Assistive Technology Blog Carnival Edition #4 is Up

The June Edition of the Assistive Technology Blog Carnival is Ready for you to read at: http://atblogcarnival.blogspot.com
Edition #4 has some great posts on a "Grab Bag" theme, which means that it was anyone's guess what folks might submit. Some submitted their top post for the month, but all shared some wonderful reviews of new software and tools, a new UDL wiki, uses for the SMART board, commentary on the Kindle reader and AT equipment costs, and a great 100+ resources, sites and links for special education.

Please support the efforts of these writers such as Dr. Brian Friedlander, Wheelie Catholic, Anne Marie 80, ATMac, Paul Hamilton and Teaching Tips.com writer and more.

I hope you enjoy these submissions!

All the best to you!

Lon

How to Use the MS Word to DAISY Add-in: More information and Answers from DAISY

I posted this past week on my latest discoveries and thoughts on the MS Word add-in, converting Word files to digital talking book files and using them with free and pay players. I had this wonderful response as a comment from Romain Deltour from the DAISY Consortium and wanted to make this a post because I believe it summarizes much of what I have been trying to discover and makes things a little easier for those of us that are trying to sort all of this out. I promise, that when this is all said and done, I will make a tutorial available and share it with everyone.
I hope Romain's comment below helps you out as much as it helped me...
Thanks again Romain!


"Let me clarify a few points regarding DAISY standards, the Pipeline and MS Add-in:

1. DAISY Standards
There are two main versions of the DAISY standard: the DAISY 2.02, and DAISY 3 (officially ANSI/NISO Z39.86). Each of these specifications specify what is a Digital Talking Book (DTB), which is in both case composed by a set of different files.

To make it simple, a DAISY 2.02 full-audio, full-text book is composed of:
- the navigation control center document (ncc.html)
- the text content document (.html)
- a set of audio files (wav, mp3)
- a set of SMIL files (to synchronize the different media, text and audio)

A DAISY 3 full-audio, full-text book is composed of:
- a DTB package file (.opf), which contains metadata and the list of the other files
- a navigation control file (.ncx), basically the table of content
- a DTBook file (.xml) which contains the textual content
- a set of audio files (wav, mp3)
- a set of SMIL files (to synchronize the different media, text and audio)

As you've seen, some players accept a mere DTBook xml file: they use advanced conversion technique and speech synthesis to make a full DTB out of this xml textual content. Others require a fully built DTB though.
DAISY 2.02 players usually expect the ncc.html, while DAISY 3 players will usually expect the .opf file.

2. MS Add-In
The MS DAISY Translator, aka MS "Save as DAISY XML" converts a Word document in a DTBook file. It doesn't produce a full Digital Talking Book yet. That's why this output is only readable in some of the players out there.(the bold emphasis added by Lon)
The solution, as you found out, is either to use a player that will play a DTBook XML directly using speech synthesis, or to use a conversion tool to make a full DTB out of the DTBook XML file. For your information, the ability to create a full DTB is planned for a next version of the Word Add-In.

3. Pipeline
To create a DTB from Word with the Pipeline, you have two options:
- Use the built in Word 2003 XML to DTBook converter to produce the DTBook, then use Pipeline Narrator to produce DTBs from the DTBook.
- Use the MS "Save as DAISY XML" Add-In to produce the DTBook xml, then use the Pipeline Narrator to produce DTBs from the DTBook.
Note that the Narrator will create 3 books: a DAISY 2.02 book, a DAISY 3 book with wav-encoded audio, and a DAISY 3 book with mp3-encoded audio. You should be able to read at least one of these DTB in any DAISY player you have, and as far as I know AMIS 3 (currently in beta version) supports both DAISY 2.02 and DAISY 3 full-text full-audio books.
Wow. That was a longer comment that I initially thought. I'll cross-post to the DAISY forums to keep track of it! (by the way, I invite you to post questions / request for help in these forums)"

I don't know about you, but I am flat-out impressed that Romain took the time to share here. I am going to print this out and keep it as a reference. I am excited that the next MS add-in is intended to support a ful DTB format. Check out the forum he linked, and stay connected because we are working on a Blog Talk Radio segment to discuss the tools being created and future of DAISY formats. This is still to be announced as we get the dates and schedules together.

All the best to you!

Lon

Education Tech Points is a Great Resource for Stronger AT Services

Gayl Bowser and Penny Reed are two of the greatest resources a person can have to tap into for assistive technology and its' implementation in education. They are AT pioneers and the writers of the Education Tech Points Manual, a long-referred to "bible" of resources for educational assistive technology. I have a copy of this 450 page binder on my shelf and have referred to it many times.
Many of us in AT are seeing these days that the trends with No Child Left Behind bring opportunities to look at how assistive technology can support remediation and accessibility for all kids. Penny and Gayl have been working on a presentation in a workshop format that deals with Response to Intervention (RTI), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Positive Behavior Support (PBS) and Differentiated Instruction. They are sharing on how AT and IT can be infused through these aspects into general education. They will be sharing about this new project on No Limits 2 Learning Live on Blog Talk Radio next week.
They have the site Education Tech Points which is a great resource you need to take a moment to check out. They are available for trainings and you can find out more on their site. They have put together a great workbook for parents that helps them to know what to expect from a team, a school, questions to ask and what to do to move the process forward in advocating for AT services.
I have been posting and sharing this spring about tools for access that support UDL and how we are organizing how to have these tools be on all computers in our districts next year. The conversations and experimentations with the new MS Word add-in and the DAISY format have been good for me to be more familiar with the advantages and limitations of these tools. Penny and Gayl have given me many pointers and thoughts to consider in moving into support for all students.
If you are unfamiliar with Gayl and Penny and what they have done, take the opportunity to get acquainted with them and what they provide. They have been an immense help to me and I know their publications will be for you too. They speak annually at Closing the Gap, ATIA, etc.
Gayl and Penny will be my guests next Thursday, July 3 on No Limits 2 Learning Live. I hope you give us a listen. I will have more details next week.
Have a great weekend.
All the best to you!
Lon

Testimonials Share Value in No Limits 2 Learning Live Talk Radio and Blog

I am so excited to share with you feedback on the No Limits 2 Learning Live segments on Blog Talk Radio and this blog. My guest yesterday, Ellen Witham and myself, had emails from listeners who shared the value of her topic on AAC implementation from a parent's point of view.
One listener shared:
"Much of what you were talking about almost directly applies to a child in a Sunday school class I am teaching (2 year olds, in our third week). One child has a vocabulary of 4 words - mom is currently working with an SLP and as of yet there is no diagnosis. He obviously will benefit from a symbol communication system, and mom has been teaching him some sign language.We did a matching game with magnetic 'pictures' (I think they actually may have been PCS ala Boardmaker) symbols and a cookie sheet, and he was one of the brightest as far as comprehension went and was able to pick out matched pairs of specific symbols on demand. I will refer mom to your interview - I think you probably do not realize how much a few moments of your time will positively impact folks for years to come!"

I also received this comment:
"ALL of your interviews are useful and topical to broad groups of people. What a nice contribution for you to make to the world at large, to pull these things together and put them in one place so we can get to them and listen at our leisure."

I just wanted to share this with all of you. I know that sometimes we work on our projects fired only by our own passion. When we hear things like the above, it gives us a boost. I had a software/online tool representative contact me this past week and thank me for some positive and encouraging words given towards their project. It was shared that their team is small and they work very hard - to hear the feedback was a boost to them too!
My desire is to see that the resources appearing on this blog, the talk show and the AT Blog Carnival be positive, constructive and add to the assistive technology community in a larger way. When I hear that what I write is encouraging, or that the interviews we do are building into an archive that will "positively impact folks for years to come" I am humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude.
I must share that the number of readers returning to this blog continues to grow and the blog has now over 2000 reads a month. The combination of the numbers visiting and reading as well as the listeners on No limits 2 Learning Live encourage me. I am seeing upwards of 70 downloads of segments by listeners going to archives. I know that my efforts are doing some good and creating a foundation for greater resources down the road.
I have lined up some wonderful guests for July and August. I have been visiting with the DAISY Consortium to work on an interview for their folks to share on the future vision and services with the DAISY format - allow them to tell us what things they want to pass along, as well as allow you to call in and ask questions or make comments.
I have been visiting with with gh Accessibility to work on a time for their CEO to share his story of how the company got started - which has to do with supporting his wife with accessibility to alternative text while in college.
Next week, we have Gayl Bowser and Penny Reed, highly respected pioneers in AT implementation in education sharing on the team model. There are others as well that will be sharing over the summer.
I am so thankful for everyone's willingness to share. Knowing that these archives will become a valuable resource for folks down the road, means a lot. Thank you to all of you too as listeners and readers, commenters and emailers. This entire effort is FOR you and I am encouraged that things seem to be appreciated and are regularly read. I will continue to do my best to provide valuable resources, interviews and tips for AT users. I have a goal to get a bundle of activities, templates and tutorials as well as some other AT resources ready to make available online by the end of the summer. Some will be free and others for purchase at a nominal cost. Since I am on summer break for a month or so, my posts won't have quite the usual student stories and experiences until I get back to school in August. In the meantime, I am excited to focus on some video tutorials, share on some online tools and software to fill the gap.
I know many of you will be off on some summer adventures as well, so enjoy the time off. I will be taking my son camping a few days from the 4th of July (our U.S. Independence Day) on, and will try to set up some posts to be up on the days I am gone. If I miss a few and take some time off - forgive me and check back - I promise I won't miss very long, I would miss hearing from you and the folks I am working with to present new information for future projects.

All the best to you!
Lon

Remember! If you want to contribute to the AT Blog Carnival for June, I need you to email me your blog post submission by this Friday, June 27. The next edition will be up on Monday at:
http://atblogcarnival.blogspot.com
Send your submissions to me at: lonthornburg@nolimits2learning.com

Update on Using MS Word add-in and DAISY Pipeline to Convert Files

I had posted last week about the adventures I was having in the process of trying to transfer a document using the new MS Word add-in that saves as a DAISY format. This new addition was developed in conjunction with the DAISY Consortium and we should be so thankful to have it available to us.
If you go to the Conversion Tools and Software Page there are some links to players and tools. I read this on the DAISY site under the MS Word ADD-in:

"Microsoft's Word Add-in translates Word documents into DAISY XML..
Further transformation from DAISY XML to a full DAISY file set will be possible using one of the conversion tools such as EasyConverter (Dolphin), eClipseWriter (IRTI), gh Player (gh LLC) and the DAISY Pipeline (DAISY Consortium).
The "Save as DAISY XML - Microsoft" project area provides current information and related communications about the Microsoft Word add-in, as well as links for downloading the latest version."

I had followed their advice, and since DAISY Pipeline was free, I downloaded it. Make sure you have a current version of JRE (Java Runtime Environment) from Sun Software. You can download the JRE version 6 HERE. With JRE, the Pipeline works great and I got a DAISY formatted file from the Pipeline on my computer.
A problem I had with the conversion using Pipeline was having MS Office '07. To format the Word file, my choices within Pipeline were for starting with a Word '03 xml document. I just re-saved my Word document in the MS '03 xml format and then it could be used by the Pipeline to convert from the Word xml format to a their digital talking book format version.

Now the next challenge:
I tried to play the file in the AMIS reader that is free the AMIS Reader only opens a file with .ncc or .opf format. Mine wasn't that type and so the free reader wasn't working with my newly converted file. When I tried a free trial of the gh Player and it did play the file for me successfully. If you start with a Word '07 document and save it as a DAISY file, iot will open directly in the gh Player by opening a new book and asking it to show all dtbook file types. Your document should show up if you browse to it's location and open it in the player. This bypasses the need for the other file types and using Pipeline, but it means purchasing the player. You can download a free trial version of the gh player to use and test files if you are playing with these applications and see what you get. I am thinking that if I had the free Victor Reader that downloads with a Bookshare account it would work also. If anyone has it and wants to try, let us know.
I am going to keep working on getting a successful working copy from a Word document to a FREE reader using the MS Word add-in. The MS add-in is installed and working properly to convert to a XML file. The Pipeline is installed and working fine to convert the Word file to a Digital Talking Book file - but it doesn't have the file extensions of .ncc (computer numeric control file) or .opf ( an image file - Ebook file commonly a Flipbook file) after it which is needed at this time with AMIS. These formats are new to me and I am learning as I go. Somehow I am still missing a piece. I will continue to work on this and when I get a solution you will be the first to know. If anyone has ideas post them for us.
All the best to you!
Lon

Ellen Witham on Lessons Learned as a Parent of an AAC User

Today on Blog Talk Radio, my guest will be Ellen Witham, a representative from the Dynavox Company, but also a mother of a soon-to-be-10 year-old that is a succesful augmentative communication user. I am finding more and more that there are parents who are now either in an assistive technology role as a profession or have become the CEO of some company they have founded because of the active role in advocacy and development to meet the needs of a spouse or child. These folks base their work on valuable past experience and can be a assett to us all if they are given a chance to let us hear their wisdom and lessons learned. That is my goal today with Ellen and I would encourage you to listen in on the interveiw. It should be very valuable and I will try to gear the questions towards the parents listening so that you can get some good tips and ideas.

(I am adding a note to this after the fact - We had some difficulty getting the call in from Ellen and so I spent a few minutes at the front introducing her and telling about future guests until she got through. The interview was GREAT - but...you have to hang through a couple of minutes while I get her on - so don't give up! Put it on and let it run in the background while you do something else and she will be on within the first 5 minutes or so. Sorry for the inconvenience. Because of the dynamic nature of the live stream, I can't edit and clip out a section - but I guess that is what happens sometimes with live recording. The interview went for about 45 minutes or so after that. You will not be disappointed!)
Here is the link to the segment archive.

If you miss the show this morning it will be archived in the segment listing above to listen to anytime. Until I have a new show, which is scheduled for Thursday, July 3 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific with Gayl Bowser and Penny Reed, AT pioneers, you can listen to the interview with Ellen on my sidebar here on the blog as well. It gets updated each new show automatically, so today's segment will be there awhile.
Hope to hear from you or hope you listen to the archive.
Have a great day!
All the best to you!
Lon

Bike First! Gives Bike Riding Lessons to Kids with Disabilities

Bike First is a program that helps children with disabilities learn to ride a bike. Whether a child fell and broke a limb and have fear to overcome or they have a physical or mental disability, Bike First! gives kids the opportunity to learn to ride. They have a one day quick start program that was this past Saturday. They had 53 children that were able to ride a bike successfully in the program that day.

Bike First also has 2, 5 day bike camps where the team works with children that have significant disabilities. This year's camps are full, but if you want to get on the early notification email list for the 2009 program, you can access that on their website. The life lessons these children gain and the confidence it instills by going through the program has been wonderful.

My guest tomorrow, Tuesday June 24th at 10:30 a.m. Pacific, Ellen Witham, is an active member of this group and will be sharing a little on the program as well as her experiences with AAC and developing communication with her son who is now almost 10 years old. You can hear Ellen's interview on Blog Talk Radio at the No Limits 2 Learning Live show or listen to the archive on the player on this blog's sidebar.

Also, the deadline to submit a post to our AT Blog Carnival is coming up this Friday. You can email your submission to: lonthornburg@nolimits2learning.com

All the best to you!

Lon