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Author: Gary Irwin
E-Newsletter
for September, 2005
Tech/Syms Series III
Now Available 
There are now 1700
Tech/Syms that you can use when making communication boards, overlays, dynamic displays,
or even newsletters such as this one! Last
month, I (Gary) announced the release of Series II and some of you requested them, but
actually you will be getting all three series. And
there are more to come, I just don’t know when!
If you’d like a
free update of the Tech/Syms, simply email me (irwingj@bellsouth.net)
with your request. I will send you a CD with
the Tech/Syms and Tech Overlay Designer. The latest CD also has a tutorial explaining how
to organize your Tech/Syms (or any picture files) so that Tech Overlay Designer can find
them very quickly. The “catches”
are: 1) You find this article interesting but confusing and will contact me to arrange a
demonstration of this software and the new Tech/Touch augmentative communication device, 2) Tech Overlay Designer only makes overlays that
fit AMDi communication devices although you can use them simply as communication boards
(the Tech/Syms, however, can easily be included in the Boardmaker™ picture files),
and 3) You
will learn about the fantastic new VS Communicator 3, Version 3.10 software which is
definitely not free, but includes all the
Tech/Syms, new clear voices, new ready-made communication displays, full access to
Windows™ for switch users, and lots more (check it out at www.viking-software.com).
Tech/Touch Now
Available for Loan from ATEN
LATS with ATEN
borrowing privileges can now try out the new Tech/Touch.
Anne has 2 units available, one with the Viking Communicator software, and
one with Boardmaker with Speaking Dynamically Pro™.
The devices are available for 8-week short-term loans. Again, if you are not familiar with the Tech/Touch
please let me (Gary) know and I can schedule a demonstration. My email address is:
irwingj@bellsouth.net.
Follow-up Article: Philosophy of Technology
I don’t
got one of those. Yet. Rees Vaughan, a tech specialist from
There actually is a
book titled The Philosophy of Technology. I am going to buy it and read it. But first, my wife wants me to read Malcolm
Gladwell’s The Tipping Point: How Little Things
Can Make a Big Difference. Like a handle
on a toilet.
Software Profile: Overlay Maker 3 . . . from IntelliTools
This latest version of Overlay Maker is loaded with
new features. Now you can:
Insert
image files directly into keys. For example,
if you want a copy of a Boardmaker image, Overlay Maker can find it and “copy &
paste” it without having to open the Boardmaker application. The images can be easily
flipped and/or rotated.Overlay Maker 3 is
available from Exceptional Computing for $139.95
(single); $560.00 (5-pak). Bundling with
IntelliKeys is also available. Please call Rob for pricing (352-331-8847).
Software Profile: Test Me, Score Me™ . . . from SoftTouch
Readers who use and/or recommend the
IntelliKeys are no doubt familiar with the wide variety of Learning Programs available
from SoftTouch, Inc. A classic example is the Old MacDonald’s Farm pictured here. Each Learning Program’s CD includes overlays
that can be printed and used with the IntelliKeys.
Some of the SoftTouch programs offer
customized Test Me, Score Me™ testing modules (sold separately) that allow teachers
to determine each student’s baseline ability and to track progress. Presently, there are pre-designed testing modules
for:
What I found most
interesting was that Test Me Score Me™ is also sold as a generic “authoring
program,” allowing the teacher to create tests for any topic whatsoever! Features include:
Test Me, Score
Me™ is available from
EXCEPTIONAL
COMPUTING’s Technology Toy for
September
The folks that
brought us the Sound Blaster sound cards have
expanded into every peripheral media area imaginable.
This gizmo does so much so simply that you’ll have to try it to believe
it. The MuVo Tx FM is a combination:
Simply plug the unit
into your PC or notebook computer and “drag and drop” your music files,
presentations, photos, documents, etc. A high
resolution backlit screen shows folders, playlists, titles, etc., all navigable with thumb
controls!
The MuVo TxFM can
usually be found on sale (I purchased my 256MB unit at WalMart for $70). Find out more at www.creative.com/products/mp3. Click the “right arrow” on the top
row of products and click on the photo of the MuVo Tx FM.
News Flash….
Kids in school August 1st . .
. My mother would be aghast. When I was a kid, I always knew that school would
start after Labor Day. So change with the
times, Rob. We have hurricanes and high stakes
tests to contend with.
A new school year
brings new and exciting challenges to meet the complex needs of the children we touch. Assistive Technology plays a vital role in helping
students achieve their goals. The AT industry
has matured over a 20 year period, and Exceptional Computing is celebrating 20 years of
existence. Only with your loyal support have
we been able to stay this course and continue to make our industry a focal point of our
working life.
I have been so gratified in bring Gary Irwin on as an associate.
Tech/Syms Series II Now
Available
I (Gary) have
received a lot of positive response from those readers who have used
As of this writing, only Series I is available at AMDi’s website. However, please email me with your email address
and the address where your computer (and/or Tech/Touch) is located and I will make sure
that you get the Tech Overlay Designer and both series of the Tech/Syms. In case you forgot, this software is free! My email address is
irwingj@bellsouth.net
Tech/Touch Soon Be Available at ATEN
Article - - In
Search of a Philosophy of Technology
In the June issue of EXCEPTIONAL
COMPUTING, I remarked about
my meeting a colleague from graduate school and that we discussed the non-technological things we learned back then (decades ago) that are
just as fresh and vital today. For example, our “model of communication” that
consists of content, form, and function
holds up very well when dealing with language development and disorders. Nobody says, “Oh that old theory - - yesterday’s news - -
nowadays we examine communication in the globes of anorrhista, enorrhista, and
hetroponics.” I sometimes feel like the dog telling the pups, “The old tricks
have served me well, dagnabbit!”
My previous supervisor recommended
that I should become a philosopher when I retired. She
was mistaken. I’m far too simple-minded
for that. Nevertheless, I like to use (and
need to have) philosophies to help me deal with current and future issues and events. I never had a philosophy of how a car’s engine
works, but my older brother taught me how to do a tune-up (make a chalk mark on the fan
belt, connect the strobe light to the spark plug wire, start the car, and synchronize the
strobe with the chalk mark by turning the distributor cap).
I now possess a technique that is absolutely useless (today’s cars
don’t even need a tune-up till 100,000 miles or so) and still don’t know how an engine works. I know how to open the hood, point to the engine,
and say to the mechanic, “It has something to do with THAT!”
I invite you, the
reader, to provide me with a philosophy of technology.
I’ve gotten by on techniques alone (old and new), but I need a
framework that will accept anything (old and new) that has to do with technology. Here’s a starting point: At a recent ESE pre-service, a young teacher
approached the EXCEPTIONAL
COMPUTING table, gestured across the various
augmentative communication devices, and said to her friend, “I remember this from the
subject area exam but I’ve never seen one.”
She used the words “this” and “one” when referencing all
of the devices on the table, and not any single device in particular. Now, you might think that the teacher demonstrated
a rather simplistic, even infantile regard for augmentative communication devices (similar
to a child visiting a kennel and saying “Doggy!”), but my understanding of
“critical thinking” (using Richard Paul’s framework) tells me
different(ly). In his book, Critical Thinking: What Every Person Needs to Survive
in a Rapidly Changing World, Paul recognizes that the teacher is demonstrating the
“Didactic Theory of Knowledge and Learning.”
Specifically:
“Assumption #14 (p. 579) - - It is more important to cover a great deal of
information superficially than a smaller amount in depth.
“Assumption #20 (p. 580) - - Knowledge is demonstrated by correctly answering
questions on a test.
Needless to say, Paul does not agree with “Didactic Theory” -- that’s why
he wrote a book on “Critical Theory.” Personally,
I was comforted to learn that augmentative communication devices were considered important
enough to be part of a “subject area exam.”
Augmentative communication devices are battery operated box-shaped things that talk and
have pictures on the top of them. Well, like I
said, it’s a start. Your mission, if you
choose to accept it, is to provide me with a framework (philosophy) of technology that is
dynamic, all-encompassing, and non-didactic. I’ll be happy to tune it up! My email address is irwingj@bellsouth.net,
or call me at (407) 619-0189.
Software Profile - The
Sentence Master - 
from Laureate Learning Systems
Do you have
students who are having trouble learning to read? The Sentence Master guarantees success
for children who are at risk of reading failure due to difficulties in phonics, oral
language, and/or impulsive learning styles. Go to www.laureatelearning.com to order a free demo
CD.
The Sentence Master
ensures success by providing:
•
Mastery of non-content words
- The
program focuses on non-content words, such as “the,” “is,”
“and,” etc. While limited in number, these words make up the majority of any
page of text.
•
Failure-free learning - All
of the word activities and stories are designed so that students never have to read or
write a word that has not been fully mastered.
•
An emphasis on accurate spelling - This
enables students to easily discriminate small differences in words (e.g. bus/but, top/too)
and to effectively write every word they learn.
•
Carefully-controlled sentences - Unlike
other reading programs, the stories use tightly controlled syntax which facilitates the
development of comprehension skills.
EXCEPTIONAL
COMPUTING’s
Technology Toy for
August
Mini-Shutdown
Utilities 2.8 - - Featuring WinHib(ernate)
The advantage of the “hibernate” mode is that the computer is completely powered
down (saving battery life) and when restarted, it “springs back” to the same
screen(s) and cursor location as before!