The Assistive Technology Blog tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009:/113 2009-11-20T19:18:00Z The Virginia Department of Education's Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC) at VCU's Assistive Technology Blog is for Assistive Technology providers across Superintendent's Regions 1 & 8. Do you have a question you would like to see answered in the assistive technology blog? EMAIL US and someone on the Assistive Technology team here will post an answer as quickly as we can! Movable Type 4.25 TechKnowledgy 2009 tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56914 2009-11-20T19:11:47Z 2009-11-20T19:18:00Z Susanne Croasdaile conversation.JPG

]]> TechKnowledgy 2009... tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56912 2009-11-20T19:03:00Z 2009-11-20T19:08:24Z Susanne Croasdaile session 2.JPG

]]> More TechKnowledgy 2009... tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56911 2009-11-20T18:53:41Z 2009-11-20T19:02:18Z Susanne Croasdaile session.JPG

]]> Our 1000th post! tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56737 2009-11-19T17:14:44Z 2009-11-19T16:22:23Z A grand, 1 K, however... When we began the Assistive Technology Blog in the summer of 2006, our intention was to reach AT practitioners across our region who wanted to keep up-to-date with best practices in the field. To our... Susanne Croasdaile A grand, 1 K, however...
When we began the Assistive Technology Blog in the summer of 2006, our intention was to reach AT practitioners across our region who wanted to keep up-to-date with best practices in the field. To our amazement and satisfaction, our blog has reached people around the state as well as across the country. We even hear from folks from overseas! When we visit national conferences, we see others reference the Assistive Technology Blog; consumers who use assistive technology have responded with questions and good information, and we have been identified as one of the 200 educational blogs to watch by American Educational Research Association members! Stick with us for the next thousand--we'd love to hear from you!

]]> TechKnowledgy 2009 has begun... tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56736 2009-11-19T15:55:50Z 2009-11-19T16:10:41Z Susanne Croasdaile Thumbnail image for vendors.JPG

]]> Follow the feeds... tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56669 2009-11-19T14:17:31Z 2009-11-18T14:29:06Z Wish you could have attended the recent National Center on Technology Innovation's annual conference? Wonder what the presenters were sharing? Interested in reviewing the content? You have some options! Follow the twitter feed that was collected during the conference at,... Fran Smith Wish you could have attended the recent National Center on Technology Innovation's annual conference? Wonder what the presenters were sharing? Interested in reviewing the content? You have some options!

Follow the twitter feed that was collected during the conference at, http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/2009/10/29/conf09-twitter-feed/

Check the conference page for uploads of conference sessions and materials at,
http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/2009/09/01/conf09-conference-agenda/

]]> A cool web site about digital access for students tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56668 2009-11-19T14:11:08Z 2009-11-18T14:17:01Z At the National Technology Innovators Conference this week, quite a bit of discussion focused on the importance of recognizing the influence digital technology plays in the lives of today's students. From the importance of portables, mobile access, social media, ereaders... Fran Smith At the National Technology Innovators Conference this week, quite a bit of discussion focused on the importance of recognizing the influence digital technology plays in the lives of today's students. From the importance of portables, mobile access, social media, ereaders and universal design for learning, each of these were highlighted as forces shaping the future. One of the websites shared was Taking it Global at http://www.tigweb.org/. This site offers an example of a social network designed to push some of these directions and provide information to students in a digital and collaborative form. Worth perusing!

]]> What is your personal learning network? tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56680 2009-11-19T12:45:45Z 2009-11-19T15:54:17Z One of the buzz words I heard at the recent NCTI conference this past week was the reference to personal learning networks or PLN. In this digital age of so much information that crosses our desk and air waves, it... Fran Smith One of the buzz words I heard at the recent NCTI conference this past week was the reference to personal learning networks or PLN. In this digital age of so much information that crosses our desk and air waves, it is often overwhelming to find ways to keep up. Some of us try to maintain multiple connections through social media tools such as various blogs, wikis, twitter feeds and social networks. Others attend conferences. The reality of our current economic situation, limits on resources and travel, and difficulty trying to keep abreast of the changes perhaps begs the issue of how to digitally design a personal learning network to stay informed. One of my AT colleagues from Loudoun County schools recently shared how he subscribes through RSS feeds into his personal blog (http://thetechflash.com) or web portal to keep abreast of all this information. We try to build such a PLN for all of you through our AT blog, Something to consider-- something to build?!

]]> Comments, stories and reasons why we need innovation and change.. tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56597 2009-11-18T15:51:40Z 2009-11-17T15:57:15Z While attending the National Center on Technology Innovation Annual Conference in Washington, DC, I've had the opportunity to hear more about the upcoming National Education Technology Plan. As the new Director of the Office of Education Technology, Karen Cator and... Fran Smith While attending the National Center on Technology Innovation Annual Conference in Washington, DC, I've had the opportunity to hear more about the upcoming National Education Technology Plan. As the new Director of the Office of Education Technology, Karen Cator and others requested, we all need to share our comments, stories and reasons why assistive technology works, education technology is important, and accessibility needs to happen for enabling all students to learn. Comments are requested from the field and needed soon, by 11/30/09. Please take the time to share at http://www.edtechfuture.org

]]> The preferences of those digital natives... tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56667 2009-11-18T13:48:44Z 2009-11-18T14:10:45Z This past week, Mr. Lee Raine with the Pew Internet & Life Project shared some percentages on the use of technology of those digital natives (those born after 1990)... 97% play computer games 35% find songs online 75% have cellphones... Fran Smith This past week, Mr. Lee Raine with the Pew Internet & Life Project shared some percentages on the use of technology of those digital natives (those born after 1990)...

97% play computer games 35% find songs online
75% have cellphones 55% use wikipedia
93% use the Internet 74% have mp3 players
90% use browsers for cloud computing activities 73% use social networking sites
60% use instant messaging 40--50% tag content
14% use blogs 40% have digital cameras

That net generation!
59% read blogs

]]> TechKnowledgy 2009 starts tomorrow! tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56665 2009-11-18T10:59:39Z 2009-11-18T11:01:20Z Hope to see you all at the Richmond Convention Center on Thursday and Friday! It should be a great conference...if you were not able to register, stay tuned and we'll post what we learn.... Susanne Croasdaile Hope to see you all at the Richmond Convention Center on Thursday and Friday! It should be a great conference...if you were not able to register, stay tuned and we'll post what we learn.

]]> Talking watches are more chic now! tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56411 2009-11-17T12:05:11Z 2009-11-15T13:17:32Z I opened a catalog at home today and saw a nice-looking $40 watch with a round face and luminescent hands. You press the button on the side and a man's voice announces the time, date and settings. Since it's an... Susanne Croasdaile I opened a catalog at home today and saw a nice-looking $40 watch with a round face and luminescent hands. You press the button on the side and a man's voice announces the time, date and settings. Since it's an "atomic watch," the time is corrected automatically by radio waves...it even adjusts automatically for Daylight Saving Time (anyone could benefit from this, not just individuals with visual impairments!). Universal design is coming into its own!

]]> The future of ebooks and the future of access tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.55771 2009-11-16T21:26:05Z 2009-11-05T21:34:36Z I always enjoy presenting information about technology trends and how these involve accessible technologies. In this digital age, this is more exciting than ever before. On October 28, 2009, I joined a colleague for such a presentation at our state... Fran Smith I always enjoy presenting information about technology trends and how these involve accessible technologies. In this digital age, this is more exciting than ever before. On October 28, 2009, I joined a colleague for such a presentation at our state education technology conference. We shared our wares - iPod Touch devices, netbooks with free screen readers, compact OCR scanners, and the Livescribe. The audience of IT administrators seemed impressed, especially when we shared the Proloque2Go app for the iTouch and that evolving industry.

As we moved through the day, I was again impressed with a feature speaker who shared some of the emerging technology trends for education. Among them again, netbooks, mobile devices, flexible paper and the future of ebooks. Apparently, next year we may see a new series of ebook readers designed for the K-12 classrooms complete with touch sensitivity and color browsing.

As I returned to my computer and email the following day, there again was a new announcement about ebooks and ereaders, http://followthereader.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/the-day-it-all-changed/. Exciting developments for the future and the opportunities for learning!

]]> Follow a leader in UDL through a social media connection: CAST on Facebook tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.56023 2009-11-16T20:37:33Z 2009-11-09T20:41:36Z Want to keep abreast of the latest developments in UDL? Want to have daily updates in your Facebook profile to follow this information? Then, become a Fan of CAST on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CenterforAppliedSpecialTechnology... Fran Smith Want to keep abreast of the latest developments in UDL? Want to have daily updates in your Facebook profile to follow this information? Then, become a Fan of CAST on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CenterforAppliedSpecialTechnology

]]> Kurzweil partners for new e-reading software tag:www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu,2009://113.55444 2009-11-16T17:39:37Z 2009-10-30T16:51:49Z Kurzweil Technologies will supply digital content for K-NFB Reading Technology, a newly developed e-book reading software created by Kurzweil in collaboration with the National Federation of the Blind. The software will be offered to consumers for free. Consumers can purchase... Kelly Ligon Kurzweil Technologies will supply digital content for K-NFB Reading Technology, a newly developed e-book reading software created by Kurzweil in collaboration with the National Federation of the Blind. The software will be offered to consumers for free. Consumers can purchase books directly through the software. The software will be available for laptops (both PC and MAC) as well as net books, and mobile phones. It's scheduled to be released at the end of November. Keep up with what's happening by logging onto

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