The Assistive Technology Blog

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/

Posted by Fran Smith at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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!

Posted by Fran Smith at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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?!

Posted by Fran Smith at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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!

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This was a video clip we shared at the Virginia Department of Education's Technology Leadership Conference on Wednesday, October 28, 2009. This clip from Edutopia provides a nice presentation of how this process should happen!

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I remember when this iTouch App was announced. The excitement in the air amongst my AT colleagues was contagious. Finally, an important augmentative alternative communication (AAC) tool that could be used on this mainstream portable device -- the Proloquo2Go. When assistive technology functionality becomes available in these types of portable tools, access is more widely available for all!

Posted by Fran Smith at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week we heard the exciting news that Dr. David Rose has been named to an important group that will develop the new National Educational Technology Plan. As a co-founder of CAST and a national researcher in UDL, Dr. Rose will bring keen insights to this development. The details of that announcement are noted below:

"The U.S. Department of Education has named David Rose, chief scientist
and co-founder of CAST, to a technical working group charged with
developing a new National Educational Technology Plan that guides the
use of information and communication technologies in transforming
American education. The plan will provide a set of concrete goals that can inform state and local educational technology plans as well as inspire research,
development, and innovation. Dr. Rose is among a number of distinguished educators, researchers,state and district education technology leaders, and policymakers who
are working together to support the development of the plan. "I am
honored to be included in this distinguished group," says Dr. Rose.

"I want to represent the needs of all learners but especially those who
are marginalized by the general education curriculum-students with
disabilities, English language learners, and so forth. It is essential
that the plan reflect the diversity of students in today's classrooms
and recognize that diversity as a strength of our educational system
rather than merely a challenge."

Dr. Rose is seeking your feedback on any relevant reports, effective
technology tools, or exemplary programs, activities or curricula that
are designed to include and benefit all students.To submit comments and learn more about the Plan, visit the National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) website:
https://edtechfuture.org "

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quick Draw Paper allows an artist with low vision to feel what he has drawn on paper. When
students write or scribble on the paper with a water-based marker, the paper
raises up and they can feel what they have done. Braille can be written quickly and easily.
Ideas are limitless. Check it out:

Posted by Kelly Ligon at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This video shares a wonderful perspective on why we believe in frameworks such as universal design for learning (UDL); frameworks that celebrate the positive practices of infusing technology to support learning.

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Do you remember using a hand-held labeler when you were young with sticky tape that could be used to put your name on all of your special items? Have you wanted to provide access to students who use braille, but don't have access to a Braille machine? I found a portable brailler for $34 dollars that can be used to quickly provide access to print and the environment. The device has regular print as well as braille, so it can be used by everyone.
Check it out!

http://www.independentliving.com

Posted by Kelly Ligon at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here's a great location to review that will share some best practices in demonstrating UDL in action. The UDL Spotlight was a new feature in the recently released National UDL Center. Educators and practitioners from around the country share their stories of infusing UDL. Worth a peek!

http://udlspotlight.wordpress.com/

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check it out and spread the word, http://www.youtube.com/UDLCAST

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another great resource has been included in the online tools on universal design for learning from our friends at CAST. The newest, The CAST UDL Online Modules, offers information, resources and examples on how to develop UDL lessons in a postsecondary classroom setting. Great example to explore!

Posted by Fran Smith at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Interested in seeing just how the principles of universal design for learning work in action? Wondering what it means when we say:

Principle I. Provide Multiple Means of Representation
Principle II. Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression
Principle III. Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

Consider taking a closer look by touring the CAST UDL Editions. This collaborative project between the folks at CAST and Google has produced some rich online texts with multiple ways to support the reader. For example, as I read the online text, "How Coyote Stole Fire" I'm offered multiple opportunities to link to embedded resources, glossaries, translations, lists of characters and a range of background resources.
To offer strategy support, the Stop & Think functionality provides visual cues and clues to support my understanding. Functionality offered through a speech-to-text toolbar also provides me with some user control to speak the text, highlight as needed, search for additional materials, or drill down to a specific location through google maps. Very engaging and very UDL!

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Wednesday, a group of over 100 educators from around the country gathered at the National Education Association (NEA) headquarters to discuss the importance of universal design for learning. This symposium entitled, "Creating Great School Public Schools for All Students through Universal Design for Learning and Inclusive Practices" afforded those in attendance a chance to discuss and share perspectives on the importance of UDL in education. All participants listened to several success stories, evolving research, and best practices in UDL and articulated vision plans for the future. Listen to NEA President-Elect Lily Eskelsen as she opens the conference,

Posted by Fran Smith at 7:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Visit http://www.rockingham.k12.va.us/HowTo/animoto/animoto.htm to see how teachers are using Animoto (a very cool, high-energy video maker) to engage student attention and interest.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 8:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The folks at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) have been busy making sure the breadth of research is shared with all. Today I had the pleasure of watching how they have weaved this base of resources into their UDL guidelines document. Rich with connections to a host of articles, any user can visit a specific guideline and read through the material. In the future, a direct link to specific examples that expand on what each guideline provides. This is a great example of UDL in action!

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Exciting times are evolving in the world of UDL. Today I heard that a CAST Book Builder version 3 will soon be launched offering more resources for those of us in postsecondary settings! And, UDL will soon have a larger presence on You Tube. Stay tuned!

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The IRIS Center for Training Enhancements has free online interactive resources that translate research about the education of students with disabilities into practice. A new interactive, web-based module features the faculty at Sycamore Middle School - a urban school with a large percentage of students from diverse backgrounds - as they learn how to develop materials, techniques, and strategies to meet their students learning needs.
See it at http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/udl/chalcycle.htm

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What's AudioPal? Well, if you have read about Vokis and have played with recording your voice, you will probably like AudioPal. The site bills the free service as a solution for people who like to communicate and express themselves best verbally...it's really just another way for folks to record their voice instead of relying on print. Click on http://www.audiopal.com for more info.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How many times have you asked yourself this question - "How do I keep up with all that great information?" This is an important question in this fast changing world of social media and growing reliance on the web of information. Following web posts through "reader" web programs is one solution. Our AT blog is one of several assistive technology web sites that may inform your practice. Others that are our favorites include The UDL Wiki, http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/, The National Center for Technology Innovation, http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/, and Teaching Every Student, http://teachingeverystudent.blogspot.com/. Rather than taking the time to explore each of these sites for new information, I simply add these to my Google Reader page and glean the daily highlights. Here's how that works,

As you start this new year, consider setting up your Google Reader for keeping abreast of the latest information in assistive technology, universal design for learning, and learning technologies.

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I attended my first National Center for Technology Innovation conference in 2007. By far, this was one of my favorite conferences. A place to mingle with like-minded technology educators, planners, innovators, and developers. As a smaller conference, this one allows participants to chat with all the invited guest speakers and guests.

This year the conference focus is on "Educational Futures Powered by Technology". Over 23 invited speakers discussing a range of topics across gaming, autism, universal design for learning, social media, learning technologies, and cognitive science will be presenting. This conference fills up quickly so, if you can go, register now! http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/2009/06/05/conf09-2009-technology-innovators-conference/

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The University of Washington's AccessIT center has some info you need to read!

If you are teaching online, the course management software may include a whiteboard tool that you can use to write or draw on the board. Sounds great! The down side, however, is that it may not be accessible to users of screen readers. Read more at http://www.washington.edu/accessit/articles?1236.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 4:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a recent compilation of what's been happening around the country in relation to the practice of universal design for learning (UDL). This is a great review that takes the reader through several success stories and best practices in various settings. Worth the read at http://www.projectforum.org/docs/UDL-PolicyChallengesandRecommendations.pdf

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...or those who are new to it!

The most recent AT Show podcast is about where to find audio books. You can access it at http://www.atmaine.com/atshow/ and either listen through streaming media or subscribe/download using the directions posted at the site.

Some of their highlighted resources include:
Overdrive: http://www.overdrive.com
NLS BARD: http://www.nlsbard.loc.gov
Books Should be Free: http://www.booksshouldbefree.com
Truly Free: http://www.trulyfree.org
Podiobooks: http://www.podiobooks.com
Daily Lit: http://www.dailylit.com

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just read about a Inspiration mind-maping product available at http://www.mywebspiration.com.

Like Inspiration and Kidspiration, this visual thinking tool can be used to
"capture ideas, organize information, diagram processes and create clear,
concise written documents."

What's different? This one is online, and you can work individually or collaboratively.

Some cool components:
"Webspiration makes it easy to collaborate and share documents by simply sending an invite. Everyone works on the same document, contributing, posting comments, and viewing changes. Webspiration is ideal for team projects, study groups, reviewing and commenting on documents and co-authoring materials. Store and access documents online without discs, drives or email. Work at home, a friend's house, the library, your office, or the local coffee shop. Webspiration and your documents are available anywhere you have access to the internet."

Since it is in beta version right now (being tested before widespread distribution), you can sign up for a free myWebspiration account at http://www.mywebspiration.com/user/register.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you know that you can hold your finger over the browser window area for typing in a web address on the iTouch and a circular magnifier will appear? Great infusion of universal design!! Of course, I just like the fact that I can hold my two fingers in place on the screen and "stretch" the screen to enlarge. Fun tool to explore!

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Click on the links below if you are interested in audio recordings for summer reading. Helpful to those who may struggle with reading or who wish to make use of vacation travel time.

http://www.learnoutloud.com/Catalog/Literature

http://www.learnoutloud.com/Resources/Publishers-and-Retailers/Don-Johnston-Incorporated/621

Posted by Lanett W. Brailey at 6:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A few new resources are now available to guide the practice of UDL from our friends at CAST. First, the new national UDL center has debuted and will continue to have many new resources, http://www.udlcenter.org/

The CAST UDL guidelines have several new links to expand on the topic including an Educator Checklist and UDL Blog. Check these out at http://www.cast.org/publications/UDLguidelines/version1.html.

Finally, CAST now hosts a UDL Spotlight area on their site to share new approaches and best practices at http://udlspotlight.wordpress.com/

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From our friends at the Family Center on Technology and Disability...

"The Family Center on Technology and Disability is pleased to provide a free, 2-week online summer institute, July 20-31, 2009. The Family Center's summer institutes have been extremely popular, connecting educators, disability professionals and parents throughout the country with leading national experts in assistive and instructional technologies. This year's institute will have two learning strands: Accessible Instructional Materials and Social Media Tools. Participants can register for continuing education units (CEU's). More information on each strand is provided below, or you can register directly at: http://www.fctd.info/registration_types/1/registrations/new
If you have additional questions, please email fctd@aed.org or call Jackie Hess at (202) 884-8217 or Ana Maria Gutierrez at (202) 884-8068." Register for the Family Center on Technology and Disability's 2009 Summer Institute today!
http://www.fctd.info/registration_types/1/registrations/new

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I like to keep organized and often find that colored post-it notes can consume my desk! The following are some great online tools that offer a digital solution to that problem.

My Note-it, http://nlvm.usu.edu/, is a shared online notetaking space where students can take, share, and store notes online. The brain, and Mindmapper, allows digital tools for organizing their thoughts and projects through a graphic organizer. Useful tools worth a try!

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here are a few great websites to support/learn more about math facts and principles: http://illuminations.nctm.org/, http://www.math.com, and http://nlvm.usu.edu/

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember how wonderful it was to hear a great story? Your favorite teacher would share the details, page-by-page, and create that visual that might last forever. Digital storytelling builds on that theme but also allows the user an opportunity and means to share their story, their work, or their project. Here's a great resource for creating and telling stories through the process of digital storytelling - Center for Digital Storytelling, http://www.storycenter.org/.

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A great new resource has debuted at http://www.udlcenter.org/. A central location where everything one needs to know about universal design for learning can be found. Bravo CAST, a great resource!!

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As school districts are being faced with budget challenges along with providing students with a 21st Century education...the pursuit and use of technology demands thoughtful consideration and dialogue...
Kelly Hines poses a question regarding the continued use of technology in school divisions in her article "Or is it About Technology?" http://www.eduratireview.com/
Ben Grey in his article "Why Technology" http://www.techlearning.com/blogs/20444 asks " Why should your district continue to use and pursue technology?" Click on the links above to read more....

Posted by Lanett W. Brailey at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The National Center on Technology Innovation has recently announced the five winners of the Technology in the Works Awards. These folks always keep us apprised of the cutting edge developments in the field of technology and learning. To read more visit, http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/funding/tech-in-the-works/2009-tech-in-the-works/awardees/

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Classroom Suite 3 was designed for grades PreK-8.
Preschoolers can use coloring book and puzzle activities; explore shapes, patterns, and counting; and work with cause and effect activities. Primary and elementary students can create their own electronic books and slide shows, practice math concepts with on-screen manipulatives,and develop writing fluency. Secondary students can create time lines, diagrams and outlines, write newspaper articles, and create professional -quality presentations to communicate their learning. Teachers can open instant authoring templates to create curriculum-based activities appropriate for preschool through middle school students. Assessments created are great additions to the student portfolio!

The new Classroom Suite 4 is a unique intervention tool that combines direct instruction with a flexible tool environment to help students in grades Pre K through 5 achieve mastery in reading, writing and math. It provides students with explicit instruction, constructive practice and embedded assessments to allow teachers to gauge progress and individualize instruction for their students. Classroom Suite 4 includes research-based activity templates that can be used out-of-the box, or easily customized to meet targeted needs. Lessons can be sequenced into "intelligent " units to align with district or core curriculum.

Follow this link to take a look at intelliTools Classroom Suite

http://store.cambiumlearning.com/ProgramPage.aspx?parentId=074003925&functionID=009000008&site=itc.

Posted by Lanett W. Brailey at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a new document from Project Forum entitled, Universal Design for Learning: Policy Challenges and Recommendations. "This policy forum proceedings document provides an introduction that includes federal education regulatory language for universal design for learning (UDL). It summarizes panel presentations from the higher education, state-level, local-level and national-level perspectives. Throughout the panel and during the subsequent group discussions, several suggestions and proposed strategies to improve policy to impact implementation of UDL were given by participants. These are summarized." To read, visit http://www.projectforum.org/

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The iTouch is a great portable device and full of cool accessible tools and functions. I'm learning how these can make my life easier and hopefully the lives of others. For example, with the touch of my fingers, I can access/open programs and activate a zoom feature to better see the text. If I want to customize the menu display of icons and apps, I can tap the icon and while holding the tap, note that all the icons then jiggle in place. As I slide an icon from its place, I can move it to a new blank screen and create a custom menu. If I'm looking for a digital book, I can access an array of sites to download the books and use several apps to read these such as eReader and Stanza. I can even download audio books and with the new built in speaker and listen to that book! Another of my favorites is access to the YouTube collections or a website that, once I find my favorites, I can bookmark these for easy access. Great tool and full of possibilities as the app (applications) library is now over 15 thousand opportunities. Probably one of my favorites is iTalk, which lets me use a headphone/microphone accessory and record audio notes, speaker presentations, or a lecture that I can listen to later.

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So often digital media is posted on the web and in formats that are not understandable by many users, especially those who may be deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, or any other range of sensory problems. Best practices are important to consider and can be viewed at a great resource such as Web Accessibility in Mind, http://www.webaim.org. If you're posting a video, remember the captions or the digital transcript. Looking for some resources that are free or cost? Consider http://www.captionfirst.com/contact.htm or http://dotsub.com/. A recent resource that allows provides ways to add descriptive images to digital talking books can be found from our friends at the National Center on Accessible Media, http://ncam.wgbh.org/publications/stemdx/index.html. Posting images in blogs and on websites also need descriptions and can easily be added through the code or through the program functionality and within an alt tag. Consider the universal appeal of the message you're sharing!

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is an early reading program that is interactive,engaging,motivating and accessible for all students. Highlights: interactive technology, varied reading selections, (some in Spanish) and the teacher management system!
Click on the link below:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/wiggleworks/index.htm

Posted by Lanett W. Brailey at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our friends at CAST are promoting a new blog/ feature that showcases best practices on what folks are doing around the country. To read more visit, http://udlspotlight.wordpress.com/

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As distance learning becomes increasingly popular in an age of cost reductions, don't forget the importance of captioning those videos. When we omit the captions, our users who are deaf cannot benefit from the intended message. A few resources that may be helpful:

http://www.captionfirst.com/contact.htm
http://www.synchrimedia.com/

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The National Center for Technology Innovation posted the latest research last week related to the "Effect of Computer-based Read-aloud on Test Performance of High School Students with Learning Disabilities."

The results of the pilot study Applying Principles of Universal Design to Test Delivery: The Effect of Computer-based Read-aloud on Test Performance of High School Students with Learning Disabilities provides preliminary support for the potential benefits and usability of digital technologies in creating universally designed assessments that more fairly and accurately test students with disabilities. The study was published in the Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment: http://escholarship.bc.edu/jtla/vol3/7/.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's lots of press these days about e-books and e-book readers. The Kindle is one that we've been reading quite a bit about and the newest version offers speech aloud capabilities. Great news! Here is another article showcasing a program that is worth review, http://www.lexcycle.com/stanza

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From our friends at the Family Center on Technology and Disability,

"The current Family Center on Technology and Disability newsletter focuses on Assistive Technology Implementation in the Classroom. This edition features an interview with Matthew Press, AT Coordinator for the Pendergast Elementary School District in Phoenix, Arizona. Mr. Press addresses the need for teacher “buy-in” and shares tips for how to get it; describes AT barriers and how to overcome them; identifies AT tools that he has found to be effective; and discusses universal design and other concepts key to effectively implementing technology in real-life classrooms. You can read the newsletter in either:
PDF http://www.fctd.info/resources/newsletters/upload/FCTDFeb09-Issue92.pdf
or HTML format http://www.fctd.info/resources/newsletters/displayNewsletter.php?newsletterID=10068"

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This week I've had the wonderful opportunity to be at the Virginia Society for Technology in Education annual conference where this year's keynote has been Dr. Tim Tyson. I've been impressed with Dr. Tyson's message as he's shared his passion, his vision, and his practices in using and infusing technology into his school.

Here is a leader that "talks the talk and walks the walk". His obvious passion with the power of digital media is obvious as he shares his numerous blogs and podcasts. I was especially impressed when he brought his own technology to create a simultaneous digital recording of his presentation on Sunday. An iPod in his pocket with a microphone affixed to his lapel created an audio recording. A quick opening and click on his presentation screen and computer began a recording of his Keynote presentation and allowed a screencast that could be posted online. At the conclusion of his presentation, a link to his blog was provided for all participants to visit, obtain this information, and offer feedback. A true model of how technology can enrich information and expand the learning opportunities for students!

Posted by Fran Smith at 7:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Something that may be of interest...."Join us (http://www.nuance.com/) and learn how educators across the country are using Dragon NaturallySpeaking to be more productive and to meet key learning needs of their students! Learn all about it at Live Webinar: March 11th, 2:00pm Eastern"

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I love TED talks -- a really fine website and podcasting service. These folks know how to share some of the best discussions that help people to think beyond the present, such as the one below:

Posted by Fran Smith at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apple touted there products last week at the VSTE conference and showcased some new features in iLife 09. Among the ones I recall:

iPhoto allows a user to consolidate numerous stored pictures and create a book for publishing
Geotagging functionality allows users to search through stored pictures by using a picture as the search term and employing face recognition (look at the Faces feature)
Travel maps can now be linked to pictures in books and expanding the functionality for instruction.
Garageband09 now includes musical lessons that include short video clips to teach individuals to play an instrument.

Great tools to explore and enrich the learning process!

Posted by Fran Smith at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At the VSTE conference last week, several great sessions were provided on using Camtasia. I was impressed with a few such as using the Pan/Zoom feature to zoom in and enlarge portions of a screen. Also creating a callout that can be embed in a portion of the screen area to provide a place to highlight or add an instructional tip. At the conclusion of the session, an audience participant even noted the captioning capabilities of this tool and how this helps him make the content "readable" by someone who may be deaf. To view more, visit http://cpsvstecollaboration.wikispaces.com What's exciting about a tool like this is the potential to share lecture notes to students and others so that they have the time to play these back and review, review, review. Here's an example http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/customer-videos/jaredbutcher.asp

Posted by Fran Smith at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week at the VSTE annual conference, we were impressed by several of the sessions on assistive technology and universal design for learning (udl) by our friends in the Loudoun County Public School System. I especially like the presentations on UDL which both shared the foundational concepts and modeled digital applications. To explore, visit http://tinyurl.com/lcpsatvste09

Posted by Fran Smith at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just attended a presentation at VSTE on AT clubs by Joan Wingfield and Toni Sheets of Augusta County--they felt that students with high-incidence disabilities were getting "missed" by AT services because the kids with more significant disabilities were getting all the attention.
[If you missed them at Closing the Gap and TechKnowledgy and (now) at VSTE, you really missed a lot. Here’s their presentation in a nutshell.]

All of their middle and high schools have a “club day” that occurs just about every 6 weeks. They decided to create a “Dana Club” to increase leadership skills as well as a place to go on club day! Students decided to present to each other with PowerPoints and other materials to address the concerns of kids with disabilities.

In the 2006-07 school year, there were only about 4 students in one school, but now there are 5-12 students and groups in 5 schools. They did not feel that they were doing a good job on teaching the kids how to use their AT (Danas, etc.) and this club is part of their solution! Now, in fact, there are students who don’t even use word processing tools—but meet and discuss other AT tools. Some of them are also friends on Facebook—with each other and the coordinators!

They have started with Danas and moved to read aloud software; then they let the kids dictate: Moviemaker, Photo Story, flip cams/USB cams, interactive whiteboards, etc. based on student wants and needs.

Some of this year’s and last year’s lessons:
1. intro to word processors
2. read aloud options
3. word prediction
4. graphic organizers (inspiration)
5. interactive white boards
6. Tar heel reader (the group makes books for the teachers!)
7. iPods with accessible books and digital recording
8. MS accessibility
9. voice recognition software

Want to take a look at the people I'm talking about? Click on http://www.augusta.k12.va.us/668710034104543/site/default.asp.

If you want to help in setting up your own club, here's what they suggest:
- identify potential club members (you need a techie kid to draw the rest in);
- meet with ITRT;
- set meeting dates and location for the year (big stumbling block—although they seem set in stone, the meeting dates get changed); and
- choose lesson plans and teachers for meetings

Joan and Toni will send their PowerPoint soon and we'll post it!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On August 14, 2008, the Higher Education Opportunity Act was enacted and included specific definitions on universal design and universal design for learning. To read more, visit http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/UDL/HEOA.shtml

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These are exciting times for the growth and understanding of universal design for learning (UDL). The National Task Force on UDL has been busy since forming in 2007. To learn more, visit http://www.advocacyinstitute.org/UDL/index.shtml

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Go VT T/TAC! Click on http://udl-vt-ttac.wikidot.com/ and click "Menu" to see their links to resources that support students with Autism and other disabilities within the Universal Design for Learning framework. The wiki (a read-write tool to which registered users can contribute) traces the UDL concept back to the foundations in architecture without losing the point-that UDL is an educational framework based on research about learning, not just a checklist of accessibility. Worth a look!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The growing shift to a digital world is an exciting one. It offers the ability to capture in audio, video, pictures. It provides us with the ease of sharing our thoughts in digital text and through a flexible, malleable medium. However, in this shift, we need to be mindful of using transcripts with audio podcasts and transcripts or captions with video. When we do this, we allow others who may be blind or deaf the ability to also hear or read the material. A resource worth reviewing around this topic is http://www.synchronvideo.com/auto-sync.html

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is a growing concern and question often presented to folks. In the following report, , the authors provide a great discussion around the accessibility issue of social networking sites.

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This was recently forwarded to my email and I thought worth sharing…

“Online Portal Opens New Frontiers for Blind Students - http://www.nabslink.org/

Las Vegas, Nevada (January 12, 2009) The National Association of Blind Students announced today the first phase launch of its official web site, NABSLink.org. The site comes at the commencement of a new campaign to reach blind and visually impaired students across the country and is a direct response to the need for centralized information for high school and post-secondary students. Terri Rupp, president of NABS, said: “Students play a crucial role in the movement of the organized blind. We rely on the up and coming generation to keep the momentum fresh, and it was time we did something to gather all the tools for their success in a single convenient location to keep that momentum strong.”

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

During the 2008 VDOE Technology Leadership Conference, representatives from the Meckenburg County Public School shared their reasons for moving to a more open-source system for technology. As they moved to a the Google Apps for educators and the Open Office.org system, they achieved two major goals --

1. a cost savings of over 200,000.00
2. being more socially responsible to the large numbers of students within their low socioeconomic communities who need resources at "no costs"

Impressive! In fact, they've also instituted a system to provide the free open tools available on the open office disc so that students can take a CD home and use these on their computers - in the event that web access is not available. Thinking students first!

Posted by Fran Smith at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...and wanted you all to see it, too!

Click on http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/accessibility/acc-listen-to-this-website.htm and admire their user-friendly directions. Make you want to visit Nottingham, doesn't it?

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Take a look at the website tutorials for Read and Write Gold 8. I've been exploring the many uses for student application...and I've really enjoyed having my emails read to me! Click on http://www.readwritegold.com/read&writeguidedtour.html to read more and to see the videos.

Posted by Lanett W. Brailey at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For those of us who are trying to use blogs with students in K-12 and higher education (since they're such great digital text--and support hyperlinks--and on and on), we're facing a tough battle against advertisers who have successfully infiltrated our blogs.

Click on http://eduspaces.net/csessums/weblog/508216.html to read a November post about how a university instructor had "several of my students...host their learning logs using Edublogs which seemed at the time to be a reasonable solution. As I was reading through students weblogs I found links embedded in their content that seemed rather odd. For example one student mentioned the word "energy" in her blog entry and I found a pop-up link directing me to Exxon/Mobile. Hmmm? I thought and I read on."

Read his post about how these links were being added to student's Edublogs content without their notice. He notes that there is an Edublogs forum discussion where several Edublogs users were concerned about this practice.

It's a tough road, but we'll keep going...just keep your eyes open!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a forthcoming product from Google, Accessible Search, that offers web search results that are easier to read by blind consumers. To explore even more of their accessibility tools and resources, visit: http://labs.google.com/accessible/overview.html

Posted by Fran Smith at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you're creating wikis for education, a few great and free tools are at your finger tips. Several of us have been using pbwiki.com -- liked by many for its very minimalistic style. wikispaces.com is another tool that is fairly simple in design but adds a bit of functionality with discussion threads. My recent new favorite is wetpaint.com -- a more robust tool that provides several pre-designed templates for user and customization. This tool also includes discussion threads as an option and, if you choose the tool for an educational purpose you can request that all advertisements be removed! A new tool on the scene, Google Groups, seems to offer a similar look and feel as many evolving wiki tools. All great for designing web spaces, developing collaborative sharing spaces, or using in lieu of a Powerpoint!

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Take a look at this new resource from Nimbletools.com. I had the opportunity to see this vendor at the recent NCTI Annual Conference and was impressed with the multiple accommodation options available to a test taker.

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Are you home on winter break and looking for something to do? Spend some time exploring this great wiki from Karen Janowski,an Assistive & Educational Technology Consultant. The Free Technology Toolkit for UDL in all Classrooms offers great ideas for ALL students. You might find some new resources to take back to your students. And best of all, it will be free!

Posted by Mona at 6:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Apple iTouch has some interesting Apps for download. We shared some of these cool tools at the recent VDOE Technology Leadership Conference yesterday in Roanoke, VA. To see more, check out http://itouchtools.wetpaint.com

Today however I heard about another cool app from Google -- 1-800-GOOG411. Let's the user find out information that is locally available such as the best pizza restaurant, the best place for coffee, etc. So, to try this out on my cell phone I called that number, 1800goog411. The computer receptionist asked, "business, city and state". I offered my information as "pizza, roanoke, va". The list was then provided for 8 pizza restaurants I might consider by name and location, the choice to select a number for automatic connection, or the ability to voice direct another selection. Innovative uses of combined technologies!

Posted by Fran Smith at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At this year's VDOE Technology Leadership Conference in Roanoke, VA, Mr. John Hendron shared some exciting information on the G21 project out of Goochland County Schools. His message reinforced the importance of framing instruction that focuses on these 21st century goals that underscore important skills for the future. Audience participants also had the chance to see how this was embraced within their school system -- one noted for supporting the use of technology to support learning. His presentation can be viewed at: http://www.johnhendron.net/ and an excellent example of using a Web 2.0 platform (blog) to deliver information and share media (through a Google slide sharing app).

Posted by Fran Smith at 7:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently while attending the National Center on Technology Innovation annual conference I was struck by the continued discussion around reaching global markets, the universal appeal of technology, and the use of open source technologies by many of the innovators sharing their ideas at this phenomenal conference. Some of the innovators shared new web portals or emerging ideas, such as Curriki.org -- a new instructional resource for K-12 educators, Digital Promise -- a new federal resource and initiative/ and, Ck12.com - a revolutionary discussion of offering more "flexible textbooks". Google founders and developers discuss the potential ck12 offers in the future thinking of this revolutionary design at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGB0KhoZTgU As these offers contend, this "Web 2.0" approach to textbook design infuses multiple digital opportunities and applications. Thought provoking!

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This year's VDOE Technology Leadership Conference will convene in Roanoke, VA, December 10-12, 2008. One of the keynotes is nationally known author, Dr. James Gee, of the book "What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy". Dr. Gee will be speaking on Thursday...something not to miss!

Posted by Fran Smith at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This resource was recently shared at a statewide assistive technology meeting I was attending. Users record individual test questions and export these (using the free program Audacity) onto a 1gb Sandisk and a Sanclip mp3 player. As shared, "this program was developed in consideration of students perceptions of being read aloud to in a regular classroom during testing and with the feeling that students didn't perform to their full potential on tests due to their fear of "holding up" other students while testing". A neat idea!

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dr. Barbara Kurshan recently shared her web portal, Curriki.org, at the National Technology Innovation Conference. As she described, Curriki is defined as "a disruptive idea" and her intention to offer a tool that helps to eliminate the education divide. The tool is built in open source software code so users can take what they find, create and improve - "not just consume". Curriki.org is worth reviewing and using!

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's some digital energy in the air these days. Last week at the National Center for Technology Innovation annual conference, national speakers touted the importance of using technology to engage students, to capitalize on their approaches, to enhance their skills in this competitive global market. The following YouTube video on 21st Century Pedagogy captures this message nicely and again confirms its importance.

Today, I read in the Washington Post Metro Section, an article on the value of teacher's writing text chapters online in the article, "Stuck-in-the-Past Va. Physics Texts Getting Online Jolt" (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/29/AR2008112901809.html). Encouraging concepts that support the power of digital media for instructional purposes.

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to research studies with the Pew Internet & American Life Project, email is considered the tool of everyone else.....by many of today's net generation. These users favor text messaging, twitter, and multiple social media tools that allow them to write, interact, and share with many. I recently was amused to hear a faculty member remark, "my students begin their day with Facebook and use this as their central information portal". Thoughts to ponder!

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NCSet was one of the vendors highlighted at the recent NCTI conference and offered an impressive array of information on this important topic. Check out their website at http://ncset.uoregon.edu/

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The latest issue of the Family Center of Technology and Disability hosts a special education technology consultant who discusses the benefits of infusing technology to support a more universally designed approach. Author Karen Janowski discusses the successes of such opportunities in "AT & High Incidence Disabilities: Goodbye Darkness". To read more, visit http://www.fctd.info/resources/newsletters/displayNewsletter.php?newsletterID=10062

Posted by Fran Smith at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Look for a web resource where you can find great information on technology? Check out http://www.bigdealbook.com

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As the 2008-09 school year unfolds, keep in mind several technology conferences that will be held in and around Virginia. These are wonderful places to learn about ways to infuse and apply assistive and instructional technology into the classroom:

VDOE TTAC's and Hospital Education Program at Children's Hospital
Richmond, VA
November 13-14, 2008
http://www.vcu.edu/ttac

National Center on Technology Innovation Annual Conference
Washington, DC
November 20-21, 2008
http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/events-main-page/2008conference/

VDOE Technology Leadership Conference
Roanoke, VA
December 10-12, 2008
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Technology/OET/conf.shtml

Virginia Society for Technology in Education Conference
Virginia Beach, VA
February 22-24, 2009
http://www.vste.org

National Educational Computing Conference
Washington, DC
June 28-July 1, 2009
http://center.uoregon.edu/ISTE/NECC2009/

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The iPoint presenter is a combination of Wii technology and iPhone technology. The idea is that a person can stand in front of a large projection screen, and without touching the screen, manipulate the objects on the screen with only gestures. Cameras are used to track the movements and as with voice technology, certain commands prompt certain actions on the computer screen. Business folks see it as a wonderful presentation device—you can control the computer from a distance and to allow anyone to operate it intuitively and without the need for spoke words. Can you imagine what this technology will do for those with disabilities?
http://www.popsci.com/gear-gadgets/article/2008-03/key-free-pc

Posted by Kelly Ligon at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

How does someone who is blind access audio information? For many, they use screen reading software programs coupled with their keyboards. The keyboard provides the touch that is so essential for these users to "read" and navigate the information in a software program, on the web, or through email. But what happens when someone shifts to using a portable audio player - something more mainstream in today's technology rich world? My TTAC colleagues at George Mason University recently shared this invaluable resource which provides a review of the accessibility features of digital audio players. Read the following for more information and insight, http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw090404

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new resource from the Department of Education has been recently announced..a UDL Toolkit! This website provides great links to several contemporary articles discussing the importance and benefit of universal design for learning (UDL) as well as links to numerous resources. Visit at http://www.osepideasthatwork.org/ for more details and resources.

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new tool now enables free screen reading access on the web for people who are blind or low vision users. Visit http://webanywhere.cs.washington.edu/ for more information!

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I found two power points on slideshare created by Zaid learning that highlights 101 free educational online games.

The ones I particularly enjoyed included:

University of North Carolina at Wilmington has power point, excel and word games and templates for whole class lessons or individual lessons.

My US Rep role play game allows the student to assume the role of a US House of Respresentative and vote on issues to raise their popularity.

The Education Place has several online educational games.

Wolf Quest from Yellowstone National Park allows students to learn about wolf ecology and habitats.

Crash Scene Investigation allows students to apply principles of physics, geometry and algebra to a crash scene investigation.

Enjoy exploring and adding some high interest activities to you classroom.

To find the full power points on slide share go to:

Part I

Part II

Posted by Mona at 6:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The latest rage in visual imagery seems to be tag/ word clouds. One website, http://wordle.net, offers a tool that allows users to either enter text, a document, a link, or a delicious account to then receive a visual cloud of the text. The words that appear most frequently are shown more prominently in the tag/word cloud. Take a look at the cloud for our blog at http://www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Continuing with this month's postings regarding free websites for teachers, Zaid learning has posted another ppt on slideshare on free learning tools. http://www.slideshare.net/zaid/101-free-learning-tools-presentation/#

This ppt highlights 101 learning tools that can be used for a variety of learning needs. I am particularly interested in the WiZiQ which allows you to create a virtual classroom. Students can use this website to reinforce learning and teachers can use this site to share information and lessons. Check it out:
http://www.wiziq.com/

Also check out Ispring Free which allows you to convert power point to flash, bubbl.us a brainstorming tool, the awesome highlighter for highlighting text, gliffy for creating flowcharts, Go!Animate for animating cartoons, and ClipNabber for converting and embedding online videos. I'm sure you will find some very useful tools to create a more UDL environment in your classroom. Have fun!!

Posted by Mona at 6:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several recent studies and reports are continuing to confirm the educational value of digital gaming and digital interactivity. Professors James Gee and Marc Prensky have been discussing this for some time -- touting the strengths of these activities to support learning and literacy. In a recent article from Education Week, Gee and Levine (2008) describe the value of these tools as they note,

"Digital media offer other advantages. They naturally elicit problem-solving behavior and attitudes in students, and have the potential to create different modes of assessment. For example, students can demonstrate mastery by using them in work on real-world problems. They can also be used to track how learners learn, moment by moment, allowing constant feedback based on our knowledge of various trajectories of learning." (2008, p.2)

A recent study reported by the Pew Internet & American Life Project substantiates the high percentage of teens who are using video gaming and the value of this technology in supporting student learning. View the CBS news report on this important research. These types of discussions continue to support the value digital media can play in the learning process.
Sites and discussions such as those through the accessible gaming group help us keep our focus on the question of accessibility in these tools as well.

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's an interesting resource -- a place to save webpages that you can revisit! http://www.instapaper.com/ A place to store what you're reading on the web, serve as a collection area, and a place you can return to for later reading/reviewing. Clever!

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm posting this info-sent to the team her by Fran (thanks, Fran!)-because of the importance of using digital text in the classroom. Wikis are a great way to have students access and communicate information; the "creation" level is where we want all students to be on the revised Bloom's Taxonomy!

Wikispaces has just announced that they have given away 100,000 ad-free educational wikis, and that they are going to give away 250,000 more. Classroom 2.0 is going to celebrate the general use of wikis in education and Wikispace's amazing milestone by having founder Adam Frey and the Wikispaces team join us Thursday evening, September 11, 2008, for an open discussion of the use of wikis in education.

If you are using wikis in education, or if you want to learn why you might consider doing so, please join us at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern / Midnight GMT in our Elluminate room: https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=1101&password=M.8DAFD346DA4B268DC185FED8466556/ . We'll have lots of time for Q&A, which you are welcome to start beforehand in the forum discussion on Classroom 2.0: http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topic/show?id=649749:Topic:186332

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking for creative ways to infuse technology into the classroom? Wondering where the funding opportunities might be for your projects and ideas? Interested in exploring some great resources? Well, consider the Big Book of Technology Resources at http://www.bigdealbook.com/cdwgk12

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's a new universal design for learning (UDL) resource for faculty - Http://webs.rtc.edu/ii/dsdp.html This is a recent grant funded project for providing UDL training to educators in the state of Washington. Take a peek to learn about some great resources!

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In today's USA Today newspaper, an article showcases the growing use of social media tools for the summer Olympic games. Everything from sharing videos, digital ideas, blogs, and websites. As these authors note, "more than one in three mobile phone owners have video-capable cellphones and...more than 147 million people worldwide not participate in a social network via their mobile phone" (USA Today, Friday, August 8, 2008). The use of web-based technologies are growing more social and providing increasing ways to share and communicate. This blog, http://www.asssitivetechnology.vcu.edu, is one of those ways we use social media to share best practices in AT and instructional technology tools. Another, ning.com, is being used by the Virginia Society for Technology in Education organization (http://vsteonline.ning.com/ to encourage educators to share and communicate. These tools are growing in popularity among younger users and offer opportunities to promote effective practices and bring individuals together around common interests.

Posted by Fran Smith at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The RCA Small Wonder and the FLIP compact video camera are excellent portable devices for capturing video on the fly. Simple to use, the RCA camera has four button controls: on, play, delete and a red button for recording. A nice example of a product that designed with simplicity in mind. Users simply turn the device on, press the red button to record, capture and close when complete. Afterwards, the pop-out usb connector device allows the user to simply connect to their computer and transfer or open the files. Great tools for capturing video for digital portfolios that might be infused into a PowerPoint, posted to a website, or shared as an another representation of content.

Posted by Fran Smith at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 2009 Virginia Society for Technology in Education (http://www.vste.org) conference is just around the corner and proposals are needed. If you're an AT practitioner, team member, or educator in Virginia...consider submitting something. The world needs to hear from you and your best practices! Dr. Daniel Arkin from VSTE shares the details below in his e-request,

"Call for Annual Conference Presentation Proposals - we are now accepting proposals for over 110 concurrent presentations (each 60 minutes in length). To get further presenter information including to submit a proposal, go to http://www.vste.org/vste/presenters/. We seek first time presenters as well as experienced models. We are pleased to offer reduced registrations to our workshop facilitators and main presenters. Proposals may be submitted online ONLY. The deadline for submitting proposals is October 1, 2008. Time to complete the proposal form is less than 10 minutes once you have a Title and Description edited and ready to enter. Be sure to remember our theme and employ it creatively in your proposal. Again, the deadline for submitting proposals is October 1, 2008."

Remember also that membership in VSTE is free and a great organization to support!

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wondering what the latest technology ideas are brewing for the future? Like being in the center of a discussion that focuses on the future and possibilities? If you're wanting to hear the latest in technology innovation for assistive and learning technologies, consider the NCTI Annual Technology Innovators Conference, November 20-21, 2008 in Washington, DC. To learn more visit: http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/events-main-page/2008conference/

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In most instances, education agencies rely on products such as Blackboard or Web CT to deliver course content to teachers. But what happens when those products are too expensive for one's budget, not accessible, or simply not available. An open source product known as Moodle may be the solution. To read a review of this product from the National Center on Technology Innovation, visit http://www.k12opentech.org/implementation-study-3-moodle

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's a new document posted on the National Center on Technology Innovation (NCTI) website, http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/ that summarizes "Access, Adequacy, and Equity in Education Technology". Check it out at http://www.nea.org/research/images/08gainsandgapsedtech.pdf

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When we talk about assistive technology, often people think about computers and the infusion of high technologies. However, as speakers Kelly Fonner and Bob Kellar pointed out last week at the AT and Reading conferences, simple strategies such as highlighting printed or digital texts can make such a difference for struggling readers. Lifting out important words or passages through color-coding can help bring the eyes to a targeted area of text or meaning.

Other low tech AT tools such as a finger writing aid can provide stabilization for those who struggling with handwriting.

Posted by Fran Smith at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week my AT colleague Estela Landeros-Dugourd (VDOE Training and Technical Assistance Center at George Mason University) shared a plethora of e-book readers at the AT and reading conferences. I was impressed with how quickly technology innovations have created these portable and fully functioning tools. For example, the Kindle from Amazon.com provides an electronic book reader that can offer this on-the-go assistance with many of their online books. Other readers such as the Bookeen and the Iliad add additional features for reading electronic books, subscriptions to newspapers, and the ability to write with a stylus. For more information, potential users might consider reviewing information at:

http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Device/dp/B000FI73MA

http://www.bookeen.com/ebook/ebook-reading-device.aspx

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/19/irex-iliad-e-book-reader-gets-reviewed/

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Tuesday, July 22 2008 and Thursday, July 24, 2008, assistive technology consultants/ trainers Kelly Fonner and Bob Kellar presented an array of tricks and techniques on AT for struggling readers. Participants throughout the state of Virginia took this opportunity to learn about best practices, low and high technology tools and devices, and instructional strategies to consider for low performing readers.
Kelly Fonner shared numerous tools and techniques such as highlighters, low tech strategies, electronic book readers and instructional guides. While she kept one group engaged, consultant Bob Kellar took participants on e-tours of several electronic text aloud readers and the newly debuted Virginia Accessible Instructional Materials website, AIM-VA, http://kihd.gmu.edu/aim

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Center for Applied Special Technology recently added a set of guidelines on UDL and a graphic organizer depicting how UDL approaches are considered across the three UDL areas providing:

multiple representations of representation
multiple means for expression
multiple means of learner engagement

To view both these new guidelines and the graphic organizer, visit: http://cast.org/publications/UDLguidelines/version1.html

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) has developed a new online Strategy Tutor tool that works in tandem with the Google Search Engine offering supports to students. Try this at
http://cst.cast.org/cst/auth-login

Posted by Fran Smith at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The appreciation of social media and related tools has been on the rise over the past several years. Often referred to as Web 2.0, these encompass those web tools such as blogs, wikis, social networking sites, and video-sharing sites. While these offer many opportunities for social collaboration and sharing of information, in some instances, individuals with disabilities may find the designs full of web-based barriers or limitations to their access. Social media tools are growing in popularity and use and educators need to understand how these can promote learning. To appreciate this situation, the National Center for Technology in Innovation published a brief discussing this topic entitled, The Power of Social Media to Promote Assistive and Learning Technologies: A Collaborative Issue Brief. To read more, visit: http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/documents/power_of_social_media.pdf

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CAST has recently released a new online series entitled, UDL Editions, which provides online texts and embedded digital strategies to assist the reader. In combination with TextHELP tools, the user can add highlighting, activate speech, navigate from the text to the web to search for deeper meaning and listen to the text in another language. To take a tour, visit: http://udleditions.cast.org/

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wondering if your curriculum measures up to a UDL approach? Have you included a range of materials, options, and opportunities? Not sure? Well, try this new tool from CAST which allows users to check their curriculum and apply the important UDL principles that assure all learners are benefiting. To learn more, visit: http://udlselfcheck.cast.org/

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Virginia Department of Education has recently announced the debut of the "Accessible Instructional Materials in Virginia" (AIM-VA) website at http://kihd.gmu.edu/aim. This resource helps educators find resources and solutions for creating accessible, digital materials for all students with print disabilities.

Posted by Fran Smith at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a new resource for considering universal design in the workplace, http://www.onestops.info/. A great resource that offers a systems matrix for aligning approaches, links to relevant webcast, and links to important resources.

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wondering how to stay abreast of the latest trends in technology and learning? Wondering how to locate assistive technology resources on a national scale? Visit the Center for Technology Innovation at http://www.cited.org. Several new resources provide:

A virtual space for taking online courses from the American Institutes of Research.
Links to the Executive Brief, Moving Forward with Technology.
CITEd's Tech Matrix for searching technology/ assistive technology tools, http://www.TechMatrix.org
...and much more!

Take a peek, explore this summer!

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 9:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a neat new resource that offers information support differing ways of learning and knowing. Visit http://allkindsofminds.org

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our friends at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) have recently shared some new resources they have on UDL. Note below and visit http://www.cast.org/:

* The release of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines - Version 1 aimed at helping teachers, curriculum developers, and publishers develop more inclusive curriculum.

* The release of five new free tools to help teachers to meet the challenge of individualizing instruction to meet the diverse needs of students in their classrooms.

The UDL Guidelines will assist teachers, publishers, and others in designing flexible curricula that are more accessible, effective and engaging for ALL learners. They will also help educators evaluate both new and existing curricula goals, media and materials, methods and assessments. Read the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines - Version 1.
Check out the UDL Guidelines Blog -- a forum for educators and other education stakeholders (parents, policy makers, etc.) to offer comments on how to improve the guidelines; share stories about applying the guidelines; and identify new examples and resources that support application of the UDL Guideline options.
Five Free Teacher Resources

Language Arts
UDL Editions by CAST (Ages 10 and up)
UDL Editions by CAST are classic texts from world literature presented in a flexible online interface that provides just-in-time, individualized supports for struggling readers, and added-value features that engage novice and expert readers alike.

Learning features include leveled supports to build reading strategies and help readers understand the elements of the author’s craft; a Texthelp Toolbar for accessibility and language features; context-specific multimedia glossaries and enrichment activities; and multimedia background resources. Developed with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Introduced in partnership with the Google Literacy Project for World Book Day, 2008.

CAST UDL Book BuilderTM (Ages 3 and up)
Free online tool enables educators to develop their own digital books to support reading instruction for children aged 3 and up. Teachers create, edit, and save resource-rich texts. Terry, an animated character, guides educators as they write text, choose images, and develop scripts for the prompts, hints, and models that will help build young readers' skills. Developed with support from the Massachusetts Department of Special Education, NEC Foundation of America, The John W. Alden Trust, and The Pinkerton Foundation. Please send comments or suggestions to bookbuilder@cast.org.

Internet Research and Digital Literacy
CAST Strategy Tutor (Ages 10-and up)
Free online tool to support students and teachers doing reading and research on the Internet. Strategy Tutor helps students read, research, collect and understand information better and more efficiently. For teachers, Strategy Tutor provides a way to easily create web-based lessons embedded with research-based, highly effective learning strategy and vocabulary supports. Developed with generous support from Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Improving Teacher Practice
CAST UDL Curriculum Self-CheckTM
Free online tool that helps educators build options and flexibility into each element of the curriculum (goals, methods, materials, and assessments) in order to reach and engage all students. Developed with support from the Massachusetts Department of Special Education. Please send comments or suggestions to UDLSelfCheck@cast.org.

CAST UDL Lesson BuilderTM
Free online tool that teaches educators to customize standards-based curriculum to meet individual learning needs. Developed in cooperation with the Access Center (American Institutes for Research). Please send comments or suggestions to lessonbuilder@cast.org.

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you missed the national Council for Exceptional Children conference in Boston, MA last week (like several of us), here's a link to the presentations that were provided on universal design for learning by our friends at CAST, http://www.cast.org/publications/conferences/

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking for a web-based tool to convert text or other files to an audio format? Something that could be an Mp3 file that you could download to an Mp3 player (such as an iPod)? Something that could offer flexibility to a range of users styles and approaches? Consider Spoken Text!

Spoken Text offers that functionality and allows users to easily convert the following into Mp3 formats:

Convert pdf to mp3
Convert doc to mp3
Convert ppt to mp3
Convert txt to mp3
Convert html to mp3
Enter text directly to convert to mp3
Convert RSS feeds to mp3
Convert emails to mp3
Convert web pages to mp3

For more information, visit http://www.spokentext.net

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The folks at EASI have shared some of their previous webinars on the growing explosion around digital text. These include both the Powerpoint with audio files and transcription (a great example of accessibility in action). To review these, note below:

Bookshare audio: http://easi.cc/archive/bshare/bshare.htm
Bookshare Web: http://www.bookshare.org
NLS audio: http://easi.cc/archive/nls/lib.mp3
NLS Web: http://loc.gov/nls

Posted by Fran Smith at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wondering, "how can I keep that video from YouTube on my computer...so that I can play that again or use it in my presentation". Try http://keepvid.com/, a web site that provides some of that functionality. Also, on the YouTube screen, there is a line of text that can be embedded into most web pages and/or blog pages...to automatically open the video. Happy viewing!

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I found a nice resource for those of you who may be looking for furniture that is ergonomically designed. AD-AS has furniture for education & libraries, healthcare, kitchen & bath, as well as the workplace. And for those of you who would like to learn how much you really know about ergonomic design, the website also has a “Ergonomic Quiz”. Consider checking their very stylish selection of items on their website http://www.ad-as.com/index_f.htm

Posted by Kelly Ligon at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a cool new tool....an online resource that let's you communicate to others, 'live", while attending an event. CoveritLive provides this technology and then offers that archived information to share with all. For more, visit http://www.coveritlive.com/

Posted by Fran Smith at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trying to stay abreast of the latest on social networking? Wondering what this entails and why it is important? Visit a wiki that was created and recently shared at the Virginia 2008 Transition Forum on "Social Networking Tools and Techniques: What Every Transition Practitioner Needs to Know". VCU TTAC Technology Coordinator Fran Smith chose this medium to share her handouts and resources while modeling the technology and sharing multiple web-based examples.
http://socialweb20.pbwiki.com

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trying to make your websites accessible? Wondering how to stay abreast of the latest information on web accessibility? For more information, visit http://www.webaim.org/blog/wave-toolbar-and-blog-available/

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new resource from CAST on checking your curriculum to ensure that it includes best practices that represent a UDL approach. For more information visit, http://www.cast.org/about/news/press/2008-03-19.html

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a trick for printing on your Post-It Notes. The possibilities are endless for using this trick. Use it for making quick data checklists, create proofreading checklists for your students, enter information for the student to create a timeline, etc.

Here's the trick: Open power point. Select file. Select Page Set Up. Change width and height to 7.5. Select OK. Create your layout for the Post-It note. If you want to make the same Post It note then select duplicate slide from the Insert menu. Create 4 slides. Then from File menu, select print. Print handouts, 4 to a page. Print. Then take post it notes and lay over each image on the sheet. (See how great it fits). Run that page back though your printer again by selecting Print, handouts, 4 to a page. The trick will be orienting the page correctly in your printer.

Posted by Mona at 5:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The CAST National Consortium for UDL E-Newsletter for March, 2008 can be accessed at http://www.cast.org/pd/consortium

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a new cool tool for reading the text online. Readthewords provides the ability to enter text and have audio reading for the user's listening pleasure. To read more, visit http://readthewords.com

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently I heard Hall Davidson from Discovery Education speak on the uses of an iPod for education. He was a fantastic speaker that kept the audience engaged. I always like hearing about innovative uses for the iPod. Here is one he suggested. How about making use of the contact section of the iPod. Instead of storing your contact information, make individual "Contacts" for each of the Presidents listing facts such as term in office, birth date, etc. The possibilities are endless: elements on the periodic table, states and capitals, even math equations. Use your imagination!!

Posted by Mona at 6:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Use the conditional formatting tool in excel to create a self checking activity for your students. The possibilities are endless. A definition can be entered into one cell and the student will be asked to type in the corresponding vocabulary word into the blank cell. By selecting conditional formatting from the format menu you can format the cell to turn green if the correct word is entered. Then format the cell to turn red if the word is not correct. The same procedures can apply for entering algebra or other math equations. Thanks to Tammy Worcester from ESSDACK in Kansas for this wonderful tip.

Posted by Mona at 5:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don Johnston will be partnering with Benetech/ Bookshare.org to provide their Read:Outloud reader as the text reader for providing access to reading materials. This is in conjunction with the recent $32 million U.S. Department of Education OSEP award to Bookshare.org and providing access to reading materials for students with print disabilities. For more information read the link below:

http://www.donjohnston.com/products/rol_bookshare/index.html

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lately I have found excellent YouTube videos that demonstrate a variety of topics from teachers demonstrating math solutions to children using AAC devices. These videos are valuable when providing training or supporting struggling students in the classroom. But how can you store these videos for ease of access? Try converting these videos and storing them on an iPod. Here is a free program which you can download that will do the work for you.

http://www.imtoo.com/youtube-to-ipod-converter.html

Posted by Mona at 6:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Want to take advantage of the power of Kurzweil Scan and Read from a portable USB device? Click here to learn more....http://www.kurzweiledu.com/kurz3000USB.aspx

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking for a way to convert video files to be used in power point presentations or stored and play on your iPod or other portable video player? Here is a free conversion tool called Any Video Coverter. This is what they have to say about it on their website:

There is open source software to perform almost every task for video conversion. But if you are one of these windows users who are looking for an All-in-One video converting tool with easy-to-use graphical interface, Any Video Converter provides just that, allowing you to effortlessly convert video files between every format, for FREE!

http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/

Posted by Mona at 5:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a cool site. Audio guides are digital audio walking guides to popular neighborhoods. These can be downloaded to your iPod or favorite mp3 player. For more information visit, http://audiosteps.com/ or http://podguides.net/

Posted by Fran Smith at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Discovery Education speaker Hall Davidson recently reminded us at the VSTE conference of the true power in those iPods. Did you realize that a full size iPod can hold over 40,000 clips and the entire Discovery education library? That an iPod is truly a small computer -- the video iPod has 80GB and more of storage space and can carry most of the same files as your laptop. To learn more, visit the following link for detailed information on how you might use this tool in a classroom to support student learning, http://discoveryedspeakersbureau.com/node/87

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At the recent VSTE
state conference, presenters from Fairfax County Public Schools shared a thought provoking presentation on "FREEdome of Speech: Vocabulary 2.0". Their point, the emerging world of Web 2.0 brings a new vocabulary-- and often an unfamiliar one to many students. Considering how the creative use of technology to strengthen background knowledge and enhance visual literacy can be important strategies for students. To learn more, visit http://conferenceconnection2008.edublogs.org

Posted by Fran Smith at 6:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wondering where those keyboard shortcuts are in Word 2007? Hold down the ALT key on your keyboard to view all these shortcuts on the screen/ menu

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Speakers at the recent VSTE state conference in Roanoke reinforced the importance of infusing technology into the classroom -- strengthening the learning process and complementing today's learners approach. Mr. Hall Davidson of Discovery Education and a member of the Discovery Education Speaker's Bureau, reinforced this message in his many engaging presentations. He reminded us of the power in customizing iPods into curriculum specific instructional devices and using freely available software tools such as Photo Story and Movie Maker. To read more from this engaging expert visit, http://discoveryedspeakersbureau.com/davidson/concurrent

Posted by Fran Smith at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Noted researcher Dr. Ted Hasselbring recently shared his message at the Virginia Society for Technology in Education (VSTE) conference. As Dr. Hasselbring noted, helping students to build mental models through supporting their background knowledge and anchoring instruction can enhance their fluency and understanding. Technology can play a central role in this process. To read more on his contributions, visit http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/The_Peabody_Difference/Reflections/Ted_Hasselbring.xml

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Many of us know and love the review activity "I have, who has" but hesitate to use it with our students who require some visual as well as auditory support. We were pleased to find an example of an overhead one group uses with students to help them understand and follow the activity! Click on http://www.texascollaborative.org/FordHodgeModule/sub3_2.php to see it.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's ten U.S. documents you can download to your iPod, all FREE!

• Declaration of Independence (1776)
• Constitution of the United States (1787)
• Bill of Rights (1791)
• Louisiana Purchase Treaty (1803)
• Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
• Gettysburg Address (1863)
• Civil Rights Act (1964)
• Social Security Act (1935)
• Monroe Doctrine (1823)
• Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Just click on http://www.ipreppress.com/Pages/studyguides.htm and look on the lower right-hand side!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're presenting on Monday at VSTE about this topic, and since not all of you will be there, we wanted to share our digital materials (including yesterday's cartoon!). Click on http://udl4literacy.pbwiki.com/UDL+and+Web+2-Point-0 and you can experience a tiny bit of the exciting session you will miss!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Of course you do! (Who wouldn't?) Click on http://udl4literacy.pbwiki.com/UDL+Principle+1 because you know you want to!

Once you're there, you can click on the SideBar on the right-hand side to hear the cartoon character talk about the other two principles of UDL.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Come and see us! We'd love to see you...

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the Age of Web 2.0 (M107)
New media such as podcasts, vodcasts, blogs, and wikis are powerful social networking tools in theWeb 2.0 age. See how these motivating tools can be used to support the Universally Designed classroom—and, therefore, all students. Participants will become familiar with popular free and low-cost technology tools, strategies, and Web sites.
Presenter: Susanne Croasdaile (sscroasdaile@vcu.edu), Virginia Commonwealth University
Copresenter: Fran Smith, Training and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC), VCU
Monday: 8:30 – 9:30 a.m. in Shenandoah A

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At the annual EDUCAUSE ELI conference in San Antonio, TX last week, several presentation shared ideas, innovations, and new products using Web 2.0 technologies. Many shared experiences on how these are being explored in college classrooms, with instruction, and how they impact student learning. To learn more, visit http://hosted.mediasite.com/hosted4/Catalog/?cid=cd40888eed5940f2bbd8daa8c09b4ecc

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At the annual EDUCAUSE ELI meeting, Professor George Siemens - University of Manitoba shared several new web spaces that are offering ways to visually represent data. As he notes, "data visualizations help make meaning and communicate the trends hiding in data. While visualizations have existed for years as graphs and figures, open access to data and the ability to create mashups is allowing a resurgence in visualizations". To review a few of these web spaces, visit:

http://services.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/home

http://www.quintura.com/

http://www.worldmapper.org/index.html

http://www.xobni.com/

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you know that the new Windows VISTA operating system includes speech recognition? This added functionality adds a new dimension to the Windows operating system and allows a user to train their voice in less that a few paragraphs. Once trained, they can then use that speech engine behind any open program. Try it in Word for a voice activated word-processing experience. To explore and customize,

Open the Control Panel in VISTA
Open Speech Recognition Options
Start speech training!!

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University recently shared their web portal and how they are "pushing the limits" of Web 2.0 technologies for digital expression. To take a virtual tour, visit http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the recent issue of the EDUCAUSE EQ Review, author John Seely Brown's addresses the growing use of Web 2.0 technologies and the impact on today's learner in his article, "Minds on Fire". To review, visit http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/MindsonFireOpenEducationt/45823?time=1202243256

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Interested in creating an accessible PDF document in Word 2007? Something that a user who is blind can access? Visit http://abilitynet.org/uk/webarticle87 for more information.

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Although we're usually frustrated because our teaching travels faster than and beyond the reaches of technology, sometimes our teaching does not keep up with the tech we have!

With free, easy-to-use computer-based test-to-speech programs increasingly available (Reading Bar and Read Please from www.readplease.com; Natural Reader from www.naturalreaders.com, the Apple/Mac text-to-speech enabled operating system, etc.), we just need to have interesting, frequently changing digital text for our students to read!

Classroom blogs are ideal for this: http://epencil.edublogs.org is an example of a "living" blog from a 6th grade teacher and students. Text-to-speech programs help students access the vocab of the week on this site as well as their peers' own writing; other materials on the blog are visual in nature.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 4:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Get a Voki now!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Interested in following the latest trends in social networking? You might want to visit the website of Danah Boyd, http://www.danah.org. Ms. Boyd, a PhD candidate at Berkeley, has focused her research on this topic and shares this through her blog.

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From Teacher Tube: "Since most of today's students can appropriately be labeled as 'Digital Learners', why do so many teachers refuse to enter the digital age with their teaching practices? This presentation was created in an effort to motivate teachers to more effectively use technology in their teaching. Please see http://t4.jordandistrict.org/payattention."

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 4:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Want to read more about a great conference on technology innovation? Follow the link below to review information, presentations, handouts, and more indepth information from the nation's leading innovators in AT and technology innovation. For more information visit, http://www.nationaltechcenter.org

Posted by Fran Smith at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TeacherTube (http://www.teachertube.com) has a video segment called "Classroom interaction using the mimeo and CPS clickers in a UDL classroom." Take a look!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently I heard a presentation on how to "think out of the box" in delivering email messages. For many, the textual design of email messages offers just a long list of things to do and work to accomplish. But, what if that email message included a different representation of the message?

Maybe a virtual link using Google Earth to share an address, http://earth.google.com/. Try this sometime....find the address in Google Earth and copy/ paste the address and send that to your email recepient!

Maybe an engaging comic strip with personalized characters? Consider creating your message in a comic strip format using http://comicstripgenerator.com.

How about adding text to an image that you wish to share, with enthuisiasm! Consider, http://www.txt2pic.com/

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Interested in starting a community portal? A place where many can create, edit and build a web-based community? Consider using a wiki tool. We've
tried a few that are free and some with fewer commercial advertisements.

For a few places to try, visit:

PB Wiki, http://www.pbwiki.com
Wet Paint, http://www.wetpaint.com/Wiki Space, http://www.wikispace.com
Happy Wiki Building!!

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a neat website that provides a presentation on the topic of "How the Learning World Became Flat: Ten Knowledge Sharing and Technology Trends Equalizing Access to Learning". This offers some interesting information and perspective on how technology is spanning the world ....in new a varied ways to share information!

http://www.trainingshare.com/pdfs/SFX8F90.pdf

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wondering how to jazz up that PowerPoint presentation? Maybe consider a different format or design? At the recent Virginia Department of Education's Educational Technology Leadership Conference, several great resources and suggestions were shared. Consider a few of the following websites:

http://www.beyondbullets.com/
http://www.meade.k12.ky.us/TRT/Teachers/PowerPoint_downloads.htm
http://www.presentationzen.com/

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you're like many of us, the proliferation of information that is shared through email, the web, and a host of other locations can be overwhelming. There are however several web-based tools that can help to simplify this process. Check out a few of the resources below:

Delicious, http://del.icio.us/ is a social bookmarking site that allows users the opportunity to build a web based location of frequently visited websites. Building websites in this location is similar to using your "favorites" bookmarking within your own computer...just offering a more mobile location.

Netvibes, http://www.netvibes.com or PageFlakes, http://www.pageflakes.com, provide a web space where users can take advantage of customizing RSS (real simple syndicated) information feeds. So, essentially, the user can customize a link to a web site they typically wish to remain abreast of and receive the updates in one central location.

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The influence of emerging (and existing) Web 2.0 tools is being quickly realized by many. The tools, often connected to social media/ social networking approaches, are favored by many of today's young people.

At the recent Virginia Department of Education's Technology Leadership Conference, Dr. Daniel Arkin (CEO- VSTE) shared a very thought provoking presentation on several examples. In fact, some of these tools are being used by the VSTE to share information. Explore a few of these below:

Blogging, http://www.wordpress.com (search VSTE)

Typing/ Blogging Phrases through Twitter, http://www.twitter.com

Social Networking --
Ning, http://ning.com (search VSTE)
Classroom 2.0, http://classroom20.ning.com

To explore and learn more, visit The Complete Web 2.0 Directory at http://www.go2web20.net

Posted by Fran Smith at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last Thursday, November 7, 2007, I was honored to be invited to the first national summit on discussing the current state and future direction of UDL in education. This event was hosted by the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) and held in Washington, DC. A group of 50 individuals from across a variety of public, private, profit and non-profit sectors gathered to discuss these important issues and offer some guidance to CAST and others. Among several important announcements, CAST noted that they are venturing into work with both Google and Microsoft on new tools that will blend in UDL applications. Keep a watch on their website, http://www.cast.org, for more information from this meeting and new advances in the news around UDL!

Posted by Fran Smith at 7:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dredging up some old web articles the other day found this gem, "Fueling the Creation of New Electronic Curbcuts."

An excerpt:

Television (TV) manufacturers in the U.S. will tell you that their caption decoders for the deaf wound up benefiting tens-of-millions more consumers than originally intended. As the electronic curb cut effect has shown in the past, televisions with decoders are simply better than those without. For example, captioning can enable TV viewers to:
-search for and retrieve video content, by word, through the use of multimedia databases;
-listen to programs in silence while someone is sleeping;
-listen to programs in noisy environments like sports bars;
-watch their favorite program while talking on the telephone, without appearing rude to the person being spoken to;
-read more effectively, and at an earlier age, by enabling them to see the words being spoken at the same time they hear them (i.e. Sesame Street);
-Learn to read/speak a second language by displaying foreign words at the same time they are being spoken; and,
-Understand foreign programming through the use of native language captions.

What follows is a listing of IT innovations, originally developed by, or in support of, people with disabilities that wound up benefiting everyone.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 4:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new Tech Matrix through the National Center on Technology Innovation is available at http://www.techmatrix.org/. Users simply type in the search subject area (such as assistive technology) and the area of suppport (such as access to multiple formats) and a matrix is generated -- cross referencing several tools and numerous features. A wonderful resource!

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The National Center for Technology Innovation has an interesting story in its headlines regarding the new alliance of AOL, Yahoo and Microsoft. These companies are working together to "increase the amount of online video accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing". To read more, visit http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/2007/1e-online-media-captioning/0/27/aol-google-microsoft-yahoo-unite-to-advanc

Posted by Fran Smith at 7:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Assistive technology consultant and trainer, Mr. Dan Herlihy provided numerous tips and tricks at his session on "Creating Writing Adventures for Students" and "Creating Accessible Quizzes" at the 2007 TechKnowledgy Conference. Dan offered numerous insights into how to quickly customize functionality across programs such as Clicker 5, PowerPoint, Classroom Suite, and Kurzweil Scan and Read 3000.
For many seasoned AT users, this presentation offered some new insights into how speech, embedded text tips, and automated study aids can support all students through assistive technologies.

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mr. Dan Keplinger--noted artist, painter, and writer--kicked off the opening day of the conference with a discussion/ sharing of his remarkable story. Co-narrated with his fiancee, Mr. Keplinger provided a discussion of how his life evolved, the barriers he faced, and the triumphs of his success.
At the conclusion of the day, he shared his Academy Award-winning documentary, King Gimp, which follows Dan's life as he discovers his voice through art. A truly remarkable person and advocate for individuals living with disabilities. Tune in again for future audio footage of his presentations!!

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From the website http://www.accessiblesociety.org/topics/voting:
What if you wanted to vote but the polling place was locked? For many of the 33.7 million Americans with disabilities of voting age, this situation is all too real. Not because polling officials are deliberately blocking disabled people from entering, but because so many polling places are inaccessible. In fact, the Federal Election Commission reports that, in violation of state and federal laws, more than 20,000 polling places across the nation are inaccessible, depriving people with disabilities of their fundamental right to vote. This despite state and federal laws - including the Americans With Disabilities Act - which require polling places to accommodate disabled voters. Click http://www.accessiblesociety.org/topics/voting to read more.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 4:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Want to hear more about some emerging Web 2.0 technologies? How these are very popular among the younger "digital native" students? How assistive technologies can be accessed through these tools? Tune in for a future webinar by AT experts, Kirk Behnke and Scott Marfilius.

Teaching Digital Natives - Technology Tools for the Classroom
http://www.fctd.info/webboard/index.php
November 1 - 30, 2007

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Chad Schnell, our local Promethean board rep, shared a video that highlights just one specific instance of using Promethean’s solutions as assistive technology. "It’s an older clip, and since that news cast, Joe has been awarded a scholarship that one of our sales folks put together in his name to make Promethean available for both his home and future grade levels," says Chad. Take a look!
Download file

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

EASI will be hosting an upcoming free 2-part Webinar in on Etext Advances
DIGITAL BOOKS & PLAYERS, AN UPDATE

By Robert Lee Beach, Assistive Technology Specialist, Kansas City Kansas Community College. This will be hosted on Thursday November 15 and 29 - 2PM EST.
The presenter will discuss some of the sources of books and provide an update on
what is happening with these. He will review software and hardware players for digital books and
update you all on what is currently available.
For more information, please visit, http//easi.cc/workshop.htm

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Code Factory company offers a technology that provides speech to a pocket PC! Mobile Speak Pocket provides a full screen reading program. Thus, individuals who are blind or visually impaired can have access to a portable PDA device. For additional information visit, http://www.codefactory.es/mobile_speak_pocket/mspeak_pocket.htm

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

IPODS and Mp3 players are increasing in popularity -- especially among today's younger technology users. Often a challenge on the video screen of an IPOD is the small display. Thus, when trying to watch a video podcast or a downloaded video, the size of the display is limiting. MyVU is a new product, available for the video IPOD users, that provides large screen viewing. The "lightweight eyewear" provides a private viewing area for the IPOD user with built-in viewing and audio capability. For additional information, visit http://www.myvu.com/Products

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a recent edition of Education Week's Digital Directions, mention is made about the new Second Life island for the International Society for Technology in Education. Second Life is an emerging virtual world technology. Users are guided throughout this virtual and interactive web-based experience with a persona avatar or "virtual guide on the side". To experience this innovative area from ISTE, visit http://www.iste.org/secondlife/

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 3rd annual World Usability Day New England conference will be held on November 8 at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. The keynote address will be provided by Ben Shneiderman from the University of Maryland on "The New Science of Universal Usability". For more information, visit http://www.dartmouth.edu/~wud/

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following link will provide recorded footage from the 2006 Big Ten Plus IT Accessibility Conference. These videos have been created to playback using the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) CCforFlash Player...offering an accessible playback mode. For more information and review, visit http://wac.osu.edu/conferences/cic_it_accessibility_06

Posted by Fran Smith at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's a new tool for creating audio files from text and other media! SpokenText.net provides an online tool for converting PDF, Word, plain text, PowerPoint, RSS news feeds, emails, and web pages into audio files. This provides a wonderful resource for supporting those students who like to "hear" the information and listen to files on their mp3 players. Several options for delivering content to users is provided. For more information, visit http://www.spokentext.net ....and best of all, it's FREE!

Posted by Fran Smith at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The new Windows VISTA operating system has expanded the range of accessibility options. The new Ease of Access Center provides a central location for accessibility tools such as a magnifier, on-screen keyboard, contrast adjuster, and narrator. Users who wish to customize settings are further provided links for making the computer easier to see, using the computer without a mouse or keyboard, making the mouse easier to use, or using the computer without a display.
Reading text aloud can be accomplished through the VISTA Narrator and speech recognition is setup from the beginning...to easily interface with other programs. This new operating system seems to offer a more universally designed interface...for all users!

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blogs, wikis, instant messaging, social bookmarking, video sharing spaces, and many others constitute what is defined as social networking tools. Student often use these to stay connected with others, share information, make plans with friends, communicate, and dialogue with their peers. As a technology, many of these tools provide a "virtual community of practice", allowing students and educators to share information and enhance learning. For some learners, this may offer an easier medium to exchange information -- allowing the flexibility of digital media and tools. For example, students who rely upon assistive technologies to read and write (such as text aloud programs and voice activation) can use these tools while reading and responding with others through a blog or wiki. According to the 2007 New Horizons Report, http://www.nmc.org/horizon/2007/about social networking was ranked as one of the top two technologies to watch in the immediate future. Social networking tools may offer some new opportunities to engage learners!

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Technology use is growing among students, across K-12 and higher education environments. Several research reports have continued to confirm this trend such as the Pew Internet & American Life Project, http://www.pewinternet.org/ and NetDay, Project director Julie Evans of NetDay reports that their is a "spectrum of digital nativeness" among many of these students -- often among the younger users. To peruse several national reports on technology use of K-12 student users, visit http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_reports.html

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking for an easy way to convert a PDF file to a Word document? Often practitioners need to switch from the graphical format of a PDF to the ease of a text based document such as a Word file to maximize assistive technology applications. An online tool, http://zamzar.com, offers just that resource and actually provides numerous file conversion capabilities. Try it!

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PBWiki.com offers a free an useful online collaboration tool. Users simply create a login and password to develop a online portal for sharing information, uploading files, and collaborating with others. A wiki (such as PBWiki) differs from a blog format in that users can add/edit content posted by others --- increasing the spirit of collaborative writing. Take a look at how easy this tool can be at http://www.pbwiki.com...providing a free online webspace to share and discuss!

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Inspired Learning Community(tm) offers educators a dynamic forum to
find and share ideas about visual learning, Inspiration(r), InspireData(tm) and Kidspiration(r). Visit
http://www.inspiredlearningcommunity.com to become an active participant and to learn more!

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (RFB&D®), the nation's educational audiobook library for students of all ages who cannot read standard print effectively because of a learning disability, visual impairment or other physical disability, incollaboration with the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), announced the launch of its new educator support website at www.learningthroughlistening.org.

The Learning Through Listening website provides free resources to assist all educators seeking to integrate listening skills into their classrooms. The site provides easy-to-use, research-based information developed by educators, targeted at the K-12 classroom. A special customized Curriculum Builder allows users access to lesson plans and other downloadable materials that are grouped and searchable by subject and grade level.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd) and the National Center for Technology Innovation (NCTI) have made available two databases that present evidence for the use of products and technologies that support the instruction of reading and mathematics for students with special needs. Click on http://www.techmatrix.org to reach both of them.
A few of the categories used to rate products: Adjustable Difficulty, Customizable by User Profile, Font Control, Response Time, Prompt Time, Input Mouse/Touchscreen, Switch, Text to Speech Reads the Problem, Corrective, Approximate Grade Level.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 6:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The CAST Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Lesson Builder provides educators with models and tools to create and adapt lessons that increase access and participation in the general education curriculum for all students, regardless of area of support need. Click on http://lessonbuilder.cast.org to see customized UDL lessons aligned to standards and tailored to include principles and practical applications of Universal Design for Learning. As you review the lessons, be sure to click on to read or hear teacher think alouds that explain applications of UDL. Then, set up a free account and use the templates on the website to construct your own UDL lessons!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html is a great resource for all students-easy for students with limited mobility as well as students without mobility difficulties. Try the "complete the pattern" application (http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_184_g_1_t_1.html)--it's fun! (My second favorite is the Sieve of Eratosthenes at http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_158_g_1_t_1.html)

Clicking on the "Parent/Teacher" icon at the top of each page provides:
- Objectives
- Lesson Plan
- Extension
- Assessment
- Materials
- Cross References

Clicking on the "Standards" button takes you to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics' Principles and Standards for School Mathematics page that correlates to the activity.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Universal design (UD) is based on a set of 7 guiding principles that were articulated by architect/ consumer Mr. Ron Mace and others in the early 1990's. Ron Mace actually considered the concept of universal design much earlier, as others, as he pondered the inequities that often resided in many architectural designs and environments. Mr. Jim Mueller, a private consultant in industrial engineering and universal design, recently addressed an audience of rehabilitation practitioners, educators, and others at the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center in Fisherville, VA. Jim was one of the original writers with Ron Mace on the 7 guiding principles of universal design. To hear an audio file of Jim's thoughts on universal design, please download the attached Mp3 file:

Universal Design, Mr. Jim Mueller (recorded 6/12/07)
Download file

Posted by Fran Smith at 6:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Premiere Assistive Technology, http://www.readingmadeez.com/home.php, offers a potpourri of assistive reading and writing tools including text aloud, text enlargement, word prediction, speaking dictionary, speaking calculator, and visual highlighting software. Recently they've added software that allows language conversion...a wonderful tool for communicating with those whom English is their second language.

Premiere offers several free downloads and a Grant Opportunity for individuals to secure a suite of their products. For more information on the grant application, visit http://www.readingmadeez.com/Grantform.php

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Association on Higher Education and Disability recently launched a new section of the AHEAD Website dedicated to resources related to the social model of disability and the principles of universal design. For more information, visit: http://ahead.org/resources/ud_intro.php

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We've recently been apprised of a new online resource that does a fine job at determining text readability. Visit, http://www.interventioncentral.org/htmdocs/tools/okapi/okapi.php

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Through a recent national webinar hosted by Dr. Dave Edyburn -- noted author on assistive technology -- a few good resources to consider when starting a dialogue about universal design for learning include:

Duffield, J., & Wahl, L. (2005). Using flexible technology to meet the needs of diverse learners: What teachers can do. San Francisco, CA: WestEd. Available online at: http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/rs/763

Rose, D. & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age. Available online at:
http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/ If you don’t have time for the whole book, read Chapter 4 http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/chapter4.cfm

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The CAST Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Book Builder is up on the web at http://bookbuilder.cast.org/.
According to the CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) Site:

Use this site to create engaging digital books that build reading skills for students. Your universally designed books will engage and support diverse learners according to their individual needs, interests, and skills.

Flexible, digital media is a cornerstone of the UDL philosophy--try it out and let us know what you think!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 6:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you're looking for an inexpensive text reader with more functionality, you might consider Text Aloud, http://www.nextup.com/TextAloud/index.html a>. This robust product will read email, internet pages, assist while you're writing, and allow one to create Mp3 files for portable storage. The product is inexpensive ($29) and offers a free 30 day download.

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The National Center on Technology Innovation will be hosting a blog discussion with Fraser Shein, CEO and President of QuillSoft.on technology, design and literacy. The discussion runs from May 30 - June 6, 2007. For more information visit, http://www.nationaltechcenter.org/index.php/2007/05/29/17fraser-shein/

Posted by Fran Smith at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A recently published blog is offering a national community on vocational assessment for vocational evaluation and assessment practitioners around the country. Sponsored by the Vocational Evaluation and Career Assessment Professionals Association, VECAP, this new blog provides a space for dialogue and discussion across a range of topics. To learn more, visit http://voceval.blogspot.com

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A week-long institute on universal design for learning, sponsored by the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) will be held July 23-26, 2007. In addition, a week long seminar on universal design for learning will be held at Harvard University on July 9-13, 2007. Dr. David Rose, founder of CAST and author of many publications on the topic of UDL will guide this discussion. For more information visit, http://www.cast.org/pd/institute/index.html

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you've ever traveled overseas and wrestled with a new language, more than likely, you've turned to electronic means to offer quick tutorials and aids. Several companies market these electronic translators and CD's that can provide tutorial guides. Language translation by any electronic conversion is a delicate process as often the cultural/ language nuances are not captured in these conversions. However, Google offers a language translator that can help a user "begin" to decipher a message and possibly aid in the understanding. For additional information, visit http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out this Universal Design for eLearning: Making Learning Accessible to ALL Learners article with "webliography" by Pananea Rue: http://synergy.elearn2lead.com (about halfway down the page). The links include some courseware comparisons and links to things you might not have look at yet. Take a gander--eLearning is a significant part of our present and future and we need to be ready for it!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 2:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The CAST UDL Lesson Builder website provides links for exploring model lesson plans that have infused universal design for learning (UDL). Users can also create and build their own. For more information, visit http://lessonbuilder.cast.org/

Posted by Fran Smith at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a great resource: http://www.cited.org/

From the website:

CITEd’s Learn Center showcases select resources and targeted tools to help you meet everyday educational challenges through technology. Search the list of critical topic areas by role and responsibility to find a broad range of important information and related research. Consult the Learning in Brief articles for guidance on specific topics from the research literature.

CITEd’s Action Center provides resources to plan an educational technology initiative and establish a community of practice. Find a wide range of tools to infuse technology throughout the learning experience for all students. Let CITEd's profiles of educational technology leaders serve as inspiration and a foundation for new ideas.

CITEd’s Research Center offers evidence-based, promising, and emerging practices based on the latest research. Explore how technology can be used to enhance instruction with an emphasis on students with special needs. Browse research and its implications for your classroom, school, and district.

Posted by Kelly Ligon at 4:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking for online discussion forums? Try http://www.fctd.info/webboard/index.php.
From the website:

You can also find in our archive, forum transcripts on assistive technology mediation, AT issues during times of transition, assistive technology outcomes, AT funding, AT research, Web accessibility, universal design, the SETT Framework, AT and occupational therapy, and emergent literacy. You may also request a copy of the Family Center's "AT Resources" CD-ROM, which contains formatted transcripts of our archives. All FCTD online conferences are free, having been made possible by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).

Posted by Kelly Ligon at 4:58 AM | Permalink

Christopher Essex, coordinator of Instructional Design and Development at the Indiana University School of Education, is featuring Universal Design for Learning in his blog and podcast, "Teach with Tech", at http://teachwtech.blogspot.com. Check it out and tell him what you think!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The FAME (Faculty & Administrator Modules in Higher Education) website was designed as a professional development tool for use in higher education. It contains information on how college faculty, administrators, disability service providers, and students can work individually and collaboratively to improve the accommodations, teaching-learning process, and overall campus environment for students with disabilities.

What's great for those of us in prek-12 education, however, are the Universal Design for Learning examples that are given and the video clips that are shown. Click on http://www.oln.org/ILT/ada/Fame/FAME_Content/f2_17_159.html to visit the site.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out this article from WestEd: Using Flexible Technology to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners: What Teachers Can Do by Julie Duffield and Lisa Wahl

Many general education teachers are turning to differentiated instruction to help them meet their students' diverse learning needs. This Knowledge Brief explains how some standard technology resources already available at most schools — talking text, web resources, graphic organizers, and word processors — can be used to support more tailored instruction. It also tells readers where to find more technology tips.

Keep reading at: http://www.wested.org/online_pubs/kn-05-01.pdf

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Check out this article fron Schwab Learning: Resources for Locating Electronic Text on the Internet: A Valuable Tool for Students with LD .

Electronic (computer-displayed) text can be an important resource for students with learning disabilities (LD), because it can be altered to meet their needs. A child with LD may benefit from changes to the appearance or organization of electronic text. These and other strategies are described in the article, Making the Most of Standard Technology to Enhance Learning.

If you and your child are looking for a specific piece of literature or information on a particular topic related to a school assignment, you will find the Internet is a rich resource. You may also search the Internet to locate high-interest material that appeals to your child. There are thousands of books and a growing collection of electronic texts on the Internet, including books still in copyright. Some websites have been enhanced with sound, images, and text that can support struggling readers.

This article details some particularly useful Internet resources for electronic text that may be helpful for your child.

Click here to keep reading: http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=1117

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Captcha is a technique that is increasingly used on websites for web/ signature authentication. You're probably familiar with the box of squiggley letters and numbers that one is asked to type in correct sequence. This is a captcha technique. However, for many users who have certain disabilities, this can be difficult -- if not impossible -- to complete. To read more of the technical discussion, visit http://www.w3.org/TR/turingtest/

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dr. David Rose of the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), will be the featured speaker on an upcoming webcast on UDL. For more details, visit:

Next LD Talk - Universal Design for Learning: Effective Technology-based Teaching Practices
for All Struggling Learners

Tuesday, February 20, 2007
2:00 - 3:00 PM ET
(11:00 AM- 12:00 PM PT, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM CT)
http://www.ldtalk.org/

Posted by Fran Smith at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A new publication has arrived on UDL -- Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2006). A Practical Reader on Universal Design for Learning. For more information visit: http://hepg.org/hep/Book/60

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The IPOD, and other Mp3 players, are growing in popularity

Continue reading "What's in Your IPOD?" »

Posted by Fran Smith at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Carie Windham, former undergraduate at NC State University and a current graduate student at the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, shared some of her perspectives on being a member of the "net generation" during the recent EDUCAUSE ELI 2007 conference.

Continue reading "A Millennial Speaks Up About Technology" »

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At the recent EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) 2007 conference, Julie Evans - CEO of Project Tomorrow/ NetDay noted in a national study of K-12 students and their use of technology, preliminary findings suggest (a) social computing is the #1 use for technology, (b) self-directed learning is on the rise, (c) their is a continued disconnect between schools and adults, and (d) technology sophistication is observed in the youngest of learners.

Continue reading "What K-12 Students are Saying about Technology and Learning" »

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Most students (and people) balk at reading literary analysis--in high school and in life! Rocketbooks are a highly stylized and interactive companion to reading for students with and without disabilities...from our AT lab, you can check out a Rocketbook for Frankenstein, Macbeth, King Lear and Romeo & Juliet. You get an interactive DVD that discusses plot, summary, and applies the componenents of literary analysis on a late MS/HS/early college level. And, they're fun to watch!

More info at: http://rocketbook.net/index.html

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The new Dragon Naturally Speaking ver. 9.0 has truly come of age. This latest version of a speech activation program lives up to it's marketing language....99% accuracy! In less than 10-15 minutes, a user can train their voice to read and type by voice dictation. Developing skill and accuracy with the full range of commands takes a little longer but the results are very impressive. This program also adds a transcription tool that provides the ability to open a previously recorded sound .wav file and convert that file to text. Definitely worth watching. Stop by our VCU TTAC AT Tech lab for a demonstration sometime!

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Interested in developing a web-based encyclopedia of resources, a list of your favorite web resources that anyone can visit, or a community of web resources that all can use? Try a delicious account at http://www.delicious.com. Delicious is part of the growing community of social computing tools and provides the user the ability to tag (or bookmark) a website from any computer and store that in their web-based delicious account. Sharing this account with other users allow them to stay abreast of what you're reviewing and finding important. Delicious accounts also provide statistics for users to view what other users are also viewing. A truly collaborative web-based community that has many options for sharing assistive technology resources.

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Speech outloud functionality can be added to the Microsoft PowerPoint program! Simply download the free open source plug-in program, PowerTalk. This can be obtained at http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/. Providing speech to a PowerPoint presentation can be invaluable assistance to someone who is blind, partially sighted, struggling with a learning problem, or is not an English speaking native.

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From the website (http://www.tomsnyder.com):

Thinking Reader is an innovative, research-validated program that systematically builds reading comprehension skills for students reading below grade level. The program presents core, authentic literature—the books your whole class reads—in a highly motivating and supportive environment. It embeds prompts, hints, model answers, and instant feedback into the text to provide individualized instruction. Students practice and master 7 scientifically proven reading comprehension strategies while they read. Thinking Reader also includes comprehensive support materials that make it easy for educators—including classroom teachers, reading specialists, and special education teachers—to integrate the program into a variety of instructional settings.

Research-based and validated
The only software program to use the unabridged text of award-winning core literature
Provides instruction on 7 proven reading comprehension strategies:
Summarizing Questioning
Clarifying Predicting
Visualizing Feeling
Reflecting
5 levels of embedded reading comprehension support for individualized instruction
Quizzes within the literature test recall, inference, and vocabulary skills
Tracks specific student performance and general class progress; view, print, or export 6 reports to monitor improvement
A contextual glossary aids vocabulary development and includes Spanish translations for ELL students
Human voice narration feature with synchronized highlighting helps build fluency

Meets the latest guidelines on universal accessibility
- Adjustable font size
- Keyboard navigation
- Text captioning
- Screen reader compatibility

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey, you've known for years that graphic organizers are a great tool for teaching kids just about anything. But isn't it nice to have some research to back you up? Here it is: http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/udl/GraphicOrganizersHTML.asp is the Graphic Organizers and Implications for Universal Design for Learning: Curriculum Enhancement Report.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The most recent journal from the Association of Disability in Higher Education (AHEAD) is a special issue dedicated to the conversation on universal design and universal design for learning in higher education. Several nationally recognized authors share their perspectives on this topic including Dr. Joan McGuire - University of Conneticutt, Dr. Sally Scott - Longwood University, and Dr. David Rose - Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). As one author notes (Harrison, 2006), "in this new understanding of disability, society creates the negative sense of disability as deficit". More information on this publication can be found at http://www.ahead.org/publications/jped.htm http://www.ahead.org/publications/jped.htm. Unfortunately, subscription to the organization is required to access the journal but this may be searchable through your institution's online library system.

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Access Center, a nationally respected resource on accessing the general curriculum, is now offering resources on co-teaching. These modules offer an array of reources including checklists, Powerpoint presentations, and resources in various content areas to facilitate collaborative co-teaching success. These can be reviewed at http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/Co-TeachingModule.asp

Posted by Fran Smith at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Association of Higher Education and Disabilities (AHEAD) Board of Directors recently voted to adopt a Position Statement that provides an interpretation of relevant U.S. laws and an analysis of current issues in the area of conversion of printed materials. In this paper AHEAD takes the position that reproduction of course texts into digital forms is a fair use of copyrighted materials. Please visit http://www.ahead.org/etext/etext_positionstatement.htm to read this paper in its entirety.

Posted by Fran Smith at 7:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From today's Washington Post:
By the hundreds every day, parents and children are flocking to Clemyjontri, the McLean playground with the odd name that has become one gi-normous hit since opening last month.
In its first 25 days of operation, the playground has drawn 12,000 visitors - an average of 475 a day.
At two acres, this field of dreams is 10 times bigger than the typical Fairfax County playground and millions of dollars more expensive. Yet for those who have visited it, the crowds - the 81-space parking lot is overwhelmed - are a small price to pay for the delights of the spacious facility built on a $900,000 rubberized carpet as soft as a putting green.
Designed for disabled and able-bodied children, the park (pronounced Clem-mee-JOHN-tree) sprawls with brightly colored equipment. More than 20 pieces are innovations, including climbable rainbow arches, a wheelchair-accessible maze and a “helicopter�? with ramps, allowing children with physical disabilities to fly into the imaginary skies with more able-bodied companions...

Continue reading "Universal design and appeal at Clemyjontri playground in McLean, VA" »

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Podcasts, blogs, and videocasts (Vodcasts) are becoming increasingly popular tools for sharing information. Podcasts, which are audio files, allow users to record interviews, lectures, and conversations, and convert them to portable MP3 files. MP3 files can then be shared on IPODs, portable MP3 players, and for ITunes subscribers. While these tools offer multiple formats to share information....they are often not accessible to individuals who are deaf. Thus, to assure accessible podcasts, the creator needs to keep in mind the importance of developing a text transcript.

Several tools that have been found to be helpful in accomplishing a podcast include the software programs Audacity (a free open source program), Total Recorder Pro, and Juice. For creating transcripts, users might consider investing in a speech recognition product such as Dragon Naturally Speaking (preferred or professional version 10).

For more information, visit: http://easi.cc/podcasts/

Posted by Fran Smith at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

While at the recent Closing the Gap conference I attended a session hosted by Boston Public Schools Access Technology Center, the developers of the SAM model for AT delivery. One of the many documents that was presented to the participants was a guide of math supports for diverse learners. This guide contains many strategies that can be used when teaching math lessons that incorporate the learning styles of multiple students. It is a great guide for trying to design lesson plans under a UDL framework. Download the file now:

Download file

Posted by Mona at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

GMU TTAC assistive technology coordinator, Estela Landeros-Dugourd, shared her expertise with the interactive Smartboards at the recent 2006 TechKnowledgy conference. As Estela noted, the versatility of these interactive whiteboards is found in the ability to work with varied media and multiple applications. In this true spirit of universal design for learning, students can interact with the media through touch, voice, or keyboard. As well, the output can be created through a software program, an instructional content program, a video or audio recorder--complementing varied learner approaches.

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The theory of UDL emphasizes that student's learning styles are unique and models of instruction should allow for flexibility in methods and materials so that ALL students can have access to learning. CAST has developed model lesson plans aligned with curriculum standards utilizing a UDL framework. In addition, a lesson plan builder is available which will help teachers create their own lesson plans and then post them to be shared with others.

Check out this link for learning more about the national trend toward UDL in education and help creating your own lesson plans around the UDL framework.

http://lessonbuilder.cast.org/

Posted by Mona at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Many of you are regular visitors to www.ldonline.org, a well-know website loaded with information for students, families and professionals regarding a variety of issues related to serving students with learning disabilities. It was originally started by Richard Wanderman, a well known educational consultant, presenter and successful adult with learning disabilities, who also happens to be a technology wiz. The site now contains lists of tools, schools, organizations and professionals and other resources for the LD community as well as new articles and commentaries. Richard has now developed a blog with his colleague David Clark, a well-know web accessibility consultant and successful adult with cerebral palsy. Richard has presented several assistive technology workshops for our TechKnowledgy Conference and is an amazing source of information. His creative and practical use of technology is helpful to students and adults with learning disabilities and the families and professionals who support them. We suggest that you check out his new blog at www.ldresources.org!

Posted by Sharon Jones at 9:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google.com, the online search engine, is fast becoming a powerhouse of useful digital tools. In addition to the numerous resources, images, and now videos one can search, Goolge provides some advanced functionality as well. For example, one can search scholarly articles, electronic books, or a news archive. Simply click on the advanced link to the right of the Google search window to find these resources. And, if you're trying to translate text from a foreign language, click on the language tools to dig deeper.
http://www.google.com

Posted by Fran Smith at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...so let the students make their own spinners.

Wet-erase spinner boards can be used by students and teachers to address a variety of concepts in a user-friendly, hands-on way that allows students to be part of decision-making.

Students can write the options onto the spinners with a wet-erase marker and either use their own or trade with another student.

Assignment length, task type, or specific operations are just a few of the things that can be determined by this participant-centered tool.

Spinners can be used in independent student centers or stations, small group activities, whole class instruction, and extension activities.

Our AT Lab has several sets of 8 of these light, reusable spinners for checkout, complete with markers. Do you teach in Central Virginia and are you interested in checking a set out of our AT Lab for a few weeks to use in your classroom? Call us at 800-426-1595 and ask for our library, or come by the VCU T/TAC at 10 E. Franklin St in Richmond!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 7:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Illinois Accessible Web Publishing Wizard for Microsoft Office provides a tool for creating accessible Powerpoint and Word documents online. The tool is simple to use and when installed, attaches directly into the user's Microsoft Office program. A free version for up to 5 slides is available or a professional version. For more information check out http://www.accessiblewizards.uiuc.edu

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) has an online activity about how to learn your brain-related strengths and challenges as related to UDL (Universal Design for Learning).

Everything we do involves three major networks in the brain: cooking a meal, driving to work, planting a garden, reading a book. Across and within the brain networks, we all have different combinations of strengths and challenges and these differences shape the ways we learn and work most effectively.

We offer this activity to get you thinking about how your brain works, and how your unique strengths and challenges affect your willlingness and ability to engage in different tasks.

Click here for the activity: http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/tools/main.cfm?t_id=12.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Teaching Every Student (TES) section of the CAST Web site supports educators in learning about and practicing Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The site includes Case Stories on:
- Reading Challenges in [Elementary] Social Studies
- Engaging High School Students in Writing
- Teaching Probability in Middle School

Here's the beginning of the case story related to reading in social studies:

Mrs. Jones, a fourth grade teacher, is concerned that her students' diverse reading abilities prevent them from understanding social studies material and achieving the standards set for fourth grade. She is frustrated that she only has 45 minutes per day for Social Studies instruction.

She has 29 students -- 14 girls and 15 boys. Her students represent a heterogeneous mix of backgrounds and abilities. She has six students who have identified disabilities and an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Of these six students, four have a specific learning disability, and two have speech and language disabilities. Four other students are English language learners. In addition, there is a great diversity of reading ability across the classroom population, particularly in the areas of decoding, comprehension, and language. Although Mrs. Jones can provide instruction for groups and individuals to accommodate individual needs during the 1 ½ hour language arts time, the 45-minute time allocation for social studies does not allow time to differentiate instruction.

Mrs. Jones' dilemma is how to help all students achieve the social studies lesson goals given the short time period and the widely diverse skills levels of students.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Need a fun review or debriefing activity for all types of learners, kinesthetic, visual, and tactile? Use the "processing cube" from Training-Wheels.com. The cube is 6x6x6 and has vinyl "see-through" windows on each side. Laminated cards come with it with various processing questions and directions on it to change the cube into multiple different activities. Just slide cards or photos into the clear plastic sleeves on each side of the cube...and play!

From Training-Wheels.com, a site for experiential educators:

The great thing about this cube is that you can change it every time you use it. You can come up with different questions for each student or group you have. There are several ways to customize the cards for the different groups you have. One would be to hand out blank index cards and colored pens or markers. Let the students color on and come up with their own questions to ask. This involves the participant in the planning process and they will have more investment in answering the questions they come up with on their own. Let the kids draw pictures and their own questions. A lot of times, kids will answer their own questions before they will answer yours!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Virtual Vine is a great website for teachers of students in preK-2 or any of us focusing on early learning skills. The webmaster, Cindy, has 19 years experience as a Special Education Resource Teacher, teaching range of students with mild to significant cognitive disabilities. Hew website, http://www.thevirtualvine.com, is full of great ideas for centers using no tech and low/light tech manipulatives.

Here's an example of one:

Counting by 2s, 5s, & 10s: I use my number chart and "highlighter tape" to help my students see the patterns of counting by 2s, 5s, & 10s. The highlighter tape is actually cling on bookcovers that I purchased by the box at Office Depot. You just cut the film to the size you need, then it easily sticks and and can be easily removed without any sticky residue. Eventually dust and grime will get stuck to the back, so you just throw it away and cut new pieces. I've been using the same box for years!

Click here to visit the math section of her site and see her hundreds chart with "highlights" http://www.thevirtualvine.com/math.html
A great way to prompt any and all students during choral response counting activities!

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 4:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If you provide a small, magnetic wipe-off board to each student in the class, students can interact with concepts and practice skills in the large group with little concern for making big mistakes! In addition to acting as individual response boards for informal student assessment, the small dry-erase boards can be used for sorting and classifying.

For instance, the class discusses what the word "freedom" means, and students are asked to provide examples of freedom. On their small markerboards, they draw a picture or write a few words to illustrate the concept of "freedom." Students can erase as much as they want, use dry-erase stamp sets, and use peel-off stickers. The teachers can redirect and guide students as they work. Students then stick their magnetic boards to the main board and explain to the class what they wrote or illustrated. When it comes time to sort the boards into personal freedom and public/group freedom, any student can move the concepts around in the way they think is best, with no need to write--just re-stick on the board under a different heading! Also, no "error" or changed decision is difficult because the markerboard can simply be moved under a different hearding. The resulting graphic organizer can be copied down by students or could easily be digitally photographed, photocopied, and added to student notebooks.

Boone makes 5"x8" markerboards that are also magnetic and come in sets of 4, so 6 sets would outfit most classrooms. Want to make your own? Try laminating large index cards and sticking heavy-duty business card-sized magnets (available at office supply stores cheaply) to the back.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A national movement has been underway to advance the understanding and adoption of universal design in postsecondary settings. The Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), http://www.ahead.org sponsors several initiatives on this topic. In particular they have a E-Text Solutions Group that meets regularly and offers a number of useful web resources on this topic such as general sources on E-Text at http://www.ahead.org/etext/Sources/SourcesofEtext.doc

Posted by Fran Smith at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We like the Savvy Technologist enough to wander through his old postings--and struck gold!

In a 2005 posting, the Savvy Technologist interviewed Earle Harrison, an assistive technology consultant and owner of Triumph Technology, a source for adaptive technology and adaptive media solutions. They talked about universal design, assistive technology, and accessible Web design. Earle mentioned many different hardware and software products during the conversation, including:
* macvisionaries.com
* FreedomBox products including the Key To Freedom
* BrailleSense notetaker
* Kurzweil Educational Systems
* Mobile Speak
* StreetTalk GPS software
* JAWS for Windows screen reader
* Windows-Eyes screen reader
* Building Accessible Websites (With CD-ROM) by Joe Clark
* Constructing Accessible Web Sites by Jim Thatcher

Interested? Click on the link to hear the podcast of their conversation (http://technosavvy.org/?p=298)

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Many districts have money to spend on AT right now, and with more students aiming for standard diplomas down the road, some of that AT money is probably going be spent on content-focused material.

If you are looking for some good math software, for SOL content in grades 1-6, check out the following online software review article. "Electronic Resources - Using Mathematics Software to Enhance Elementary Students’ Learning" is a well-written and researched article available in the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) online journal (http://my.nctm.org/eresources/view_article.asp?article_id=6479&page=1). The authors included screen shots of many of the titles they review.

Added bonus: This is software that meets the needs of many students with disabilities while still being appropriate for all students! A great way to create centers that are automatically leveled to each student's math needs.

Some of the software referred to:
Building Perspectives Deluxe.
The Cruncher 2.0.
Data Explorer.
Factory Deluxe.
Fathom Dynamic Statistics.
The Geometer’s Sketchpad.
The Graph Club 2.0 Deluxe.
Graphers.
Green Globs and Graphing Equations.
How the West Was One + Three x Four.
Math Arena.
Math Munchers Deluxe.
Oregon Trail.
Zoombinis Logical Journey.

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 5:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

...then you're like me!

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a way to approach the needs of our diverse group of students by providing

a blueprint for creating flexible goals, methods, materials, and assessments that accommodate learner differences. UDL mirrors the universal design movement in architecture and product development. Think of speakerphones, curb cuts, and close-captioned television—all universally designed to accommodate a wide variety of users, including those with disabilities.

This explanation comes from the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), which has earned international recognition for its development of innovative, technology-based educational resources and strategies based on the principles of UDL. The CAST staff includes specialists in education research and policy, neuropsychology, clinical/school psychology, technology, engineering, curriculum development, K-12 professional development, and more.

In the classroom, UDL calls for ... • Multiple means of representation, to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge, • Multiple means of expression, to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know, • Multiple means of engagement, to tap into learners' interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation.

Check out the CAST website to see a list of frequently asked questions about UDL (http://www.cast.org/research/faq).

Posted by Susanne Croasdaile at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fran Smith guides this discussion.
In the late 1970's, architect and consumer Ron Mace recognized the importance of a new approach to the design of products and processes -- that could benefit all individuals. His writing and conversations articulated what became known as universal design and helped to shape the beginnings of a concept that would open many doors for individuals with disabilities, differing abilities, and diverse learning approaches. Since, seven guiding principles have been developed around this area and provide a foundation for applying universal design to education and learning. Universal design for learning (UDL) and Universal design of instruction (UID) are such areas and provide new principles to guide instructional practice.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL), coined by researchers at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), requires that instruction and assessment approaches are flexible enough to automatically include alternatives making them accessible and appropriate for individuals with diverse backgrounds, varied learning approaches, abilities and disabilities. Maximizing the use of digital media is a central premise of the UDL philosophy. UDL “draws upon a student’s strengths and interests which may be blocked by the exclusive use of printed text�? and offers a myriad of instructional options that capitalize upon digital formats (Rose & Meyer, 2002, p. 7). CAST offers an online version of their text, Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age, as a guide to practice in this area.

Posted by Fran Smith at 2:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)