TREATS - Technology Resources for Education's

Assistive Technology Solutions

 

Weekly Resources for the Assistive Technology Service Provider Community

 

Volume 6, Issue #5 for Week of 1/31/05

Compiled by David Grapka (mailto:David@Trecenter.org)

 

Technology Resources for Education (T.R.E.) Center TRECenter.org

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Note: Some links are time-sensitive.  Access to some may require registration or free subscriptions.

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I have three treasures. Guard and keep them: The first is deep love, The second is frugality, And the third is not to dare to be ahead of the world. Because of deep love, one is courageous. Because of frugality, one is generous. Because of not daring to be ahead of the world, one becomes the leader of the world.”   Lao-tzu, from The Way of Lao-tzu

 

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING WEBSITES OF THE WEEK:

  • http://www.edutopia.org/modules/mi/index.php Here is a free instructional module on “Theories of Multiple Intelligences” from the George Lucas Educational Foundation.
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/27/technology/circuits/27soon.html What if you could put a Pad inside a pen? This fall, LeapFrog, the company whose LeapPad interactive book reader introduced a new category of electronic learning devices in 1999, aims to do that with its pen computer.
  • http://www.gen.umn.edu/research/ctad/ Curriculum Transformation and Disability  (CTAD), a collaboration of the University of Minnesota's General  College and Disability Services, was designed to help postsecondary faculty make their classes more accessible to all students, including  students with disabilities.
  • http://www.sedbtac.org/ed/index.cfm The Southeast DBTAC is one of ten Regional Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers that receives Federal funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to facilitate the widespread use of accessible information technology (IT) across educational entities.
  • http://www.icdlbooks.org Home of the International Children's Digital Library.

 

ACCESS SOLUTIONS:

 

ADMINISTRATIVE SOLUTIONS:

·   http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2005/tech_suite/ The Forum Unified Education Technology Suite presents a practical, comprehensive, and tested approach to assessing, acquiring, instituting, managing, securing, and using technology in education settings.

 

CONSULTING SOLUTIONS:

  • http://www.albany.edu/cpr/gf/resources/Vision.html This discussion thread elicits standards for helping your customers write vision statements.
  • http://www.freeconferencecall.com. Get a bridge line number for your ActionPlan Game. You can use your own conference line if you have one or sign up for one for free. The one we currently recommend is It really is free, no strings attached. You can get your number in minutes and use it whenever you want. Just use the link above. Calls to FreeConferenceCall.com are regular toll calls. With most low-cost long distance services you can call for 3˘ to 5˘ a minute.
  • http://www.creativecommons.org If your center is at all involved in creating creative content (text, video, music, etc), check out the very interesting new web site this web site offers a new way for people to share their creativity -- while maintaining their copyright rights.

 

JUST FOR FUN:

 

NEW DEVELOPMENTS:

 

PALM SOLUTIONS:

 

 

READING SOLUTIONS:

·    http://www.stenhouse.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=0373&r=sb050121 Here is a link to a new textbook – all of it for free – called “Growing Readers: Units of Study in the Primary Classroom” by Kathy Collins

 

STAFF DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS:

 

TEACHING SOLUTIONS:

  • http://www.kidware.com/ Try Kidware by MOBIUS Corp., a set of 17 cross-circular software programs within an easy-to-use interface that promotes independent computer use, particularly in the classroom, though wonderfully adaptable for myriad uses.
  • http://www.teacherformation.org/html/rr/teachers_heart-f.cfm HONORING THE TEACHER’S HEART: If schools are to be places that promote academic, social, and personal development for students, writes Sam Intrator everything hinges on the presence of intelligent, passionate, caring teachers working day after day in our nation's classrooms.

 

VENDOR PARTNER WEBSITES AND NEWS:

*         http://www.accessiblebookcollection.org      Accessible Books

 

*         http://www.aacconnections.com                    AAC connections

 

*        http://www.ablenetinc.com                            Ablenet

 

*        http://www.alphasmart.com                           Alphasmart

 

*        http://www.closingthegap.com                       Closing The Gap

 

*        http://www.colligo.us                                    Reading: Access and Comprehension

 

*        http://www.cricksoft.com                             Crick Software

 

*        http://www.ea-software.com                         Educational Activities Software

 

*        http://www.enkidu.net                                  Enkidu joins Dynavox

 

*        http://www.greatleaps.com                            Great Leaps Reading 

 

*        http://www.infogrip.com                               Home of the “BIGtrack

 

*        http://www.inspiration.com                           Inspiration

 

*        http://www.intellitools.com                           IntelliTools, Inc.

 

*        http://www.kurzweiledu.com/products_k3000win_demo.asp

 

*        http://www.laureatelearning.com                   Laureate Learning Systems

 

*        http://www.magictouch.com                           The Leader in Touchscreen Technology

 

*        http://www.madentec.com                             Madentec

 

*        http://www.nasdse.com                                 RIATT at NASDSE

 

*        http://www.rjcooper.com/2+2                       R. J. Cooper

 

*        http://www.sunburst-store.com                     Sunburst Software

 

*        http://www.texthelp.com                              Makers of Read and Write Gold

 

*        http://words-plus.com                                  Words Plus

 

Please forward T.R.E.A.T.S. to your friends and colleagues who want to learn Assistive Technology Issues and Solutions. Thanks!

 

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

 

This weekly email newsletter is free and provides information useful to the community of people interested in the use of technology as a tool to help all students.  If you have information to share that would be of value to members of our learning community, including job notices, please write and let us know. We'll be happy to share it here or at our web site. Contact, reprint, and subscription information is at the end of this document.

 

As always, thank you for your interest in the TRE Center and our work.  We look forward to having you share your wisdom with the people on this list and with those you serve.

 

Sincerely,

 

David Grapka, ATP, ATS,

Project Coordinator, T.R.E. Center

NASDSE Certified Assistive Technology Specialist,

RESNA Certified Assistive Technology Practitioner

Maywood School, 1979 Central Avenue, Albany, NY 12205

Phone: 518-464-6346

Fax: 518-464-6353  

Toll free in NY: 1-800-248-9873.  URL: www.trecenter.org

 

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