Technology Resources for Education's Assistive
Technology
Solutions
Weekly Resources for the Assistive
Technology Service Provider Community
Volume 5, Issue #34
for Week of 8/23/04
Compiled by David Grapka (email:
David@Trecenter.org)
Technology Resources for Education
(T.R.E.) Center TRECenter.org
------------------------------------
Note:
Some links are time-sensitive. Access to some may require registration
or free subscriptions.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Keep away from people who
try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really
great ones make you feel that you too, can become great." -- Mark Twain
UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING
WEBSITES OF THE WEEK:
- http://news.com.com/Have+e-books+turned+a+page%3F/2100-1025_3-5326015.html?tag=nefd.lede
Have e-books turned a
page? Published:
August 27, 2004, 4:00
AM PDT, By David Becker, Staff Writer, CNET
News.coM. After more than a decade of false starts and empty promises, publishers
may finally be starting to understand what consumers want from electronic
books.
- http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/accessibletech/index.cfm
Accessible Technologies For hundreds of thousands of students
across the United States, technology has opened educational doors
that were previously inaccessible. But for students who are visually impaired,
hard of hearing, or who have other physical or learning disabilities, technology
might actually create more barriers than it removes.
- http://www.experiencedesignernetwork.com/archives/000477.html
an interesting article
about pattern recognition as a function of information overload.
Those of you who are embarking on a mission to “UDL-itize” lessons
for your students may find this of some help.
ACCESSS
SOLUTIONS:
ADMINISTRATIVE
SOLUTIONS AND CONCERNS:
- https://secure.nsba.org/pubs/item_info.cfm?ID=714 New Guide
on Using Technology for Students with Disabilities NSBA's ITTE: Education Technology Programs
released "Technology for Students with Disabilities: A School Leader's
Resource Guide." The guide is designed to give school board members,
superintendents, technology coordinators, and other educators
authoritative and practical advice on a broad range of issues, including supporting
teaching and learning with assistive technology; funding AT programs; and
understanding the legal and regulatory context.
- http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/30/education/30special.html
Critics: Government
not looking out for disabled students. The New York
Times reports
that many states are not making school report cards available to parents who
have enrolled their children in special schools or programs for the disabled.
In addition, federal officials say they are allowing more states to exclude
special-education students from reports on school progress since those students
generally represent a small percentage of total enrollment.
(Note: This site requires registration.)
BLIND
AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED SOLUTIONS:
- http:// www.chpi.org/whatsnew.html Computers
to Help People, Inc. announces the alpha version of a new braille translator
optimized for technical material. The program, called xml2brl, accepts both
xml and plain-text files and produces "brf" files suitable for printing
directly on a braille embosser or for reading on a braille display. It handles
a wide variety of xml files, including those exported from Microsoft Word
as xml. At present,
it runs only on Linux, but a Windows port is planned. It is Open Source and free software.
BLOG SOLUTIONS:
- http://www.weblogg-ed.com/ - a website and blog about educational
uses of these technologies. Blogs, Wikis and RSS Translation needed? Blogs are web logs, wikis are
editable web pages, and RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a way to subscribe
to blogs, news, or web information without email, spam or visiting a lot of
different web sites. These new emerging technologies are made possible when
web programmers use common code to build websites and share information across
the Internet. Educational uses of these concepts are just beginning, but they
offer a wealth of possibilities, from student collaboration and parent information
to adaptive technology.
- http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=5211 - eSchool news article about RSS use
in school communications.
- http://blogs.salon.com/0002007/categories/businessInnovation/2004/08/06.html#a831
Need help? Here is a brief article (in a blog) on
how to use blogs as expertise finders.
- http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/19/technology/circuits/19blog.html?ex=1250568000&en=33627811ca310596&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland
New York Times article:
“In the Classroom, Blogs are the New Bulletin Boards.”
CONSULTING SOLUTIONS:
- http://www.fundoing.com/ A new Source of Games and
tools for the consultant.
- http://dotmac.info/pages/17450 Here is an interview with the creator of
dotmac.info, august trometer, from Indianapolis. dotmac.info
is a no-cost service where persons who use the dotmac web service (also spelled
.Mac) can share their creative creations with one another -- and with the
public. I like dotmac.info a lot. It connects people and communities in whole
new ways. Every few months august trometer
adds new features to an already excellent web service.” From phil shapiro
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SOLUTIONS:
- http://discus.nysed.gov/cgi-bin/discus-mando/discus.cgi Help VESID Design Our Future provides the
opportunity for comments, suggestions and ideas regarding special education
topics such as Special Education Regulatory Reform; Consequences for Performance:
Rewards and Sanctions; Adequate Yearly Progress for Students with Disabilities;
and the Annual Performance Report
- http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/testaccess/guide.htm The guidebook "Test Access and
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Tools to Guide Decision-Making"
has been updated to include a new section entitled Implementation Procedures.
It is available to print in either word or PDF from this web site. It will
not be printed in hard copy for distribution.
DIGITAL DIVIDE SOLUTIONS:
- http://www.tutormentorconnection.org Small
City Schools: Are You Listening? Improving
learning opportunities and outcomes for inner city K-12 youth is the goal
ofthe Tutor/Mentor Connection. Since 1993, they’ve been building a database
and on-line library of tutor/mentor organizations and leading a public awareness
campaign that helps volunteers, media, donors, etc find individual programs
in neighborhoods with high concentrations of poverty.
In the Directory Section of you can see a Program Locator that is combiners
GIS maps with a searchable database. You can also see innovative uses of GIS
maps to show where poverty is most concentrated and where poorly performing
schools are located. We'd like to see
such uses of GIS in place in other cities and linked in a national network
of organizations that share common goals.
FUNDING SOLUTIONS:
MATH SOLUTIONS:
- http://www.dessci..com/en/products/mathplayer/ Design Science MathPlayer* enables Internet
Explorer to display mathematical notation in web pages. It is based on MathML technology and requires
Internet Explorer for Windows version 6.0 and later. Design Science makes MathPlayer available
for free in order to foster the
adoption of MathML in the math, science, and education communities.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS:
- http://www.3gtoday.com/ In Case you missed it, this website is all
about our future …at least for the next few years.
PARENT AND ADVOCACY SOLUTIONS:
TEACHING SOLUTIONS:
- http://www.spellbee.org, An online
spelling bee game with a twist Researchers at Brandeis University have
created an interactive game that rewards players not only for spelling words
correctly but for choosing words that challenge their opponent appropriately.
Developers believe the game's unique blend of competition and cooperation
is the best way to motivate students to learn. The Boston Globe (8/5)
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
Announces the Neo.”
* http://www.closingthegap.com Closing The Gap
* http://www.colligo.us/ Where your handwriting
is read back to you!
* http://www.cricksoft.com Crick Software
* http://www.ea-software.com Educational Activities Software
* http://www.enkidu.net/ Enkidu joins Dynavox.
* http://www.infogrip.com Home of the “BIGtrack”
* http://www.inspiration.com/ Inspiration
* http://www.intellitools.com
IntelliTools, Inc.,
* http://www.laureatelearning.com
Laureate Learning Systems
* http://www.magictouch.com/
The Leader in Touchscreen Technology.
* 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:
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of people interested in the use of technology as a tool to help "level
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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:
518-456-9290.
Fax:
518-456-9289.
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