but also helped me give gifts that have meaning.

Here is another great site or store. http://www.tenthousandvillages.com This website has some unique items that make wonderful gifts. You have to read the write-ups on the artisans.

Storytime Theater

2007-11-13T15:52:00.000-05:00

How cool is this? A unique storytime projector for literacy time.

The projector shines the story on the wall for easy viewing and reading. You can control the projector with a remote. The projector has 3 settings: Story Time, Read Along and Bedtime mode, which plays the entire book before automatically shutting off.

There are a limited number of stories at this time but this is a great little device. I can't wait to see if I can adapt the device for switch users.

The projector is $39.99 and $14.99 for a story. With the purchase of the projector you get 1 book and 1 cartridge.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2728973

The Wifi Rabbit

2007-11-01T22:31:00.000-04:00

This is my type of pet. You don't have to walk it, you don't have to pet it and you don’t have to worry about feeding it. You also don’t have to worry about the bunny multiplication.

The rabbit communicates by lighting up using upwards of a 100 different colors, wiggling its ears and singing or talking. The Rabbit is always connected via Wifi so you can place it anywhere in your home.

Now I am sure you are saying WOW that is cute but why do I need another gadget? There are a few cool things about this little bunny.

How about spoken and musical messenger (Incoming messages sent via the web, email, SMS, phone, spoken messages, MP3 music clips, Text-to-speech, rabbit-to-rabbit communication through ear movements). You can actually have your emails read to you without having text to speech software.

Ability to create and program your own content and events. You can create your own channels and broadcast them to other rabbits; application programming interface.
Some fun free things to keep your bunny happy:

Talking Clock: Forget about your alarm clock, the Nabaztag will speak out the time on the top of every hour and will sing you awake to your favorite MP3 or sing you lullabies at bed by.

Taï Chi:You think that your Nabaztag is a little static? That he needs some exercises and needs to relax his ears? Offer him some Taï-chi classes.

Wake-up rabbit: Just select your favourite MP3 and Nabaztag will sing it to wake you up. You can ask Nabaztag to send you to bed too.

To learn more go to : http://www.nabaztag.com/en/index.html

Gorillapod Camera Tripod

2007-10-31T13:06:00.001-04:00

This is a very cool tripod that allows you to mount a camera in funky secure ways. But I am thinking that this would be a wonderful tool for positioning switches for students or other items that are lightweight. So often we struggle with switch mounting for some students because there is no where to secure the switch whiles a student is in a specific device like a stander or even some adaptive seating equipment. This little device allows for various positions that increase possibilities for switches, tools and whatever else our imagination can think up.

I love the fact that now I can position a camera on a child’s chair at their eye level and they can take pictures. We now can get a feel for what our students are seeing and their interpretations of the world around them. The beauty of a digital camera is that pictures can be deleted or merged together to create an collage with our students actively participating.

http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/searchdetail.asp?sk=MC71728&productID=11727

ATIA Conference - January 2008

2007-10-28T01:06:00.000-04:00

It seems that my blog has turned into conference central. There is more to life then conferences but I think it is important to share information on conferences that offer intermediate and advance training.

If you missed out on Closing the Gap you will have another chance to go to a large well established conference in assistive technology. The ATIA conference will happens January 30 - February 2, 2008 in Orlando, Florida.

I have to be up front, I have never had the pleasure of attending ATIA. I am hoping to go this year. So I cannot talk about personal experience just from the feedback of others that have attended.

I like the fact that the exhibitor hall has unopposed time which means that you don’t have to miss a presentation or workshop to go the exhibit hall. One of the biggest frustrations that I often hear from participants at Closing the Gap is that they have to make a choice either presentations or the exhibitors. And if you have guess, participants pick the presentations.

Another thing that I have noticed is that ATIA builds in a lunch hour. Now this doesn’t seem like a big deal but let’s acknowledge the fact that we often skip meals because there are more important things to do. If you do not nourish and hydrate your body your brain will not be able to be nourished. This hour also gives you a chance to rest your body and mind.

I also like that ATIA has set up conference planner so you can plan your conference sessions out in advance. For some people this isn’t a big deal, for me I love a plan. I can deviate from the plan but it is nice to have one.

The biggest draw for ATIA seems to be the type of presentations that happen during the conference. Closing the Gap is more of an educational based conference. Many of the presentations center on Pre-K through 12. ATIA on the other hand has a nice sampling of presentations in various categories which include Advocacy and Policy, Independent living, blind and visual impairments, literacy, employment as well as transition to "post-secondary" education.

It also doesn't help that the conference is in the warm location of Orlando. You can learn about AT and see Mickey at the same time.

I hope others will share their experience of ATIA or other conferences.

Next Conference to Look Forward too...

2007-10-17T09:40:00.000-04:00

Professional development can be a difficult thing to find when you are beyond a beginner and not yet an advance user. Closing the Gap has kicked off their preconference sessions yesterday and today. I personally love preconference sessions. It is a chance to get emerged into one topic for 8 hours. You may come out of the session exhausted but you have acquired invaluable information. I know people that just attend CTG for the preconference sessions and leave afterwards. Not what I recommend.

So if you are like me and missed CTG you maybe asking yourself what conferences are on the horizon that I can professional development outside of my knowledge or skill range?

The first conference to consider is the TRLD (Technology, Reading & Learning Diversity) which is held in San Francisco. This conference is owned and operated by Don Johnston. Inc. No, it is not a Don Johnston. Inc dog and pony show.

The conference is not just about assistive technology it is a conference that embraces general education topics and presenters as well as assistive technology. As a participant, you have the opportunity to be in small presentations with leaders in the field of technology and implementation.

Let's face it, assistive technology tools are just that tools. But to get true implementation and consistency you have to understand the inner workings of the tasks that are being accommodated. Many of us know how to work around reading but few of us understand how to remediate struggling readers or understand the why the person is struggling. The same can be said about any of the core areas such as writing, math, and organization.

The TRLD conference is a small intimate conference that doesn’t get much press but I honestly believe that everyone should give it a try at least one time. Trust me; you attend once you want to attend a second and third time. It is a conference that is rich in research based experiences and knowledge and the presenters are in the forefront of the field of implementation.

The other plus side is that San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. The location of the conference is central to all the hot spots in the city. The Hyatt hotel is one of the best in the city. A great view, spacious living area and bathroom, the food is very tasty (especially the breakfast), expensive. It is in the financial district of the city. You also can’t beat the location: Across the street from Walgreens and Starbucks (if you like coffee). OK so if you never have been to SF, I will let you in on a little secret: there is a Walgreens on virtually every corner.

You may think I am kidding there are 57 Walgreens in the city of San Francisco. There are less expensive hotels in the area.

I have to tell you, I had the pleasure of staying at the Monticello InnMonticello Inn. The room was not overly large, clean and reasonably priced for San Francisco. It takes 5-6 minutes to get to the Hyatt by bus or if you can get the hotel car shuttle (free) to the hotel. It is located in the Union Square section of the city. There is a wonderful diner that has the best milk shakes and good. One word of caution, it is near the Tenderloin section of the city. Don’t venture too far from the hotel at night into the Tenderloin section during the day it isn’t too bad but during the night, the story changes drastically.

Another hotel in the area of the Hyatt is The Harbor Court Hotel. It was a pleasurable stay. The cost was reasonable for San Francisco. The room size is on the small size but for SF that is considered normal.

San Francisco is a city that sleeps. Union Square and the financial district go quiet pretty early in the night. I would say by 8 you are done unless you go to the wharf.

Ghirardelli square is worth the journey for the warm chocolate chip hot fudge sundae.

There is one restaurant down in the Wharf that is a must try especially if you like excellent seafood. It is not the typical tourist place. Scoma's Restaurant is a hidden little gem.

If you plan on going to Alcatraz, order your tickets early. They often sell out quickly. I prefer the night tour to the day tour. You get more interaction with the Park rangers. It is also less busy. I recommend purchasing tickets directly from the source and not from the tour companies: Alcatraz Tour .

If you like to have a little fun at night and like paranormal activities check out the Ghost Hunt. The tour guide is a real character and knows the history of the city. It is worth the three hours that you walk around to hear the rich history of the Pacific Heights area of San Francisco.

There are many things to do in SF after you have attended the conference.

Just an FYI: January is rainy the rainy season for San Francisco. Don't let that dampen your time. There are a TON of things to do while the weather might be wet.

AMDI and News-2-You

2007-10-15T12:54:00.000-04:00

AMDI and New-2-you are now have a partnership. This is great news. AMDI is a communication system company. The pairing allows New-2-You users to have pre-made communication boards that will help parents and educators facilitate language with meaning if they are using an AMDI product.

This is part of a news release sent out today.

AMDi has created new Smart-Ease activities for the Smart/Speak and Smart/128 entitled News-2-You to go along with the pre-existing Smart/Talk activity, Lets Talk: Current events. Each of these Smart-Ease activity page sets has everything needed to participate, answer, and comment about current News-2-You topics. In addition to the ability to participate in common News-2-You activities such as recipes, knock knock jokes, and Joey’s locker activities, the News-2-You Smart-Ease also provide customizable areas to add weekly vocabulary words and much more. The News-2-You Smart-Ease activities will come with preprinted overlays containing important vocabulary needed to participate as well as a flash card containing pre-programmed messages for each level. Simply pop in the flash card, slide in the overlay, and allow your user to become a full participant in News-2-You!

I hope other AAC companies join in the partnership. More of our AAC users will have an opportunity to have conversations about every day news events, interactions with others with jokes or talking about what is happening in recreation leisure activities.

Closing the Gap without me

2007-10-09T18:23:00.000-04:00

Hello! Everyone

I was very much looking forward to CTG this year however my plans needed to change. For the past 7 months I have been dealing with IS joint dysfunction. It has been one major pain in the Gluteus maximus. I am having radiofrequency neurotomy . I am looking forward to being up and around again. Laying flat on your back the majority of your day isn't as exciting as you would think. No matter how over worked you may think you are months on bed rest isn't really all that exciting.

In reality it hasn't been all horrible. I was able to watch hours and hours of court TV. Still scratching my head about how Phil Specter wasn't found guilty. I am not sure what it takes to convict a "famous" person in California. I have also had a chance to really explore all the software that is often recommended for students with significant disabilities. I even had a chance to make some activities for the core curriculum of New Jersey.

Please stop by Judy Lynn software and say Hi! to Karen and Elliot. Take a catalog and tell them that Jeannette sent you.

Take a LOOK ……. What is new and hot for Closing the Gap

2007-09-25T18:29:00.000-04:00

This is the short list of the exhibitors that have new or updated software or hardware coming out this season. As I find out more, I will share with everyone.

Slater Software:
Web Site: http://www.slatersoftware.com/index.html
Booth: Booth(s) 220, 221
Location: Main Hall in the last row – all the way back.

Judy Lynn Software:
Website: http://www.judylynn.com/
Booth: 206
Location: Main Hall first row, make a right. We are directly next to SoftTouch.

Mayer – Johnson:
Website: http://www.mayer-johnson.com/
Booth(s) 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118
Location: As soon as you walk in the first exhibitor hall.

Aimee Solutions, Inc
Website: http://www.aimeesolutions.com/index.html
Booth: 327
Location: When you make your enterence into the Main Hall, make a left go straight into the side room. Make a right down the first row. Last exhibitor on the left side.

Intellitools Software and Kurzweil (Cambium Learning Technologies):
Website: http://www.intellitools.com/
Booth: Plaza 1 Location: Down stairs in the same hallway as presentation hallway by the coffee shop.

Assistive Technology, Inc: (STAGES SOFTWARE)
Website: http://www.assistivetech.com/prod-index.htm
Booth(s): 110, 111, and 112
Location: First exhibitor hall next to Mayer-Johnson.

Don Johnston,Inc:
Website: http://www.donjohnston.com/
Booth(s): 262, 273
Location: Main Hall first row directly across from Judy Lynn.

Ablenet, Inc:
Website: http://ablenetinc.com/
Booth(s): 247, 248, 249
Location: Main Hall as you come in the doors.

Less hazard - Get the cables organized

2007-09-13T23:30:00.000-04:00

I was walking around Staples a while back and I came across these great little donut shaped cable organizer. They were not located in the cable organization area (which would make sense). The GE Clams were located in the lamp section of the store.

I am often frustrated by cables. There is this little cable fairy that comes around and tangles all my cables. The most frustrating cables outside of computer cables is the long cables for switches. No matter how you try to wrap them they seem to get tangled and twisted or caught in things. The GE Clams takes the struggle out of cable organize because you just leave what is needed out, if you need more you can quickly unwind the cable.

GE Clams:

Pros: fast and easy to use, perfect for thin cables or wires

Cons: not good for thick cables for the computer, difficult to find in stores

Places to purchase:

http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/searchdetail.asp?productID=11210

Socket Pocket

2007-09-13T23:17:00.000-04:00

While searching around the Internet for things that might organize my life. I cam across this very neat little gadget. It is called a socket pocket. For most of use we have cell phones to charge, PDA's or other small gadget. Most of the time our devices land up laying around on the table with this little handy device you can have the device right where it needs to be charged. The socket pocket is the wall outlet cover with a little pocket for your electronic.

http://www.amazon.com/Socket-Pocket-Set-2-White/dp/B000U1W318

Cue™ Electronic Classroom Scheduler

2007-09-03T20:48:00.000-04:00

This is a nifty little gadget that I have found to be very helpful for students that need to be kept on track of their schedule and events in and out of school but need and want independence. Although the blue color isn't my favorite most students don't mind. For the students that do mind cover the screen and buttons with contact paper and spray paint that sticks to plastic. It is about the size of a palm pilot but with a larger viewing screen and can fit right in the student’s pocket. With practice some students can learn to program this tool themselves for personal needs such as going to the nurse, therapy or toileting. The two-step data entry process it also has over 50 pre-programmed everyday classroom activities. It has 2 types of alarms light and/or sound alarms for every event, digital clock and calendar. I have used this with students in the first, third and fifth grade. The student that is having the most success with this tool is a student with a TBI. He would often forget his daily routine even with a visual schedule. Since this device has an auditory cue he looks at the device and he is off and running to his next location.

Places where you can purchase these devices:
Learning Resources
Beacon-Ridge * This company is often represented at Closing the Gap, you might be able to see this device in person*

Downloadable Files

2007-09-01T20:35:00.001-04:00

Label 10 labels per sheet

Label 30 labels per sheet

Checklist of things to bring

Business Card Template

Excel Template for Schedule

This is a image of the 10 labels. This is the one that I use when I am at a conference because it let's the exhibitors know what I am looking for.

Attending Closing the Gap like a Pro 2007

2007-08-31T21:20:00.000-04:00

Welcome to My Point of View…..

WOW, look what time of year it is again. I know every one is gearing up for the school year 2007-2008 which also means that we are also anticipating the first conference of the season. Last year, I wrote “How to attend CTG like a Pro”. I have been asked by a few people to re-send out the information from last year. However, I am taking a leap of faith and stepping into the area of blogging to share this information. I am updating the information and adding a few helpful tools for people that are attending. So please be patient. This is going to be a long post.

Every year there are new people entering the field of assistive technology for personal reasons or because the job was thrust upon them. Closing the Gap is the first conference of the conference season for professional development for beginners, intermediate and advance AT specialist. Closing the Gap happens every year at the same time of year, same state, same hotel. This is very convenient for planning purposes. You can always anticipate when it will happen

Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota
When: Pre-conference: October 16-17th Conference: October 18-20th

No matter if you are a newbie or an old pro attending the conference, it is an exciting time. It happens at the time of year when you have to get your head into the game for training, implementing, evaluating and thinking of the students we are working with or will be working with. The conference is an awesome conference to attend and learn about the technology and how others have used a strategy or tool.

If you are attending the conference for the first time or you are a pro, it is or can be an overwhelming experience especially when you start to read the website (www.closingthegap.com) for the list of workshop opportunities and exhibitors that will be attending.

The experience is a jumble of feelings. You feel excited (when you are approved to attend), panic (especially when you find out that the school hasn’t paid the bill to CTG or the hotel can’t find your reservation), anxiety (when you realize your bag was left in the last hall you were in which is on the other side of the hotel) and shear exhaustion (when you had to run from conference to conference hall). Just remember that you are not alone. You are in a community that is feeling the same thing as you are.

Every year, Closing the Gap offers some of the best presentations and presenters that you will ever have a chance to hear. You have access to presenters that are the experts in their field. They return to the conference every year so they can share their knowledge and experiences but also to learn from others. Closing the gap is about energizing your batteries for the school year. It is about motivating you to push further than you did the year before for the children and adults we serve.

There are 200 or so presentations in a 3 day period it is suggested that you develop a game plan. I personally find it is important to develop a plan because there is no way you are going to be able to attend all the workshops you want or need. Planning is the only way that you will be able to cover all your bases in just period of time. To be honest, if you don’t do some planning you are going to be running around the conference floor like you have just landed late for a connecting plane and you landed in Gate A and your connecting plane is in Gate F. No matter how much you rush and run, you will still miss the plane.