Weekly Resources for the Assistive Technology Service Provider Community

Volume 5, Issue #35 for Week of 8/30/04

Compiled by David Grapka (email: 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: "We're face-to-face with our destiny. And we must meet it with a high, resolute courage, for ours is a life of action, of strenuous performance, of duty. Let us live in the harness of striving mightily. Let us run the risk of wearing out rather than rusting out."

- Theodore Roosevelt

UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING WEBSITES OF THE WEEK:

• http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=5222 A new textbook publishing method that uses infrared technology to combine traditional books with digital content might ultimately decrease the cost of textbooks, make them much more interactive for users, and remove barriers for students who have difficulty accessing traditional texts.

ACCESSS SOLUTIONS:

• http://www.playattention.com/main.php NASA Technology Adapted To Help ADHD Students.  Biofeedback technology adapted from NASA is designed to actually train the brain to pay attention and focus. Wearing a sensor-lined helmet, users play educational videogames and receive continuous, immediate feedback. Any distracting behavior immediately decreases the user's ability to control the screen characters in the videogame exercises.

ADMINISTRATIVE SOLUTIONS AND CONCERNS:

• http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/nclb.teachers.admins.htm No Child Left Behind Act: What Teachers, Principals & School Administrators Need to Know by Suzanne Heath, Research Editor, Wrightslaw
• http://www.linkageinc.com/newsletter/archives/leadership/trump_lessons_laroche.shtml "Donald Trump's Leadership Lessons: The Great Man Myth Lives On" By Kris Laroche

BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED SOLUTIONS:

• The American Foundation for the Blind National Literacy Center Presents: Scanning for Access, October 7-9, 2004, at the American Foundation for the Blind National Literacy Center in Atlanta, GA. Stipends will be available to assist with travel and lodging expenses. If you are interested in participating, please contact Barb Gallman at bgallman@afb.net, or call 404-525-2303 to request an application, complete the application and return it to: American Foundation for the Blind, 100 Peachtree St., Suite 620, Atlanta, GA 30303.   FAX: 404-659-6957
• http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/UEBC.html Free booklet from National Braille Press!  Unified English Braille Code Perspectives.  Available in braille only (1 volume)  After 13 years of analysis, research and debate, The International Council on English Braille has given the go-ahead for English-speaking countries to use the code. The United States has decided to "wait and see," but other countries – Canada and New Zealand - are giving it a go. ORDER ONLINE or call toll-free (800) 548-7323 or (617) 266-6160 ext 20. Or order any NBP books online at http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/publications/index.html .

CONSULTING SOLUTIONS:

• http://iaf-world.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3346 "Statement of Values and Code of Ethics for Facilitators.”  From Sandy Schuman

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SOLUTIONS:

• http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/082604/new_link001.shtml Louisiana may become first state to link students' performance to teacher training.  The Louisiana Board of Regents on Wednesday outlined a plan to link student performance in the classroom to teacher-preparation programs. Among other things, the potentially controversial plan could help identify which teacher-education programs are producing teachers who consistently improve academic achievement, as well as those who don't.   The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.) (8/26)
• http://www.nationaledtechplan.org  Go here for the National Education Technology Plan
• http://necc2004.minds.tv  NECC Keynote Session: Are Schools Ready for Today's Students? A Sneak Preview of the National Educational Technology Plan (NETP)

DISTANCE EDUCATION SOLUTIONS:

• http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=IYG3XYW0OCKMQQSNDBCCKHY?articleID=26807209 For those of you (e.g., TRE Staff :-) who will be teaching via online courses this year, check out this article on how to prepare experienced veteran teachers to learn online.  Written for principals, it suggests ways we can work with the local building administrator to ensure success for the experienced teacher.
• http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/resources/I_Can_Soar/default.asp Here is an excellent online training activity. I Can Soar is a 26-minute video that showcases how assistive technology has been integrated successfully into the lives of four children with disabilities.

FUNDING SOLUTIONS:

• http://www.toshiba.com/taf Toshiba America Foundation's Small Grants Program for K-6 Science and Math Education supports programs and activities that improve the classroom teaching and learning of science, mathematics and technology. The deadline for proposals is October 1. For more information, visit Toshiba or TechLearning’s or Grants database http://www.techlearning.com/resources/grants.jhtml

NEW DEVELOPMENTS:

• http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/08/13/b2s.elearning/index.html This article on the state of online learning in elementary schools is “new,” only if you are still in the awareness and planning stages of distance education in your district.
• http://www.igda.org/articles/twestin_access.php Read about the need for increased funding and development of games for people with disabilities.

PARENT AND ADVOCACY SOLUTIONS:

• http://www.wrightslaw.com/caselaw.htm The Caselaw section of the Law Library is organized as follows. Decisions from the U. S. Supreme Court are first, Cases from the U. S. Courts of Appeals are next, followed by decisions from U. S. Districts Courts, followed by some administrative decisions that are included because they are noteworthy.
• http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/nclb.military.recruiters.htm Are Schools Required to Provide Personal Information to Military Recruiters?
• 'Freedom Machines' Looks at Disability Through the Lens of Technology.  This PBS film on Disability and Technology will air on September 14, Tuesday at 10 PM on your local PBS station (check local listings for exact time).  As professionals in the field of AT, I believe this documentary will help the general public understand a little better about the benefits of assistive technology and perhaps even make a change in society on how it addresses disability issues.  I hope you will join me in spreading the word about this national AT public awareness campaign.  (from Kirk Behnke at CSUN)

TEACHING SOLUTIONS:

• http://www.fno.org/nov97/toolkit.html This enlightening website provides an actual Toolkit for teachers to use when developing the vital skill of questioning in their students. It examines 17 different types of questions and gives examples.  There are color-coded cluster diagrams to help teachers with the entire process of developing strategies. This is an excellent resource to encourage higher order thinking and critical evaluation of information. From Now On/Jamie McKenzie
• http://www.LessonPlansPage.com The Lesson Plans Page

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:

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 "level the playing field" for students with disabilities. 

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

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