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Jordan giving her pros and cons of the Braillenote Touch

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Jordan reviewing Braillenote Touch and Gmail

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Find the knowledge you are looking for with:

Basic navigation for Word 2016 on Windows 10

Windows 10 with Word 2016 setup

Windows 10, file explorer & spell check in word 2016

Windows 10 commands list-9 pages of commands --free

All at: http://www.yourtechvision.com/content/windows-10-file-explorer-word-2016-setup-and-spell-check-help-get-going-and-moving

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What technology does your child or students need to learn today-- to be prepared for tomorrow’s job market?

What technology does your child or students need to learn today-- to be prepared for tomorrow’s job market?

This is a huge argument among anyone using his or her favorite piece of technology. However, statistics on what is used now and will be used in the near future is a better option to look at for facts. Then you will know what your child should be learning now to be prepared for tomorrow.

This data is taken from the PewResearch Center on Science and Technology—Numbers don’t lie. Ninety percent of the population uses a Cell Phone. For accessibility and speed, the accessibility features of a cell phone have propelled the blind population as well as the rest of the people into accessing the world fast. But when it comes to doing the hard core work, the desktop or laptop computer still tops it all with 80% of the work population. The combination of a cell phone and computer will enable your child to do anything. Tablets such as an iPad or ereader are just frosting on the cake. Just make sure you are not teaching just the frosting but the hard-core cell phone and computer….adding a braille display to these devices gives power unrealized before.

Here is a basic layout:

90% of American adults have a cell phone-(cell phones are 90% and of that 64% have smartphones)
80% desktop or laptop computer-of computers 2014 statistics are in below table.




Windows 7


58.04%

Windows XP


16.94%

Windows 8.1


10.55%

Mac OS X 10.10


3.96%

Windows 8


3.52%

Windows Vista


1.97%

Mac OS X (other)


1.71%

Mac OS X 10.9


1.61%

Linux


1.5%

Windows (other)


0.2%

32% of American adults own an e-reader
42% of American adults own a tablet computer


To back up the facts of the above Device Ownership Over Time of the teen population, which will dictate future jobs and success with these tools in the job, is cell phone and smart phones is 78% and desktop and laptop use is 80% which is reflecting what is occurring in the job world right now. Tablets are only 23%.

Data Trends for Internet Use Over Time shows that 87% of Americans use the Internet, so once again, our blind and deaf/blind students need to know how to use the Internet at the speed of our sighted peers which takes talking software keyboard commands and braille displays. Using a variety of talking software commands and OCR programs allow great feats of ability to work at the speed of …well…anyone else.

Think about it, then make the changes if you need for the best education of your child or student.

How to make a curved line in a graph using Excel and talking software

The Indelible Spirit and Potential of YOUR Child

The Indelible Spirit and Potential of YOUR Child

Turn tragedy into triumph

By Dr. Denise M Robinson

I am asked to be a keynote speaker or train people during conferences each year. Due to my own heavy schedule, I have to decline most times, but hope to take on all of them as I hire more teachers with the same philosophy as my own. I have always wanted to deliver a speech such as this to parents and teachers so they understand---a child can do anything if given the vision and instruction to do so. You can help anyone reach his or her highest potential if you change your vision of “what is normal.” Fear Not and then Teach!

Most believe that having a child with a difference such as being born blind, or deaf, without limbs etc. is the most devastating experience anyone can have. Yes, we all have this image of the “perfect” child in our minds and when the doctor tells us something “different” we are crushed. Go through the crushed, the crying, the loss you feel, but I am here to tell you, if you can “change your normal image” you will thank God for the incredible difference of your child as you encourage her or him to go on to face the great challenge that is life. But the hope is, you read this article first, then any child you have, there is already hope and delight….no matter what the doctor says.

I say this because I have faced incredible challenges many times over and if my parents were not the type to say, “pick yourself up and go” I would not be here today, and they would have been crushed people living in defeat over my challenges. Is this easy? NO, but you can do it with HIM. I am going to add a caveat here because I am not sure you can do it without faith in God. When you cannot do it on your own, and we cannot, HE is there to move you along and carry you at your lowest points. He will give you the peace to go on and fight—because life is a battle to win (Ephesians 6:12). You can do all things through HIM who strengthens you. (Philippians 4:13).

So now, I will tell you stories about my families over the last 30 years who have gone on and are winning this battle. I wish I could tell you all the stories but time and space will limit the incredible gift I have been given of being able to teach these students and make their families part of my huge extended family… and we are family. I fight in every battle with them to help them go on too.

During Student teaching, I met B. During the beginning of my career, any “different” child was housed in large schools where they could be “babysat.” Their words as is this story….I had no idea this was how “different” children were taught. It was eye opening and terrifying to me. B was in a wheelchair, very thin and slumped over. He had a brace supporting his chest so he could “sit up.” At the time, he had a small box in front of him that was labeled with words and phrases and when it was pressed it talked—it was B’s “voice” to the world. He had been in the institution for 15 years before this tool came along. A tape recorder was sometimes placed in front of him and a group of others, to “listen” to stories. His life existed of being diapered and tube fed throughout the day, then he would go home to his family.

One day a distributor of these “talking boxes” came to the school to demonstrate what it could do. The school bought several and used them with the higher functioning children. As a lark, one of the teachers took one of these boxes and placed it on the table that was hooked to B's wheel chair. A finger on his right hand had movement so the box was placed close to his right hand and just left there to see if anything would happen. Slowly but surely…and it was slowly…B poked out “please move me, I hurt.” That story shocks me to this day and changed my whole concept of how to teach children. It shocked that teacher too as well as the school. He was given direct instruction on how to further use this box and for the first time, B could “talk” to the world around him and interact with his family. There is a brain behind that body!!!

G was born blind in Mexico. His mom had 5 children already and the doctors told her to put him in an institution and forget about him. She was poor but strong and kept asking the question, “Where can I go to get him educated?” She would discover a little town in Washington and there I would meet him in a self-contained classroom, rocking back and forth, furiously pressing his fists to his eyes while whining a painful moan. He was 17. The classroom teacher took me aside and told me there was really nothing I could do. “He is a vegetable,” she explained very matter of factly

I “HATE” that phrase and loath all concepts behind it. NO ONE is a vegetable! Everyone has something to contribute to life—EVERYONE!

I asked the school for a separate room in order to instruct him. My “B” experience taught me that there is always a brain in there. You just need to instruct the child and then sit back and be amazed. Because the school would not invest in any “tools” for a child with such differences, I got a computer donated, added talking software and fixed it so he could use it. I did discover he had a bit of vision so added high contrast and large letters -72 font -in WORD so I could start teaching him the English alphabet. Mom came to every lesson so she could follow through at home. I always teach the children what makes sense to them in their world. So, the first words we worked on was, “I love mom.” We worked a great deal on him learning the keys so he could constantly have the talking software reinforce what he was “seeing” to what he was hearing to what key he was pressing. He learned how to type that sentence out in about 6 months. Once he got what I was trying to teach him, the next phrases came easier as he would type out words and “talk to us”. He also began to speak and repeat the words. It took mom 17 years, but her son could now start to communicate with her as well as answer questions. Yes, it was slow, but just think where this child would have been able to do if someone had started with him at 0, 1, 2, or 5? Think about it! On another note, he would NOT talk to the negative teacher or anyone like her. I have discovered that children very quickly pick up on who is in support of them and who is not. If your child gets a negative teacher who believes your child does not have potential or promise …MOVE THEM!

Y came from Ukraine and had lived with another Ukraine family in the US for approximately 2 years while receiving medical treatment. She was born around the time of the Chernobyl nuclear accident and a brain tumor was the result. Eventually, the tumor broke through her optic nerves and took her sight at 15. Her parents were finally able to immigrate to the US so they could all be together and be able to seek out education for her—all 12 of her siblings and parents. As I walked into the meeting room at school, I saw a grief stricken and troubled mom and Y along with their interpreter. In Ukraine, there was no hope for any “different” child and mom had a very horrible picture of what would become of her daughter as explained to us through the interpreter. After listening to all her fears, I went about explaining the plan I had for her. She was going to learn how to use a computer with talking software and a braille display. She would learn to read with her fingers and I described all the other blind techniques she would learn to access the world and live out her dreams. I saw a light come on in mom and Y. Eyes wide open---they had no idea what a full life she could live. I told mom I had done this many times before and Y would meet other students just like her who were successful in school and life. They left with trepidations, but a bit of hope. They had never heard of this before.

Y and I set about instruction. Here is where faith comes in. She knew about 8 words of English and I knew 0 Ukraine or Russian (she spoke both languages). Her first words to me were, “I want to die because I am blind.” I prayed before, after and through every lesson. There was no Ukraine talking software at that time (or any foreign language) and I finally located someone in Russia who could help me write and load scripts for Russian talking software. But, most of it was just me teaching her hand over hand or hand under hand on where the keys were and what the correlation was between Russian and English; and WOW did this girl learn fast. Within 3 months, she was doing all the interpretation for the family and could easily speak to all her teachers and me. She was typing around 60 wpm with few errors. Her fingers flew across the keyboard like the wind. As summer approached, I knew she needed a computer at home so I went to the Lions Club and raised enough funds to buy what she needed at home. She was now emailing her friends, completing and turning all work in through her email and doing research on the world with her computer. At the end of those 3 months, she told me, “I am so happy. I want to live.” I now know I can do anything!”

K was born blind, cleft palate, had partial limbs and other differences. Her family faith, remarked, “She is a special and beautiful child who was wonderfully made.” They went about trying to have her be as “normal” as any other child is. By 2nd grade, the teacher put in a request for a teacher of the blind to evaluate her. She was 1 inch from the paper and had 2.5 fingers between 2 arms (1 being a partial arm). She had great difficulty writing. She was very small for her age and thus far, the teachers had just moved her along. When I evaluated her, I could not get a grade level and discovered she was legally blind. She could repeat the alphabet to me. No teacher had really given her hope or goals—she was a part of class. They appeased and loved her and had greater pity for her….and no hope in what she could do.

At her IEP meeting, I told the team that she really needed to have a computer with talking software and a braille display along with learning braille and everything else that went with blind skills. Mom did not want braille. “It would make her blind.” She did not want those services, so I just told her to read over my goals and think about it over the summer. In the meantime, would she agree to a CCTV – a tool that would enlarge all text to the 72-size font she needed to “see.” She agreed to that. The new school year started and the teacher tested her reading ability on the CCTV. She was reading 12 wpm at “sorta” kinder level, missing the correct pronunciation of most words. We reconvened for another meeting and mom agreed to services. However K needed more surgery and would be gone until February.

I began teaching her and she took off on the computer as all children do. WOW, the speed at which a child learns when given a computer with talking software and braille display still amazes me every time I go through the keyboard commands and show them how to fly and move faster on that keyboard than their sighted peers can with a mouse. Yes, eventually the sighted students go to my students, asking them how to do something. What a confidence booster. In braille instruction, only 1 finger could feel the braille so she marked her spot with her left one and only appendage while reading with her right finger. I kept having her stimulate the left finger with the braille, with her moving it across the dots and within 9 months the nerves started to grow and form in that appendage and she could start using it to read braille. YES, the body constantly grows and learns…even nerves. Just teach it!!!

By the 15 month of instruction, she was reading braille at 115 wpm. She is now in 9th grade, on honor roll, school president, a leader in her school and class with her peers looking up to her—no more pity—just amazement. She can complete any task using her computer that allows her to type out over 77 wpm and read braille at 225 words per minute. Yes, only 2 fingers can do that and every year, her goals increase, just like the standards for every other child. She completes all work just as her peers. The child no one had hope in, is now leading her class and school.

The director in hopes that I could do something brought T as well as the other students in this district to me. She was not happy with their present TVI situation and wanted a change. T was in a self-contained autistic classroom. By 1st grade he had not been taught to read or write and played games and was “controlled” by the classroom teacher and paras. He had no blind skills. After completing an evaluation on him, I came back with my recommendations. Mom did not want to pursue braille, despite the fact she was taking TVI classes and wanted to become a TVI. She believed the "wrong message of blindness." During evals and instruction now, I take video recordings—an ongoing report card and send these to the team every couple of weeks. I had done this with the evaluation of T and the parents were shocked at him positioning 90 Font print cards up to his nose to try to read. That is all it took. Yes, a video is worth a thousand words!

T did not understand reading and writing and what I was trying to do when we first began. He spoke little…very little. He was very tactile defensive and leaned over everything to try and “see.” He had a lot of verbal outbursts. Even the para thought I was “nuts” trying to teach him braille and computers but fortunately trusted me---somewhat. By February, he was typing simple words and repeating them while reading from his braille display. Hard copy braille of his work from the brailler was sent home. The first year was work that was all about him so it made sense to him on what he was typing and brailling. By the end of the school year, he was truly talking and interacting with us and working on 1st grade level work. Talking software not only can teach a foreign language and how to speak English, it can take a non-speaking child to speaking. By the following year, he was getting 90-100% on 2nd grade spelling tests, learning Nemeth and doing some of the 2nd grade curriculum and talking nonstop. He is also mainstreamed part of the time in regular education of which he is doing spelling. I predict he will be fully mainstreamed in the very near future.

The bottom line is---change your idea of “normal.” There are many different “normals,” and that makes life exciting and challenging. Challenges make us grow stronger if you allow them to. Have a vision then times it by infinity: because that is the potential of your child!

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Hundreds of lessons to go with talking software at: yourtechvision.com

Apps for all types of disabilities or challenges of any age

Apps for all types of disabilities or challenges of any age

Information from: “Appy” Transition to Adulthood
Maria Kelley, OTR/L, ATP
Gaby de Jongh
Washington Assistive Technology Act Program (WATAP)
800 214-8731
watap.org
watap@uw.edu

Resources for Disability Apps
AppCrawlr-search site
*        http://appcrawlr.com/ios-apps/best-apps-functional-groups
*        Autism Speaks
*        http://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-apps
*        BridgingApps–IsignioApp Tool
*        http://bridgingapps.org/
*        Daily App Show –blog with app reviews
*        http://dailyappshow.com/
*        Georgia Tools for Life –search database
*        http://www.gatfl.org/favorite-search.php
*        iTunes -App store
*        Special Education Section
*        Smart Apps for Kids
*        http://www.smartappsforkids.com/
*        Sign up for email notifications when apps are on sale
*        OT’s with Apps –blog with app reviews
*        http://otswithapps.com/
*        You Tube –demos of apps
*        http://www.youtube.com/

iDressfor Weather
*        Customizable closet
*        Customizable temp range
*        Location based
*        $1.99

Check
*        See all your bills & accounts in one centralized place
*        Get reminders when bills are due
*        Pay on the spot and schedule bill payments for free
*        Receive alerts when funds are low or credit limits are near
*        Free

Money Counter Calculator
*        Enter amount of coins and dollars and total is provided
*        iPad only
*        Free

LookTel Money Reader
*        Uses camera
*        Speaks out loud
*        Do not need to hold bill steady or in entire frame
*        Supports US dollar, Australian Dollar, British Pound, Canadian Dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen, Mexican Peso, Indian Rupee, New Zeland Dollar, Russian Ruble, others
*        $9.99

Shopping List Generator
*        Pictorial shopping list
*        Customize different lists for different users with pictures on camera roll
*        Add your own items and categories
*        Assign item prices
*        Assign item locations (i.e. -aisle numbers)
*        Several accessibility options
*        text-to-speech
*        uses large easy-to-see images
*        item prices automatically totaled
*        $4.99

FaceDialVisual Dialer
*        Call/text/email your favorites contacts, with buttons showing their photo
*        See all your favorite contacts faces in one or several screens
*        Call/text/email them with a single touch
*        Free

SpeechTrans
*        Translates both voice and text based communication
*        Supports multiple languages
*        Video chat
*        Text
*        $9.99

BlindSquare
*        Uses GPS and the compass to locate you
*        Gathers information about the surrounding environment from FourSquare and Open Street Map
*        Has unique algorithms to decide what information is the most relevant and then speaks it to you with high quality speech synthesis
*        $23.99

Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock
•Tracks your sleep patterns
•Uses iPhone accelerometer to track how often you move at night
•Set an alarm range
•Woken up gradually when you are in like sleep
•Feel refreshed and energized
•$2.99

Apps for Note taking
Dragon Dictation
*        Voice Recognition
*        Dictate notes, emails, Twitter, and Facebook
*        Supports many languages
*        Convenient editing feature that provides a list of suggested words
*        Voice driven correction interface
*        Free

AudioNote
*        Records your notes, meetings or lectures
*        Can take notes by typing, stylus, or drawing
*        Time stamps so you can go directly to where you want to hear
*        Highlights notes when read back
*        $4.99

Noteability
*        Full-featured Handwriting
*        PDF Annotation
*        Advanced Word Processing
*        Linked Audio Recording
*        Auto-sync with iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive
*        Library Organization
*        $2.99

Apps for Reading & Writing

Reading: Learning AllyAudible
Learning Ally
*        DAISY format
*        Over 75,000 audiobooks
*        Membership required
Audible
*        Over 100,000 titles
*        Works on Android, Apple, and Windows
*        $14.95 per month

Reading: WebReader
*        Text to speech technology for reading web page content
*        Web pages can be read as soon as they are loaded or use Cut, Copy, & Paste to read only sections of webpage
*        Highlights as it reads text
*        Speaking rate control available
*        $1.99

Reading & Writing: ClaroSpeakUS
*        Text-to-Speech
*        Import documents and PDFs into ClaroSpeak from apps such as Mail, or import PDF, Word, Pages and other files directly from Dropbox using
*        Change font and color
*        Save text as an audio file
*        Visual Tracking
*        Send Text
*        $0.99

Reading & Writing: iReadWrite
*        Text-to-speech
*        Word Prediction
*        Phonetic Spell Checker
*        Homophone and Confusables Checker
*        Picture Dictionary
*        Customizable Background and Text Colors
*        Choice of Voices and Fonts
*        Importing and Sharing documents
*        $19.99

Reading &Writing: iWordQ
*        Writing
*        In-context word prediction
*        Access to iPad dictionary
*        Text-to-speech feedback
*        Simple Text Editor
*        Reading
*        Read out loud
*        Advanced proofreading
*        $24.99

Writing: Inspiration Maps
*        Brainstorm new ideas and capture insights
*        Organize thoughts and topics for writing
*        Understand cause and effect
*        Analyze information
*        Organize projects
*        Take notes
*        Study for exams
*        $9.99

Apps for Organization/Memory

iHomework
*        Keep up-to-date with your school work, grades, to-do's, teacher's information
*        School organizer that can be with you anywhere you go, whether that be on your iPhone/iPod touch, iPad, or Mac
*        $1.99

Key Ring
*        One Place to store all reward cards
*        Organized
*        Android & Apple version
*        Free

MyMedSchedule
•Keep track of medication
•Reminders
•Refill Reminders
•Healthcare Provider Profiles
•Insurance Information
•Allergies
•Works across Platforms
•Free

VoCalVoice Reminders
*        Uses tones or recorded voices
*        Echo feature
*        Email reminders to friends or family
*        Calendar synching to iCal
*        $0.99

Picture Scheduler
*        Create visual tasks with attached audio, video or picture
*        Tasks can have alarms
*        Alarms can be repeated daily, weekly, monthly or you can select specific weekdays
*        Tasks can be organized into categories with a picture
*        Can hide task and reveal later
*        $2.99

Apps for Communication

Speak it!
*        Easy to use interface: enter the text you want to say, and press the “Speak it! Button
*        Four high quality voices are included: American Male, American Female, British Male, British Female
*        Highlights words as they are spoken
*        Ability to create audio files and email them
*        Save as many phrases as you would like, and easily repeat them later
*        Localized for French, Italian, German, and Spanish
*        $1.99

Locabulary
*        Uses GPS to track user location and suggests appropriate vocabulary based on location
*        ie: McDonald’;s starbucks
*        A keyboard to type for text-to-speech
*        User can tag their own locations and create vocabulary for each location
*        Lite version free
*        Pro version $130

GoTalk NOW
*        Adjustable page layouts
*        Customizable navigation
*        Recorded and text-to-speech capabilities
*        Included symbol set
*        $79.99 (free version available)

Rocket Keys
*        Sentence Prediction to help support social conversations
*        Create your own keyboard
*        Stabilization feature for users with tremors
*        $160

Proloquo2Go
*        Symbol-supported
*        Text to speech
*        Word prediction
*        Phrase prediction
*        Natural voices
*        Expanding vocabulary
*        Switch scanning access
*        Send email, messages, tweets and Facebook posts
*        $219.99

Apps for Navigation & Location

Around Me
*        Identifies where you are
*        Lists what is around you
*        View route from where you are
*        Add information to contact list
*        Free

Four Square
*        Check in to remember and share the places you visit
*        Search for anything (from 'free wi-fi' to ‘nachos’) or browse food, nightlife, and more
*        Get directions, hours, menus, photos, and tips and tens of millions of places
*        Free

Find my Kids ~ Footprints
*        Tracks movement throughout the day and logs waypoints without user intervention
*        Parental control feature allows for sharing locations at all times, without a disabling option
*        Geofence and movement notifications can alert you when someone moves or crosses a fenced area
*        Speeding notifications can alert parents when their teenagers go over the speed limit
*        Free

Apps for Sensory Needs

ZoomReader
*        OCR scan
*        Voice control of some features
*        Read back in a natural voice
*        Customizable
*        Highlight colors
*        Synthesizer
*        Text size
*        Speech rate
*        Low vision users
*        $19.99

EyeSight
*        EyeSight allows to magnify any printed material up to 12X
*        Toggle through 6 distinct color-contrast combinations
*        Becomes the equivalent of a CCTV
*        $29.99

Vision Assist
*        Electronic video magnifier
*        Zoom image up to 20x
*        Can freeze image and pan in
*        Autofocus
*        Optimized for Retina Display
*        Utilizes camera flash
*        $5.99

TapTapSee
*        Designed to help blind and visually impaired identify objects
*        Aim camera at an item then double tap the screen
*        Hear the app speak the identification
*        Free

Clear Captions
*        Adds captions to the phones you already have
*        Displays captions of your phone calls
*        Only you see the captions for your call
*        Requires WiFi
*        Free
*        Does require a one time fee to set up

Hamilton CapTel
*        Listen to phone conversations while reading word-for-word captions
*        Requires simultaneous voice and data plans, or WiFi
*        Free

IP-Relay
*        Enables people who are deaf or hard of hearing to use an iPhone or iPod Touch to quickly and easily call people who are hearing
*        You type your side conversation, certified IP-Relay operator receives it and voices everything you type to the hearing person
*        Free

Skype
*        Useful for sign language communicators
*        Send text and SMS
*        Works on 3G and WiFi
*        Free

iHear
*        Sound Amplifier
*        Must use basic headphones
*        $0.99

Apps for Emergency Preparedness

ICE(In Case of Emergency)
*        Emergency contact list
*        Central place for you to record any medications
*        List allergies or medical conditions
*        Pre-loaded medical information to choose from
*        Free

American Red Cross: Shelter View
*        Know when and where shelters have been opened to provide assistance
*        Maps locations and shelter details
*        View shelter details
*        Capacity of the shelter and current population
*        Shelter address and location
*        Shelter information is updated every 30 minutes
*        Free

Emergency Aid
*        What to do in a personal threat, disaster or emergency
*        Detailed medical profile
*        Emergency contacts and health information with photo and customizable notes
*        Distress Signal and light
*        Illustrated instructions with highlighted “What to do”, “Warnings” and “Do Not”
*        One-Tap Call to emergency aid services or web sites
*        $1.99

Apps for Behavior and Relaxation

iZen Garden
*        Choose from 100s of objects, plants and creatures to place in your garden
*        Rake the sand and share your creations
*        Helps you to center your mind, relax your psyche and relieve your stress
*        $4.99

T2 Mood Tracker
*        Monitor moods on six pre-loaded scales
*        Anxiety
*        Stress
*        Depression
*        Brain injury
*        Post-traumatic stress
*        General Well being
*        Rate and track moods over time
*        Free

Breathe2Relax
*        Portable stress management tool
*        Voice instructions for set up and relaxation
*        Easily set length of inhale and exhale to help as a reminder for deep breathing
*        Can help with mood stabilization, anger control, and anxiety management
*        Free

Relax Melodies
*        Help block out environmental noises and increase productivity and focus
*        Relax Melodies and White noise Machine Lite
*        Customize sounds and make playlists
*        Relaxing Sounds of Nature Lite
*        Customizable sounds coupled with visual nature displays
*        Free

More info at: www.yourtechvision.com

Instamorph-solve geometry and other math problems with instant shapes

Incredible Instamorph solves those Geometry problems with making instant shapes....of any kind. Think big and do just about anything you need. Youtube video at : Instamorph

A PANIC button for the computer--to get that help now

Do you ever wish there was a PANIC button on your computer, so when all went astray, you could hit it and someone would come on and fix the problem.
Well, for the student and adults working with the TechVision team, that reality is here. Students are at school and something goes wrong: their panic button happens to be texting or calling on skype or iphone or other device and an instructor is immediately there to help them through or they were told they need to create an xy line plot graph in excel and they have no idea how to start. Another senario is an adult is at work and they have just been handed something inaccessible. No problem, a text away is the help needed.
Virtual instruction enables incredible possibilities to learn for immediate need. Email today for your possibility of becoming a student who will have a PANIC button built in to your day to learn those immediate things to get you to the success you are working toward: yourtechvision@gmail.com

The day I lost a child on the Tube-thought provoking for today on raising children

The incredible changes on how we raise our children today will be challenged by this article. The author a past teacher, into head teacher for a school presents thoughts of independence or lack of independence of our children today.
Read at

The day I lost a child on the Tube

 

more at: www.yourtechvision.com

“50 Best iPad Apps for Reading Disabilities”

“50 Best iPad Apps for Reading Disabilities”
Guest Blog by Rosa Ray 

 Whether you’re the parent of a child with a reading disability or an educator that works with learning disabled students on a daily basis, you’re undoubtedly always looking for new tools to help these bright young kids meet their potential and work through their disability. While there are numerous technologies out there that can help, perhaps one of the richest is the iPad, which offers dozens of applications designed to meet the needs of learning disabled kids and beginning readers alike. Here, we highlight just a few of the amazing apps out there that can help students with a reading disability improve their skills not only in reading, writing, and spelling, but also get a boost in confidence and learn to see school as a fun, engaging activity, not a struggle. Here are “50 Best iPad Apps for Reading Disabilities:”

Helpful Tools

These tools are useful for both educators and students with reading disabilities alike, aiding in everything from looking up a correct spelling to reading text out loud.

1. Speak It!: Speak It! is a great text-to-speech solution that can allow students with reading disabilities to get a little help with reading when they need it.
2. Talk to Me: Talk to Me is another text to speech application. It can be used to read words out loud as they are typed, which can help students to better correlate the letters and words with how they’re pronounced.
3. Dragon Dictation: Dragon Dictation works in reverse of the two apps we just listed. Instead of reading text out loud, the application writes down spoken text. For students who struggle with writing, it can be a great way for them to jot down ideas or get help learning.
4. Dyslexic Like Me: Explaining dyslexia to a child can be hard, but this application can make it a little easier. It’s an interactive children’s book that helps students to understand dyslexia and become empowered to overcome their learning disability.
5. Merriam-Webster Dictionary: If spelling is a problem, it’s always a good idea to have a really great dictionary on hand. This app from Merriam-Webster can provide that.
6. Ditionary.com: If Dictionary.com is your go-to place for definitions and spelling help, this app can be a great way to bring that functionality to your iPad or iPhone.
7. Prizmo: With Prizmo, users can scan in any kind of text document and have the program read it out loud, which can be a big help to those who struggle with reading.
8. Flashcards for iPad: This app makes it easy to study words, spelling, and other things that young and LD readers might need help with.
9. Soundnote: Using Soundnote, you can record drawings, notes, and audio all at once, balancing reading-based skills with those that are auditory and visual.

Fundamentals

These apps help teach the fundamentals of reading, writing, and spelling to any young learner, but can be especially helpful for those who are struggling.

10. Alphabet Zoo: Alphabet Zoo is a great tool for helping young readers to recognize letter sounds. Using text and pictures of animals, kids can build their reading skills while having fun.
11. Find the Letters HD: A favorite of special education teachers and psychologists, this app asks learners to find letters and numbers in a coloring grid. It helps build skills in spatial positioning, depth orientation, form discrimination, and concentration and attention.
12. First Words Sampler: Preschoolers with a reading disability can get a head start on improving their skills with this app that teaches them about letters and words using fun graphics and sounds.
13. Montessori Crosswords: Embrace the Montessori method by using this app to help youngsters improve their spelling and reading skills through engaging phonics-based exercises.
14. Read & Write :Students can practice reading and writing letters using this application. Users can trace letters, learn letter sounds, and get illustrations to go along with each part of the alphabet.
15. Sound Literacy: With a portion of the proceeds from this app going to the Dyslexia Association, there’s no reason not to sign on. Even better, the app is incredibly useful, employing the Orton-Gillingham method to help students recognize the spellings of English phonemes.
16. weesay ABC: Using pictures, words, and sounds, this application makes it easy for young students to practice and learn their ABCs.
17. abc PocketPhonics: This app is a great tool for teaching reading disabled students the fundamentals of letter sounds and shapes.
18. The Writing Machine: By correlating pictures and words, reading text, sounding out letters, this tool helps students develop early literacy abilities with greater ease.
19. WordSort: One of the top educational apps out there, this game helps kids to learn how to identify parts of speech, like nouns, adverbs, and verbs, as well as emphasizing grammar skills.
20. ABC Phonics Word Families: Using analogy phonics (or word families) this application teaches young learners to see and hear the patterns of commonality in a set of words. With flashcards, spelling words, scrambled words, and games, this app is a must-have for helping students.

Reading

These excellent iPad apps can be a big help to reading disabled students who need a little extra support when trying to read.

21. Blio: Blio offers all the same features of any basic e-reader, and also a few things that make it unique. Through synchronized highlighting and a serial presentation view, the app helps those with reading disabilities make sense of the text, something many other similar apps don’t offer.
22. Read 2 Me: For those who have difficulty reading, apps like Read 2 Me can be a godsend. The app comes complete with an entire library of texts, all of which can be read out loud.
23. Read2Go: If you use DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) books in your classroom, Read2Go is one of the best and most accessible ways to read those books on iOS.
24. AppWriter: Designed with reading and writing disabilities in mind, this text editor for iPad integrates numerous accessibility features into standard text editing functionality.
25. Audiobooks: Sometimes students with reading disabilities might just want a break from reading books the old fashioned way. That’s why this amazing collection of free audiobooks can come in handy, offering access to classics like Romeo and Juliet and Treasure Island.
26. Bob’s Books: Bob’s Books uses phonics-based interactive games to help kids learn how to read. Activities will help young learners to sound out words, spell, and make connections between letters and sounds.
27. iStoryTime: There are numerous titles to choose from in the iStoryTime series, all of which allow kids to have the book read to them or to get help reading it themselves.
28. MeeGenius! Kids’ Books: MeeGenius is another series that’s perfect for practicing reading skills. Those with trouble reading can use illustrations and helpful word highlighting to get help, or just have the book read to them until they’re confident enough to do it on their own.
29. Reading Trainer: While this app is designed to help average readers boost their reading speed and ability, it can be useful to those who struggle as well, as many of the skills taught can help just about anyone become a more confident reader.
30. See Read Say: This application will help to ensure that young learners are familiar with all of the Dolch sight words (the most common words), using games, activities, and tons of practice.
31. Stories2Learn: Why use existing stories to help troubled readers when you can build your own? This application lets you develop your own text and audio stories, including messages, topics, and other things that can help keep kids interested.
32. eReading series: The eReading series from Brain Integration LLC, helps young readers at all levels of proficiency learn about topics like Greek Mythology and Gulliver’s Travels. Users can have the book read to them, or practice reading without the help, too.

Writing

For those with reading disabilities, sometimes writing can also be a trying task. Here are some apps that can help teach, assist, and make writing more fun.

33. iWrite Words: Named by The Washington Post as one of the best apps for special needs kids, this game-based program helps youngsters learn to write their letters through a fun and engaging setup that uses illustrations and animations to keep things interesting.
34. AlphaWriter: Using Montessori-based learning methods, this application helps kids to learn how to read, write, and spell phonetically. It also teaches lessons on consonants and vowels, letter sounds, writing stories, and much more.
35. Sentence Builder: Through this application, elementary school children will learn how to build grammatically correct sentences, with a special focus on using connector words.
36. Story Builder: After kids are done learning how to build sentences, they can move onto this app which combines those sentences into one coherent story, complete with illustrations.
37. Writing Prompts: Having trouble thinking of things for students to write about? This app removes that roadblock and offers up numerous ideas for short writing assignments.
38. Idea Sketch: This mind-mapping app can help learning disabled students make sense of their ideas and organize them in ways that they can easily translate into written work.
39. Storyrobe: Teachers and students can build and share their own unique stories through this application. Integration with YouTube and email makes it easy to share and revise, too.

Spelling

These applications can be excellent tools for improving spelling skills.

40. American Wordspeller: Looking up a word in a dictionary isn’t that simple if you have no idea how to spell it. This app removes that problem and employs a method that lets you much more easily pinpoint how to spell just about any word.
41. Word Magic: Created by the parents of a five-year-old, this app for young learners help kids learn words and how to spell them correctly. It uses lots of positive reinforcement, rewards, and fun pictures to keep things interesting to learners.
42. Typ-O: Poor spellers can rejoice over this great application that help you spell words correctly in any typing-related program on your iPhone or iPad.
43. A1 Spelling App: This application is a great way to help poor spellers begin to learn the correct spelling of common words, increasing difficulty as kids master words.
44. iSpell Word: iSpell Word is designed to help kids learn the spellings of simple English words. It uses games to teach, with each level of the game employing more difficult words so kids are always challenged.
45. Jumbline: If you’re looking to make reading, writing, and spelling into a game, this app can help. It’s full of word games that ask players to use speed, smarts, pattern recognition, and spelling skills to win.
46. Spelling Bee Challenge: Kids can have fun taking part in a mock spelling bee using this application that boosts both spelling and vocab skills.
47. Word Fall: In this educational game, words fall from the sky and players must collect letters to form basic words.
48. WordLadder: This highly challenging word game will get older readers thinking about how words are spelled and how they can be connected and changed to form new words.
49. ACT Spell: Developed especially for learners with disabilities and special needs, this tool helps develop motor control, word recognition, spelling, and reading skills.
50. Word Wizard: Lauded by The New York Times, this word-focused app lets kids hear the sounds of letters and words through a movable alphabet while also engaging them in spelling practice and games.

Top 8 mobile and desktop computer versions worldwide

The debate is never ending on which is the most widely used computer (PC vs Mac)? Is the tablet going to take over the industry? Quick answer is the PC with Microsoft office and NO, the tablet is not powerful enough to take over the real life workload.  Real world wide work is done on the PC and the saturation point of the tablet has hit with sales dropping to meet that saturation point. Together, they are great tools, but to keep up with what your employers  wants or school demands, will take a desktop computer.
See the wonderful graph attracted and for more information to keep up on what is the reality of the situation and not just an argument point, go to StatCounter Global Stats and get the reaiity check that is needed. Especially if you are making decisions on what a child should be learning in school

So learn those PC-Office skills to keep you going
Everything to get you going in WORD Office 2010 and Windows 7 with JAWS
Everything to get you going in WORD Office 2003 and XP
And hundreds more lessons on anything you need---just go to the top headings of www.yourtechvision.com

Low Vision Tricks to see in the distance or anywhere

My students use a Microsoft Lifecam HD camera but any good camera will do. Tiny and portable to set right on top of the laptop monitor. Watch here or go to youtube: Low Vision Tricks



See other Low Vision options at: Low Vision Lessons

Speaking at AER in Chicago-February 13, 2014

Come join AER in Chicago February 13, 2014, where I will deliver the keynote address. Be inspired by an incredible story of overcoming life's great obstacles to go on and become something you never thought possible. Here is a run down of events
Keynote:
How to inspire yourself and others to do anything!
Discover how to overcome life’s most overwhelming obstacles and put into effect your personal strengths to inspire yourself and others to accomplish greater goals.
1. Determine what your gifts or strengths are to help yourself and those around you
2. Discover strategies to combat personal obstacles to move you onto your true destiny
3. Discover how to inspire those around you to reach goals

Breakout session:
May I have the title of your breakout session on technology, a few sentences describing it and three-to-five learning objectives?
You will learn about the technology that enables success in school, job and life. Watch videos of students using all types of technology and software to become independent. See how to integrate this technology into all the work students’ do.
1. Determine the technology tools that will fit your needs to accomplish needed tasks
2. Determine and discover the different technology that will enable independence for your students
3. Discover the varied tools that enable blind students to accomplish the same tasks as sighted students
Come join the adventure