Tango Rolls Out Tango to Literacy & Assessment Assistant

Patti King-DeBaun to host 2 free webinars on Tango to Literacy & Assessment Assistant July 22 & 24
The Tango, by Blink Twice is a great addition to the list of devices we have to choose from in the AT, speech and communication field. Its unique software, size and communication topics make it a popular choice by many for communication. I have heard some criticism of its ability to develop literacy, and now Blink Twice has an answer...Tango to Literacy (Here is a pdf flier).
Tango to Literacy contains educational materials for building literacy and language skills with the Tango. It focuses on the first 30 core words so students learn to use the core vocabulary, develop phonics and spelling skills as well as conversational competence.
It contains 6 lesson sets, six small printed stories that use the core vocabulary, CD with an "e-bookshelf and e versions of the 6 stories, core word playing cards, dry erase board and pens and sentence strip. The price is $149.
I have not personally seen or used the Tango to Literacy set yet, so I don't know how it addresses literacy in general, but it sounds like anyone who has purchased a Tango for a student, could use these materials to get the student using the built in core words and gain fluency with the Tango more quickly and effectively. I know that in the case of one student we purchased a Tango for, the SLP, special ed teacher and assistants worked with him to build stories and sequences that he wanted to say as well as being oriented on where the topics he would most use were located. I think a package of materials like Tango to Literacy would be a great help.
The Assessment Assistant is on a SD card that goes in the Tango and guides the user through the assessment steps.

Patti King-DeBaun will be hosting 2 free webinars to demonstrate the software tools she helped create. According to Tango, here is more information:

"Next week, Pati King-DeBaun, M.S. CCC-SLP, is hosting not one - but two - webinars! Completely free of charge, these interactive online lessons are hosted in real time. All you need is high-speed Internet and a phone and you're halfway there. She will discuss two fantastic new Blink Twice products that she helped create, Tango to Literacy and Assessment Assistant.
Developed in conjunction with Maureen Donnelly and Dr. Karen Erickson, Tango to Literacy is an innovative, integrated, and intuitive approach to teaching literacy. You'll see how students will work with the Tango's core vocabulary, develop phonics skills, and build language mastery. And you'll learn about all the fun extras!
Assessment Assistant is the perfect evaluation package for the Tango. It's an incredibly powerful tool designed to help professionals through the evaluation process, perfect for those who haven't done many assessments, or any at all. Assessment Assistant comes on an SD Card and even includes a guidebook so you can get familiar with it."

One participant will win a FREE Assessment Assistant. The webinars are scheduled for Tuesday, July 22nd at 10:00 EST and Thursday, July 24th at 2:00 EST. To register, simply click here. Or, visit blink-twice.com, and click on Sign Up for Training.! For those of you that can't make either of the webinars, they will be be recording the sessions so you can listen in any time. They'll be made available the following week at blink-twice.webex.com.
If you want to get in on these webinars you should register quickly because they are saying that space is limited.
Check out the link for a company pdf flier on these and other classroom tools.

All the best to you!
Lon