SETDirect
SETDirect is an electronic newsletter for educators on assistive technology issues and resources. SET-BC publishes SETDirect to provide current information to support the implementation of technology for students with special needs in British Columbia. If you would like to be added to the SETDirect mailing list, click here to Subscribe. If you wish to Unsubscribe from SETDirect, Unsubscribe here
SET-BC Direct: April 2002 Special Education Technology-British Columbia Welcome to SET-BC Direct, an on-line newsletter for people who are interested in issues and resources regarding the use of assistive technologies in education. SET-BC Direct is intended to help teachers and other professionals who have questions regarding the implementation of technology for students with special needs. Subscribers may also be interested in the SET-BC program itself; our model for service delivery and the projects we develop to better assist students with disabilities.
In this issue:
1. SET News
1. SET News District Partners Day 2002 - SET-BC hosted District Partners Day on March 13, 2002 in Vancouver. The theme of this year's District Partners Day was Building Assistive Technology Communities. The day was indeed a success as staff and district partners took full advantage of this opportunity to network and celebrate A-T successes. Events of the day included:
Camp News - @Virtual Voices 2002 - The Easter Seal Camping Program and SET-BC will present a 5-day program of recreational and communication activities for 20 campers with augmentative communication needs. Camp Squamish staff will provide a full program of recreational activities, as well as 24-hour care and supervision for the campers. SET-BC will coordinate a team of speech language pathologists and technical specialists to support the campers' communication in all camp events. Visit the @Virtual Voices 2002 page for more camp information.
Camp News - @Vision Tech 2002 - The Canadian National Institute for the Blind - BC/Yukon Division, in partnership with Special Education Technology BC, will be offering the three summer camp programs for youth and teens with visual impairments. This is the fifth consecutive year these two organizations have teamed up to create innovative social and learning opportunities in the perfect setting of Bowen Island Lodge by the Sea. Visit the @VisionTech page for more camp information.
2. Training Opportunities
2002 has afforded many training opportunities for SET-BC staff and teams!
In January, Gail Van Tatenhove spoke on Minspeak. Gail's visits to BC have inspired Minspeak users in BC communities. Read about the "Cool Communicators" group on Vancouver Island in the Van Tatenhove article.
In February, Dr. Karen Erickson and Dr. David Koppenhaver spoke on Four Blocks Literacy for Students with Disabilities . The resources from the training sessions and are posted in SET-BC Resources. We welcome you to visit the Four Blocks Online Discussion Forum.
In March, Kelly Fonner led SET-BC through discussions focusing on The Role of the Assistive Technology consultant. Ms. Fonner spent two days investigating new access technologies with the SET-BC Access Group.
Visit SET-NEWS for the Upcoming Events schedule. Be sure to note: The SET-BC Access RoadShow is coming in April/May 2002.
3. Project Updates
Co:Writer Study - SET-BC wishes to announce that a Co:Writer study is underway. This study by the University of British Columbia and SET-BC is investigating "The Impact of Co:Writer Software on the Educational Participation of Students with Disabilities." Students selected for this study have been provided service from SET-BC through one of the following category designations: Visually Impaired , Autistic , and/or Physically Disabled and are Co:Writer users. Dr. Pat Mirenda, UBC, and Constance McAvoy, SET-BC are the project leaders. The project report will be available in 2002.
Variety Accessible Math Project - Five districts,50 students, are participating in the Variety Accessible Math Project. Teams have completed their provincial and district training days and are now using the accessible math software in mathematics instruction in their classrooms. The project report, including information on software titles used during this project, will be available in June 2002.
VisAble Video Telescope Project - A joint study between SET-BC and Betacom/Bridges, was established to evaluate the VisAble Video Telescope (VVT300) for educational purposes. The VVT 300 unit includes a docking station and training rack pack. Seven students of varying ages and grade levels, with significant vision loss, will test this equipment in their schools for three months. School staff and vision teachers will monitor progress, making suggestions for improvement and implementation. Project report will be available in June 2002.
VisAble Video Telescope Project Update! - One of the students watched a video in class for the first time. He was thrilled. Usually when the class has a video he just sits and listens. With the VVT, he was able to see it. "Awesome!"
4. Software Kudos
Time Scales by Attainment - focuses on basic to advanced time telling skills. Time Scales has three modules of increasing difficulty: Hours of the day, minutes of the hour and from time to time. Each module has a multiple choice and set-the-clock option. Users can choose from varying clock faces, digital time, time in words or audio cue only. Time Scales CD was selected for the SET-BC Variety Accessible Math Project. It is available for Mac and Windows.
Enter the draw to win a copy of IntelliMathics - another title in the Variety Math Project.
Congratulations to Karol Elliott, of school district 23. Karol is the winner of Access to Math, through the SET Direct software draw.
5. Web Travel
Interested in electronic text repositories?
The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), has information on Obtaining Digital Materials: digital text, images and sounds, with great links.
There are a growing number of electronic text repositories that store and index public domain materials that are available free of charge.
CAST is developing a new initiative, the Universal Learning Center (ULC), to respond to the challenge of locating a full range of curriculum materials that are already digitized. The ULC is a directory and repository of K-12 digital curriculum materials, including current offerings from curriculum publishers and public domain materials. The ULC will be located at ulc.cast.org and will provide an instructional hub for information, best practices and tools related to the innovative and effective use of digitized content in the classroom.
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6. Partners
SET-BC's partnerships with vendors and software developers has produced major benefits throughout the years. One such partner, Don Johnston Incorporated, has created many fine products for special needs students including Discover, Co:Writer, and Write Out:Loud. DJI recently announced that the Discover line has been taken over by Madentec. Located in Edmonton, Canada, Madentec Limited is a leading supplier of assistive technology for people with physical disabilities. Products include solutions for accessing and controlling a computer 100% hands-free, as well as controlling devices in a home by spoken commands. |
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