You Need
the Special Needs Fringe Seminar Programme
the Special Needs Fringe ICT seminars are a great way to keep abreast of new developments, discover the latest products and find inspiration for using technology to support your learners. They are free to attend and you don't need to book places.
There are also a number of special events that will be held alongside the exhibition and seminar programme.
Wednesday 11th January 2006
Thursday 12th January 2006
Friday 13th
January 2006
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| Words Worldwide Using Voice – Success Stories Presenter: Dr Peter Kelway The presentation will be based on six case studies of the children with moderate to severe literacy difficulties funded by the CAP project administered by BECTa. Discrete and continuous speech recognition will be covered, along with TTS, mind mapping techniques, spelling checkers and screen readers. Issues such as cost, training techniques, equipment available, support arrangements and assessment of results achieved will also be covered. The presentation will include short demonstrations of the equipment used by pupils. There will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions. Please visit our website for further information at www.keyspell.com |
11:00 | DynaVox Systems Ltd Moving Forward with Boardmaker Presenter: Martin Fisher Since the last Fringe event in London a number of new releases have taken place which pushes Boardmaker into a new era. This seminar will cover what those new changes are and explain some of the benefits. This would be particularly valuable to any existing users and also people who would like to consider Boardmaker perhaps for use in their schools. Topics to be discussed include version 5, Boardmaker Plus and the file sharing systems. |
12:00
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| Resource Education The Power of Pictures Presenter: Trevor Millum This session will look at the way pictures can be used to enhance learning for pupils of all ages. They can be a tool to assist literacy and numeracy and, of course, a way of for pupils to experiment and develop creativity. The session will introduce a new 'word-free' art package from Resource called Albert's Paintbox, as well as drawing on some of the features of established programs such as ‘I Can Write’ and ‘See It:Say It’. |
13:00 | ACE Centre The What Is and How To of SAW5 - Special Access to Windows Presenter: David Colven Content: SAW5 is the new release of the ACE Centre's powerful software utilty that gives switch and pointer users access to Windows. We'll be demonstrating many of its new features, and giving a quick overview of how to construct switch-accessible selection sets. New features include an improved designer interface, wizards, style sheets and templates. Best of all, it's now open source, so developers can customise it to suit their needs. |
14:00
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| Keytools BigKeys and Literacy Learning Presenter: Paul Goddard Find out how the BigKeys keyboard can be used to teach literacy in Reception, Key Stage 1 and for pupils of all ages with special educational needs. The simple, uncluttered layout and colourful keys ensure pupils are motivated to type. The large keys encourage the child to find and hit the right keys and the colours help recognition of particular letters. A must for every classroom, BigKeys will increase pupils’ confidence in using ICT as well as help with literacy learning. |
15:00 | AMDi Creating VSDs on the Tech/Touch Presenter: Rob McPherson Visual Scene Displays (VSDs) look different from typical AAC displays. VSDs are designed to provide maximum contextual support - shifting focus away from expression of wants/needs to social exchanges of ideas/information. Applications for a variety of cognitive/language levels will be explored with sample VSDs for communication and for language facilitation. Researchers are currently observing the impact of VSDs and hybrid VSDs on early language/concept development and on social interaction. This session will explore applications of VSDs as they are being researched in a variety of settings and with a variety of communication challenges and disabilities. |
| Suite A | Suite B | |
| Toby Churchill Ltd adVOCAte+: Communication & Environmental Control in single compact device Presenter: Simon Churchill An introduction to new equipment from Toby Churchill which moves into the market of environmental control. adVOCAte+ combines digital speech recording with easy to use environmental control in a small lightweight piece of equipment. The timer and latch module works with adVOCAte to teach cause and effect and scanning skills. Both pieces of equipment will be demonstrated on our stand as well as discussed in the seminar. |
11:00 | Sherston Supporting the inclusive classroom and pupils with SEN Presenter: Sarah Helton Come along and see Sherston’s newest titles to support children with Special Educational Needs. This seminar will allow the audience to see demonstrations of all Sherston’s new titles designed to support pupils with special educational needs as well to gain an insight in Sherston’s plans for SEN. |
12:00
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| iTech ReadOn: Supporting Students with Reading Difficulties including Dyslexia Presenter: Jane Mangano Jane will discuss how ReadOn can be used to support students with reading difficulties to become independent learners. Strategies supporting comprehension, decoding, accuracy and fluency using ReadOn’s individualised picture cues, auditory feedback and reading exercises will be introduced. Used as an assistive tool, ReadOn allows students to enjoy independence and ownership of the learning process. Jane will outline the ways students can use ReadOn to complete many classroom and homework tasks including note taking, editing and writing. See how ReadOn is being used to motivate struggling students and improve self esteem and confidence. |
13:00 | Sensory Software International/SmartBox Ltd Presenter: Dougal Hawes Control Your Life With Eye Gaze Imagine being able to write, talk, send emails and text messages, browse the Web and turn the TV on – just by looking! Tobii is a revolutionary new system from Sweden, which allows you to control a computer simply by looking at the screen. Unlike other eye gaze systems there is no need to keep the head still or to go through a lengthy calibration each time it is used. Come and see how Tobii and The Grid combine to make all this a reality. |
14:00
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| Lexion/Frolunda Data The Lexion system Presenters: Speech therapists Olof Gunnilstam and Martti Mårtens Lexion is computer based system for assessing, stimulating and training individuals with dyslexia, aphasia or other language related learning disorders. The Creators of Lexion Olof Gunnilstam and Martti Mårtens, both speech therapists will guide you through the assessment part that automatically creates the appropriate exercises. Lexion contains 94 different exercise modules interwoven according to a thoroughly thought out educational pattern. The modules are arranged into logical groups: phonological awareness and processing, letter/sound correspondence, syllable processing, spelling and decoding at word level, vocabulary and conceptual understanding, decoding and comprehension of sentences and texts, spatial relationships, clocks and time aspects, arithmetic and various games. |
15:00 | Prentke Romich International The Importance of Language is AAC Presenter: Mark Street There are three language representation methods (LRM) used in AAC - alphabetic (e.g. orthographic word selection and spelling with word prediction), single meaning pictures (e.g. PCS, Rebus) and multi-meaning pictures (Minspeak® or semantic compaction). PRI will outline the relative importance of each LRM for augmentative communication and why it is so important to consider all three during the assessment process. We will show how all three LRMs are represented across PRI's range of communication aids, and contrast their strengths and weaknesses with reference to core vocabulary. |
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| Inclusive Technology Communicate in Class Presenters: Ian Bean & Carol Allen ICT has the potential to empower, enable and include children and young people with disabilities. With this starting point, Ian and Carol will look at many practical ways that communication can be enhanced in the busy classroom with ICT. |
11:00 | Penfriend Ltd Penfriend XL and Penfriend XP Version 3: Comprehensive literacy aids Presenter: Roger Spooner Using real examples from school, home and college environments we will show how Penfriend XL with its multilingual screen reading, word prediction and on-screen keyboards is being used; in English for aiding those with dyslexia and physical disabilites; as an aid to dyslexics in examinations; for those teaching, learning or working with MFL. We will also highlight the new features in the recently released Penfriend XP Version 3, many of which have arisen from users' suggestions. |
12:00 We will look at things to consider when designing an Interactive room: • Consider NOT designing an interactive room The main message that this is not something peculiar to SEN or to Education, but that the way we learn, react and interact throughout our lives is multi sensory. Helen will also take colleagues through a range of tried and tested practical ways of: • Providing pupils with opportunities to interact with their environment. Ensuring that every child can engage.
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| IntelliTools Presenter: Caroline Van Howe IntelliSwitch is a new easy and flexible switch interface for the computer, providing wireless access to most switch accessible software from IntelliTools, Madentec’s Discover software, and other software programs. Users simply install its driver software, plug its small receiver into a computer’s USB port, and plug a switch into one of its five switch ports. The computer can now be controlled by one or more switches completely wireless from up to twenty feet away. This seminar will show you the many ways that IntelliSwitch can be used to access your computer. IntelliSwitch will be shown with the latest IntelliTools Classroom Suite and Overlay Maker 3 software featuring many easy-to-customise activities and templates for switch users and other SEN students. |
13:00 | FLIC About FLIC Presenters: Heather Bovingdon, Speech and Language Therapist and Sarah Wheeler, S.L.T. Technical Instructor. The Framework for Language and Interaction in the Curriculum (FLIC) provides full colour resources on CD ROM with everything you need to develop speaking and listening skills. It is designed for school staff to use in a nursery, primary or special school with children who need support in developing their communication and interaction skills. FLIC is based around National Curriculum topics and is differentiated into 3 levels of communication development. The main premise of FLIC is that work on communication needs to be closely tied to what the child is learning as this provides greater opportunities for reinforcement of newly learned language skills. This seminar will allow participants to explore the CD ROM, from assessment to selecting the appropriate programmes, individual objectives and session materials in order to get the most from this resource. |
14:00
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