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Hi … Welcome to your first emailed update from Spectronics for 2008. Thought I would let you settle back into your busy routine before saying hello. We have lots that we want to tell you as usual – and not enough space to do it in. As usual! In brief, this newsletter updates you on exciting developments for the Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference 2008 in May and fills you in on some other trainings being offered by Spectronics across Australia and New Zealand this year – both in person and using our new online training service. It also shares news of several innovative new technologies now available or coming very soon. And our training/support team has been busy putting together more useful guides – two of which are included in this newsletter. The first helps you to compare the features of five different symbol-based software programs at-a-glance and the second offers guidance in evaluating the features of the two automatic page turners now available to assist people who have difficulty physically holding books and turning their pages. I’ll go now and let you start reading! Cheers |
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Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference 2008 Update
 Only 70 days and counting down now until the start of the Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference in May 2008! Have you registered yet? Have you started “campaigning” for your funding? We would LOVE to have you join us and the 150 delegates who have already registered! The Conference team here is in full swing and the MANY boxes of “stuff” arriving daily are starting to fill our Brisbane office. They contain new technologies and information for our delegates – very exciting! Book your sessions now! The conference website is now open for you to lock in your preferred session selections! When you register online from today onwards, you will be asked to nominate your preferred sessions. Numbers for the Hands-on Laptop Lab sessions are limited to two per computer – so we will only be able to accommodate 60 participants in each of these sessions. Please be sure to book these early! If you have been delaying registration, waiting for this feature to be available to you – please go online and check it out now! Having trouble working out which sessions are best for you? You are not alone! Judging by the number of phone calls we are receiving, it is really hard to decide which is the best session to attend. So to make this a little easier, we have set up some checkboxes on the conference program page. All you have to do is click in one (or more) of the following checkboxes, and each session which covers content relevant to that area of interest will be highlighted onscreen. We hope this makes it a little easier for you to navigate to the presentations and presenters who are going to best meet your needs at the conference.  |
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IntelliTools Classroom Suite 4 - All new concept!
 You think you know IntelliTools Classroom Suite? Think again – the just released Classroom Suite Version 4 is REALLY different! And if you have never heard of it – please read on as we think it is a very clever tool to support students from Prep through to Year 5 in development of their reading, writing and maths skills. It’s also incredibly quick-and-easy to customise to your students’ needs. You don’t have time to customise? We hear you! Don’t bother then – just use it out-of-the-box and it will work as an excellent learning support just as it is. It’s ideal for using with an electronic whiteboard too! Classroom Suite 4 features:
Model, Practise, Apply Classroom Suite performs like an excellent instructor. Great teachers give direction (Model), support guided practices with their class (Practise), and then turn the reins over to their students (Apply). With Classroom Suite, students are led through three stages:
If the student displays mastery in “Challenge”, he/she moves on to the next activity. If he/she fails to master the assignment, more practice with more strategic feedback is given to the student. View videos of Classroom Suite 4 in action Request a Demo CD of Classroom Suite 4 A 30-day trial version of Classroom Suite 4 is downloadable from www.intellitools.com/classroom_suite/download.aspx?site=itc?site=itc but it is a HUGE 350MB download! We have Demo CDs that we are happy to send to you to make the process a little less painful. Contact Spectronics for one (or more) of these CDs. |
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Tango News!
 Fabulous news from Blink Twice – creator of the innovative and exciting Tango speech generating device! Tango 2.0 is now available – and offers some great new features to speed up novel sentence production as well as continuing to provide incredible features which allow users to have fast social conversations. Tango 2.0 includes the new Core First vocabulary structure, allowing the user to seamlessly navigate between 90 high frequency core words and the extensive lists provided in the Tango to say just what’s on their mind – as well as being able to access the great phrases still available in their original Phrase First organisation. At the same time as Tango 2.0, Blink Twice is launching Tango for Teens. Zack and Zoe have grown up and their vocabulary has grown with them – they now have a heap of teenage sayings and vocabulary at their fingertips! Using the new Word Morphs available in Tango 2.0 they can also conjugate verbs, create noun plurals and do adjective comparisons all at the press of a button. In addition, the free Tango Link software now shipping with every Tango means that the device is also able to function as the keyboard for any computer – so each user can construct written words and sentences with a highly familiar keyboard operation. And just when you thought there couldn’t be any more – Blink Twice has also released Tango Lab. This free software allows you to edit and change the content of your Tango on your computer. It allows you to make changes to existing vocabulary, add new vocabulary, change recordings and phrases and share them easily with others. For all these and other great new features and accessories check out the Tango at www.spectronicsinoz.com/browse.asp?cat=26872. To request a copy of the Tango Lab software please contact Jane Farrall on jane@spectronicsinoz.com And one more great piece of news … the Tango has just been reduced in price by $1000! Visit the Spectronics website for pricing in Australia, and the Spectronics New Zealand site for new pricing in New Zealand. |
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Communicate: SymWriter - Available now!
 As mentioned in the last Spectronics emailed update, Communicate: SymWriter is the exciting new successor to Writing with Symbols 2000. The great news for this week is that it is now shipping from Spectronics! This has taken a lot of work by the Spectronics Tech Support team in conjunction with Widgit Software in the UK to iron out final production issues for Australia and New Zealand. But we are on a roll and are up and running ready to fill your orders now. Special thanks to Spectronics’ Terry and Aaron! Oh … a 21-day demo version is now available too. Until we are able to set up a link for downloading the BIG file for this demo version, please contact us at Spectronics on mail@spectronicsinoz.com in Australia or mail@spectronics.co.nz in New Zealand and we will be happy to send a copy of the demo CD to you by post. What is the difference between Communicate: SymWriter and Writing with Symbols 2000? Visit www.spectronicsinoz.com/library.asp?article=20667 for a guide comparing both programs along with an at-a-glance overview of how they compare with other symbol-based programs such as Boardmaker, Boardmaker Plus! and Boardmaker with Speaking Dynamically Pro. The features of Communicate: In Print are also included in this useful guide. It is recommended that both Communicate: SymWriter and Communicate: In Print be used together to give you full access to all the tools you need for creating symbol-supported resources, for use by students on the computer, and in print for off-computer activities. |
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Which Page Turner to use? The New Flip from Ablenet or the GEWA?
 The Flip Automatic Page Turner and the GEWA Page Turner BLV-6D are both designed to give people who are unable to turn pages in a book or magazine a way of doing this independently. This brief comparison aims to cover the features of the two different page turners and outline the strengths and weaknesses of each. A more detailed outline and comparison of the features of both is available at http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/library.asp?article=26895 Each of these page turners works in a different way to achieve a similar outcome. The Flip Automatic Page Turner is a relative newcomer. It was released in 2007 and aims to make the page turning process much simpler with a one-step or two-step process. This is attractive to many people who have found the four-step process of the GEWA too difficult, too time consuming or too physically demanding. The user has an option of one switch scanning, two switch direct selection (forwards and backwards) or using a mouthstick. There is also a continuous mode, where the Flip will turn five pages in a row at a set rate, which might be a good option for someone who wants to “browse” a magazine. Using the Flip, the end user can read a variety of books, although it is more successful with thinner pages and works extremely well with magazines (even those with shiny page surfaces). There is very little maintenance required, although the page grabbers may require cleaning. Overall, the Flip is a great option for an end user who needs a simple access method and who has a reliable team who can learn how to put books in the Flip for maximum success. View a short demo video clip or watch the YouTube video to see the Flip in action! The GEWA Page Turner has been around for over 25 years and is a reliable favourite for many people. It has a four step process which the user has to complete to turn one or more pages forwards or backwards. An experienced user is able to have complete control over whatever book they are reading, with very little error. What errors do occur are usually user-correctable. The GEWA Page Turner manages a wide variety of media including looseleaf pages which have been stapled at the corner and a variety of book sizes as well as magazines. It is simple for a carer to put a book into the GEWA Page Turner and it has a wide range of controller options, including a 4 button controller, a joystick and a scanning controller. There is very little maintenance required, although the rubber roller does need to be cleaned at regular intervals to ensure that the roller continues to be able to “grip” the pages. With the GEWA Page Turner the onus is on the end user to understand and control the four functions accurately to turn pages – and this may be too much of a cognitive or physical load for some users. But for those who can manage the four function controllers, the GEWA is a very good option. The Flip is available for trial through Spectronics’ Equipment Trial Scheme. Please click here for more information about the Australian trial scheme and click here for details of the trial scheme in New Zealand. The GEWA Page Turner is available for trial through ZYGO Australia. Please click here for more information about this loan process. |
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Kurzweil 3000 for Windows now on USB Stick too
 Last year, we told you about the Windows versions of textHELP Read&Write GOLD and ClaroRead becoming available on a USB memory stick. The latest literacy support tool for students who struggle with reading and writing soon to be released in a USB version is Kurzweil 3000 for Windows. All three standard Kurzweil 3000 for Windows Version 10 options will also be available as separate USB options (Professional Colour, Professional Black-and-White and LearnStation). Click here for a comparison of the features of each. The expected release date in Australia and New Zealand is mid-April 2008. Kurzweil 3000 USB for Windows includes all the features of Kurzweil 3000 for Windows Version 10, but offers the additional benefit of enabling students and teachers to gain immediate access to the program on any Windows computer – without installing any software. The entire program is installed and runs on the portable USB flash drive that can be carried from computer to computer. Advantages of the USB Version!
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Online and Onsite Trainings by Spectronics Coming up
Travels, Conferences and Presentations on-the-road It is hard to keep up with the many requests for training and participation in events coming in to the Spectronics’ offices in Australia and New Zealand at the moment! But last week, our Training/Support Team sat down and mapped out a schedule of trips for the year – with most to take place after our Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference 2008 in May. What have we planned? Spectronics presentations are scheduled for Perth and Albany (April), Cairns and Townsville (May), Adelaide, Brisbane and South Island of New Zealand (July), Tasmania and Brisbane (August), Kalgoorlie (September), Canberra and North Island of New Zealand (October), and Melbourne (December) – with several trips to regional Victoria planned too. More to be added soon! Please contact Denise Hunter, our Events Coordinator, on denise@spectronicsinoz.com for more details and to discuss the possibility of the Spectronics team presenting to your group interested in technologies while they are “in town”! As usual, full details of all of our travels can be found in the Travel Diary on our website at www.spectronicsinoz.com/info.asp?info=travel_diary. This Diary is updated weekly as new events are added to the schedule or more details about events become available. Spectronics Online Training Services The other good news is that our online training sessions have been going really well – proving very popular as an option both for training and for demonstration of features of our software programs. You simply need to open up a web browser and log in using an online link which we provide for you. There is no need to ring in at all – avoiding expensive long distance phone connections. Why not schedule a staff meeting around an upcoming session – or request one to meet your team’s needs? Sessions coming up this week and next:
To register for any of the scheduled sessions or to request a customised online demonstration or training, please contact Karl Francois at the Spectronics Brisbane office. There is no charge for joining scheduled “program demonstrations”. Fees will only apply when customised training session content and timing is required – and we are happy to discuss costs for preparing and delivering these specific trainings for you. More details at www.spectronicsinoz.com/info.asp?info=onlinetraining We are also building a number of “pre-recorded sessions” – showing features of our most popular programs. You can view these at anytime making them the most convenient online demo option! The first couple are online now – covering Dragon NaturallySpeaking. More are planned and will be added to our online training web page soon. To view the Dragon demos, click on the links below. |
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Other Useful Stuff to Know About
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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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