There is a lot of free stuff for assistive technology on the internet, if you know where to look. Some companies offer free downloads of usable programs in the hope that you will upgrade to the full paid version. Some sites just want to share. To find my list of free downloads, go to ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES in the left column, and click on "Mike's Favorite Links". This takes you to Google Documents to my resource list. Scroll down to the letter "F" and you will see the "Free Download" section.
Keep Looking Up!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
What Have We Learned Lately?
http://www.uwm.edu/~edyburn/what.html
Dave Edyburn is Editor of Special Education Technology Practice (SETP), and has this webpage with links to summaries of the special ed. research that is most pertinent each year. If you do not have access to all the journals, or do not have time to read them, then you may benefit from going over Dave's annual summaries of the best research articles.
Keep Looking Up!
Dave Edyburn is Editor of Special Education Technology Practice (SETP), and has this webpage with links to summaries of the special ed. research that is most pertinent each year. If you do not have access to all the journals, or do not have time to read them, then you may benefit from going over Dave's annual summaries of the best research articles.
Keep Looking Up!
Monday, August 18, 2008
The Tech Matrix
http://www.techmatrix.org/
Teachers frequently ask for help choosing software designed to assist students with learning or other disabilities. There is a great new resource on the internet for helping teachers and AT professionals select software products that do all the right things for a student with a disability.
The matrix is easy to use. You can limit your search to products for math, reading, or other subjects. You can also refine your search to look for certain features. Products in your chosen subject appear along the top row. Features the products either do or don’t have are listed along the column on the left. A checkmark means that the program has that feature. This allows you to narrow your selections down to only those products with the features your student needs.
Just a reminder, “best practice” is still to try before you buy. Even if a program has the features a student needs, it doesn’t mean your student will be willing to use it. Many software suppliers will send you a free demo version of their product for trial use so you can try it with a particular student to make sure.
Teachers frequently ask for help choosing software designed to assist students with learning or other disabilities. There is a great new resource on the internet for helping teachers and AT professionals select software products that do all the right things for a student with a disability.
The matrix is easy to use. You can limit your search to products for math, reading, or other subjects. You can also refine your search to look for certain features. Products in your chosen subject appear along the top row. Features the products either do or don’t have are listed along the column on the left. A checkmark means that the program has that feature. This allows you to narrow your selections down to only those products with the features your student needs.
Just a reminder, “best practice” is still to try before you buy. Even if a program has the features a student needs, it doesn’t mean your student will be willing to use it. Many software suppliers will send you a free demo version of their product for trial use so you can try it with a particular student to make sure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
