Tools of the Trade

Sign up today! Edcamp Access NJ

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Marotta) — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 17:19:00 +0000

When: Saturday, March 8, 2014

Where: The College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown NJ

Time: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm

Cost: FREE!

Carrying on the tradition started by edcamp Access in Boston, EdCampAccess NJ is an unconference devoted to K -12 special education issues and ideas with a focus on reaching all struggling learners. It is not limited to special educators.

Follow on Twitter @EdcampAccessNJ

or visit the edcamp wiki

What is an Edcamp?

Do you want to take control of your own learning? Why not try an Edcamp? Started by the Edcamp Foundation with the vision of “ Promoting organic, participant-driven professional development for K-12 educators worldwide.” To achieve that vision, Edcamps follow these basic principles.

According to the Edcamp foundation website, an Edcamp is:

· free

· non-commercial and conducted with a vendor-free presence

· hosted by any organization interested in furthering the edcamp mission

· made up of sessions that are determined on the day of the event

· events where anyone who attends can be a presenter

· reliant on the “law of two feet” that encourages participants to find a session that meets their needs

Want to learn more about the Edcamp experience? Check out this video:

http://youtu.be/gr7teMAk-hA

Visit our WIKI page to learn more about the day, our sponsors and add your session ideas onto the Idea Board!

Edcamp Access NJ WIKI

NJCART ( The New Jersey Coalition for the Advancement of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology) is sponsoring Edcamp Access NJ to promote learning and sharing about Assistive Technology supports for students with disabilities!

We hope you will join us for the day. Better yet – why not share your expertise with everyone else!

Sincerely,

Mike

NJCART Immediate Past President

noreply@blogger.com (Fred Tchang) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 16:05:00 +0000

Frustrated with Spelling? Enhanced Dictation Comes to the Mac

Many of the students we have worked with have significant difficulty with spelling, to the point that they avoid writing, or write using just the words they know how to spell. Sound familiar?

Dictation is one way to use your voice to write, allowing for a more fluid writing experience. With the new Mac operating system, Mac OS X Mavericks (a free upgrade), Enhanced Dictation is now available. On a Mac, find your Dictation preferences and click “Use Enhanced Dictation”. After downloading a very large file (about 800Mb), your Mac will have the power of Siri-style dictation ready for you to use offline anytime. Tap fn twice, and there’s a new Dictation cursor that will type out what you are saying seconds after you say it. And you can keep talking, using voice commands like “new paragraph” and punctuation names to fill out your text and keep going. Try it out for yourself!

Still Time to Register for the NJCIE’s Summer Inclusion Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Assistive Technology Center) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:02:00 +0000

NJCIE will be holding its 11th Summer Inclusion Conference on June 26 and 27, 2013 at The College of New Jersey’s Brower Student Center in Ewing, NJ. This year’s conference, Do Now! Engaging All Students in the Inclusive Classroom, will focus on strategies and tools to help general and special educators increase student engagement and success. Featured presenters include Dr. Kevin Feldman and Dr. Anita Archer. Dr. Feldman is an internationally known speaker and educator on practical approaches to accelerate academic literacy and engagement with a focus on adolescents. Dr. Archer is a nationally known presenter who is the recipient of 10 Outstanding Educator Awards. The conference also includes the following workshops by members of Advancing Opportunities’ Assistive Technology Services team. Jeannette Van Houten will present Pixels of Learning k-12; Mike Marotta will present App Attack! K-1; and Mike Marotta and Vanessa Lombardo will present Implementing Mobile Devices – District Level for Administrators and Classroom Level for Teachers K-12. The Assistive Technology Services team will be also be presenting hands-on demonstrations during both days. For full workshop descriptions and updates, visit http://njcie.net/. Visit the registration page here. The last day to register is Friday, June 21, 2013 at noon.

Bookshare needs your help!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Marotta) — Wed, 29 May 2013 13:35:00 +0000

Bookshare has been a powerful support for people with print disabilities. I don't think a week goes by that I don't recommend it to a consumer as a solution for reading difficulties. I have recommended this service to everyone from 1st grade to college. So many people benefit from Bookshare. Well, this free service needs the community's help so I wanted to pass along this recent email I received. Please consider giving your support to this worthy cause. Thanks!

Dear Mike,

It’s not typical for us to send you an email like this, but we felt this situation was so important it was necessary.

You may already be aware, but for years negotiations have been moving forward on what many have come to call the "Treaty for the Blind." The goal of the international treaty is to make it possible for people who are blind, or have other print disabilities such as dyslexia, to get access to the books they need for education, employment and inclusion in society—no matter where they live. It's something we already do, with great success, in the United States through Bookshare.

However, private interests are trying to alter the treaty in such a way that it would become useless—even harmful. For example, they’re trying to get language adopted that basically says: “if you can buy it, you can’t borrow it.” This is not only an attack on people around the world with print disabilities—it’s also an attack on libraries, like Bookshare, and could have a drastic effect on the number of books you have access to.

Our biggest worry is this becoming a treaty that could stop Bookshare from serving our users in the United States the way we do today. We need our government negotiating for a treaty that supports a library like Bookshare.

That’s why we’re working with a coalition of disability and library groups, including the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind, to fight back against the proposed changes by these private interests. We’ll do everything we can to secure a treaty that both protects the access we have now and that will benefit people with print disabilities around the world—but we need your help.

We’re asking you to take a moment to sign a petition on the White House’s website that urges the President to step up his support: http://ow.ly/lkJVs. If we can get to 100,000 signatures, the White House is required to respond to the petition and will, hopefully, take positive action. With your help we know we can reach that number. We also recommend the petition at the National Federation of the Blind’s site, which is particularly accessible.

Thank you for your time and support. Together, we believe that our collective voice can make a real impact.

If you’re interested in more background on the treaty, here are some articles and resources you can review:

Huffington Post piece by Jim on how the treaty is being poisoned by private interests: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-fruchterman/poisoning-the-treaty-for-_b_3225181.html
WIRED Magazine article that gives some recent updates on the treaty: http://ow.ly/lfP15

Sincerely,
Jim Fruchterman & Betsy Beaumon, Bookshare

P.S. Please post the link to the White House petition on your social media to help spread the word and get your friends involved! Again, here is the link: http://ow.ly/lkJVs.

Note: this advocacy effort by Benetech, the nonprofit organization that operates Bookshare, has not been supported or endorsed by Bookshare funders, including the U.S. Department of Education.

Computer Access Success Story

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:54:00 +0000

Recently, I have had the opportunity to work with a wonderful man, Dan, who has reminded me why I love my job. Dan, who was referred by New Jersey's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation program, works as an Avon consultant, which entails quite a bit of computer work. Because of his physical disability, he had difficulty being able to complete his work in a timely fashion and without a great deal of fatigue. When I met Dan, he already had a wheelchair accessible desk and a large key keyboard (Big Keys). He identified several issues with his computer access—he had difficulty seeing his mouse cursor, seeing smaller fonts on the monitor, and switching between his mouse and keyboard. He also became very fatigued when typing on his keyboard.

After observation, discussion, and consideration of many different options, specific tools were identified for a trial period. To address his visual concerns, he trialed Zoomtext Express, which provides some basic Zoomtext features, including the ability to have an enlarged and colored mouse cursor and screen magnification. Dan found this tool to meet his needs visually.

He also trialed an Intellikeys keyboard with the Qwerty USB Overlay and a keyguard, which provides mouse and keyboard access on the same overlay. This allowed him to use the mouse without having to switch between the keyboard and the mouse. Even though he was pretty certain he would not like to use a keyguard (based on past experience), he agreed to give it one more consideration. After tweaking the Intellikeys settings in the Intellikeys USB Control Panel, he found that there were several advantages to the keyguard, one of which was preventing the cat from messing up his documents when walking across the keyboard, many, and I mean many, times per day :). The Intellikeys with the keyguard was very successful at minimizing his fatigue, while providing him with access to keys that were not available on the Big Keys Keyboard.

Lastly, he trialed Word Q word prediction software. He found that although this software did not speed his typing up significantly, it did allow him to type with less fatigue. We were able to add in some Avon terminology to this software, which helped him type some words/phrases with many fewer keystrokes. He has found the text-to-speech feedback from this software to be extremely helpful. This allows him to hear each letter that he presses, and helps him to rely less on his vision, which has helped to decrease his fatigue.

After receiving his assistive technology, Dan found he was having difficulty keeping the Intellikeys keyboard in the position he found least fatiguing to work in. After some troubleshooting to find the optimal position, we discussed how we were going to keep the keyboard in that position. Enter my fabulous co-worker, Doug Reid, Rehabilitation Technician at Advancing Opportunities, who fabricates custom solutions in a big truck he drives around the state. He was able to create a desk mount for the Intellikeys that keeps the keyboard in the optimal position. Dan is able to pull his wheelchair directly up to the keyboard, therefore eliminating the need for him to reach for and position the keyboard himself. Doug set this up as a temporary solution using Velcro until Dan had enough time to make sure the keyboard was in the exact position he wanted. Turns out it was, and Doug has since returned to make the desk mount more permanently attached to Dan’s desk.

With these tools, Dan has found that he can use the computer for longer periods of time with less fatigue. Because he is using the computer so much more, he began to have cramping in his hand, caused by isolating his index finger for a prolonged period of time. Dan was provided a typing aide to determine if this helped him type, as he would not have to keep his index finger isolated. This typing aide was also altered by Doug to better fit his hand. It was cut shorter so that it was a more natural extension of his hand, and the hand strap was stretched slightly to allow him to get the typing aide on and off independently.

This was truly a team effort, with time spent on small details that add up to faster, more efficient computer access.

FREE Webinar - App Smackdown!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Marotta) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 16:40:00 +0000

Do you want to learn about apps to assist people with disabilities? Sign up for the ISTE SET-SiG webinar this Tuesday, 4/16/13 @ 7PM.

The webinar is FREE - registration is required. I will be presenting along with:

Alex Dunn - @smartinclusion
Karen Janowski - @KarenJan
Brian Wojcik - @bwwojci

Click HERE to visit the SET-SIG page to register

Hope to see you there! Don't forget to follow me @mmatp

The week in Tweets!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Marotta) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:27:00 +0000

Welcome to this week's installment of "The Week in Tweets"!

I hope you find something useful here.

Remember - follow me @mmatp

Enjoy!

3 Steps to Leveraging the Power of Technology to Disrupt Your School or District shar.es/d69fK #njed #edtech #assistivetech
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) April 1, 2013

Koalcat: To do app for Android.lifehacker.com/5993234/to+do-…
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) April 2, 2013

Feds Take Stand Against Sheltered Workshops - Disability Scoop disabilityscoop.com/2013/04/02/fed… via @disabilityscoop
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) April 2, 2013

The Time-Tested Dos and Don'ts of Using Classroom Technology. fluency21.com/blog/2013/03/0…
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) April 4, 2013

A great Livebinder on improving Digital Literacy: bit.ly/QFWN4w
— Steven W. Anderson (@web20classroom) April 4, 2013

Tiny ear implant could replace costly surgery, hearing aids m.nbcnews.com/technology/fut… via @nbcnewstech
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) April 5, 2013

Assistive Website Opens YouTube for Disabled Learners edsurge.com/n/2013-04-03-a…
— JobAccommNetwork(@JANatJAN) April 5, 2013

20 random iPad Maths Apps that help cover all areas of curriculum: mgleeson.edublogs.org/2013/04/01/20-… #njed #edtech #assistivetech
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) April 8, 2013

The week in tweets!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Marotta) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:45:00 +0000

Want to know what was happening in the Twitter universe last week? Here are some interesting tidbits.

Don't forget - follow me @mmatp

Enjoy!

How We're Turning Digital Natives Into Etiquette Sociopaths | Wired Opinion | Wired.com wired.com/opinion/2013/0…
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 27, 2013

5 MOOCs Teachers Should Take As Students ow.ly/2vKCyj
— Ian Huckabee (@WeejeeLearning) March 27, 2013

Chrome App: Connected Mind. Create mind maps and store them in the cloud for free. chrome.google.com/webstore/detai… #njed #edtech #assistivetech
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 27, 2013

Had somebody ask for this today so I thought I would share! How to make a free iPad stylus cnet.co/nxnixz #assistivetech #njed
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 27, 2013

Controlling the ‘Smart Home’ With Tablets and Smartphones nyti.ms/XHNXE9 #assistivetech #atchat
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 28, 2013

Friday Fact: more than 80% of reasonable accommodations cost less than $1,000, 50% of accommodations cost less than $500, and 19% are free!
— DoD CAP (@DoDCAP) March 29, 2013

A Great Project Based Learning Checklist for Teachers ~ Educational Technology and Mobile Learning shar.es/d2ium #atchat #njed
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 29, 2013

iPad Use in the Classroom - EduTalk Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Marotta) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 12:00:00 +0000

For your listening pleasure - this episode of the EduTalk Podcast focuses on iPad use in the classroom. The interview is with Maribeth Lowe from Monroe HS in Virginia.

Listen to internet radio with EduTalk on Blog Talk Radio

The week in Tweets!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Marotta) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 12:15:00 +0000

Here for your viewing pleasure are my "Top 10" tweets from the last week. I hope you find something valuable here. Enjoy - and if you are on Twitter make sure to follow me @mmatp !

Subtext: Interactive App to Turn Any Book or Document into a Digital Classroom. technologybitsbytesnibbles.info/archives/9540
— Subtext (@readwithSubtext) March 18, 2013

Thx to the great participants in our AT for Supported Employment training! Want to sign up? assistivetechnologycenter.org/profd/atcert.p… twitter.com/mmatp/status/3…
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 18, 2013

How to download an ebook using the Overdrive application for iPad and iPhone [slide tutorial] ebookfriendly.com/2011/10/08/how…
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 19, 2013

How To Start Using Google Apps In Education edudemic.com/2013/03/how-to… via @edudemic
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 20, 2013

iPads Are Not a Miracle for Children With Autism | GeekDad | Wired.com wired.com/geekdad/2013/0… #assistivetech #atchat
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 20, 2013

30 Incredible Ways Technology Will Change Education By 2028 teachthought.com/trends/30-incr… via @teachthought #njed #assistivetech
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 20, 2013

Send ebooks from Project Gutenberg to Google Drive in just one click ebookfriendly.com/2013/03/20/sen… via @ebookfriendly #assistivetech #njed
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 20, 2013

30hands. Free app to create picture story / presentation with audio. Great for social story. #assistivetech itun.es/us/Vt8dK.i
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 21, 2013

Apps to turn your phone into an ECU to control home devices. gizmodo.com/5982909/5-apps… #assistivetech
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 21, 2013

Powerful post! @timbuckteeth: Digital Natives? The natives are revolting bit.ly/TL1Dv1 #njed #assistivetech
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 22, 2013

SETSIG Intro to AT Webinar

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Marotta) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 12:29:00 +0000

This week I had the opportunity to participate in a free webinar hosted by the SETSIG (Special Education Technology Special Interest Group) in ISTE.

The webinar, co-presented with Kirk Behnke from Region 4 ESC in Houston, TX, was an Introduction to Assistive Technology.

Did you miss it? Don't worry, follow the links below for the webinar recording and the chat log between the participants.

Webinar Recording

Webinar Participant Chat Log

SETSIG has many great resources - including an outstanding list of free webinars coming up throughout the year. Visit their page HERE to learn more.

The week in Tweets!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Marotta) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:30:00 +0000

In keeping with my post from last week - I offer up the "Top 10" Tweets of the past week. I hope you find something beneficial here.

Enjoy - and if you are on Twitter make sure to follow me @mmatp !

MT @alicekeeler: Have an iPad or ther tablet check out @theappplanet theappplanet.com for ed. apps you should use! #atchat #njcart
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 12, 2013

5 Factors to Making Memorable Presentations buff.ly/ZItyCi
— Adam Sicinski (@SpeakingGuru) March 13, 2013

iPads in the classroom: embedding technology in the primary curriculum gu.com/p/3e7fe/tw via @guardian #fmcty #njed #assistivetech
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 13, 2013

Google Reader is dying, but we have five worthy alternatives cnet.co/ZJbNAB via @cnet #njed #atchat #assistivetech
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 14, 2013

#ATchat Weekly is out! paper.li/bwwojci/136141… ▸ Top stories today via @mmatp @commgreenhouse @donjohnstoninc
— Brian Wojcik (@bwwojci) March 14, 2013

MT @billselak: The ClipConverter Browser Addon adds a button on YouTube pages to convert + download video. clipconverter.cc/addon/ #atchat
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 14, 2013

From Bookshare Blog: Web Reader Screen Shortcuts and Educator Tips wp.me/pSDO6-JC #atchat #njed #assistivetech
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 14, 2013

JAN Releases Webcast Archive of Workplace Accommodations for Employees who Use Mobility Devices bit.ly/ZtMkeS
— JobAccommNetwork(@JANatJAN) March 15, 2013

MT @cast_udl: NEW UDL Studio udlstudio.cast.org: build dynamic, #UDL supported learning environments! #njed #assistivetech #atchat
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 15, 2013

20+ Storybook Creation Tools and Apps shar.es/eGsIK
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 15, 2013

Plus one extra!

Coggle is a collaborative, online mindmapping tool; requires Google sign in : coggle.it #njed #assistivetech
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 15, 2013

My Week in Twitter! A Powerful Learning Tool!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Marotta) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:18:00 +0000

I have become a Twitter fanatic lately - it feels good to get that out! When thinking about the blog I have been trying to find a way to tie the two together. Since the information comes in small "bites" I find that learning happens throughout the day. So I figured I would post my "best of" Twitter from the past week in the hopes that I can share something you may value.

Enjoy - and if you are on Twitter make sure to follow me @mmatp !

NJDOE - Technology Toolbox for Core Curriculum Standards state.nj.us/education/cccs…#assistivetech #atchat #njed #njaet
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 2, 2013

Google Launches Sign Language Interpreter App For Hangouts, Adds Accessibility Features To Gmail, Drive And Chrome tcrn.ch/XkMYwW
— Cloud4all Project (@Cloud4all7FP) March 4, 2013

Great feature: no wifi or 3G needed to use! MT @texthelpuk: iReadWrite is available to purchase from iTunes! itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ireadwr… #atchat
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 5, 2013

Amplify Unveils Tablet for Classrooms to Rival the iPad mashable.com/2013/03/06/cla… via @mashable #njed #assistivetech #ATbootcamp
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 6, 2013

good ECU option for PWD. Also can remotely unlock door. DoorBot, A Doorbell That Streams Live Video to Your Phone wp.me/p4t6s-14X7
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 7, 2013

The Rise Of Tablets As Textbooks huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/tex… via @huffingtonpost #njed #assistivetech #njcart
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 8, 2013

A list of recommended iPad apps by learning objective. Nice way to group apps.mf.tt/LeuI by @ipevo #njed #atchat #njcart
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 8, 2013

Apple and Amazon file Patents to Sell Used eBooks goodereader.com/blog/e-book-ne… #assistivetech #njed #njcart #ATbootcamp
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 9, 2013

Join us for the NJCART meeting 3/12/13 and learn about mobile devices and people with disabilities. njcart.org/1994.html #njcart
— Mike Marotta (@mmatp) March 11, 2013

Adapted Speech Recognition

noreply@blogger.com (Fred Tchang) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 01:21:00 +0000

You never know what tidbits you'll pick up at a conference. I've evaluated and trained many people on the use of speech recognition as an alternative to typing, including people with speech impairments. But there's always something new to learn.

Doug Bowes of SET-BC (Vancouver, Canada), presented on training those with speech impairments in the use of Dragon Naturally Speaking. He spoke about students whose speech is intelligible to other people, but for whom speech recognition software might be difficult to use. We've always talked to our students about enunciating, taking breaks, making sure they get enough breath support. But one little tip from Doug was to encourage students to enunciate the ends of words. This bit of advice can be easier for students to understand and follow, and naturally leads them to avoid combining the end of one word with the beginning of the next.

SET-BC has a great website with lots of AT training resources: www.SET-BC.org.
Here's a form they use when considering speech recognition for any student:
Speech Recognition Consideration Form

Think of it as the Ultimate Mobility Accessory

noreply@blogger.com (Assistive Technology Center) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 11:30:00 +0000

New Yorker Jillian Mercado edits the “Who Am I?” column for celebrity photographer Patrick McMullen’s PMc Magazine. When she was a student at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, Mercado completed an internship for Allure Magazine.

Online, you can find her offering lipstick recommendations on the Poshly website or commenting on what’s coming down the runway on Manufactured 1987, her fashion blog. I particularly enjoyed this article of hers on the Beautylish site.

Mercado is well on her way to making a name for herself in the fashion world. Ms. Mercado getting a lot of attention thanks to a recent article in the DailyBeast – unfortunately, the headline refers to this stylish young woman as “wheelchair-bound” and the article notes in the first paragraph she’s been bound to her chair since the age of 12.

Yes, Jillian’s chair is an important tool in her life. But I am pretty sure her talent and determination will take her farther.

ATIA 2013 Takeaways

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 20:35:00 +0000

I’ve been home a little over a week now from ATIA, and am still on an AT high. I remember feeling this way coming home from summer camp when I was a teenager—happy, inspired, and ready to spread the news of everything I learned. It’s always great to learn about the actual tools, but my biggest takeaway was more about collaboration.

I think it is easy to feel very isolated as an AT Specialist. For most of us, we aren’t sitting eating lunch with the other AT Specialists or chatting as we walk to our cars at the end of the day. We have to actually work a little harder to collaborate with others in our field. We are fortunate though that there are tons of awesome people in the Assistive Technology world who like to share their knowledge. At ATIA, I was lucky enough to chat with some of the QIAT leadership team, who are leaders in our field. Although I recognized their names from the QIAT listserv, I had never met them in person. It felt like I was meeting the president! Talk about an inspirational group! From that conversation and others at ATIA, I have come to my biggest takeaway—Take advantage of the resources that are out there in the AT field. I will make time to read all those QIAT listserv emails, read blogs of others in the AT field, and learn from my co-workers, as well as try to be a resource for others. It is give and take. For anyone not already on the QIAT list, it has been a huge support for me and is an easy place to access really knowledgeable people. Although you will get lots of emails each day, it is an invaluable (and free) resource.

Okay, on to the tools. A couple of things from the exhibit hall and sessions that caught my eye:

I was very impressed with the Clicker apps--Clicker Docs and Clicker Sentences. They are very similar to Clicker 6—clean interface, simple to use. Clicker Docs is a talking word process with word prediction and word banks. Clicker Sentences helps emerging writers using Clicker grids. Bonus: These apps work with Clicker 6, so activities you created in Clicker 6 will run on the apps, and vice versa.
I have been on a quest to beef up my evaluation skills in the area of reading. I was very happy to learn about PAR (Protocol for Accommodations in Reading) created by Denise DeCoste and Linda Bastiani Wilson in conjunction with Don Johnston. This is an assessment tool that helps an evaluator determine the most appropriate reading accommodations for students, based on data. Bonus: Free download from their website. I’ll definitely be reading through this over the next week or so. http://www.donjohnston.com/products/par/index.html
I also learned a little more about Diigo.com, a website I had heard about but never really explored. Diigo.com is a social bookmarking tool that allows users to collect info on the Internet. You can bookmark web pages, highlight text on a webpage, and create sticky notes, etc. This could be a super useful tool for teachers to find web sites for their students on a specific topic to narrow down the vast information found on the internet. Bonus: It is all on the cloud, so you can access anywhere.

What a great conference!

ATIA 2013 Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Marotta) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:33:00 +0000

Several of our staff members recently returned from the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) conference in Orlando, FL (www.atia.org) . Over the next couple weeks, we will all be sharing our impressions on exciting tools / strategies we learned about.

Today - Erica Kaufmann, Assistive Technology Specialist, shares her top two takeaways from the conference.

Integrating AAC, Computer Access and Powered Chairs

Presenter: Karen Kangas

Session Description: Integrating the use of an AAC device, computer access and driving a powered chair for ease of use of each of these devices is critical for real independence by the user in managing themselves within their environments. Too often, an individual has all this equipment yet, requires another adult to give them access to each part. The current programmable electronics available on powered chairs allows integration to occur, which put simply, allows the individual to manage all their equipment independently. However, how the chair is programmed and what interfaces are needed are not always considered or obtained for the user. This session will focus on the equipment needed, the programmability needed and provide case study examples of how to create integration within the individual's own assistive technology. Using alternative access, as well as joystick access will be shared. Teaching and managing the integration will also be shared.

Erica reports:

Karen Kangas talked about dual switch access. She said that two switches are always better than one when using switches to control a powered wheelchair and communication device because having one switch causes a delay in access. She also talked about how no one should stop at doing cause and effect. There is always another step.

E-Readers in the Classroom

Presenter: Mike Marotta (Thanks Erica - flattery will get you everywhere!)

Session Description: With BYOD, we are seeing more e-reader devices show up in the classroom. Everything from a Kindle to a Nook to an iPad. But how can we use these devices to support instruction? This session will focus on e-readers and how we can use these tools to ignite a passion for learning. We will discuss how to find reading materials to support classroom learning and how to modify existing materials to work on these various devices. Resources will be shared via an interactive web presence.

Erica reports:

Something you talked about was readability. I felt that this was so great for people who are blind or visually impaired because it gets rid of the "junk" on the page and allows someone who is using a screen reader, like JAWS, to navigate the page with the arrow keys or other reading commands more easily.

To learn more about Readability visit their website - www.readability.com

Stay tuned for future posts related to our experiences at ATIA!

Wish you had attended the conference? Check out the ATIA Conference Recording Options

According to the ATIA website:

Selected Suite of Conference Sessions Available As Recorded Sessions - $300 Single with 5 and 10 Pack Options --- inclusive of CEUs

Recognizing the need to provide quality, affordable group training without travel and lodging costs, ATIA is offering archived, on demand access to 10 hours of conference proceedings post-event. This suite of the "TOP TEN" sessions* highlighting the breadth of educational content offered during the conference program provides affordable training for a group of educators from your school/agency or a district-wide team purchase, which might include teachers, SLPs, OTs and PTs.

AT for Employment Support Professionals

noreply@blogger.com (Assistive Technology Center) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:00:00 +0000

When employment support professionals work with people with significant physical disabilities, they often look for work that the person can do without accommodation. This tendency comes from a lack of training and experience in developing and implementing accommodations and assistive technology.

With funding from the Kessler Foundation, Advancing Opportunities is working to remove that barrier and is offering a fast-paced, two-day certificate program for professionals working in employment, that shows them how to develop and implement job accommodations and assistive technology supports.

The next available two-day training will be held on Monday, March 4, 2013 and Monday, March 18, 2013. This program will be held at JVS of MetroWest, 111 Prospect Street, East Orange, NJ 07017.

At the end of this training program, participants will:

Be able to identify consumers who can benefit from assistive technology.
Understand the consideration process and use of assistive technology in the vocational rehabilitation process.
Consider a wide range of jobs for the consumers they work with.
Become familiar with a wide range of assistive technology tools to meet the specific needs of consumers with various disabilities.
Understand the process of implementing assistive technology to ensure consumer success.
Access a variety of resources that will facilitate the best match between consumer needs and possible technology solutions.

Training topics include:

AT consideration process
Overview of computer access
Overview of Supports for writing, reading and organization
Overview of Ergonomics
Everyday Tech as AT
- Mobile Tech
- iPads, iPods, tablets, ereaders, smartphones

Participants will also trial an an iPod Touch with specialized apps -- with the possibility of keeping the technology! Participants will be required to complete a certificate project. On completion and/or approval of that project, participants will be able to keep the iPod Touch for use with consumers (note: the iPod Touch will be given to the entity that paid the registration fee).

Learn more or sign up here.

Life Just Got Easier

noreply@blogger.com (Assistive Technology Center) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:09:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered how many minutes of your life have been wasted fumbling to try and get a projector to recognize your laptop or computer? Mitsubishi has introduced the WD390U-ESTExtremeShort Throw Projector, a projector that will let us skip that step by connecting directly to the Cloud.

David Nagel, executive producer for 1105 Media's online K-12 and higher education publications and electronic newsletters, tells us more in this article.

Survey on BYOD and AT: Call for Participation!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Marotta) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:59:00 +0000

This information came through from our friends at Region 4 Education Service Center in Houston, TX.

Take a few minutes and participate.

Many schools are adopting or considering policy on Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) but don’t always take into account assistive technology tools. Issues involving loading educational software on personal devices, appropriate support – or if the specialized feature is needed to access educational content are just some of the topics being discussed.

Region 4 is running a survey to find out what policies are being put in place and/or opinions on what the policy should be! Please consider completing the survey and feel free to share the link with education, AT, and therapy staff.

www.surveymonkey.com/s/BYO-AT

After the initial few questions the survey gives you the option of answering what IS your BYOD-AT policy or if you don’t have a school policy yet (or don’t like the policy as written) – then what is your opinion about what should be included in the policy. The survey is anonymous and will be tabulated on (January 22^nd). Results will be posted, see below.

Bring your own device (BYOD) is a policy concerning bringing personally owned mobile devices to work (school) and using those devices to access (school) resources such as email, file servers, databases as well as (school) applications and data.

Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) covers a broader phenomenon, which not only includes the hardware device(s), but also the software used on the device (e.g. web browser, media player, antivirus, word processor).

A results table will be posted after Feb. 2^nd, at: www.epsilen.com/tpeters1

Click on the BYOT & AT tab at left.

Improve Your Search Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Assistive Technology Center) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:28:00 +0000

I don’t know about you, but if I am not careful, I can lose large chunks of time searching online. I’ll type a quick something into the slot, 276,344 responses will pop up and I’ll be off. It’s not the most effective way to search, especially for someone easily sidetracked and susceptible to the parade of ads popping out all over the screen. The good news is, there is help for folks like me.

Google offers courses online to help searchers get the information they need quickly and efficiently. Daniel M. Russell, a Senior Research Specialist at Google, hosts a YouTube series on Power Searching that demonstrates how use the most efficient search terms, narrow a search and ensure credibility.

If you’re ready to take your search skills to the next level, Mr. Russell will be starting an Advanced Power Searching Course online on January 23, 2013. The class features 12 practice challenges, a couple of assignments and a certificate for those who complete the course.

Mark Your Calendars!

noreply@blogger.com (Assistive Technology Center) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 15:34:00 +0000

Advancing Opportunities’ Assistive Technology Services Department is pleased to announce it will be hosting the Assistive Technology Showcase at this year’s Abilities Expo in Edison! Stop by for hands-on demonstrations of the latest devices or just come by and say hello to our team.

The Abilities Expo, an event dedicated to educating and improving the lives of people with disabilities and their families and caregivers, will be held from Friday, May 3^rd through Sunday, May 5^th at the New Jersey Convention Center in Edison, New Jersey. Admission is free. You can learn more and register here: http://www.abilitiesexpo.com/newyork/index.html

This year’s Ambassadors include retired Air Force officer Ian James Brown, parent and advocate Dana Dago-Clark and international aid worker and missionary Amanda Sullivan. Learn more about their amazing stories here: http://www.abilitiesexpo.com/newyork/ambassador_program.html

Happy New Year! We are back.

noreply@blogger.com (Vanessa Lombardo) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 04:03:00 +0000

Well we have taken a hiatus from our blog during the last half of 2012, but we are back in 2013.

We will continue some of our frequent posts, such as the TLC Spotlight, as well as sharing some other regular posts from new staff who have joined our ATS department. Stay tuned!

TLC Spotlight - Portable Fold Mini Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard

noreply@blogger.com (Janet A. Zoda) — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:49:00 +0000

Portable Fold Mini Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard

Fold it and put it in your pocket!

Sleek and slim design, folding and ergonomic bluetooth design. Built-in rechargeable li-ion battery.
66 keys lay out. Micro USB charging port and 2 LED indicator light. Good touch feeling and quiet keystrokes.

This keyboard supports Apple iPad, iPad2, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and any others android tablet with bluetooth connection.

What do you think? Do you want to TRY IT before you BUY IT? Then join our Technology Lending Center. Click here to join today!

Quick AT Round-Up

noreply@blogger.com (Assistive Technology Center) — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:12:00 +0000

Thanks to those of you who stopped by and said “Hello” at the recent New York Metro Abilities Expo. It was great to meet so many of you. We showed off lots of technology and expanded a few horizons, I’m sure. Here are a few articles we’ve seen recently that we thought you’d enjoy.

An article published recently in the New York Times outlines some new audio-enhancing strategies for people who are hard of hearing.

This Technology blog at the Atlantic Monthly details how Apple’s commitment to accessibility coupled with a few ingenious apps have made the iPhone a useful tool for people who are blind or visually impaired.

A couple of college kids in Toronto have designed MyVoice, an app for iProducts which allows users to tag different locations with specific words and phrases and then uses GPS technology to allow users to generate vocabulary based on location. Pretty cool. Here’s the article from the CBCNews site.