Yes, sponsored walk time again and this time we have three of a member charities to support as we do the Stratford Stroll… well’s it’s more like a hike!
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Author: AccessAbility Smyles
Specialist ICT SEND Consultant,
Committed Christian,
Loves photography and computing
Plays piano and guitar - both badly!
Computing
Lawrence Williams has written an introduction to programming for pupils/students using Python as the programming language. He calls it:-
Literacy from Python
See a sample page:
https://sites.google.com/view/literacyfrompython/chapter-1
Try this out with your students and let me know. I will feed it back to Lawrence. Understanding how to program makes pupils & students more creative in their ability to make their own solutions in the future.
Autism Awareness Week
To celebrate Autism Awareness Week Christy Clawson (wondermums) sent me links to help with parents and carers
7 aspects of engagement
Seven_Aspects_evaluation_report (1)
The above report which you download from the link is a pilot study done by Prof Barry Carpenter and set of pilot schools. It is based on the Rochford Review and will replace P scales by 2020. So very current. I have yet to read all of this but the outline of the 7 aspects of engagement seems to be logical and works well alongside other work in the Assistive Technology area such as the Switch Skills Progression Mapping work done by Ian Bean.
What are the 7 aspects of engagement?
- responsiveness,
- curiosity
- discovery
- anticipation
- persistence
- initiation
- investigation
As they are a progression I can see these relate very well to child development and those with complex needs who may be stuck in one of these 7 aspects. This chart provides and understanding of what these 7 aspects of engagement mean:-
7_Indicators_and_Aspects_of_Engagement
I found this at:-
I will give this more thought and then see how to adapt my App Mapping Sheet to incorporate it. First, I need to get to grip with the concept and take it from there.
Echo Connect
The Echo Connect is a device that uses the Echo Dot and Alexa device to link to your landline. Freeing up your hands to use your voice to answer and make calls. It was quite frustrating to setup and we did struggle to get it going and I still don’t know what i did to make this work! I will investigate further. Another useful feature is it’s able to cope with automated phone systems ” Press 1 for Insanity” type systems. Google Mini can’t do this and leaves you unable to navigate them without pressing keys.
For blind and partially sighted users this is a great addition. Phone calls can be answered anywhere in the house where the user is. Especially if you have more than one smart speaker (Echo Dot) . For £39.99 it’s very affordable. But I would warn you to make sure you set up on the Alexa app and also to change the language set as this seems to affect its functions in the UK. Change it from US to UK and it sends a file down to convert it to the UK settings. That is one thing I think may have caused it to work. But not sure! Will research further and get back to you.
AMAneo BTi – Mouse Adapter
This innovative adapter means that you can access an iPad or iPhone with any mouse, including assistive mice like a head mouse, thumb mouse, rollerball or joystick. It’s a world first and it has the potential to enhance the way that users experience technology. Get ready to make everyday interactions like connecting with friends, browsing the internet, and playing games so much easier.
Click here to view the product and watch a video:-
AMAneo BTi Mouse
Amazon Music Library
Also , if you have an Amazon music account you can create a playlist and add to your library but my client couldn’t tell me how she did it so I will investigate and add to this post when i have found out. Amazing things these smart speakers and what they can do !
Google plays music – for free!
” You didn’t tell me about this !”
This is my greeting with a blind client this week. But I am not offended easily and always on the lookout for new uses of the Google mini. If you say “Hey Google, Play music from the 50’s ” it will tell you that you haven’t got a subscription and then offer you a streaming station which plays non-stop music . Try it out yourself if you have a google mini. You can flip through the songs by saying ” next song” if you don’t like what it plays and tell it to stop when you have finished.
A Richer Curriculum..creating a culture of opportunity in a digital world. 11th / 12th July Winchester University
At a time when the government EdTech strategy has been released, educators, researchers, experts and organisations will come together to share ideas and plan actions.
Early career researchers and students are welcome most welcome as well.
A range of speakers will also join the debate:
Lord Storey, ex-head, discussing EdTech policy in schools
Caroline Wright, BESA, on working with the edtech industry.
Cat Scutt, CCoT, on EdTech research and practice
Professor Mike Sharples talking about innovation in pedagogy
Professor Ros Luckin about the evidence from the EDUCATE programme
Bernard Dady, Gaia Technology, talking about the principles of effective CPD strategies for EdTech professionals
Mike Forshaw, InnovateMySchool, with practice about sustaining vibrant e-communities for busy teachers
Sign up now for early bird prices http://conference.itte.org.uk/
Any questions to christina@mirandanet.ac.uk
Warm regards
Professor Christina Preston
Join us in conference this year
http://conference.itte.org.uk/
MirandaNet Founder, TPEA Chair, Naace BOM
You can join MirandaNet free here
http://mirandanet.ac.uk/joining-the-fellowship/
De Montfort University
http://bit.ly/2aMfoLo
MOB: +44 7801 336 048
SKYPE: christinapreston
@mirandanetter (Christina’s Twitterstream)
@mirandanet1 (MirandaNet Twitterstream)
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/dr-christina-preston/5/895/409–
Searching this website
To try and make things more accessible you can search this website for categories . Just take a look at the dropdown list on the right and try out things like “Workaround” which are practical assistive technology solutions to user’s needs and requests. Or you can take a look at “Assistive Technology” to look at assistive hardware and software. If you are a SENCO you can search to find information relevant to you.
There are over 700 posts from the last 6 years to look through. A mine of useful information and advice and it seems a shame to have it sitting there and not being used. Please do check it out.
AccessAbility Solutions 