always free at action assistive technology centre...

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AT IN ACTION ALWAYS FREE October 2011 ISSUE Contact information: [email protected] AT Specialist SSRSB ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY CENTRE SSRSB / VOLUME 4 / 2011 September NEWS in the ATC We have a number of exciting initiatives we are undertaking in the ATC this Fall. We are partnering with the LD Specialist, Cathy Croft, and have written a PDAF project to fund and place a small bank of Netbooks with LD students in specific classrooms in 3 high schools in the school board. Along with the Netbooks we hope to be testing out a new OpenSource AT product to support literacy skills with 200 students with LD. The software MyStudyBar can be downloaded free of charge or distributed and utilized on USBs. Our plan is to do the latter. We will know about funding in the near future. We are also still waiting to hear about the potential funding of 15 iPads and 20 iPod Touches for students with Autism through a proposal the ATCS submitted to Autism Speaks Canada last Spring. Barbara Welsford recently completed an online training program and qualified as a Certified Proloquo2go Trainer. The ATC is also a designated Proloquo2go training site for Eastern Canada. P2go is an App supporting students with communication difficulties. We are also connecting with TextHelp App developers to Beta test their products on our iPod Touches and iPads for students with Learning Disabilities. We are running many webinars this Fall. All proceeds from these webinars go back to students with special needs in our system requiring Assistive Technology. See details on Page 3 & 4. New Assistive Technology Placed with SSRSB Students Barb and Anita have been extremely busy since the last week of August identifying AT needs of various students, offering AT training sessions for specific teams, visiting schools, updating laptops and doing a lot of trouble shooting. We have managed to place a variety of new AT with students with highest needs in certain schools including: Adapted switch accessible vibrating pillow: A comfortable, 12" square (30cm) corduroy pillow adapted to accept any switch with 1/8" (.6cm) phono plug. Press switch and pillow gently vibrates. Release switch and vibrating ends. Adapted switch accessible vibrating tube: 28"L neoprene tube provides soothing vibratory sensation to upper and lower extremities. Includes a touch fastener closure for hands-free sessions. Can be used with any switch with 1/8" phono plug. No need for dice! This switch- activated spinner with built-in external switch jack performs the random selections necessary for choosing groups or playing games of chance. (continued pg. 2)

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Page 1: ALWAYS FREE AT ACTION ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY CENTRE …assist-tech.ednet.ns.ca/Assistive_Technology_Centre/Newsletters_fil… · laptop#for#studentwith#CP laptop#for#a#Learning#Centre

AT IN ACTIONALWAYS FREE October 2011 ISSUE

Contact information: [email protected] AT Specialist SSRSB

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY CENTRE SSRSB / VOLUME 4 / 2011

September NEWS in the ATC

We have a number of exciting initiatives we are undertaking in the ATC this Fall. We are partnering with the LD Specialist, Cathy Croft, and have written a PDAF project to fund and place a small bank of Netbooks with LD students in specific classrooms in 3 high schools in the school board. Along with the Netbooks we hope to be testing out a new OpenSource AT product to support literacy skills with 200 students with LD. The software MyStudyBar can be downloaded free of charge or distributed and utilized on USBs. Our plan is to do the latter. We will know about funding in the near future.

We are also still waiting to hear about the potential funding of 15 iPads and 20 iPod Touches for students with Autism through a proposal the ATCS submitted to Autism Speaks Canada last Spring.

Barbara Welsford recently completed an online training program and qualified as a Certified Proloquo2go Trainer. The ATC is also a designated Proloquo2go training site for Eastern Canada. P2go is an App supporting students with communication difficulties.

We are also connecting with TextHelp App developers to Beta test their products on our iPod Touches and iPads for students with Learning Disabilities.

We are running many webinars this Fall. All proceeds from these webinars go back to students with special needs in our system requiring Assistive Technology. See details on Page 3 & 4.

New Assistive Technology Placed with SSRSB Students

Barb and Anita have been extremely busy since the last week of August identifying AT needs of various students, offering AT training sessions for specific teams, visiting schools, updating laptops and doing a lot of trouble shooting. We have managed to place a variety of new AT with students with highest needs in certain schools including:

Adapted switch accessible vibrating pillow: A comfortable, 12" square (30cm) corduroy pillow adapted to accept any switch with 1/8" (.6cm) phono plug. Press switch and pillow gently vibrates. Release switch and vibrating ends.

Adapted switch accessible vibrating tube: 28"L neoprene tube provides soothing vibratory sensation to upper and lower extremities. Includes a touch fastener closure for hands-free sessions. Can be used with any switch with 1/8" phono plug.

No need for dice! This switch-activated spinner with built-in external switch jack performs the random selections necessary for choosing groups or playing games of chance. (continued pg. 2)

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AT purchases made by ATCS supporting students

in our school system:

✓10  iPod  Touch  4G’s  for  ATC  training  sessions✓2  syncing  laptops  for  2  Learning  Centres  in  SSRSB✓2  iPad2’s  and  2  iPod  Touch  4G  for  the  SSILC✓Book  resources  supporCng  FuncConal  and  Self  Help  Skills  for  students  with  AuCsm✓A  wide  variety  of  APPS  for  math,  communicaCon,  literacy,  auCsm..✓switch  accessible  devices  for  highest  needs  students✓30  refurbished  laptops  for  distribuCon  to  students  in  SSRSB  idenCfied  as  needing  this  type  of  AT  for  their  program  success✓Wheelchair  mounCng  system  for  iPad  for  student  with  CP✓2  bluetooth  switch  access  devices  for  the  iPad2✓4  AluPens  alternate  access  styluses  for  mobile  devices✓2  joysCck  alternate  access  for  the  iPad2✓10  GoTalk  One  AAC  device2✓GoTalk  One  4  Pack  ✓iPad2  for  child  with  auCsm✓iPod  Touch  4Gs  for  SSRSB  Speech  Language  Pathologists✓iTunes  giQ  cards  for  purchasing  educaConal  Apps  for  SLP’s  &  LC  teachers✓iPod  Touch  4g  for  cancer  paCents  ✓iPod  Touch  4g  for  a  non  verbal  student  in  grade  7✓2  GoTalk  Pocket  AAC  devices✓laptop  for  student  with  CP✓laptop  for  a  Learning  Centre✓Office  suite  soQware  for  recycled  laptops✓iPad2  for  High  School  Student  with  Cancer

Preschool University Apps FREE. These are an excellent series of Apps that address specific language and reading skills development skills including: Sound Matching, Blends, Sentence Readng and much more.

Prizmo: OCR Scanning and text to speech built in for the iPod Touch 4G, iPhone and iPad2. Take a picture of a text document in Prizmo, scan the document and have it read aloud!

PhotoTouch Telling Time: simple, easy to use, intuitive App that helps students learn to tell time by analog clock.

GREAT NEWS!! RAZ-Kids licenses have been renewed for another year.

Those teachers and resource teachers who have licenses assigned to their Learning Centres and classrooms will have uninterrupted use of Raz-kids for another year! This online resource is currently supporting over 600 students in the SSRSB.

Through book bureau money we have also placed over 30 more copies of CoWriter 6 with students in our school board. CoWriter 6 is an exceptional word prediction program

supporting students with written output difficulties. We also have more on order and expect these to arrive later in the Fall. We have also purchased a few copies of Cloze Pro and Clicker 5 for distribution to certain students.

Enabling Devices mounting system for the iPad, a light duty mounting arm, and a clamp. The mounting platform is designed for easy access to all of the iPad's electronic ports. It also has two flexible cords to securely hold the iPad.

FREE

APPS IN ACTION SERIES

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Contact information: [email protected] 541-3008 [email protected] 541-3024

Future Webinars:

Apps in Action for Social Skills for Children with Autism Dec. 14Sign up for our Webinars online at this link:

http://assist-tech.ednet.ns.ca/Assistive_Technology_Centre/AT_Training_Opportunities.html

iPod Touch, iPad & iPhone

Webinar training SERIES

New interface, live demonstration of Apps,

larger video window

Apps in Action for Students with Difficulties in Math (Elementary Level)

Presentation, Case Studies & Live Demonstrations of Key AppsOctober 12, 20117:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ATLANTIC TIMEFee: $40.00This presentation will focus on demonstrating effective Apps that support all students at the Elementary Level. Students struggling with math at this level will also benefit from the Apps identified. From identifying shapes, counting, and (preschool) comparing groups (preschool) to positions, times, and sorting, probability, patterns and money (primary level) to skip-counting, place value and estimation and rounding (grade 3 level). We will also cover Apps for time, graphing and measuring, division, multiplication, statistics and fractions and decimals - all at the early elementary level. This webinar would be excellent for older children struggling with these basic concepts including those with developmental delays and learning disabilities.

Maximum number in each session is 45.

Presenters: Barbara Welsford and Cathy Croft (LD Specialist) in consultation with elementary math teachers

The iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad for People with Physical DisabilitiesPresentation, Case Studies & Live Demonstrations of Key Apps and indepth discussion and demos of Alternate Access technologies for these mobile devices

October 27, 2011

7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ATLANTIC TIME

Fee: $30.00

This presentation will focus on demonstrating effective Apps and demonstrating and discussing various tools utilized to support alternate access to these exciting mobile devices for people with physical disabilities. We will show mouth wands, single switch access to the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad, various mounting systems and key Apps that support alternate access and improve performance of people with physical disabilities. This webinar would be excellent for anyone interested in alternate access to mobile devices including Resource Teachers, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Parents, Primary Users and many more.

Maximum number in each session is 45.

Presenters: Barbara Welsford, Assistive Technology Specialist

NOTE: All webinars can be VIEWED AT ANY TIME! With a purchased seat you receive a copy of the Presentation Powerpoint and recording link after the webinar. Watch the

webinar at anytime from anywhere!

Page 4: ALWAYS FREE AT ACTION ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY CENTRE …assist-tech.ednet.ns.ca/Assistive_Technology_Centre/Newsletters_fil… · laptop#for#studentwith#CP laptop#for#a#Learning#Centre

Contact information: [email protected] 541-3008 [email protected] 541-3024

Sign up for our Webinars online: http://assist-tech.ednet.ns.ca/Assistive_Technology_Centre/AT_Training_Opportunities.html

Apps in Action for Functional Skills for Individuals with Autism & High Intellectual NeedsPresentation, Case Studies & Live Demonstrations of Key Apps and indepth discussion and demos of Functional Skills for Individuals with High Intellectual needs and Autism

November 16, 2011

7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ATLANTIC TIME

Fee: $30.00

This webinar will provide an overview of apps appropriate for teaching functional life skills with students who have high intellectual needs, including students with autism. A process for implementation will also be discussed, demonstrating where and how to use the apps for instruction. We will touch on goal setting, task analysis, prompting and rewards, as well as suggestions for evaluating progress.  The apps we will demonstrate include but are not limited to: The Functional Skills System, Everyday Skills, apps for cooking (visual recipes), apps for task analysis, video modeling, and apps for scheduling and tracking progress.

Maximum number in each session is 45

PLEAST NOTE: the fee noted is for purchase of a single seat in each webinar. If you plan to watch as a group we can arrange a group fee. Thank-you for honouring our purchasing policy. We would be happy to discuss group training sessions with you at any time. Just contact Barbara Welsford at [email protected]

Apps in Action for Language Learning - Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing

Presentation, Case Studies & Live Demonstrations of Key Apps

November 23, 2011

7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ATLANTIC TIME

Fee: $40.00

This webinar will provide an overview of apps appropriate for supporting oral and written language development.  They can be used to support the language development of typically developing children as well as those with identified language learning difficulties.  Up to date key apps will be demonstrated live through video from an iPad and/or iPod Touch.  We will demonstrate the apps, provide a description of each, and share how we have used them to support student learning in classroom settings or speech-language therapy sessions.  Apps include a variety of Grasshopper Apps; Super Duper Apps; Assistiveware Apps plus Apps we use with children and adults to enhance written output...and much more.

Maximum number in each session is 45.

PLEAST NOTE: the fee noted is for purchase of a single seat in each webinar. If you plan to watch as a group we can arrange a group fee. Thank-you for honouring our purchasing policy. We would be happy to discuss group training sessions with you at any time. Just contact Barbara Welsford at [email protected]

NOTE: All webinars can be VIEWED AT ANY TIME! With a purchased seat you receive a copy of the Presentation Powerpoint and recording link after the webinar.

Watch the webinar at anytime from anywhere!