As is the case with so many web-based applications,  accessibility is a major problem with Twitter.  That’s why Dennis Lembree has created Accessible Twitter.  Lembree’s Twitter interface perhaps benefits blind users more than any other identifiable group, but I appreciate a comment made by Lembree in an interview posted on Accessify, “Web accessibility is for everyone, not only for the 10% or so of folks with some type of disability…” So Accessible Twitter can enhance accessibility for a wide range of Twitter users.

The site indicates that Accessible Twitter is still in “Alpha”, but it has functioned just fine for me without any glitches.  As listed on the site, the accessibility features are:

• All links are keyboard accessible.
• DM, Favorite, Reply, Re-tweet, and Delete links are all visible by default.
• Simple, consistent layout and navigation (and signed-in username always displayed).
• Headings and page titles are implemented for optimal accessibility. This includes an H3 heading (for author screen name) added to tweets to assist with screen reader users.
• Works great with or without JavaScript.
• Ajax actions are concluded with an alert that notifies the user of the result of the action.
• Large default text size and high color contrast. Layout/text resizes without breaking.
• When entering tweets, audio cues indicate when the character limit is almost reached (in additon to character counter).
• Forms and data tables are marked up for optimal accessibility.
• Code is semantic, light, and adheres to best practices in Web Standards.
• If a tweet is in response to another (and marked as such in the data), a clearer link is provided to the that tweet (not hidden). There’s also a more obvious link to the “permanent page” for the tweet.
• A clearer link is provided for the “permanent” link for a tweet; the page containing only a single tweet.
• Definitions of abbreviations are provided to certain acronyms in tweets such as IMHO (in my humble opinion).
• Tested on all major browsers: IE6, IE7, IE8, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Chrome.

]]> http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2009/11/21/accessible-twitter/feed/ 0 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2009/11/09/free-scan-read-write-with-scannedpdftoword/ http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2009/11/09/free-scan-read-write-with-scannedpdftoword/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:47:01 +0000 Paul Hamilton http://paulhami.edublogs.org/?p=1564 After a long blogging silence, I’m back with a free resource that I’m especially excited about.  I’ve discovered an effective free option for turning scanned text into digital text that can then be used with a wide range of study tools,  including text-to-speech.  All previous attempts to create useful digital text from the PDF files  made with standard flatbed scanners and their OCR software have yielded disappointing results.  The results with ScannedPDFtoWord aren’t perfect, but they are very very good.

ScannedPDFtoWord does exactly what its name implies.  It converts scanned PDF documents to Microsoft Word (.doc) files.  The online conversion is quick, and the quality of the text is excellent when opened in Word.  The conversion process could hardly be easier, and registration isn’t even required.

You simply upload the scanned PDF file and give an email address where you can download the converted file.  Here’s what the user interface looks like.

Although the graphics were missing, once opened in MS Word the converted files retained original formatting.  I was able to edit the scanned text easily.  For example, there was no problem in selecting the entire document and changing the font.  There were almost no errors that needed to be corrected in the scanned document.

I was especially pleased to confirm that WordTalk worked flawlessly with the scanned text.  WordTalk is the versatile free add-on for MS Word that provides text-to-speech, a talking spell checker, conversion of text to  MP3 audio format,  etc. There are, of course, numerous other study tools built into MS Word that are available to a learner once a document has been scanned into MS Word via ScannedPDFtoWord.

Below is a sample of scanned text that was converted by ScannedPDFtoWord and opened in MS Word.  I’ve highlighted the only errors I could find–the ‘f’ dropped from the word ‘first’ and the two dates, where the number 1 at the beginning of both dates was converted as the capital letter I.  As I said at the outset, this isn’t perfect; but I think it’s very very good.

]]> http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2009/11/09/free-scan-read-write-with-scannedpdftoword/feed/ 0 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2009/10/14/clickspeak-text-to-speech-for-firefox/ http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2009/10/14/clickspeak-text-to-speech-for-firefox/#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:19:26 +0000 Paul Hamilton http://paulhami.edublogs.org/?p=1546 I just came across a video I made a couple of years ago about CLiCk,Speak.  I’d forgotten all about it.  That has prompted me to repeat a post I wrote about CLiCk,Speak in June of 2008.  The resolution isn’t great, but I think the video does a pretty good job of demonstrating CLiCk,Speak in action and of showing how to install it.  I’ve embedded the video at the conclusion of the post.

CLiCk,Speak is a FREE tool that I believe needs to be available to ALL learners who have any reason to go online. It is a powerful tool, and one that is extremely easy to use for anyone who can use a mouse. The CLiCk,Speak toolbar installs with three buttons, as shown here.

In order to have text from a web page read aloud, simply place the cursor where you want to begin reading and click the green button. To stop reading aloud, click the red button. If you wish to read a selection of text, click the white button after selecting the desired text.

Under the Firefox ‘Tools’ Menu is an item called ‘CliCk,Speak Options’. You are able to adjust the reading rate and the pitch of the voice here.

As I repeat frequently, if schools are truly interested in supporting all learners, there is no excuse for continuing to insist on using Internet Explorer. If schools are really interested in trying to facilitate universal access, Firefox is a far superior browser because it is so much more accessible for countless learners. There is absolutely no monetary cost for using Firefox, but the potential to help learners with reading challenges is priceless!

When he set it up, I doubt if Gary Bishop could have foreseen the phenomenal growth that Tar Heel Reader would achieve.   This amazing online collection of accessible “books for beginning readers of all ages” has grown to 5805 titles!  Beautifully illustrated with images from Flickr, these books are truly engaging for a wide range of readers.

In the context of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Tar Heel Reader books are accessible to ALL learners.   Almost all of the titles are ‘age-appropriate’ for learners of any age.  The books can be read and/or listened to online.  They can be accessed with a mouse, with up to three switches, or via overlays on Intellikeys.  As well, the books can be downloaded quickly and easily for use offline.  Here’s a video that shows how a switch user might read a Tar Heel book either online or offline.

PowerTalk is a free add-on that provides text-to-speech for PowerPoint files, and it works brilliantly with Tar Heel Reader books when downloaded as PowerPoint files.  The experience of reading a Tar Heel Reader book is enhanced tremendously when viewed as a full screen slide show and when narrated with PowerTalk.  It’s even better if a quality voice has been installed on your computer for text-to-speech.

Excellent voices can be purchased and downloaded from NextUp, and elsewhere, for about $30.  If you already have a good voice because it has come with another program, this voice can be set as the default for all text-to-speech on your computer.  For example, VW Paul is the default voice on my computer because I have Kurzweil 3000.  The default is set in ‘Speech’ at the Control Panel.

I have downloaded a sampling of about 70 Tar Heel Reader books as PowerPoint files.  If you would like to have these, you can download them in a zipped file HERE.  Also included in the folder is an executable file for installing PowerTalk.  I hope you find this helpful.

I have made and embedded a short video below, that demonstrates opening and reading a downloaded Tar Heel Reader story with PowerTalk.  This is exactly as it looks and sounds for me when I use PowerTalk with a downloaded Tar Heel Reader book.  Narration begins automatically on the title page, but the reader chooses to move through the pages of the book at his or her own pace.  I used the right-arrow key to move through the pages.

I wrote about PhotoPeach last month.  Since then, I’ve very much enjoyed “playing” with PhotoPeach as I’ve created several “stories” with my own photos.  I especially like PhotoPeach for multimedia creativity because it is so easy to learn and use and because text captions are such a  straightfoward option.  These two factors make PhotoPeach an especially attractive multimedia option for the classroom.

Now I have a new reason to be enthusiastic about PhotoPeach.  I’ve discovered the PhotoPeach Quiz–and figured out how to create quizzes.  Although the quizzes are easy to create and to use,  it wasn’t quick and easy for me to figure out where to go to create them.  There is nothing on the start page to direct you to a quiz option.  You only discover the quiz feature in the process of editing a PhotoPeach story that you’ve already created.  I’ll include some ‘how-to’ screen shots at the bottom of this post.

I’ve embedded below a short quiz that I put together with Creative Commons photos from Flickr. Rather than trying to describe how it works, you can see for yourself.

After registering for a free account, here’s what you do to create a quiz in PhotoPeach.

1.  Upload your photos from your computer, or import them from elsewhere on the Internet.

2.  Arrange your photos as you want them.

3.  Give your quiz a title, add a description, and select musical accompaniment if you want it.  Then click the Finish button.

4.  Your “finished” story will begin playing, but you must scroll down below it.  If you wish your quiz to be public, you must select “public” under  ‘Edit (owner options).  Since you are creating a quiz, you must click on the link ‘Arrange Photos & Edit Caption’.

4.  You will now be given the opportunity to create your quiz with the ‘Quiz’ button.  There process is straightforward after you click on this button.

Schools across the province where I live reopen this morning after the long summer break.  This should be a time of great excitement and eager anticipation for every child who is beginning a new school year.  Sadly, the reality is that far too many children are facing this day with a sense of dread and foreboding.  They may be looking forward to seeing friends again, but they are NOT at all optimistic about what is going to happen in their new classrooms.

Too many children have already had enough experience with school to be convinced that they will never succeed.   They may not have learned to read or to write or to do arithmetic  effectively, but they have learned that no matter how hard they try, their efforts will never be good enough–to please their teachers, to make their parents proud, or to satisfy themselves.

In many instances, bright and capable children are going to do poorly and feel like failures  again this year simply because  they learn differently or face significant learning challenges.  Teachers and parents need to be wary of  telling any learner that he or she only needs to try harder in order to succeed.

The good news is that we can offer curricular supports and tools to help more children learn effectively than ever before.  I write this blog because so many wonderful free tools and resources are now readily available.  Not even a lack of money needs to be a barrier to effective learning for any learner, at least not in the North American schools where I work!

Here are a few more thought provoking videos that I’d really like you to watch and think about.  Then let’s  each do our part to support EVERY learner!  Every learner is gifted, and every learner has special needs.  Each learner is unique.

Mind mapping is an essential component in any approach that attempts to meet the learning needs of every learner (see UDL).  Mind mapping offers countless effective ways for learners to build understanding, to express  what they know, and to share their creativity.  For teachers, mind maps can be an engaging way of  presenting information.  Many, if not all,  benefit tremendously from the visual representation of connections.

Many of us who are teachers, however, are relatively good with words; so the potential of mind mapping probably doesn’t spring readily to mind as often as it might.  That’s why I’m delighted by Paul Foreman’s helpful list of 100 Reasons to Mind Map. I encourage you to explore Paul’s entire list, but here are the first 10 reasons that he has listed:

1. Explore a subject
2. Study & learn a new topic, culture or country
3. Plan your schedules
4. Innovate & invent
5. Create new ideas
6. Expand existing ideas
7. Tap your unique talents
8. Increase your brain power
9. Consolidate your existing knowledge
10. Summarise your skills

I’ve written here in the past about several effective free mind mapping programs as well as some excellent online applications.  If you want to explore some of the many options that are available, please check out Jane Hart’s list of 34 free and commercial ‘Mind Mapping and Brainstorming Tools‘.

]]> http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2009/09/04/mind-map-inspiration-for-every-learner-and-teacher/feed/ 0 http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2009/08/26/resources-and-sources/ http://paulhami.edublogs.org/2009/08/26/resources-and-sources/#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:20:56 +0000 Paul Hamilton http://paulhami.edublogs.org/?p=1334 I’ve had to re-think what I do on this blog.  There are so many fabulous free resources, that I could easily spend all my waking hours searching for resources, checking them out and then reviewing them.  I’m sure that I would enjoy this as a full time occupation, but numerous other commitments, including a full time job that I love,  don’t allow me this luxury.  I’ve concluded that a realistic goal at this stage is two or three blog posts per week.

So what to do about the backlog of literally hundreds of worthwhile resources that I would love to share here?  The list is constantly growing!  I’ve concluded that it might be helpful for you to know where I look first as I trawl for free resources that support a UDL approach to learning.

It should come as no surprise that I find almost everything on other blogs.  If you aren’t subscribing to blogs with a “reader”, I encourage you to begin doing so.  At the end of this post, I’ll embed the Common Craft video ‘Google Reader in Plain English’.  I use Google Reader to keep up with the blogs that I subscribe to, and I recommend it highly.

Here are the blogs where I find most of the resources that I share.

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day

• Larry is an ESL teacher in Sacramento, California.  He is also a prolific blogger, who normally posts to his blog several times a day.  Larry also does an excellent job of listing the websites that he writes about, by category, with literally thousands of cataloged online resources.  Virtually all of these resources are free.

Free Technology for Teachers

• The author of this blog is Richard Byrne, a high school teacher from the state of Maine.  He is another prolific blogger who writes several posts each day about free resources.  In addition to reviewing resources that might be of value to learners at all levels, Richard has recently posted helpful screencasts that illustrate how to use some of these resources.

Free Resources for Education

• This is Patricia Donaghy’s blog.  Patricia is a post-secondary educator in Dublin, Ireland.  Patricia posts regularly; and I’ve discovered some resources on her site that have proven to be invaluable.  Patricia also hosts the International Edubloggers Directory, which connects people who are involved in education from all over the world.

Welcome to NCS-Tech!

• Kevin Jarrett, a K-4 Computer Teacher and Technology Facilitator in New Jersey.  Although Kevin does not always write about resources, most of Kevin’s frequent posts offer detailed reviews of K-8 resources that he is excited about.  Almost all of the resources reviewed by Kevin are free.

Teachers Love SMART Boards

• James Hollis is the blogger here, and he’s based in Illinois.  Clearly, James’ focus is on resources that can be used effectively on the SMART board.  Much of what James writes about, however, also works well on standalone computers or in networked computer labs.  If my memory serves, the resources that James highlights are always free.  I appreciate James’ signature statement at the end of each blog post — Sharing is Caring!

Talking SMART Boards and Much More

• The author of this blog is Anne Marie.  She’s been a special education teacher for over 25 years.  She posts regularly, shares a wide range of helpful free online resources on her blog.

Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs

• Kate Ahearn is the prolific host of this blog.  Not all of the resources that Kate shares are free, but many are.  Quite often, Kate shares low cost alternatives to costly resources.  Kate posts regularly and frequently to her blog, and her posts are always worth reading.  She not only shares resources, but she offers practical suggestions in terms of effective use.  I believe that anyone working with learners who have complex special needs ought to subscribe to Kate’s blog.

Jane’s E-Learning Pick of the Day

• Jane Hart is a Social Media and Learning Consultant in the UK.  Not all of the resources that Jane highlights are free, but many of them are.  Sometimes I first learn of something when Jane puts it forward as her ‘Pick of the Day’.  I also appreciate Jane’s ‘Top 100 Tools for Learning’ lists.  These lists are compiled with input from users.

Demo Girl

• Demo Girl Molly McDonald and her sister Maureen are not ‘educators’ as we commonly, and narrowly, define that term.  (I have commented on her blog,  however, that I thought Molly ought to consider taking up teaching.)  This is a blog where I sometimes first discover a powerful and valuable Web 2.0 application.  All of the posts on this blog contain screencasts  that demonstrate how an application works.  This means that the Demo Girl archives are worth checking out if you are ever in need of a screencast to explain an application.

GOTOWEB20

• This blog is authored by Orli Yakuel in Israel.  She highlights numerous brand new Web 2.0 applications, so this is another place where I have first become aware of some genuine gems.  Orli catalogs the applications she blogs about in a special directlory that is worth checking out.

These are not my only sources for resources, the majority of my “finds” come from these.  I encourage you to check them out and to consider subscribing to some of them in a “reader”.  Here’s the promised Common Craft video that explains Google Reader in plain lanuage.

In our digital era,  all learners benefit from developing proficiency with multimedia presentation tools.  For some learners, especially those who struggle with using text to share thoughts and ideas, multimedia tools may be essential.  This is why I am so eager to promote effective applications for multimedia presentation.

As I’ve used it recently, PhotoPeach has emerged as one of my favorite online multimedia applications.

• It is extremely easy to use.
• Photos upload relatively quickly.
• Photos automatically pan for dramatic effect.
• Text captions can be added to any slide.
• Full screen viewing works well (if resolution of originals is high).
• Music available from PhotoPeach library or Youtube video.
• Easy to share via email, Twitter, facebook, MySpace, embed code, or URL.

I particularly like the way that adding text captions has been facilitated.  Music does not have to be added, but the choices here are interesting.  If you don’t wish to use any of the selections from PhotoPeach’s library, you can search for the sound track from an appropriate Youtube video to be played along with the slide show.

If you wish to view a sample, I took some slides from our recent road trip to Mexico and used them to create the PhotoPeach show that I’ve embedded below.  You can jump easily to a full screen view.  (This does not who up in Google Reader, so you may need to click HERE, or go to my original post if you wish to check it out.)

After 16 years of teaching in elementary and middle school classrooms, I began working in “special” education in 1994.   I worked  first as a “special needs itinerant resource teacher”, responsible for the creation and implementation of individual education plans for learners with diagnosed low incidence “disabilities”.  Since 2003,  I’ve  worked as an “assistive technology consultant”, using a wide range of powerful digital technology to support K-12 learners with  documented low incidence “disabilities”.

My work in “special” ed has been far more rewarding than my work as a classroom teacher.  That’s primarily because I’ve been able to focus my efforts on supporting the unique learning needs and challenges of individual learners.  I never felt I was able to do this adequately as a “general” ed classroom teacher.  In fact, it seemed completely impossible to cover the prescribed curriculum while supporting the unique learning needs, aptitudes, interests, learning styles, and giftedness of 30 individual learners.

[When it comes to appearance, it's obvious that each individual is unique.  When it comes to learning needs, it is often less obvious!]

As I began my work in “special” ed, I recall thinking that every learner in every classroom ought to have an individual education plan, not just the select few who qualify by virtue of having a diagnosed “disability”.  This has grown into a deep conviction.  (For more on the absurdity of the hoops that learners must jump through to qualify for the supports they need, I encourage you to read Ira Socol on ‘Retard Theory‘.)

If we are ever to meet the learning needs of all the children in our classrooms, it is imperative that each learner be treated as a unique individual, with a unique set of gifts and needs.  I’ve come to believe that, without exception, every learner is gifted and has special needs.  I’m not referring to “giftedness” in the narrow sense of measurable “intellectual” prowess.  I’m referring to the unique set of abilities, interests, learning styles, and personality that each learner possesses.  Similarly, in the case of “special needs” I’m thinking broadly of any kind of barrier or challenge that hinders learning.

Perhaps I can best illustrate my understanding of special needs by continuing in an autobiographical vein.  As a K-12 learner, and again at the post secondary level, I don’t believe I could have qualified as having significant enough “special needs” for any accommodations–even in today’s world.  What I do know is that from the beginning I faced a major challenge with written output.  No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t write legibly enough to satisfy my teachers.  I don’t blame my teachers for their frustration because even I usually had great difficulty reading what I had written.

I was told that my problem was the result of carelessness and lack of effort.  That became true only after I realized that the situation would never change, no matter how hard I tried.  Teachers need to be extremely cautious about telling learners that all they need to do to achieve success is to “try harder”.  Sometimes that’s just a blatant lie that has damaging consequences!

In grade 9, I enrolled in typing class;  and I learned to type on an old steel typewriter.  In the process, I discovered one of my gifts.  I could type 65 words per minute (accurately) by the end of my grade 9 year.  So, since 1966 I have  submitted almost nothing for anyone else to read that has not been written on a keyboard of one sort or another.  The big exception has been for tests and exams.  I believe my grades would have been a great deal higher if I’d been able to use a typewriter/computer to write tests and exams.  I have horrible memories of running in near panic from university examination halls after 30 minutes when I’d been expected to write for three hours!

My point is that although I was not a student with designated “special needs”, I was indeed a learner with some special needs that required tools and supports that were not always available to me.  I believe the same can be said of  almost every learner everywhere.   That’s why I’d like to see the arbitrary distinctions between special education and general education eliminated.

Let’s just do our best to provide each learner with the tools and supports that he or she needs in order to use his or her giftedness to learn effectively.  I’m excited about the growing range of tools and supports that can be made available to all learners in our digital era.  Many of these tools don’t cost anything, so money is not the barrier it once was.  Perhaps the greatest barrier is the requirement that a person be diagnosed with “special” needs in order to qualify for the privilege of receiving the support that he or she needs.  I’ve changed the name of my blog because I want to do my part to help dismantle this barrier.

I plan to continue to write here about digital tools and resources that have the potential to support learners.  Some of the supports I write about will work well for some learners, while other resources will be more helpful for others.  The key is to make sure that each learner has access to what he or she needs.  If my efforts here result in helping even one learner, the investment will have been worthwhile.

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