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Hi … It has been a few months since I have written to you … sorry! What has been keeping us busy? Planning the final program for our Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference in May 2008! The conference program and seven Pre-Conference Workshops are now listed online at www.spectronicsinoz.com/conference/timetable. There are still more exciting sessions to be added so keep an eye on the site for updates. If you are still thinking about whether you will join us for the conference, check out the five great reasons for you to attend listed in this newsletter! We already have 50 people registered and the conference is still six months away! So, to help with our planning, if you are thinking that you might join us, and you haven’t registered already, could you just reply to this email and send me a quick note to say that you are thinking of signing up to attend. This will be REALLY helpful in planning for numbers and our discussions with the conference hotel. This newsletter announces lots of “new stuff” too. A new software program – Communicate: Symwriter; a new speech generating device – the M3 from DynaVox; new online training and demonstration sessions from Spectronics and three new training and support staff on the Spectronics team. Hope you find it interesting reading. Cheers for now! |
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Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference 2008 Update
 Still thinking about whether you will join us for the Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference in May 2008? Check out these five great reasons for you to attend! Kelly Fonner, Scott Marfilius and Pati King-DeBaun have been confirmed as our Keynote Speakers. What? WasnÀâ„t Caroline Musselwhite presenting too? Yes she was, but will now be unable to attend. She has, however, promised to be back bigger and better for the Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference in 2010! Did you attend PatiÀâ„s presentations during the AGOSCI National Tour in 2006? No problems. She will be presenting new and different material at our conference. Come along and learn more! With seven Pre-Conference workshops and concurrent presentation sessions throughout the conference, you will have no problems finding a session just right for you at all times. In fact, choosing which one to attend will be the hardest part! View the program currently being built online at www.spectronicsinoz.com/conference/timetable The US and UK-based manufacturers of many of the assistive technologies and learning support tools that you use daily will be there! Tell them what you like about their technologies. Tell them in person what you want changed in the next version! Listen to 30 presenters from across Australia and New Zealand telling you about their technology project successes and implementation strategies – plus the clever Spectronics team will be presenting too of course! The conference Closing Session will feature an exciting prize draw. You just have to be there for a chance to win! There is in excess of $10,000 in the prize pool already À“ and it is growing daily! Want to learn more? Keep an eye on the conference website at www.spectronicsinoz.com/conference or contact Tanja Grgic, Conference Coordinator on tanja@spectronicsinoz.com to be kept up-to-date as plans progress. |
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National Disability Conference Funding - Applications now open
We are excited to tell you that Spectronics was successful in applying for National Disability Conference Program funding from the Australian Government’s Department of Family and Community Services. This funding allows us to offer financial support to assist with the costs of attending the Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference 2008 for ten people with disabilities, carers for people with disabilities or parents of people with disabilities. People with learning difficulties or parents of students experiencing learning difficulties are also eligible to apply. To ensure that everyone applying for funding support is given an equal chance of being successful – the names of the ten lucky winners will be “drawn out of a hat” containing the names of all applicants on Friday 15th February 2008. What does the funding cover? Each winner will receive funding valued at $1835! It will cover:
Note that no support for costs of meals or travel to/from the conference venue is included in this funding offer. Who is eligible? Any person with a disability/learning difficulty, carer for a person with a disability or parent of a person with a disability/learning difficulty. How do you apply? Complete the registration form for the Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference 2008 and select “I would like to apply for National Disability Conference Program funding to support my attendance at the Conference” then complete our Funding Application form. When is the deadline? We need to receive applications by Thursday 14th February 2008. We will contact you as soon as possible after the “prize draw” on Friday 15th February 2008 to advise whether or not your application has been successful. We know that we will receive MANY more than ten applications for the funding grants. So, we are also trying hard to attract sponsorships from any organisations or companies who may wish to sponsor a teacher, sponsor a person with a disability, or sponsor a parent or carer to attend. If you are aware of any such organisations – please let us know! We will happily approach them for support – particularly for applicants from remote areas. The sponsorship options which companies may wish to consider are outlined on the sponsorship section of the conference website at www.spectronicsinoz.com/conference/prospectus. Please feel free to pass this information along to anyone you know who may be keen to assist! |
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New Training/Support Team Members at Spectronics!
 We have been very lucky to have three clever new staff join us in the last few months – specifically to add to the important training, support and advisory services offered by Spectronics. Let us introduce them to you!
If you are interested … you can check out the whole Spectronics team online at http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/library.asp?article=9934! |
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Spectronics Online Training Sessions Coming Soon!
The tyranny of distance has been a problem for Spectronics since we started up over 20 years ago now! How do we meet all the requests for demonstration of our technologies coming in from across the length and breadth of Australia and New Zealand? Likewise – how can a team of seven trainers meet all the requests for training services from that same huge geographic area? Online training and support services are the answer! We have just set up a web-based system so that over coming months, we will be able to demonstrate software programs live on your computer. All you will have to do is open up your Internet Browser and click on a link. We will also be able to provide training sessions in the same way. These could be a useful support for group professional development sessions. Set up your computer, speakers and a data projector in the staffroom, and a Spectronics trainer will be able to join your meeting and share their expertise with you remotely! We are working out the final logistics now. For some customised sessions, to be delivered at the time of your choice, we will have to charge a fee. Some standard presentations following a set schedule will be available free-of-charge. You will be able to join them “live” or view recorded sessions at a time that suits you best. I will keep you up-to-date via this emailed newsletter. Or … keep an eye on the new “Online Training” link from our website Home Page at www.spectronicsinoz.com for Australia or www.spectronics.co.nz for New Zealand. In the meantime, if you have specific topics that you would like to see covered in an online training/demonstration session – please feel free to let us know. It will help us to plan for the topics that we need to cover. Also let us know what time of day (or night) would suit you best to log in and join an online presentation. Please send your suggestions/requests through to Karl Francois. Also check out the info about some new online training options available from Mayer-Johnson for Boardmaker and Boardmaker Plus – featured in the “Other Useful Stuff to Know About” article in this newsletter. |
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Communicate: SymWriter - The Exciting Successor to Writing with Symbols 2000 is nearly here!
 For many years, Writing with Symbols 2000 has been one of the most popular programs sold by Spectronics. It’s exciting new successor – Communicate: SymWriter has just been released in the UK. It will be available in Australia and New Zealand very soon. How is it different to Writing with Symbols 2000? Like Writing with Symbols, Communicate: SymWriter is a symbol processor – with symbols appearing automatically as text is entered. But SymWriter uses new ‘smart symbolising’ technology – which analyses the parts of speech in the text and inserts the symbol that is most likely to be contextually correct. This enables much more accurate symbolisation of text – reducing the need for manual corrections. A great time saver! SymWriter comes with over 8000 Widgit Literacy Symbols, in colour and black-and-white. You can also drop pictures on to the page using the symbol browser. Use any of the 1,500 Widgit Pictures (clip art and photographs) supplied with the program or access images from anywhere on your computer. One of the other major differences is the MUCH easier ability to create onscreen grids – for support of students’ writing on the computer. The “environments” in Writing with Symbols 2000 were a little tricky for most users to get their head around – but the SymWriter grids are a breeze to set up and use! We recommend that SymWriter be used to replace the Symbol Processor, Talking Word Processor and Environments features of Writing with Symbols 2000. And that it be used in conjunction with Communicate: In Print 2 as a replacement for the printable grids/resources feature of Writing with Symbols 2000. For more details about the differences between SymWriter and Writing with Symbols 2000, click here to view a comparison of their features. Will Writing with Symbols 2000 continue to be available? Yes! We will continue to supply Writing with Symbols for as long as our customers wish to purchase it. And of course, Spectronics will continue to support all Writing with Symbols users for as long as support is needed. Note that Writing with Symbols 2000 will not run successfully on the new Microsoft Vista operating system. How do you find out more about Communicate: SymWriter?
PS. If you already own a copy of Writing with Symbols 2000, or Communicate: In Print 2, a discounted single user version of Communicate: SymWriter is available to you! |
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Adding Pictures and Photos to Boardmaker and Boardmaker Plus!
 One of the most common questions we are asked about the Boardmaker software program is, “How do I add my own pictures and digital camera photos into Boardmaker?” So, Penny McCulloch, our Special Education and Learning Difficulties Consultant, has put together a comprehensive Help Sheet which guides you through the many ways of ensuring you can access your own favourite pictures and photos within the Boardmaker program! Especially helpful are her suggestions for adding them into the Symbol Finder – so that each time you open the program, you, and others using the program, can find them quickly by simply using the search feature built into Boardmaker. You can download the Help Sheet (in PDF format) from www.spectronicsinoz.com/downloads/faqs/BM_Adding_Pictures.pdf or view the information online at www.spectronicsinoz.com/library.asp?article=26369 |
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New! M3 from DynaVox!
 The M3 is the latest in the digitized device range from DynaVox. To be released in December this year, it will replace the popular MiniMo and MightyMo. The M3 includes elements of the popular new InterAACT page sets À“ and of course you will be able to create your own page sets as well. The old page sets and recordings from the MiniMo and MightyMo will also be included on a CD shipped with each device À“ and can be loaded onto the M3 if needed. The M3 also includes fast single word and phrase prediction, allowing the user to construct sentences from digitized recordings quickly and simply. Page creation has been simplified and Picture Communication Symbols (PCS) are included on each device. In addition to these software features, the M3 has a large, clear screen and loud, high quality front firing speakers, which will ensure that messages are delivered crisply and clearly in virtually every environment. A magnesium alloy case also means that this will be a more durable device À“ offering years of reliable use ahead. Dual infra-red transmitters give the user environmental control over household appliances which use a remote control. The M3 also has a wide range of access methods. For direct access, touch enter or touch exit can be used. There are a wide range of scanning options and the inclusion of mouse pause means that the device can be easily controlled by a Tracker Pro, trackball or mouse. For more information visit Spectronics Australian website at www.spectronicsinoz.com/product.asp?product=26273 or the New Zealand site at www.spectronics.co.nz.com/product.asp?product=26273. Feel free to contact our Speech Pathologists, Jane Farrall or Katie Lyon, by email or at SpectronicsÀ℠Melbourne office on phone (03) 9848 4812 with any questions at all about the M3. |
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Other Useful Stuff to Know About
A new research report released by the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training on 9th October 2007 aims to provide teachers with the knowledge and skills to help students with learning difficulties. The project identified ways to improve learning outcomes for students with disabilities enrolled in mainstream classes in the early, middle and post-compulsory years of schooling. The focus was on the activities, interactions and materials that make classroom practice inclusive and that lead to improved outcomes for all students. Attention was also directed to the professional development needs of teachers so that they acquire the knowledge and skills to implement inclusive classroom practices. The project was undertaken by a consortium led by the University of Canberra. Over a period of two years, researchers, including Professor Anthony Shaddock and Dr. Loretta Giorcelli, worked with more than 300 teachers from every Australian state and territory, in every sector and level of education. The project report titled “A Project to Improve the Learning Outcomes of Students with Disabilities in the Early, Middle and Post-Compulsory Years of Schooling” and the resource book titled “Students with Disabilities in Mainstream Classrooms: A Resource for Teachers” are downloadable from www.dest.gov.au/schools/losd. |
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You have received this newsletter because you told us at Spectronics that you would like us to keep you up to date with technology changes. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, click on the following link to unsubscribe: http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/email/unsubscribe_me.asp or click on the following link to change your subscription details: http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/email/edit_me.asp Please feel free to forward this newsletter or sections of it on to your colleagues. You are also free to post it up onto the web. All we ask is that you acknowledge the source as Spectronics Email Updates and list our contact details below with any posting. Past copies of our email updates can also be found at http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/library.asp?library=email_updates
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