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SPECTRONICS EMAIL UPDATE
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2nd July 2009

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In this issue:
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- Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference 2010 Update 
- Blogs and RSS Feeds stuff at Spectronics 
- AAC in your pocket! And how cool - it's on an iPod!
- Photograph text on your mobile phone and hear it read aloud!
- New money skills program with photos of Australian and New
  Zealand coins 
- National Disability Insurance Scheme for Australia
- Texthelp Read&Write GOLD, ClaroRead and Kurzweil 3000: A
  comparison 
- Driving communication devices with eye gaze
- Very Hungry Caterpillars and Pandas for Boardmaker Plus!
- Other useful stuff to know about!
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Hi ...

Lots of news about new technologies, events and helpful resources
from the Spectronics team is built into this bumper "School
Holiday Edition" of our e-newsletter! We've tried to keep the
articles short but have offered you links to follow up on
additional information if you would like to read more. 

As usual, we have free workshops coming up in Australia and New
Zealand at which we would love to have you join us! See our
Travel Diary [http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/info/travel_diary]
for more information about the events planned for Perth (August),
Central Queensland Coast (August/September) and Wellington
(September). Online registration will be available for these
workshops soon too. For more information about any of these
workshops, please contact Eliza Bale, Events and Marketing
Coordinator at Spectronics on elizab@spectronicsinoz.com
[elizab@spectronicsinoz.com] or on phone (07) 3808 6833. 

Barbara Landsberg
Sales and Marketing Director
SPECTRONICS 



PS Want to hear our newsletter read aloud? Simply download the
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[http://www.browsealoud.com/page.asp?pg_id=80072] then
view the online version of this month's newsletter in the
Spectronics Email Updates Archive
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/emailupdate/spectronics-email-update-2nd-July-2009].
When Browsealoud is running on your computer, it will read the
text aloud and magnify the text if required too. 


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Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference 2010 Update 
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Win one of TWO FREE registrations to attend the Inclusive
Learning Technologies Conference 2010! 

We have heard from several delegates who attended the Inclusive
Learning Technologies Conference 2008 that they are finding their
sturdy conference satchels really handy for all sorts of things.
That's great to hear. So we thought it might be fun to run a
competition to see how far and wide the satchels actually do
travel! 

We have received some great photos from all across Australia and
New Zealand - along with photos from the UK, Ireland, Europe,
India and the USA! Keep them coming in! We have just been told
that someone is taking their satchel to Peru next month for a
shot in front of Machu Picchu! Cool. 

We will keep posting the photos up onto the Conference Satchels
Competition
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/conference/2010/satchels-on-the-road-competition]
webpage and the Conference Facebook Page
[http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inclusive-Learning-Technologies-Conference-2010/75524932664]
with details of where the photo was taken. All entries will be
considered! 


Do YOU want to present at the conference yourself?

Just a reminder that the Call for Papers is now open! Click here
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/conference/2010/submitpapers] to
submit your proposal online. Submissions close 30th September
2009 - only three months away now! As usual, one complimentary
three-day conference registration will be offered for each
presentation accepted for the final program (valued at $595). 

And if you are ready to register already, click here to register
now [https://www.spectronicsinoz.com/conference/2010/register]
and be sure to reserve your place! 


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Blogs and RSS Feeds stuff at Spectronics 
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At Spectronics, we are always trying to think of ways to make it
easy for you to keep up-to-date with new technologies and
initiatives as they emerge. We appreciate that you are busy and
having to visit our website to check out if anything is new can
be a bit of a time-consuming pain! So we have started building
RSS feeds into pages on our web. 

What is an RSS feed? You may be across this already - but if not
- it is simply a way of setting up a "reader" page where all of
the posts from your favourite websites and blogs can be viewed in
one place. It saves you having to visit each of them to see if
anything new has been added since your last visit. The news then
automatically appears on your "reader" page as it is posted up on
your favourite sites. Many free readers are available and one of
the most popular of these is Google Reader
[http://www.google.com/reader]. 

If you are more of an email person, you can even arrange for this
info to come straight to you as an email too using a tool like
feedmyinbox [http://www.feedmyinbox.com]. 

Two pages on the Spectronics website now have RSS feeds to which
you can subscribe. The first is our "Recent Additions to our
Website [http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/recent]" and the other is
the new Spectronics Blog [http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/blog].
Simply subscribe to these to be totally up-to-date with new
technologies as they are added to our web and new happenings
which we think you might like to know about as the Spectronics
team discovers them! 

A series of helpful videos and a printed guide to setting up
these Spectronics RSS feeds can be found on our RSS Help page
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/library/rss] or if you want to
watch a quick and entertaining video outlining how this RSS feed
thing works in general, check out "RSS in Plain English" up on
YouTube [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU]. 

By the way! Why not call in and check out the new Spectronics
Blog [http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/blog/]? If you post a
comment within the next two months, you will be in the draw to
win a free copy of Texthelp Read&Write Gold Mobile USB
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/readwrite-9-gold-mobile]
version (worth $800)! The winner will be randomly selected from
all comments posted online and will be announced in our next
newsletter. We look forward to hearing from you! 


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AAC in your pocket! And how cool - it's on an iPod!
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One of the biggest buzzes in the AAC world for 2009 is the
release of Proloquo2Go software for use with an iPod or iPhone.
For less than $1000, users can configure their own "very cool"
communication device by purchasing and downloading the software
from the Apple iTunes Apps Store and installing it on their iPod
or iPhone. For your convenience, Spectronics also offers a
ready-configured Proloquo2Go bundle
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/proloquo2go] - comprised
of an 8GB iPod touch with Proloquo2Go software pre-installed and
tested, and housed in an iMainGo2 Portable Speaker
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/imaingo2-portable-speaker].
This bundle includes access to Spectronics' comprehensive
technical support and advisory services (not available for
software purchased directly from the iTunes store). 

Proloquo2Go's flexible and innovative features include:

* Natural sounding text-to-speech Acapela voices (US English 
  voices initially with British English voices soon to be available)
* 8000 SymbolStix symbols
* Support for picture and/or text-based communication
* Flexible VocaSpace vocabulary of over 7000 items
* Powerful automatic conjugations
* Quick access to recently spoken items for the last 15
  minutes/last hour - all the way up to one week back 
* Typing view for typing full paragraphs
* Extremely easy to use
* And it just looks cool!

Visit the Proloquo2Go website [http://www.proloquo2go.com/] for
more information and to join the active Community discussion list
to exchange experiences and ideas with Proloquo2Go. David
Niemeijer, from Assistiveware
[http://www.assistiveware.com/index.php] in the Netherlands, and
co-developer of Proloquo2Go will be presenting in the hands-on
Apple Mac laptops and iPods Lab at Spectronics' Inclusive
Learning Technologies Conference 2010
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/conference/] in May next year
too! 


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Photograph text on your mobile phone and hear it read aloud!
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Another VERY cool new technology is CapturaTalk
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/capturatalk]! This clever
program allows your Window Mobile phone to take a photo of
written text and then have it read aloud for you in a clear UK
English voice! It will also read aloud text in documents on the
phone - including emails and SMS messages received along with web
pages visited. 

Click here [http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/29549/popup]
to view a short video which highlights how CapturaTalk makes it
easy to instantly read text anywhere that it can be photographed.
The content of books, menus, schedules and work directions are
all instantly accessible and understandable to struggling
readers. It will even read aloud definitions of words which a
user has difficulty understanding. This new technology was also
recently featured on BBC news
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8118727.stm]. 

To learn more about CapturaTalk and the Windows Mobile smart
phones with which it is compatible - visit the Spectronics
website [http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/capturatalk]. 


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New money skills program with photos of Australian and New
Zealand coins 
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A new introductory money and maths skill program has just been
released by the Attainment Company. It includes clear images of
Australian and New Zealand coins and features four progressively
more challenging activities: Naming, Sorting, Matching and
Vending. You can select which currency, which specific coins and
how many of each are to be presented to each student. Individual
student performances on each of the activities is tracked by the
program too. The large clear images of the coins on uncluttered
backgrounds make this program ideal for use with touchscreens or
interactive whiteboards! Visit the Spectronics website for more
information
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/counting-coins]. 


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National Disability Insurance Scheme for Australia
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Australians need a no fault insurance scheme for everyone who
has, or acquires, a significant disability. The National
Disability Insurance Scheme [http://www.natdis.com.au/index.htm]
is a strategy for all Australians that will provide significant
long-term improvements in meeting the needs of people with a
disability and their families. This proposal is now gaining
attention from both the media and at the highest levels of
government. Imagine a future where people with a significant or
complex disability had free and ready access to all the services
and equipment they need. Lend your voice to the cause! 

A nationwide petition has been issued in support of this
initiative with organisers hoping to gather at least one million
names to present to parliament and strengthen political will to
reform the disability sector. We encourage you to download this
petition [http://www.natdis.com.au/petition_ndis%20.pdf] for a
National Disability Insurance Scheme and circulate it to your
family, friends, colleagues and networks. 

You can also show your support for the National Disability
Insurance Scheme by telling the government about the difficulties
faced by you, your family or your colleagues. Your comments will
help shape the National Disability Strategy - a vision of what
life could be like for people with a disability and their
families in Australia. Post your comments now! 


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Texthelp Read&Write GOLD, ClaroRead and Kurzweil 3000: A
comparison 
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We are frequently asked about the differences between three of
our most popular literacy support software programs - Texthelp
Read&Write GOLD
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/texthelp-readwrite-9-gold],
ClaroRead Plus
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/claroread-v5-for-windows]
and Kurzweil 3000 for Windows
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/kurzweil-3000-for-windows-version-11].
To help you to compare the features of each, and to determine
which options may best meet the particular needs of your
students, Spectronics' teachers have put together a useful and
comprehensive comparison chart. View this comparison online
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/article/literacy-support-software-comparison-chart]
or click here 
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/downloads/faqs/LiteracySupportComparison.pdf]
to download the PDF printable version. 


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Driving communication devices with eye gaze
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At the recent AGOSCI Conference
[http://www.agosci.org.au/conference_2009.htm] in Canberra,
several eye gaze systems were on display - allowing users to
control computers and/or speech generating devices simply through
their eye movements. One of the newer systems featured was the
DynaVox EyeMax
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/dynavox-eyemax-accessory-for-dynavox-vmax]
accessory for the DynaVox Vmax
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/dynavox-vmax] speech
generating device. The EyeMax enables users to control a DynaVox
Vmax with their eyes. It gives users fast and easy access to the
thousands of pre-programmed InterAACt software communication
pages built into the Vmax - as well as affording access to any
customised pages made using the DynaVox Series 5 software. EyeMax
users can also send a text message or write an email just using
their eyes. 

The EyeMax can be added to any Vmax device, although some older
Vmax units may need to be upgraded. For more information, click
here
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/dynavox-eyemax-accessory-for-dynavox-vmax],
or to arrange a trial of the EyeMax and Vmax together,
application forms are available in the Equipment Trials
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/trials] section of the
Spectronics website. 

Another eye gaze option scheduled for release in late 2009 is the
Tobii CEye Eye Control Unit
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/tobii-ceye] for Tobii C12
speech generating device
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product/tobii-c12]. We will
provide more details about this system once our Speech Pathology
team have had a chance to evaluate the CEye on its launch. 

If you have specific questions regarding eye gaze systems, please
contact Jane Farrall, Spectronics' AAC Support Services Manager
on janef@spectronicsinoz.com [janef@spectronicsinoz.com] or phone
(07) 3808 6833. She will be happy to assist. 


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Very Hungry Caterpillars and Pandas for Boardmaker Plus!
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Our Speech Pathology team has been busy creating activities for
use with Boardmaker Plus! Version 6. In fact, two of these
activities have been featured as the "Editor's Pick of the Month"
on the Adapted Learning
[https://www.adaptedlearning.com/default.aspx] site featuring
thousands of freely downloadable Boardmaker Plus! boards and
interactive activities. 

Two of their recent collections of boards and activities are now
downloadable from the Spectronics Activity Exchange
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/activities] too. 


Pandas Activity Set by Jane Farrall

The Pandas Activity Set for Boardmaker Plus! contains four
separate literacy activities. A simple talking book with photos,
based around the onset rime word family "-eat", an onset rime
activity, a Panda facts book and a simple comprehension exercise.
An excellent resource for early readers of any age - including
original Panda photos taken by Jane on her recent visit to Ocean
Park in Hong Kong! Click here
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/activities/panda] to download the
Activity Set. Additional resources to support the activities are
available in the Visual Stack
[http://www.searchme.com/#/&stack=54fc5] also created by Jane. 


The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activity Set by Katie Lyon

This activity set was created in Boardmaker Plus! to accompany
the fabulous children's story book by Eric Carle. It contains a
range of resources including print-based activities such as a
matching activity and a colour-by-number sheet. It also includes
many interactive onscreen activities such as a butterfly
life-cycle, more or less activity, write a story, find a sound
and interactive games including bingo, sorting and noughts and
crosses. It also has room for you to develop a talking book,
provided you have a copy of the original Very Hungry Caterpillar
book. Click here
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/activities/very-hungry-caterpillar-activities]
to download the Activity Set. You can even watch the engaging
movie courtesy of YouTube
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qoYPLtqqVk]. 

For help with importing these activities into your copy of
Boardmaker Plus!, read the FAQ "What do I do with a board package
after I download it?
[http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/article/what-do-i-do-with-a-board-package-after-i-download-it]" 


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Other useful stuff to know about!
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* Do you have a legitimate copy of Boardmaker for Australia/New
  Zealand? 

  It has come to our attention that one supplier in Australia
  is selling Boardmaker software that is not sourced from
  Spectronics, even though DynaVox Mayer-Johnson has appointed
  Spectronics as the exclusive Boardmaker distributor for Australia
  and New Zealand and does not authorise reselling of the
  Boardmaker program if it is not originally supplied by
  Spectronics. So if you are purchasing Boardmaker, be careful to
  ensure that the copy you receive has been published by
  Spectronics (jointly with DynaVox Mayer-Johnson) - readily
  recognisable by the Spectronics logo on the DVD case. You will
  then be assured of Spectronics' support and ease of future
  upgrade paths. 

* For a great collection of links to free technology tools
  supporting Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
  [http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html] in the classroom
  visit the cool UDL Toolkit Wiki
  [http://udltechtoolkit.wikispaces.com/] 

* Popular downloads this month from Spectronics website have
  included the comprehensive Texthelp Read&Write GOLD Version 9
  Training Guide
  [http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/downloads/faqs/RW9Gold_Training_guide_web.pdf]
  from our recent Australian Training Tour and the "What's New in
  AAC
  [http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/downloads/flyers/WhatsNew_from_Spectronics_for_AGOSCI2009.pdf]"
  booklet prepared for the AGOSCI conference in Canberra in May.
  Click on the links to download your own copy of each! 

* Gerry Kennedy [http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/info/gerry], IT
  Consultant, has been busy writing a comprehensive series of 12
  articles around the topic of "Universal Access" using a wide
  range of technologies! Click here
  [http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/library/universal-access-fact-sheets-by-gerry-kennedy]
  to view these informative articles! 


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SPECTRONICS
PO BOX 88
ROCHEDALE, QLD 4123
AUSTRALIA
Phone: (07) 3808 6833
Fax: (07) 3808 6108
Email: mail@spectronicsinoz.com
Web: http://www.spectronicsinoz.com

SPECTRONICS
PO BOX 20 1186
Auckland Airport
MANUKAU CITY 2150
NEW ZEALAND
Phone: (09) 275 5744
Fax: (09) 275 5743
Email: mail@spectronics.co.nz
Web: http://www.spectronics.co.nz

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