An Open Invitation to AAC Companies

I was thinking it must seem awfully Dynavox heavy around here lately. Therefore I would like to extend a standing invitation to other AAC devices manufacturers and vendors to come visit us like Dynavox did and show off your stuff! I have e-mailed a few of you, but if you have a AAC device or anything else relevant to educating learners with multiple or low incidence disabilities I am happy to have you visit and demonstrate. Go to my profile and send me an e-mail or just comment.

A Note from the E-mail Engineer of the Dynavox V

I want to share with everyone parts of a series of e-mails I had in response to my post about the new Dynavox V.

This is from the engineer who designed the e-mail component of the new system (among other things). This excerpt has his explaining the embedded e-mail program:

"Let me call out the essential idea, which is this, "Where you compose what you want to say, is where you compose what you want to send."

You've described one way to use email, to jump to the Compose window, select the body of the email, and then use the system keyboard to write what you want to.... But the other way, is to
compose what you want to say, _back in the Message Window of your main communication page_. Then when you jump to the Compose window, the entire contents of your message window will be dumped in there. Chose the "To:", hit Send and you're done.

Email essentials:
- "Where you compose what you want to say, is where you compose what you
want to send."
- There are only six email behaviors to learn: Quick Email; Quick Email to ...; Check for Messages; New Email; Complete Email; Show

Email Browser.
- There are plenty of example pages already created that you can link to from your main communication page. Check out the "Email and Text Pages" folder in the Page Navigator.

Email is my baby, so I naturally want everyone to see it for the
wonderful child I think it is |:^)

Thank you for your time. Like I said above, it is really so encouraging
to watch as people discover what is waiting for them on the V.

Take care.

Sincerely,
Dan

Manager, Software and UI Development
DynaVox Technologies"

How cool is that?

Eye Tracking Cat

Turning a Dynavox Into a TV/VCR Remote

As promised I am spending my afternoons this week teaching myself how to program a Dynavox DV4 as an environmental control unit. I tried to set up some x10 commands first, but was unsuccessful (missing a part).

Since you don't need any extra parts to control an infrared remote control I tried that next. We don't generally watch TV or movies at school, but what the heck, I can learning how to program them with one remote and it should generalize to another remote.

It was crazy easy to turn the DV4 into a remote control! I went into the Dynavox Knowledge Base and found the info I needed, by searching for "ir". I followed the first part of the directions there (setup -> tools -> ir browser) then I checked tv power and start IR learning. As soon as I clicked start I pressed the power button on the remote, which I had aimed at the top of the DV4. Then I pressed "stop learning" and "test". It worked! I could turn the TV on and off from across the room!

I repeated the same steps for channel up, channel down, volume up and volume down. I learned that when you press the remote as you aim it into the DV4 you only need to press it once or else the Dynavox will learn to change a whole bunch of channels fast or jack the volume up. Although, seeing as this is a teenager's device, maybe having it fly through the channels and blast the volume isn't such a bad idea, at least as far as being age appropriate.

I was so excited to get the Dynavox working as the TV remote that I wanted to show someone, but I felt like a bit of a loser envisioning myself bringing it into the hallway to show the teenagers lurking around waiting for their music lessons in the room next door. So I had to settle for a blog entry.

So there you have it, easy as pie, programming a Dynavox series four as a remote control!

CAST UDL Book Builder

The website for today is the new CAST Universal Design for Learning Book Builder. CAST is the Center for Applied Special Technology out of Massachusetts. CAST explores various applications of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), works with software and technology engineers to make new products accessible to all, lobbies for UDL and supports educators and other professionals in using UDL in schools and other settings.

Book Builder is CAST's newest endeavor. It is an online program that aides teachers and others in writing, illustrating and displaying on a computer or in print a text for learners. There are two sample books to explore, information on creating books and, of course, information on UDL and literacy.

One of the best features of this website is not the actual ability to write books and illustrate them, but the ability to have online characters aide students in reading the book. Three animated "strategy coaches" offer support to readers. Pedro the Penguin offers prompts that cue students to think critically about what they are reading. Hali offers hints that make comprehending the story easier. Monty models expert reading strategy's that will increase understanding.

Book Builder is a great concept with interesting applications for the classroom. Not only does it do what some other (pricey) software does just as well (making books), but it also provides the supports many learners need when they are reading. And all that for free!

Dynavox V

Today I (finally) had the opportunity to see the Dynavox V in action and it was worth the wait! What a unique AAC device Dynavox has made this time. (If only there was a decent image I could hijack for my blog, this one doesn't do it justice.)

I don't even know where to start. The paraprofessionals in my classroom seemed to spend the day deciding what color they would choose if they were getting one (choices: lime green, raspberry, blue berry, grey, black). Some of the student spent quite a bit of time messing around with the choice of voices (in addition to the Microsoft and DecTalk voices now there are AT&T voices). The speech therapists were happy with the new developmentally and age appropriate language software (InterACCT - very, very cool).

I was thrilled that some of my tiny, whiny Dynavox 4 series complaints are solved (the keyguard is flush with the screen so no more caught fingers, it runs Windows XP and has direct internet access). I also loved the ease of adding photographs, MP3 and videos. You can even get images, sounds and videos straight from the internet to InterACCT!

InterACCT uses some of the same intuitive programming features as the Gateway series did, but is has pre-made, ready-to-go boards for every age level no matter what ability. No more jerry-rigging the pre-school board set for older users who need simpler boards and no more trying to make the more complex boards fun for users who are younger and very high functioning.

As always the Dynavox can be used with direct select, various types of scanning, a few different head mice, joysticks and Morse code. Unlike the series four no matter what input device you can adjust things like dwell or scan rate to suit the user. Back from the series 3 devices is the "user" feature, allowing schools and clinics to have more than one student use the same device or one individual with a fluctuating condition to have several board sets to meet different needs.

Another new feature is the Boardmaker Bridge with allows easy import of Speaking Dynamically Pro boards into the Dynavox, so you aren't stuck with a SDP device forever if you don't want to re-program all those boards. Also new is the fact that you no longer have to choose between Mayer-Johnson PCS or Dynasyms, now you automatically get both!

Another feature that was awesome was the symbol clipboard which allows you to select any text (like online, in an e-mail or in a word document) and it creates a page of symbols from the vocabulary! Similarly there is a piece of add on software called DynaLessons that makes teaching standards based curriculum with the Dynavox easier. Thank you Dynavox for not forgetting the teachers and our need for curriculum content!

With the device the user gets a Dynavox e-mail address and a pre-installed e-mail program! The Dynavox e-mail program is adjustable from just a few buttons to create an error free e-mail to a keyboard to compose anything you want to say. Also, the Dynavox V has Bluetooth and can send text and receive text messages to/from cellphones.

The Dynavox V has the same x10 and IR environmental controls as the series four, but it also has GEWA. The IR is very easy to program and I am promised the x10 is as well. (I plan to spend most of next week programming x10 on the series for in the room, so I will let you know how that goes.)


The best news the company representative had for us (Hi, Lori) was that in our state a new device can be purchased through state insurance in three years if there is a clinically sound reason for it, such as the student has outgrown the capabilities of the old device (which one of my students has and the device is about 34 months old). So maybe there will be a Dynavox V in my room sometime soon.

See video of AT on ABC news including Dynavox V.

Online Stop Watches and Timers

Since some us cannot download free software on school computers and it is IEP, standardized testing and educational re-evaluation season I have compiled a list of online stopwatches and timers, in case you forget to wear your watch with the second hand. So bookmark the one you like best for use when you need it!

Stop Watches

• Arantius Stop Watch
  
• Communitech Stopwatch and Countdown Timer
• Interactivate Stopwatch with Record Feature
• Resizeable, Pick Your Color Stop Watch

Timers

• Class Timer
• IDEAS Timer
• Toastmasters Speech Timer (for student presentations or reports at those long eval meetings)