This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. To learn about these products and their new suite of web apps go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #90 features a discussion of tools that can be used to summarize text.
Episode #89 features a look at the free fraction tools provided by ConceptuaMath as well as a few other tools useful for visualizing, representing, and understanding fractions.
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. To learn about these products and their new suite of web apps go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #88 features the second of two episodes describing the use of websites featuring activities which utilize webcams to engage students through interactive, gesture-based activities.
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. To learn about these products and their new suite of web apps go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #86 features a round robin resource sharing event conducted during the Virginia Society for Technology in Education 2011 Conference in Roanoke, Virginia known as the “Strategy Smackdown.” Participants in the Smackdown shared different tools useful to help educate students.
Also, I’d like to thank Adam Bellow for contributing the bumper at the beginning of the episode. You can check out his website at http://edutecher.net.
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. To learn about these products and their new suite of web apps go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #85 features the first of two episodes describing the use of websites featuring activities which utilize webcams to engage students through interactive, gesture-based activities.
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. To learn about these products and their new suite of web apps go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #82 is a recording of an event where Chris and his wife Melissa describe a variety of educational tools as they conduct a paranormal investigation.
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #80 features an interview with Mark Barlet, co-founder of the Ablegamers Foundation.  Mark describes the goals of the foundation, how people can get involved to support the foundation, and shares some ways the foundation has helped people get their game on! This is the last episode of Season 4 of the A.T.TIPSCAST. Look for new A.T.TIPSCAST episodes in the Fall of 2011.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #79 features a discussion about the use of the free versions of some common interactive whiteboard software titles.
This episode also features a bumper from Becky Switalski who is encouraging people to submit photos to be shown on the big screen in Times Square to raise awareness for National Down Syndrome month and to kick off the Buddy Walk season. If you can, submit a picture for the presentation!
The question booklets for Volume 11, 12, and 13 are now available. If you’re new to the A.T.TIPSCAST and you’re not sure what that is, you can find out more by checking out the special episode about professional development posted back in May, 2009.
You can find the Question Booklets for every volume by clicking on the “Free PD Kits” link in the top right corner of this page.
Volume 11 (Episodes 67 – 68, Total Running Time 1:14:43)-
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #75 features an exploration of the various settings to make adjustments to the way a user controls the mouse when working on Windows XP and Windows 7.
A.T.TIPS In This Episode-
A.T.TIP #200 – Mouse Properties of Windows XP and Windows 7
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #73 features an audio version of an article about online learning for a partnership between the International Society of Technology in Education (www.iste.org) and the Council of Ontario Directors of Education (www.ontariodirectors.ca). A version of the article is being published by CODE for their newsletter, the CODE Chronicles. According to the spirit of the article, I thought it would be best to have the article exist in multiple formats. You can read the article, listen to the article, and/or enjoy the comic.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by The Practical (and Fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools. Learn more at http://iste.org/chewat.
The Practical (and Fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools
Episode #71 features a clip from a live presentation at Temple University where Beth Poss and I describe www.wallwisher.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Special Episode #5 features a quick introduction to podcasting with a little bit of Mardi Gras nonsense thrown in for fun. Melissa Bugaj, host of the Night Light Stories podcast, co-hosts the episode.
Upcoming Presentations-
ESBOCES Model Schools Technology Leadership Webinar Series
Practical AT – March 7th, 2011 – 8:00pm – 9:00pm with Sally Norton-Darr
UDL & Assistive Technology – April 4th, 2011 – 8:00pm – 9:00pm with Sally Norton-Darr
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by The Practical (and Fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools. Learn more at http://iste.org/chewat.
The Practical (and Fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools
Episode #69 is features another recording of a live event from the Techknowledgy 2010 Conference in Richmond, Virginia. At that conference I presented a session called Alternative Professional Development. I use the term “presented” loosely because, although I was listed as the presenter, the session was more of an integrated brainstorming session. I was more of the moderator for the discussion than a presenter. During the session we tried to outline some of the common problems with staff development happening in public schools and then try to come up with some solutions. During the course of the discussion a bunch of great ideas were mentioned about how to address some of the problems with the typical professional development model. Furthermore, a number of concrete resources are mentioned that can be used to assist students. You can access the entire presentation as generated by the audience here: Alternative Professional Development Presentation from Techknowledgy 2010.
The episode also features a bumper from Rochelle Hamilton and Cindy Carmina who are educators from Prince William County, Virginia.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #68 features a round robin resource sharing event conducted during the Orlando ATIA 2011 Conference known as the “A.T. Smackdown.” Educators like Dave Hohulin, Karen Janowski, Brian Wojcik, and a host of others shared different tools that they have found useful to help educate students. With this go round, I got to be there in person to record the live event!
Also, I’d like to thank Eliza Anderson, for contributing the bumper at the beginning of the episode. You can check out the free newsletter/e-zine with information on how to subscrive and contribute over at http://atprogramnews.com
Special thanks to Dave Hohulin and Brian Dowd for sharing their notes of the event (which helped tremendously in putting the list below together).
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #67 features a recording of a live event from a presentation Beth Poss and I did at Temple University back in November of 2010. Beth and I are doing a Pre-Conference Workshop – UDL 2.0 Hands on! on January 26th from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm. Sign up and join us for a day of interactive fun! The episode also features a bumper from Sean Sweeney. Check out his Edublog Award Winning blog www.speechtechie.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #65 features a round robin resource sharing event conducted during the Chicago ATIA 2010 Conference known as the “A.T. Smackdown.”   Educators like Dave Hohulin, Karen Janowski, Brian Wojcik, Patrick Black, and host of others shared different tools that they have found useful to help educate students.   Lucky for us they had the foresight to make an audio recording of the event! You can check out a full list with brief descriptions of each tool over at http://teachingall.blogspot.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
When Chris and Melissa wake up in a strange room after a Halloween party they meet the notorious Saber Saw who asks them if they want to play a game. Will they win?
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #62 features a description of different ways students, educators, and schools can get involved in 9/11 National Day of Service activities. Share the logos below to help spread the word!
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #61 features a description of two virtual classroom layout tools. This is the first episode of Season 4 of the A.T.TIPSCAST!
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #60 features a description of three random recommendations from actual evaluations. This is the Season Finale for Season 3 of the A.T.TIPSCAST!
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #59 features feedback from listeners of the podcast which lead into additional A.T.TIPS.
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #58 features a description of how teachers and students can turn text into short, engaging video segments.
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #57 features a description of two resources to help students with spelling. The first tool helps students while studying spelling words and the second tool helps students fix misspellings.
A.T.TIPS In This Episode-
A.T.TIP #98: Spell with Flickr (http://metaatem.net/words/) – The image spelling “ATTIPSCAST” above was created using this website.
A.T.TIP #99: Correct a Sentence Window on http://gingersoftware.com. Try copying and pasting the following sentence into the window on the Ginger Software site:
“Mi smrt phrend iz reedng a booc wth an oarng cvr.”
Presentation Information –
Miss the presentation in Second Life of “Fun and Practical Strategies using (Assistive) Technology with Students”? Â No sweat! Â Here’s a link to the Google Doc with all the resources shared! Feel free to add more while you’re there!
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #56 continues an exploration of different ways for students to practice keyboarding skills and keyboard accessibility.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of te show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp Systems, provider of award-winning literacy solutions including Read&Write GOLD and Fluency Tutor. For more information, go to www.texthelp.com.
Episode #55 features a discussion about different ways for students to practice keyboarding skills.
Download the complete set of bookmarks: Complete Set
There is no new podcast episode with this post. This is a complete set of all the bookmarks in one PDF document.  Each bookmark features a character from a cartoon strip within the book created using Bitstrips.com. Feel free to download this PDF of all the bookmarks and do any or all of the following:
1. Post to your blog.
2. Print out to use while you read the book!
3. Print out to give to other educators.
4. Share via your favorite social networking site (like Twitter or Facebook).
5. Post to an online discussion forum.
6. Post to an educational listserv.
and anything else you can think of!
Complete Set of Bookmarks
Here’s a link to the complete set of all the bookmarks: Complete Set
This special episode features an excerpt from “The Practical (and Fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools” as read by the authors!  In chapter 6, “Choosing Assistive Technology Teammates,” the authors make recommendations on assembling an AT team—who should be on the team, what qualities are best in a team member and team leader, and what to avoid. This chapter provides an example of the practical advice found throughout the book while getting a taste of the authors’ unique way of driving home a point—with humor!
Episode #46 features another excerpt from the presentation for the Individual Differences in Learning Association in Howard County, Maryland. This excerpt describes WordTalk; a free text-to-speech plug-in for Microsoft Word.
The episode features a bumper from Karen Janowski who is an assistive technology consultant, an assistive technology specialist for a school district in Massachusetts, adjunct faculty member at Simmons College, and school board member in her town. She is also one of the innovators behind the UDLTechToolKit wiki, which contains a plethora of resources useful for differentiating instruction.
WordTalk is a free text-to-speech add-in for Microsoft Word. You can find all the details about which versions of Word it works with along with other frequently asked questions, installation instructions and more over at the WordTalk download page.
3. 2009 Edublog Award Winners – Congratulations to all of the winners! Let me recommend you head over there to check out all of the nominations and winners. The A.T.TIPSCAST placed seventh out of 26 in the category of “Best Educational Use of Audio“.
4. CliCk, Speak – A free, open source text-to-speech extension for the Firefox web browser.
5. Text-to-Speech in OpenOffice – Open Office is a free suite of programs including a word processing program. OO Text To Speech is a free download for this program.
6. Word Magnets – Type or paste text (words or letters) into a box that then makes each word (or letter) a separate moveable object. Perfect for word scrambles or sentence generation on an interactive whiteboard.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Episode #36 is up for your listening pleasure! Episode #36 features a discussion about Book Builder by Sally Norton-Darr, Judith Schoonover, and Mark Nichols. They will be doing a presentation centering on the uses of Book Builder during the National Educational Computing Conference on June 29th. They are asking that you leave a comment on this blog post talking about how you use Book Builder, improvements you would like to see to Book Builder, or anything related to your experiences with the tool.
 While you’re there, check out the book Sally and Judie created:
Support The Cause-
My colleagues will be riding in the local Tour De Cure on June 14th, 2009, sponsored by the American Diabetes Foundation. If you can donate, even a dollar, it would be much appreciated. Select the “donate” button on either website to make a donation.
Upcoming Conference Presentations-
I’ll be presenting at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC)- June 28th – July 1st in Washington, D.C. (Poster Session: Chew the P.H.A.T-Policies and How-to’s in Assistive Technology with Sally Norton-Darr).
Contact Information-
If I don’t get to see you at NECC we can still connect virtually. Join the A.T.TIPPERS group on Facebook and/or Classroom 2.0 ! You can also follow me on twitter.com.
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
I’ve put together a professional development packet for you to download and use within your school or school district.  Here is how it works.
The Problem:
Educators don’t have time to stay after school for staff development, but most, drive to work. Some educators may be reluctant to utilize new technologies, but most know how to operate a CD player. Educators are being asked to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of every learner every day.
The Solution:
The A.T.TIPSCAST is a free podcast that provides strategies to help educators differentiate instruction. As someone who organizes staff development workshops for your school or school district, download the episodes in each volume and burn them to a CD. Download the question booklet for that volume, print it out, and put it with your newly burned CD. Devise a method for distribution and then distribute to staff. E-mail me to get a copy of the answer booklet with all the answers in it. You’re done!
With minimal effort you’ve introduced three awareness level staff development workshops that educators can take without ever leaving their car! That’s over 3 and a half hours worth of professional development content at your fingertips with more to come as additional volumes of the A.T.TIPSCAST are completed (Volume #4 isin production now)!
The Resources:
Download these files to make your own staff development workshop out of the A.T.TIPSCAST!
Leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com. Let me know what you think of the show! You can access the podcast and register as a fan of the show from here:
Hey everyone,
Episode #9 is up for your listening pleasure. Episode #9 describes the free software add-on for PowerPoint called PowerTalk. PowerTalk is an open source, free download that reads the text on a PowerPoint presentation outloud. You can access a link for the free download from http://fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/.
Once you have it installed on your computer you simply navigate to your PowerPoint presentation file, right-click and then select “Narrate With PowerTalk”.
I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:
Hey everyone,
Episode #6 is up for your listening pleasure. Episode #6 is the first episode with the new format. Let me know what you think. The tip for this episode is http://www.readplease.com/. Readplease is free piece of software that you can download. It is a text reader/talking word processor. That is, you can copy/paste text right into it and it will read it out loud. You can also type right into the program and it will read it aloud.
I hope you enjoyed the show and please feel free to leave a comment down below or drop me a line at attipscast@gmail.com
You can access the podcast from here:
A.T.TIP 262 – http://tools4noobs.com/summarize 
The Compendium Blog of The A.T.TIPSCAST 