Comments on: Ira Socol’s Toolbelt Theory and My Blog http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/ Educational and Assistive Technology to support Universal Access and Universal Design for Learning Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:31:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: vera http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3419 vera Sat, 24 May 2008 20:30:51 +0000 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3419 Download and install Firefox. Install the Java Embedding Plugin Since the clc4tts_freetts_installer.jar installer needs to add the files needed for FreeTTS into your Java home directory, you will have to turn down the security on that directory before running the installer. Otherwise, you will get a permission denied error when you try to run the installer. To turn down the security settings, give full permissions to this directory: "/system/library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework" These full permissions should also be granted to all of this directory's subdirectories. After the installer has finished, you may restore the original permissions. - from the MAC installation instructions for click-speak. where do i type in the /system/library..blah blah thing to give 'full permissions'? sorry, i am not a software developer :( this is frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Download and install Firefox.

Install the Java Embedding Plugin

Since the clc4tts_freetts_installer.jar installer needs to add the files needed for FreeTTS into your Java home directory, you will have to turn down the security on that directory before running the installer. Otherwise, you will get a permission denied error when you try to run the installer. To turn down the security settings, give full permissions to this directory: “/system/library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework” These full permissions should also be granted to all of this directory’s subdirectories. After the installer has finished, you may restore the original permissions.

- from the MAC installation instructions for click-speak. where do i type in the /system/library..blah blah thing to give ‘full permissions’? sorry, i am not a software developer :( this is frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

]]> By: vera http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3418 vera Sat, 24 May 2008 16:14:33 +0000 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3418 i clicked on your click-speak link and went to 'installation guide'. that took me step by step to getting firefox for free. bit by bit i'm getting there. it just takes persistence and some uninterrupted time :) i clicked on your click-speak link and went to ‘installation guide’. that took me step by step to getting firefox for free. bit by bit i’m getting there. it just takes persistence and some uninterrupted time :)

]]> By: vera http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3417 vera Sat, 24 May 2008 13:07:09 +0000 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3417 thx to ira for his suggestions. i'm not as computer literate as i need to be to just follow his suggestions. for example, for the granslate, which i was trying to get, i need firefox. i have a mac os x system which has aol and safari. how do i get firefox? this summer i'm going to play around on my mac with all of this software so i'll be ready in september. my daughter who is 12 is learning how to make videos at an exponential rate by talking to people for hours on the internet (bramblestar52 on youtube for anyone who wants to check out her creative genius). she has made a special video posted to youtube explaining to others how to post their imovie videos on youtube. maybe ira and others who are using all of this cool, free software can post how to videos on how to get it and use it with students on youtube, as well. tag it as UDL, irasocol, etc. assume a very low level of computer literacy in the people who want to follow your advice. thx to ira for his suggestions. i’m not as computer literate as i need to be to just follow his suggestions. for example, for the granslate, which i was trying to get, i need firefox. i have a mac os x system which has aol and safari. how do i get firefox? this summer i’m going to play around on my mac with all of this software so i’ll be ready in september. my daughter who is 12 is learning how to make videos at an exponential rate by talking to people for hours on the internet (bramblestar52 on youtube for anyone who wants to check out her creative genius). she has made a special video posted to youtube explaining to others how to post their imovie videos on youtube. maybe ira and others who are using all of this cool, free software can post how to videos on how to get it and use it with students on youtube, as well. tag it as UDL, irasocol, etc. assume a very low level of computer literacy in the people who want to follow your advice.

]]> By: Paul Hamilton http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3414 Paul Hamilton Thu, 22 May 2008 13:15:49 +0000 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3414 Thanks for all the comments. Thanks especially to Ira for answering Vera's question. I wasn't aware that translation dictionaries are available for Microsoft Reader. There is great power in asking questions online like this because there is often someone "out there" who knows the answer and is willing to share it. --Paul PS For an online dictionary option, I most often use the Firefox add-on for Answers.com . That's a tool that I believe is worth knowing about and that probably would be chosen by many people for their toolbelts. The definitions aren't necessarily basic English, but the definitions are recursive, and they work well with Click,Speak. Thanks for all the comments. Thanks especially to Ira for answering Vera’s question. I wasn’t aware that translation dictionaries are available for Microsoft Reader. There is great power in asking questions online like this because there is often someone “out there” who knows the answer and is willing to share it. –Paul

PS For an online dictionary option, I most often use the Firefox add-on for Answers.com . That’s a tool that I believe is worth knowing about and that probably would be chosen by many people for their toolbelts. The definitions aren’t necessarily basic English, but the definitions are recursive, and they work well with Click,Speak.

]]> By: speedchange http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3413 speedchange Thu, 22 May 2008 02:11:28 +0000 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3413 For Vera: Firefox add-ins will do what you need on line via Click-Speak and gTranslate. To do it for free with scanned-in text, drop it into Microsoft Reader loaded with the translation dictionaries which are easily added in. Be sure to install Reader itself, the Text-To-Speech engine, and the "RMR" converter tool for Word documents, plus whatever dictionaries you need. - Ira Socol For Vera:

Firefox add-ins will do what you need on line via Click-Speak and gTranslate. To do it for free with scanned-in text, drop it into Microsoft Reader loaded with the translation dictionaries which are easily added in. Be sure to install Reader itself, the Text-To-Speech engine, and the “RMR” converter tool for Word documents, plus whatever dictionaries you need.

- Ira Socol

]]> By: Jacki http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3412 Jacki Wed, 21 May 2008 18:19:54 +0000 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3412 With the overwhelming number of worthwhile resources available, I need to be able to sift through to find tools that work for me, meet my needs, as well as the anticipated needs of my students without becoming overwhelmed. Using a few tools at a time and mastering them in "chunks" seems to be a managable way to go about this task! I'd like to find tools that allow me to vary my assessments while managing time constraints and other student distractions. Easy access and use for all students is also a concern. With the overwhelming number of worthwhile resources available, I need to be able to sift through to find tools that work for me, meet my needs, as well as the anticipated needs of my students without becoming overwhelmed. Using a few tools at a time and mastering them in “chunks” seems to be a managable way to go about this task!

I’d like to find tools that allow me to vary my assessments while managing time constraints and other student distractions. Easy access and use for all students is also a concern.

]]> By: sandy http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3411 sandy Wed, 21 May 2008 18:17:09 +0000 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3411 This technological age makes it necessary for teachers to keep up with the awareness that the students have available to them. One of our tasks now is finding and exploring the tools necessary to make more flexible presentations in classrooms, as well as flexible student engagement and assessment in the classroom. Barriers to this may be the time to locate and learn new techniques, having the technology in the classroom, and its availability at the time when it is to be accessed in the classroom. Coming to the workshop and getting websites and learning new tools for presentation has been helpful. Sandy This technological age makes it necessary for teachers to keep up with the awareness that the students have available to them. One of our tasks now is finding and exploring the tools necessary to make more flexible presentations in classrooms, as well as flexible student engagement and assessment in the classroom. Barriers to this may be the time to locate and learn new techniques, having the technology in the classroom, and its availability at the time when it is to be accessed in the classroom. Coming to the workshop and getting websites and learning new tools for presentation has been helpful. Sandy

]]> By: vera http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3410 vera Wed, 21 May 2008 18:14:59 +0000 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3410 for my esl/ell students I need dictionary software that will work with their textbook pages after i scan them into a computer. the software would enable them to click on a word and read/listen to it in their language, or, as they progress, they can click on a word and read/listen to a definition using English that a 5 year old native English speaker would understand ie, non-academic English. does this software exist? for my esl/ell students I need dictionary software that will work with their textbook pages after i scan them into a computer. the software would enable them to click on a word and read/listen to it in their language, or, as they progress, they can click on a word and read/listen to a definition using English that a 5 year old native English speaker would understand ie, non-academic English. does this software exist?

]]> By: joanne http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3409 joanne Wed, 21 May 2008 18:11:02 +0000 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3409 Marie, thank you for sharing my thoughts, words and anxieties! When you find a solution, if there is one, I hope you will share. Marie, thank you for sharing my thoughts, words and anxieties! When you find a solution, if there is one, I hope you will share.

]]> By: Judy Ann Reyes http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3408 Judy Ann Reyes Wed, 21 May 2008 18:08:59 +0000 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2008/05/10/ira-socols-toolbelt-theory-and-my-blog/#comment-3408 Technology allows us to be more creative. It also allows teachers to use that creativity to reach and assess students in many different ways. I will try not to feel overwhelm just adding one tool a time in my toolbelt. I will use it, master it, and then try another tool, and so on. Technology allows us to be more creative. It also allows teachers to use that creativity to reach and assess students in many different ways. I will try not to feel overwhelm just adding one tool a time in my toolbelt. I will use it, master it, and then try another tool, and so on.

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