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Register here free now!What:If I put a laptop on your desk, do you become smarter? Just introducing computers to the classroom will not, on its own, improve instruction. By now, using the experience of many districts around the country, we know a lot about how to use technology effectively to support improved instructional practices. Come learn from the experience of educators about key success factors in implementing a digital initiative. Whether you have some digital classrooms in your district, or you have an iPAD initiative, or you only have a few computers in the classroom, you know that technology will soon become a reality. Join us for a free webinar to learn how educators are creating an optimal instructional environment using digital devices and integrated curriculum to power the classroom. Register to: Find out the 9 key factors in powering a digital classroom successfully. Ensure your curriculum leverages technology using real world examples. Find out how to use bring your own device (BYOD) to fund a move to digital. Hear from an educator who successfully aligned a professional learning program to support a digital initiative. When:Wednesday, March 28, 2012 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm MT

When the iPad debuted two years ago, there was lots of talk about whether people beyond the iPhone and Mac faithful would use such a thing.

But it became very clear to a particular group of people - advocates for those with autism spectrum disorders - that the device could be a new tool for communication and education in that community, something perhaps even Apple didn't foresee. Some autism-related apps aid conversation between parents and children, while others help with learning words or social skills.

Check out this collection of quality apps designed to help young children develop their skill at handwriting, sentence construction, or planning and drafting a story.

Braille Institute is proud to introduce ViA (Visually Impaired Apps), a fully accessible app for iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad.  ViA has been designed to help identify apps that are useful for adults and children who are blind or have low vision, including those with additional disabilities.  Users can easily sort through the 500,000+ apps in the App Store and locate those that were built specifically for, or provide functionality to, the user with a visual impairment.

Plug "digital resources for k12" into Google and you'll get a bazillion results (or maybe it just seems that way). Head to any resource site for teachers and you'll lose yourself in a miasma of links. Thinkfinity will link you to Smithsonian, which will direct you to HippoCampus, and onto Kahn Academy, and over to Curriki, and off to — well, you get the picture. As wonderful as those sites are, sometimes you don't want to spend all your planning time piecing together a school year's worth of lessons from a multitude of online sites. You just want the whole enchilada delivered in textbook form from which you can select the content you'll assign to your students. To that end we have hunted down the top sources for digital textbooks — all free. What you and your students do with them on the iPads and Chromebooks in your classroom is up to you.

A limited budget doesn’t have to stop you or your child from getting some of the best assistive technology available to help people with LD. These free resources will help you stretch your dollar while getting geared up for the new school year. Better yet, some of them may already be in your pocket—we’ve included features built into common devices like the iPhone and iPad that can be helpful for people who struggle with reading, math, organization and more.

Here are the basics about Alex Blaszczuk: She lives in Manhattan. She's 26. She has a 20 pound cat. She's a third year law student at Columbia University. And about 18 months ago she broke her neck.

Library of Congress Braille and Talking-Book Program Releases Book Download App through Apple People who are blind, visually impaired or have a physical disability may now download audio and braille books to their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, if they are registered with the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) in the Library of Congress.

HELENA – Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock unveiled a practice drivers' exam application for the iPhone, iPad, and iTouch on Thursday. The free application — which is the first "app" to be introduced by the State of Montana — can be downloaded at Apple's iTunes store

Click Here to Register for this Webinar What: Having Trouble Navigating through all of those apps? Over 250,000 app have been developed for the iPad, iTouch, and iPhone. This webinar will discuss fun and interactive apps that can be used by kids who experience various disabilities. When: Thursday, December 9, 2010                              11:00am-12:00 p.m. (MT) Cost: Free for Lekotek Affiliates $30 General Public $200 for groups over 10 people Continuing Education: 1 IACET CEU

What: This conference will provide information and hands-on training in the latest technology being used to enhance communication and social skills for individuals living with autism. This conference is for everyone who loves and works with children and adults with autism every day. This year we will highlight Communication and iOS devices - iPads, iPods and iPhones. Today’s technological advances offer highly interactive tools that can be used to help build communication skills. During our event you will learn how to choose applications appropriate for your needs, whether you are a parent, educator or practitioner. Through demonstration and actual hands-on training you will be introduced to a variety of applications that use interactive text, illustrations, painting, animation, voice recording, stories, songs and speech/language based activities that may be helpful in developing communication abilities of children and adults on the Autism spectrum. Practitioners can use these devices to help people with cognitive-behavioral needs through applications that target social skills and executive functioning like planning, organization, attention and memory.  We will also benefit from meeting and hearing from people of all ages who are navigating through life on the spectrum. Their stories will inspire, educate and bring us closer as a group as we take action to improve the lives of individuals with autism. This conference is for everyone who loves and works with children and adults with autism every day. Join us as we continue our work for Montana families living with autism. When: July 27 & 28, 2011 8:00am - 5:00pm (both days) Where: MSUB Main Campus - Library Room 148 Billings, MT Register: Call 406-896-5890 to register for this event; visit http://www.msubillings.edu/autism/ for more information.

Click here to download full flyer with registration information (PDF) What: The Northern Rockies Association for the Education and Rehabilitation for the Blind & Visually Impaired is holding its annual conference. Presentations include: Teaching Braille though Arts and Games ~ Jan Zollinger, Distinguished Educators of Blind Children Award, 2004 Stress and the Deaf-Blind Student: Enhancing the Work Environment ~ Robin Greenfield, Coordinator of the Idaho DeafBlind Project Using the Low Vision Assessment Effectively ~ a panel (O&M Specialist; Teacher of the Visually Impaired; etc.) Options for Driving with Optical Devices ~ Dr. Dwight Hansen, Low Vision Specialist Transition and Beyond ~ Dana Ard, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the Blind Assistive Technology for Students with Multiply Impairments-Visual Impairments ~ Nora Jehn, Director of the Idaho Center for Assistive Technology Update on Accessible Technology for the Consumer (IPAD, Magnifiers, Notetaking Devices, Auditory Readers, etc.) Low Vision and Low Vision Devices American Printing House: new math and tactual graphics products Dog Guide Issues Where: Sun Valley Inn Ketchum, Idaho When: October 19-21, 2011

Click here to register for this webinar What: The Representational Portfolio was originally developed as a marketing tool for job developers to represent job seekers to employers. Portfolios are also used by youth to introduce themselves at their IEP meetings and to develop self-advocacy skills. During this webinar, you will learn how Portfolios can be an important piece of the health care transition for young adults. Through a Portfolio's concise text and photos, individuals with disabilities can describe the impact of their disability; list current medications and side effects they are experiencing; discuss seizures (what type, how often, etc.); introduce and explain medical equipment; share information about helpful accommodations and supports; and articulate what they want and need from their medical provider. Younger children can use Portfolios to learn to describe their own health care needs at an early age. Presenters will also share links to health care transition resources such as toolkits, web sites, and iPad apps that attendees may wish to explore. When: Tuesday, September 20. 2011 1:00pm - 2:30pm Mountain

The goal of iAdvocate is to share and develop specific strategies with parents for working collaboratively with a school team to improve their children’s education. iAdvocate uses problem-based learning strategies, simulations, and provides contextual access resources to build parental advocacy skills and knowledge.

Webinar - All About Apps for Education: Just the Apps and Nothing but the Apps Thursday, May 5, 2011, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Mountain – Web-Based Training, register Discover the wonderful world of apps for education. This webinar will help you navigate and maximize your use of the iPod/iPad. The presenters will take you on an app adventure and share a variety of apps in such categories as early childhood, literacy, autism, communication, organization, and more. Funding for this webinar is made possible by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education. The source of funding is from federal award, Grants to States-Special Education CFDA 84.027, P.L. 108-446 Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. Basic Vocabulary Organization in PRC Devices Monday, May 16, 2011, 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mountain – PACER Center, Bloomington, MN, register This free workshop is for parents and professionals to learn more about Unity vocabulary organization included in all Prentke Romich Company PRC Communication or AAC Devices.  Participants will be introduced to the vocabulary options available.  This workshop will be held in the PACER computer lab where participants can bring their own device or use computer emulation software (Vantage Lite PASS software version 5.02).  The training will include hands-on experience to become familiar with how Unity supports creation of spontaneous novel communication, and to teach basic device operations such as customizing messages, changing icons, hiding keys, and backing up the device. The presenter is PRC Regional Consultant Helen Canfield.  The workshop is limited to 20 participants. Classroom Suite Version 4 Foundations Wednesday, May 18, 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mountain - PACER Center, register This workshop is designed for educators, SLPs, OTs, AT specialists, paraprofessionals and parents who are new to (or have limited experience with) Classroom Suite V.4. The goal of the Foundation Workshop for Classroom Suite V.4 is to enable educators to use Classroom Suite to teach early concepts, reading, writing, and math to students struggling because of learning difficulties or access issues. This workshop is sponsored by Cambium Learning Technologies. Registration fee $225. Kurzweil 3000 Version 11 Foundations Thursday, May 19, 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mountain - PACER Center, register This workshop is designed for educators, SLPs, OTs, AT specialists, paraprofessionals and parents who support students with learning disabilities and are new to (or have limited experience with) Kurzweil 3000. This workshop is sponsored by Cambium Learning Technologies. Registration fee $225.00. Putting LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning) to Work: AAC Strategies to Promote Communication Friday, May 20, 2011, 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mountain – PACER Center, Bloomington, MN, register Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) is a therapeutic approach based on neurological and motor learning principles.  The goal is to give individuals who are nonverbal or have limited verbal abilities or speech a method to independently and spontaneously express themselves.  This workshop is for parents, professionals, and SLPs and will give an overview of the LAMP treatment approach, discussion of the components of LAMP and how and why children with autism would benefit from using a voice output AAC device, and discussion of features that are beneficial for teaching language to children with autism and other disabilities.  Lunch will not be provided.  A one hour lunch break will be taken and maps to area restaurants will be provided.  This free workshop will offer 0.5 ASHA CEUs.

It's finally here! You have been hearing about ZoomReader for a couple of months now, and we are pleased to officially announce that our ZoomReader app is available for purchase in the iTunes App Store for just $19.99! So what exactly is ZoomReader? Using your built-in camera on the iPhone 4, you can zoom in on printed text or apply a color filter to make everything easier on your eyes. It's not just a video magnifier; you can also snap a picture of something and ZoomReader will convert it into text using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology and then read the text back to you! Many of the features in ZoomReader are available via voice control, too - just say "take picture" and seconds later it'll appear on screen. Just think - now you can read the small print on a receipt, box, menu, or pill bottle. Whether you're on the go or using ZoomReader to help you read a newspaper in the comfort of your living room, this quick and powerful program does everything a dedicated video magnifier can do and then some - from the convenience of your iPhone and at a much lower price. Get your copy today in the iTunes App Store . If you'd like more information, you can visit our mobile website where you'll find a bunch of how-to videos.

There is an endless debate about why school kids in the Western world are falling behind everyone else. Some say it's a shameful lack of funding; others say kids these days are too lazy and too busy Twittering on their iPads about the Justin Biebers to learn calculus. But there are actually things you can do to help kids learn that cost next to nothing. For instance, studies show that kids do better if you ...