Click on the links below to find more information on specific AT tools
You can also navigate to these training pages on the “Technology Training” website:
Boardmaker
Boardmaker software is used to create or adapt printable materials using pictures or picture supported text. These pictures might be used to adapt educational content, create visual schedules, worksheets, games and more. Boardmaker Plus may also be used to create interactive computer-based activities using the same symbol library. Here is some basic information on this tool:
Description of the software: Boardmaker is a teacher tool that may be used to create a range of materials including calendars/schedules, worksheets/flashcards/other learning materials, interactive learning activities, and/or augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) supports.
Assistive technology domains that the software addresses: This software is generally used as a teacher tool. Communication books, boards, and/or picture exchange cards created using the software may be used to address the expressive communication domain. Graphic organizers, picture supports, or adapted worksheets created in Boardmaker may be used to support composing or motor aspects of writing domains. The tool may also be used for general (non-AT) classroom or student supports.
What does the software look like? Boardmaker can be used in many ways to create printable and interactive materials. See some examples below:
If you have questions about this resource, just ask Amy Golding.
Support Materials:
These materials are provided via links to the vendor’s website (Mayer-Johnson). You can find their full support webpage here:
Inspiration Software
Inspiration Software
Generic name: Digital graphic organizing software
Description of the software: This software allows you to create digital graphic organizers, in both picture and outline format. The graphic organizers can then be export directly out to Microsoft Word! It also has built-in multimedia tools including pictures, voice recordings, and more. Additionally, Inspiration has built-in support features, including spell check and text to speech. You can find out more on the publisher’s website here: http://www.inspiration.com/
Assistive technology domains that the software addresses: Composing Written Material
What does it look like: Here’s an example of an Inspiration diagram and an outline:
LPS Handouts:
LPS Video Tutorials:
Inspiration Overview
Adding voice recordings to a diagram:
Using Inspiration for “elaboration”:
Additional Web Resources:
Troubleshooting:
- Stay tuned!
Digital Text Resources
Lexington Public Schools has a variety of digital text resources available throughout the district. You can access the resources below. Additional training materials, including videos and handouts, can be found on this page of the Technology Training Website.
School-based Resources:
These resources are located within the schools. If your school has a specific digital text project, you will find the link below:
- iPods with Learning Ally App currently at Diamond, Clarke and Hastings
- LHS iPod Project
Subscription Resources:
These resources are available only for students that qualify. In order to qualify, students must have a visual impairment, physical impairment, or reading disability. For more information on qualifying, click here.
Bookshare:
- What type of text do you get? This website allows you to download visual digital text (or Braille) onto your computer.
- How do I read it? You will need a text to speech tool to read this digital text. You can use the built-in feature, download Read:OutLoud for free from the bookshare website, or use a sophisticated scan and read tool, such as Kurzweil 3000. You can find more information on text to speech tools here.
- Is there an app? Yes! The iOS platform has a great app for Bookshare. Its called Read2Go. It runs nicely on an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad and makes the downloading process much easier.
- Positive features about this tool: You will be able to find virtually any currently copyrighted book on this site. You will then be able to read the text, highlight, make notes, use the dictionary, etc…
- Drawbacks about this tool: You will need to use a text to speech tool to hear this text read aloud. Some students do not like the “robot voice” of the computer.
- Click here to go to the Bookshare website
- For additional support on using Bookshare, go to the Technology Training page for Bookshare. This page has basic information, handouts, and videos.
Learning Ally:
- What type of text do you get? This website allows you to download human voice recordings (similar to audiobooks)
- How do I read it? You will need a “daisy reader” to read these special audiobook files. You can also use the Learning Ally App on an iOS device.
- Is there an app? Yes! The iOS platform has a great app for Learning Ally. Its called Learning Ally Audio (found here). It runs nicely on an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad and makes the listening process much easier. Be careful though… anyone can buy the app, but you can only activate it if you’re a current Learning Ally member.
- Positive features about this resource: You will be able to find virtually any currently copyrighted book on this site. The recordings are human voice recordings, so they usually sound very good. You can easily navigate through these books, make bookmarks, and more. Our students also like this resource, as they can listen anywhere, the listen device (and iPod Touch) is small and discrete, and the books are read by real human voices.
- Drawbacks about this resource: The audio files are recorded by volunteers, so each book is usually read by multiple voices. These audio files are very specific, so though you might want to load them into your iTunes, you can’t. Additionally, the not all of the audio files also provide visual text (this is a new feature for this resource so they’re just starting to add text to the files). Sometimes there will be a delay from when a book is published to when it is available through Learning Ally, as it takes time for a real person to complete the recording.
- For additional support on using Learning Ally, go to the Technology Training page for Learning Ally. This page has basic information, handouts, and videos.
- Click here to go to the Learning Ally website
Public Domain Resources:
These resources can be accessed by all students, regardless of disability. These works are typically in the “public domain”, meaning that copyright has expired and additional copies of the work may now be made. There are many resource out there, but here are some of my favorites (you’ll find the full list here)
- Lit2Go
- Free online collection of stories and poems in MP3 format
- Can also be directly downloaded through iTunes
- LibriVox
- Extensive collection of free audio books read by volunteers
- The goal is to record every book in the public domain
- Project Gutenberg
- This site has over 33000 free ebooks to download
- It uses only high quality books that were previously published by bona fide publishers and digitized with the help of volunteers
- Tar Heel Reader
- This is an extensive collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics
- Books read aloud by using text to speech software
- The books may be downloaded as slide shows in PowerPoint, Impress, or Flash format
- You can also create books directly on this website
LoTTIE Kits
What does LoTTIE mean? LoTTIE stands for Low Tech Tools for Inclusive Education. Find out more here: Onion Mountain Tech
So what is a LoTTIE Kit? According to the Onion Mountain Website (the folks that make the LoTTIE kit), the LoTTIE kit is “designed to help students in reading, writing, math, and organizational skills, the LoTTIE Kit allows teachers to informally evaluate and try out simple devices before automatically requiring more sophisticated and expensive technologies.” So the LoTTIE Kits are boxes full of low-tech assistive technology tools. Each school has at least one LoTTIE kit. Teachers can borrow tools from the LoTTIE kit to try with student.
I still don’t get it… Give me an example: A student has difficulty tracking words while reading. The teacher identifies this problem. The teacher borrows a variety of tracking tools from the LoTTIE kit and tries them with the student. The teacher and student determine which specific tracking tool best meets the student’s needs.
But where can I find the LoTTIE kit in my school? The teachers listed below “manage” the LoTTIE kits in the designated schools. They can tell you where your school’s LoTTIE kit is located, and also answer other questions about the LoTTIE kit and how to use it:
- LCP: Claudia Lawson, Margaret Seymorian
- Bridge: Lauren Stebbins, Zelda Rubenstein, John Harney
- Bowman: Lauren Kelly, Kathy Abou-Rjaily
- Estabrook: Kay Slusser
- Fiske: Chris Wai, Robin Kutner
- Harrington: Gail Goldman, Maureen Smith-Wojick
- Hastings: Bonnie McCall, Susan Campbell, Jessica Jannace, Susan Grubbs, John Harney
- Clarke: Erin Maus, Hallie Wells, Felice Zinderman
- Diamond: Hallie Wells, Felice Zinderman, Lisa Flori
- LHS: Paul Tiernan, Mike Doherty
These are handouts relevant to the LoTTIE kits:
LoTTIE Kit Scissors Guide – This provides pictures and names for the scissors included in the LoTTIE Kit.
LoTTIE Kit Writing Tools Guide – This provides pictures and names for writing tools within the LoTTIE Kit.
LoTTIE Kit Grip Guide – This provides pictures and names of all of the pencil grips in the LoTTIE Kit.
LoTTIE Kit Sample Log Sheet – This is a sample of a log sheet that you can use to monitor “checking out” of LoTTIE kit equipment.
LoTTIE Kit Inventory Request – Staff should complete this form when they have trialed a tool with a student and the trial is successful. This form allows the staff to “order” replacement equipment from CO. Send the completed form to Rachel Kuberry at CO.
Text to Speech Tools
The district uses a variety of text to speech tools. Text to speech tools are tools, often software installed on a computer, that use a computer voice to read aloud text from the computer screen. Text to speech tools vary in complexity and additional features, including highlighting, note taking, scanning ability, etc… Below, you’ll find details on the most common text to speech tools used in our district. Additional training materials, including handouts and videos, can be found on this page of the Technology Training Website.
Mac OS Built-in Text to Speech:
- What it is: This is the built-in accessibility feature of the Mac operating system.
- Where to find it: You can find these settings by clicking on the apple, then going to “system preferences”, then going to “speech” settings. Within here, you will find “text to speech” settings.
- Positive features about this tool: This is built-in to the operating system of all Macs and will read any text on the computer screen. You can access it right away when you take a computer out of the box. No installations are necessary.
- Drawbacks about this tool: It does not highlight the words as it reads and has not additional built-in study tools.
- Click here to go to the Apple website for more information about this tool
- For more information about using the built-in text to speech tool, go to the Technology Training page on Mac Operating System Accessibility. This page has basic information, handouts, and videos.
Microsoft Word “Speech” Toolbar:
- What it is: This is a toolbar, called the “speech” toolbar, that provides quick and easy access to the built-in text to speech tool of the Mac operating system.
- Where to find it: You can find this toolbar, within Microsoft Word, within the “view” menu, under “toolbars”. The speech toolbar is a toolbar with only one button… the “speak” button!
- Positive features about this tool: This is tool is very easy to use. It runs without bugs or glitches.
- Drawbacks about this tool: It only reads text within Microsoft Word and does not highlight the text as it reads.
- For more information about using the speech toolbar in Microsoft Word, go to the Technology Training page on Microsoft Word Accessibility for Reading. This page has basic information, handouts, and videos.
Natural Reader:
- What it is: This is a free, basic text to speech software that can be downloaded from this website: http://www.naturalreaders.com/download.htm
- Where to find it: If you have this application on your computer, you will find it in the “Applications” folder. If you don’t have this application, but are interested in taking a look at it, email the assistive technology specialist (at rkuberry@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us).
- Positive features about this tool: This is tool is very easy to use. Its free. It runs on a Mac or PC and looks very similar on either platform. It also highlights as it reads. Very good for a free tool!
- Drawbacks about this tool: The voices don’t sound the greatest…
- Click here to download the “How-to” handout
Read:OutLoud, Bookshare edition:
- What it is: This is a mid-level text to speech software that can be downloaded from this website: http://www.bookshare.org/readingTools. This can be downloaded for free for students that qualify for Bookshare. This text to speech tool has an easy to use, customizable toolbar and built-in study tools.
- Where to find it: If you have this application on your computer, you will find it in the “Applications” folder. If you don’t have this application, but are interested in taking a look at it, email the assistive technology specialist (at rkuberry@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us).
- Positive features about this tool: It runs on a Mac or PC and looks very similar on either platform. It highlights as it reads and has built-in study tools such as highlighting and note taking.
- Drawbacks about this tool: Since this is designed to access Bookshare books, you really can’t use it to read other files.
- For more information about this tool, go to the Technology Training page on Read:OutLoud Bookshare Edition. This page has basic information, handouts, and videos.
Kurzweil 3000
- What it is: This is a sophisticated text to speech software that allows for scanning, note taking, highlighting, and more!
- Where to find it: If you have this application on your computer, you will find it in the “Applications” folder. If you don’t have this application, but are interested in taking a look at it, email the assistive technology specialist (at rkuberry@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us).
- Positive features about this tool: This software can do almost anything you would want a text to speech tool to do. It can scan/convert locked PDFs, it has a variety of built-in study tools, it allows you to customize the voice and the pace of the voice, it highlights as you read, and more!!
- Drawbacks about this tool: The voices really are quite poor. Additionally, this software often freezes or spontaneously quits. Finally, this software looks very different on a Mac or a PC.
- Click here to go to the Kurzweil website to view their training videos
- Click here to download the Kurzweil brief overview handout
iPads
