Free Custom Chatrooms with Meebo for Professional Development

Meebo is an instant messaging tool that allows you to connect with all your friends and colleagues from Google Talk, Yahoo, Aim, MSN and more. Their logo says, "Instant Messaging Everywhere." You can set up your own chatroom, name it, upload and image, and add a widget code to your blog or site to have it ready to access anytime. Invite others to join and you can start discussing, sharing and planning.

I see applications for this with OT's, PT's and SLP's when we are all spread out in different places. If everyone has been invited and joins as friends and the chat room is private - not public, you can see who is available and ask questions, do planning, etc. You can also set up a meeting in advance where everyone could join in at a certain time for a planning strategy session.

I have placed a Meebo widget on my sidebar that will show when I am available, called "No Limits 2 Learning AT Chat". You are welcome to visit this public chat room area on my blog sidebar or from the Meebo website. If I am there, ask a question, throw a suggestion or comment my way. I thought it would make a fun experiment.

All the best to you!

Lon

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Simplified Technology is a Gift From Linda Burkhart

80 people sat at tables, each fastening wire to a cookie sheet. Lines of would-be solderers were waiting to solder wires to a mini-plug that would complete a home-made cookie sheet switch with a large bolt on a wire. When the switch was plugged into a Powerlink latch/timer, and a radio (in our case) was plugged into the power, the contact of the metal bolt with the metal sheet created a circuit that made the radio play. We used open file folders trimmed to the size of the sheet as "stencils" to cut out tracing patterns for the kids to practice letters, mazes, any kind of fine motor and hand/eye coordination activities. The reward...music, a toy, or something that would be a response - as long as they stayed within the lines.
Even though I attended this workshop 2 years ago, I still use my cookie sheet switch. In fact, I demonstrated it to a group of early intervention and early childhood sped teachers last week and several were writing down the parts they needed to make one.
Attending one of Linda's workshops is an adventure in creating wonderful things out of everyday junk-drawer items. She uses sponges, pvc, cottage cheese containers, battery fans from the dollar store, foam place mats and velcro to create games and activities that really engage kids.
Linda has a long history as a therapist who integrated low tech and switch access to develop cause and effect games and activities. She has logged hours of video to show case histories and examples of her work with children and how she found the spark that triggered a reaction that gave a foothold for developing communication.
On "Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs", one of my favorite blogs, there was a post today on low tech eye gaze and mounting. There were some great resources there and it jogged my memory about Linda's workshop. We had built a pvc eye gaze stand that day as well, and I have it in my equipment closet. It is nice because it can break apart easily to tote with you for sessions with students and it is inexpensive to build. I will have to look for the plans or create my own from the stand so you can make one. We also made a pvc frame to wrap around a laptop base with a flat cover over the laptop so you can velcro switches to it and use them with cause and effect activites. The cover hides all the keys and buttons from children with wandering fingers.
I would go to see Linda's workshops again in a heartbeat. She has been a pioneer in switch access and has several software activities she designed in the Intellitools Classroom Suite package with overlays for the Intellikeys board. Check out her site, Simplified Technology, and look through the make it yourself and handouts area. It is full of free resources. You should also check through her books and resources for sale. I have a couple of CD's I bought that are absolutely packed with activities and guides to make and use them. Her wealth of knowledge, compassion for special needs kids and her resources online are a gift to us. If you haven 't discovered her services and resources, it is high-time you did!

All the best to you,

Lon




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Finding the Right Assistive Technology

I slid the slider with my mouse and watched the numbers roll forwards to 70%, slid the slider the other way and went to 20%. What was I selecting? The degree of summarization being applied to convert text with the PDF Equalizer from Premier Literacy. when I decided on a percentage and allowed it to summarize, a new window opened with the summarization of the text. The text reader read the text to me and my first thought was, "Where have you been all my life? Where were you in my college days?!!"
I have heard some criticism of these tools because they cost money and some folks believe there should be free tools for support and accommodation for the impaired so they can access text just like anyone else - and it shouldn't cost them. The Premier Literacy Company has their grant program to give district licenses for their software suite. Any home computers of students can use a password from the district to get that current version for free too. I know that once a person is out of school, they lose that umbrella of benefit - but there are other avenues.
I for one, would LOVE to see accessibility tools for free and there are quite a few open source tools as well as free "trials" that don't expire, and also online tools for browsers, etc. But I do believe that we can either access the free basic tools and survive, or we can have some nicer tools if we choose to pay for them.
The folks that design many of these programs have to make a living too - and some of them are blind or visually impaired, and this is how they make their living. I feel good knowing I am contributing to their efforts to be independent and free to provide for themselves. So I guess it all depends on how you want to look at it. Both have their merit and neither is wrong.
I really don't want to make this blog a place to pitch products, but I do want to share on different tools I am testing and using, give feedback and allow readers to check out their options.
A few months ago I was working with the Microsoft tool that saves Word documents as DAISY files. With the help of the company, we were able to figure out the process of transferring a text from a Word document to a DAISY formatted talking book file. Now that was all free - except you had to have MS Word already to utilize it. (I need to work on a tutorial to explain that - I promised I would...)
This past week, I shared excitement with a high school teacher as he blew the dust off a flatbed scanner with OCR (Optical Character Recognition), scanned a worksheet, opened it up and had the Natural Reader toolbar read the scanned text to him. That was all free - except he had to have the scanner. They are as low as $60 - 70 these days.
So there are ways to get your text into an audible format - it is just that there are SO many ways that it gets overwhelming. Should I use Kurzweill 3000, Premier Literacy, free tools and my scanner? I guess it comes down to:
1. Who is the person using it?
2; Where are they going to use it?
3. What are they needing it to do?
4. What bundle of technology and software best serves the first three issues?
This is sometimes called the SETT approach: Student, Tools, Tasks & Tools.

We will be asking the above 4 questions with an elementary boy that we will be in a team setting for here soon. We will be, once again, nailing down what tools to access print and writing are options for this student. Every one of these kids are different and their needs are diverse so I need to customize my thinking one child at a time.
In the meantime I can go play a little with this stuff too. That's one of the reasons I love this job -and I still like that incredible summary tool!

All the best to you!
Lon



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Education & AAC Implementation Expert on No Limits 2 Learning Live Segment Today

Language & Literacy: Kristin Whitfield on No Limits 2 Learning Live today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific

Do you know how to start a beginner out on an AAC device? Do you know how the Dynavox literacy program is built in to the device to foster reading as well as communication? Would like to know more on funding avenues for devices? What things do you need to consider in an AAC implementation process?
Find the answers to these questions and more this morning at 10 a.m. Pacfic, when Kristin Whitfield joins me for a half-hour of conversation. Kristin is the manager of the Education Development & Implementation Training department at Dynavox. She will be sharing on her experiences with AAC and tips for specialists, parents and users. If you have a question, go to the show link and call in with the caller number on the screen. The archive will be available here on the sidebar player after the show is over as well.
Hope you join us!
All the best to you...
Lon




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Assistive Technology for the Alternative Education Classroom

Yesterday I was sharing with an alternative education team at a high school in our area about AT tools to support better reading and study skills. The teachers were the perfect fit for working with students that have been moved to an alternative program. The conversation kept me jumping as we moved quickly from question to question and idea to idea. We looked at putting the Natural Reader on the desktop for text to speech support and looked at the Premier Literacy tools through the free grant program (See yesterday's post if interested). There was lots of brainstorming, high-energy and interrupting as someone would have a thought or question.

What struck me after they left was how worn out I was. I had felt like I had just tried to keep my attention on three rings at once at the circus. Not that I am comparing the team to being like a circus - just the busy-ness and energy. Then I reflected on what they do every day doing their job in the classroom. They need to be high-energy teachers because they work with students that need that type of dynamic to keep them on task and motivated. I was told that one of the main teachers had been doing this for over 25 years, had actually retired and had come back to work with the program this year anyway. What does that tell you about committment to education and love for what you do?

I left that day knowing that there are some exciting things ahead as I get to work in their classroom a little, help implement some of the free tools we have been talking about and see how we can customize activities and units using them. I just need to make sure I have had my Red Bull drink beforehand! I salute all of you out there that invest in kids in these types of programs. I would encourage passing on the tools we have been discussing for alt ed programs. I think they could be a real lifeline for kids.

All the best to you!

Lon

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