The fifth annual conference for the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) on January 14-17 attracted a record number of participants to Disneyís Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.  With more than 1200 attendees, 100 industry exhibitors, and 230 educational sessions, David Dikter (ATIA Executive Director) declared the event a resounding success. 

This year ATIA partnered with the Technology and Media (TAM) division of the Council for Exceptional Children and the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) to offer participants a broad range of opportunities to share, learn and experience growth in AT knowledge, use, products and policies.

Here is a sampling of some of my conference finds related to literacy and reading . . . .

Literacy and Reading . . . .

Softtouch

Softtouch demonstrated their first authoring program, My Own Bookshelf,  which allows you to create books and organize them into bookshelves on the computer. Students can then select the books they want to read, and read them using an array of access devices that are built into the program.  This easy to learn, easy to use, software program can be used by students to read or by teachers and parents to create or customize multimedia books for literacy lessons or to teach or reinforce any skills or concepts.  My Own Book Shelf from SoftTouch is a must have tool for the classroom or home use!  Single copies are listed at $130.00 with bulk pricing available. Phone:  877-763-8868 http://www.softtouch.com

Note: See also the ConnSENSE Review of My Own Bookshelf at: http://www.connsensebulletin.com/revbookshelf.html

Access Technology Center for Boston Public Schools

For a detailed, practical continuum on adapting books for a wide range of students with disabilities, check out the handouts from the ìRecipe for Adapting Booksî  presentation on the web site and download the following documents from Kristen Eichleay, director of the Access Technology Center for Boston Public Schools, and her associate, Susan DuBuske.

http://www.boston.k12.ma.us

Go to : Teaching & Learning →Technology→Access Technology Center

List of adapting books handouts available on the Boston web site:

ï Guidelines for Adapting Books provides a framework for adapting books and establishes some basic terminology for approaching the task.

ï Did I? Sheet for Adapting Books guides you through the multiple challenges of adapting books.

ï Assistive Technology (AT) Continuum for Adapting Books is an illustrated continuum of low, mid and high tech tools for adapting books, categorized by student need.

ï Reasons for Adapting Books explains how students can benefit from adapting books.

ï Adapting Books Activity Kit provides a list of tools and activities to make stories/novels come alive using visual/tactile objects and alternate story formats, e.g., audio books and software-based adaptations.

ï Modifying Books is an extensive guide to adapting books - everything you ever wanted to know about adapting books.

ï Working with Graphics offers tips, tricks and tantalizing tidbits on using graphics with software appropriate for adapting books.

ï Inquiry Box provides instructions for creating a fun, inexpensive, interactive, multi-purpose teaching/learning tool for the classroom using a cardboard box.

ï Text-to-Speech provides descriptions of shareware and commercial programs that read text aloud to students, highlight text as it is read, and speak letters/words as they are type

Slater

Slater now has a range of ready-made PixWriter set-ups for extending studentís success in reading and writing.  Adding to the set-ups for the 100 Primary popular books, Slater now includes setups for age-appropriate chapter books for third through fifth grades and set-ups for teens.  These ìRead and Tellî set-ups help students discuss stories, understand vocabulary, improve writing skills, demonstrate comprehension and enjoy literature.  The intermediate and teen set-ups have chapter summaries, comprehension questions, and vocabulary words.  PixWriter is a talking word processor which combines words, pictures and speech so that students can hear and see what they are writing.   For more information, see http://slatersoftware.com or phone 877-306-6968.

Super tool for inclusion . . . .

IntelliTools

IntelliTools has released their Classroom Suite which gives teachers the tools to provide students with individualized classroom activities and track student responses.  Teachers can use the provided sample activities or create their own activities with the included templates, or author their own activities from scratch in IntelliPics Studio 3, IntelliTalk 3, or Intellimathics 3.   The three programs are seamlessly integrated and function transparently with the management tool in the Suite.  Yet teachers can still create multimedia presentations using drawing, animations, video and sound in IntelliPics Studio 3; help students explore math concepts with virtual manipulatives in IntelliMathics 3; and compose accessible curriculum content in the talking word processor which  allows for banks of vocabulary words, diagrams with captions that talk, and more.

You can download a 45-Day trial version of Classroom Suite, which is a fully functional version of the program at http://www.intellitools.com . (If you prefer, you can call 800-899-6687 and request a CD.)  You can try out all of the program features, including authoring your own activities.  At the end of the 45 days, the trial version converts to a free player, enabling you to continue to access and use all of the existing activities, including those you created or activities which may have been created by someone else.  Documentation and tutorials are available in PDF format on the very rich website.