ICAM Dispatch

Receipt of a Digital File Reminder

For those of you who have ordered digital files for the 2013-14 school year, remember to follow through the whole process: when you receive the file, you have 15 days to download and unlock the file. You must complete both tasks. Dowload. Unlock. 15 days from the day you get the e-mail.

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User Agreement Reminder

Each time you log in to the ICAM, you do so only after you have checked the box by the statement I Agree to the Terms and Conditions listed here. This is a legal agreement. When you were registered as a DRM by your superintendent/designee, you should have read this. If you didn’t, read it now. Items #3.A.2. and 3.A.8 have to do with the sharing of passwords. This is prohibited as a violation of copyright, and when you share your login credentials with another person, you are putting your school district in a potential position of liability. Put the ICAM Limited User Agreement on your Summer Reading List; it is a short, important read!

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Pat on the back Reminder

Remember to give yourself credit for what you do. Not everyone can teach. Good teachers are a mix of personal and professional attributes that are fused uniquely in each one of you. The same can be said of  anyone who works for the good of children on a daily basis. If you are a DRM, that is in addition to your other job. If you do it well and right, it takes time and attention. The ICAM thanks you, for a job well done!

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Knock knock

Who’s there?

Orange

Orange who?

Orange you glad we are out of school?

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PATINS 2013 State Conference Reminder

“Accessible Instruction:  Every Educator’s Responsibility”

November 4-5, 2013

Please click here for an Informational Flyer Crowne Plaza at the Historic Union Station Indianapolis, IN

Attendees: Registration is now open!  Registration Fee:  $75/1 day $150/2 days

http://bit.ly/PATINSStateConf2013

Thanks so much! Have a great summer!

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No, I’m not singing Jimmy Buffett yet; that begins about three weeks before my beach excursion!

You have no doubt seen  articles about digital trends and the changing roles of teachers. It is not all that surprising that many teachers adopt new technologies as if the wait is over and the solution is in sight. Others are looking for a hidden door where they can make a discreet exit. Most will float somewhere between those points, and eventually catch the wave of excitement that comes with learning something new, then passing it on to someone else.

If you missed the webinar Parental Views of Mobile Devices for Student Learning, for a limited time you may access the webinar and download the power point. I found this to be a thought-provoking presentation.  Parental attitudes concerning mobile and portable devices were described as” balanced and optimistic”. The presenter said that there was a big gap, in terms of parental acceptance, between schools that allow mobile devices, and schools that require them. Another interesting point is that peronnel in schools in economically depressed areas might think that parents will not accept the use of devices to enhance learning because they are concerned more with providing necessities for their families. They cannot afford to provide iPads, iPods,  iPhones or laptops too. But the point to take away is that since the families cannot afford the technology, the school may be the only place where the children can gain that exposure/experience.

Please click the link to view the presentation I am sharing via INXPO!
https://vts.inxpo.com/Launch/QReg.htm?ShowLaunchInitialDisplayItem=E92519&ShowKey=13868

You must register for this webinar before you can complete the log-in process.

 Yesterday there was another Education Week webinar entitled Making Digital Curricula Meaningful. This too was time well spent, and is about building a foundation for a digital curriculum. This is different than using digital formats of print instructional materials, which we do now. One of the presenters tells how his once-struggling district morphed into a very successful district after they began using a digital curriculum.

Please click the link to view the presentation I am sharing via INXPO!
https://vts.inxpo.com/Launch/QReg.htm?ShowLaunchInitialDisplayItem=E92959&ShowKey=13944

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The ICAM repository has new NIMAS and ePub formats of ISBN: 9780030791697, Indiana Holt Elements of Literature, First Course, a file which had experienced multiple problems in Read:Outloud, and was missing some of its pages.

The publisher has completely rewritten this file. Bev added the new NIMAS format to the ICAM repository on 05/23/2013, and tested every page in Read:OutLoud to make sure it opened all the way through (it’s that Zen thing again:). She also created a new ePub format in case that is the format your students are using at this point.

If you ordered this ISBN in the past and experienced problems, you may place new orders for it with confidence that it will function correctly.

Thanks Bev, for this update!

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Thanks Leslie Durst, for another great VISIONS Newsletter:

Visions_in_Indiana_Spring 13

And Thanks to all of you for serving Indiana students, and meeting the changes coming our way!

Webinars

When I was teaching, I asked a friend with years of teaching experience for advice on my first round of IEP meetings. She said (not verbatim), “Get to know the parents. Find out what they hope for their child and what they expect. There will be some parents whom you may find it hard to relate to, because their lifestyle or life-view is very different from yours: Get over it. Find at least one thing about them that you appreciate, and always return to that point; because if you cannot work effectively with a parent, you will not be able to help their child.” I found that to be sound advice that stuck with me.

As LEAs move toward a digital curriculum, and as instruction relies more and more on the use of laptops and iPads and other mobile devices, we will encounter parents/guardians who will not necessarily embrace new technologies. If we can acquaint them with the device(s) their child will be using, show them how new methods will enhance learning, and replace their apprehension or even fear with interest or even enthusiasm, we can expect tech success for our students.

Today, May 16 at 2:00 p.m. ET there is a webinar, hosted by Education Week, entitled Parental Views of Mobile Devices for Student Learning. The content is provided by AT&T, based on a national survey of parent attitudes on mobile technology at school and home. I think this will be help us understand parent attitudes, and provide tips on how to approach them with new methods for learning.

Please use the URL below to access the webinar:
https://vts.inxpo.com/scripts/Server.nxp?LASCmd=L:0&AI=1&ShowKey=13868&LoginType=0&InitialDisplay=1&ClientBrowser=0&DisplayItem=NULL&LangLocaleID=0&RandomValue=1368722336667

Next Wednesday, May 22, at 1:00 p.m. Education Week will host another important webinar, Making Digital Curricula Meaningful. This will discuss finding and evaluating digital materials, teacher training, and integrating digital curricula in a traditional classroom setting.

I think this webinar will go well with this information, sent to us by Leslie Durst, IERC Director:

This Microsoft page, called “Accessibility in Microsoft Office 2010″ is perhaps the best compendium of resources on the topic: http://www.microsoft.com/enable/products/office2010/

I took a sneak peak at these videos and found them uncomplicated yet detailed.

Here is more of what Leslie had generously shared:  Valuable!

1) Robert Miller at the Oklahoma School for the Blind has created a free iPad accessibility booklet designed to help teachers or parents teach their students basic iPad skills to surf with Safari, read books with iBooks, and learn text entry with Notes. Students can also use the booklet independently. The booklet has 7 parts covering mainstream navigation, VoiceOver, Zoom, Large Text, Inverted Colors, and Guided Access and three refreshable Braille displays. This version includes graphics:
http://osb.k12.ok.us/wp-content/uploads/iPad-Accessibility-Booklet-Graphics.pdf

And this one does not:
http://osb.k12.ok.us/wp-content/uploads/iPad-Accessibility-Booklet-NoGraphics.pdf

2) Exciting: The newly-updated Kindle App for iOS makes reading Kindle books accessible for VoiceOver users, including those with Braille displays:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kindle-read-books-ebooks-magazines/id302584613?mt=8

3) An update to the Fleksy iOS app, which is now free, makes the app more responsive, improves its accuracy and reinstates the ability to type with one hand:
http://fleksy.com/2013/05/01/one-handed-typing-yes-please-ios-update-in-the-air/

4) From the IPAT ND Assistive Technology Blog comes an article entitled “Is Dragon the best option for Assistive Technology?”:
http://ndipat.org/blog/is-dragon-the-best-option-for-assistive-technology/?utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer:%2BINDATAproject%2Bon%2Btwitter&buffer_share=10e4a

5) Here are suggestions for “SewingWithout Seeing”:
http://www.aisquared.com/blog/2013/04/sewing-without-seeing/

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If you are looking for a literary classic, try a title search at www.gutenberg.org where you will find thousands of public domain works in multiple formats. These are Free for all students: NO Restrictions! Thanks to Bev and Chadd for sharing this.

And thanks to everyone for ordering instructional materials for next year! If you read this and said “Oops!”, you need to get started. Timely Manner is not a suggestion. It’s a mandate!

Thanks so much!

 Important updates from the IERC

1)      The Miami Accessible Media Project (MAMP) prison project, a collaboration of the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Indiana Educational Resource Center and the Indiana Department of Correction, will celebrate their five year anniversary this month.  The project,  under the direction of Mr. Robert Eutz, has grown from a small braille transcription shop of 15 men to a project encompassing 54 men in three production shops: braille (hard copy and electronic braille files), large print production, and accessible digital file formats (pdf, EPUB, and HTML files).  The MAMP project provides accessible instructional materials to students who are blind or have low vision in the state of Indiana and across the country.  Congratulations on this milestone.

2)      The Top Sixty Braille Challenge Finalists have been named for 2013 and Indiana had 4 winners!!  Ian Receveur from New Albany Schools won in the Apprentice Level.  Jalen Ballard from Ohio, Mitchell Bridwell from the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and Julia Miller from Elkhart County Schools all won in the Sophomore level.  Congratulations to all of these students and good luck at Nationals this summer.

3)      Dr. Bill Telephone Education Series For families of young children with visual impairment and their early intervention/ education team.

Dr. Bill Takeshita, Chief of Optometric Services and Coordinator of Children’s Programs for the Center for the Partially Sighted, as well as Director of Low Vision Training for Braille Institute, is partnering with Braille Institute Child Development Services for this informative monthly Telephone Education Series. Each tele-conference offers a 30-45 minute lecture and a question and answer period following the lecture.  Please join us for the following dates and topics.

May 14th              Pediatric Eye Conditions: Albinism, Aniridia, and Coloboma or ask Dr. Bill

June 11th              Talking with Siblings about Visual Impairment

Special Guest: Elva Tamashiro, Program Director, Institute for families

All tele-conferences will be held from 7:30-8:30 PM, unless a change in time/date is announced. There is no need to register, and to join the call please dial 1 888 247-8947.  When the operator prompts, dial the pass code: 460500. The lecture portion of the call is typically recorded as a podcast and will be available after the call at www.airsla.org  and www.brailleinstitute.org  under Child Services.  In order to ensure the sound quality of the recording all participants are asked to mute their phone by pressing *6 when the program begins.           

4)      Join a free, forward-looking webinar on the changing world of educational video description on May 30, 2013 at 02:00 PM EDT / 01:00 PM CDT / 12:00 PM MDT / 11:00 AM PDT. This innovative webinar is hosted by the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP), in collaboration with the Video Description Research and Development Center (VDRDC), and the Description Leadership Network (DLN). Register now at http://webinars.dcmp.org/. Learn about YouDescribe, the exiting new tool developed by the Video Description Research and Development Center (VDRDC). YouDescribe is a FREE tool that anyone can use to add description to YouTube videos. YouDescribe includes everything needed to create description; all you need to provide is a microphone. In addition, YouDescribe has a FREE embed-able player which can be used to include described videos on your own site. This exciting and interactive presentation is perfect for teachers, administrators, and parents who want to learn about the latest developments in video description technology and how it can help students who are blind and visually-impaired in educational settings. ACVREP continuing education credit will be available. Register now at http://webinars.dcmp.org/

EDUCATION WEEK Webinars!

Parental Views of Mobile Devices for Student Learning

“This webinar will provide educators, school leaders, and district administrators with an in-depth understanding on how parents perceive the current and potential use of mobile devices for learning, as well as perspective from a district that is successfully using mobile learning to improve student engagement. This insight will assist schools and districts as they look for opportunities to use technology to support various teaching and learning initiatives.”

This event takes place on Thursday, May 16, 2013, 2 to 3 p.m. ET.

Register here!

Making Digital Curricula Meaningful

“Using digital curricula effectively is much more complicated than just firing up a laptop in class. As more schools and districts turn to digital materials for education, experts say it’s important to emphasize teacher training and professional development and to be deliberate in how it is used. School and district leaders also need to determine how to organize and evaluate materials and integrate them into the curriculum appropriately. Our guests will help educators find and implement digital curricula in the most effective ways possible.”

This event takes place on Wednesday, May 22, 2013, 1 to 2 p.m. ET.

Register here!

Thanks so much!

Spring has Sprung!  I’m not kidding this time, it really is here, and it’s  time to celebrate!

We are celebrating at the ICAM because so many of you have already ordered specialized formats of textbooks for the 2013-14 school year ! This is crucial for assuring timely delivery of materials to your students! Keep it up. The sooner, the better is so, so true.

Or, you might want to celebrate this:

Read:Outloud 6.0.3 Update Patch

This newly revised version 6.0.3.1 updates existing 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3 of Read:OutLoud 6 and SOLO 6 found on your computer, to the revised version 6.0.3.1. This updater will look for all installed programs and update accordingly. This revised version replaces the online dictionary with Thefreedictionary.com, and corrects the inability to add a bookmark for .html/web pages in the Mac OS version.

Click here to download patch

Or, you might be happy to celebrate this:

NaviDys App for iPad will allow you to Change Font in internet Browser to Dyslexie, and Add Spaces between Letters, Words and Lines! And, you can still have the text read aloud with highlighting using built-in speech selection on the iPad as well!

Thanks to Jim Lambert, PATINS NW Region Coordinator, for sharing this really nice app for $2.99! 

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Those pesky notices!

This week the ICAM has received enough inquiries concerning this to make it worth mentioning:

If you receive a systems-generated email from the ICAM that reads “You have (_) pending patron order(s) waiting for your approval” and you know this is invalid because you have placed no orders, or because you know approval has been applied, you can ignore the notices. But we wish you wouldn’t do that.

In one case yesterday, Chadd discovered that the items needing approval were Special Requests, but the email did not clarify that. Chadd will be working on strengthening the language of those emails.

In other cases, this is a glitch, one which can be fixed only after we know about its occurrence.  If we are not aware that you are receiving the notices, they will only continue. Day after day after week after month. Don’t let it be.

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Application Deadline July 15, 2013:

The PATINS Tech Expo has now come to pass, and from our initial feedback, this event was a huge success.  We hosted 40 vendors, and welcomed over 500 attendees. It was a day packed with technical trainings, vendor booths, product presentations and hands-on labs. Every year the Tech Expo is a wonderful opportunity to make new acquaintances/contacts and reconnect with people we may not have seen since the last PATINS Tech Expo. I especially liked seeing groups of people seated on the floor having lunch and animated conversations about all they were learning. Although wicked weather sent some home early, those who stayed for the Door Prize Drawings left happy, especially those who won something! If you were not able to attend, we hope you will next year. If you did join us for the day, please spread the word in your schools that it is worthwhile—fun, informative, and free.

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We are looking forward to providing the same high-quality training and networking in November, at the PATINS State Conference:

“Accessible Instruction: Every Educator’s Responsibility”
November 4-5, 2013

Please click here for an Informational Flyer
Crowne Plaza at the Historic Union Station
Indianapolis, IN

Attendees: Registration is now open! Registration Fee: $75/1 day $150/2 days

Special Education Improvement Award

If your school is one of the 97 recipient schools of this award, Congratulations! PATINS staff will be available to assist you as you begin implementing your grant objectives. Contact information for the PATINS Project Director, and each of the PATINS Regional Coordinators may be accessed at www.patinsproject.com. The PATINS professionals have been providing support and guidance to schools on issues related to special education, UDL, AT and AIM, for years. They are experienced and competent and ready to help you make sound decisions on how best to use this award money. And, the PATINS State Conference will be an excellent time and place to start.  As Glenda Thompson, our PATINS Project Administrative Assistant has stated, “For a mere $75/day, they will learn SOMETHING to help them utilize these funds to the fullest and have the entire PATINS staff right there with them for discussion/assistance/brainstorming…whatever they need.”

So, our compliments on your award, and we will see you at the Conference!

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AIM Guidance for the Purchase of Printed Instructional Materials

If your school has or will be ordering new textbooks for the 2013-14 school year, please be mindful of the following information, and share it with the curiculum specialist or other personnel who orders books for your district.

The SEAs and LEAs play an essential role in increasing the availability of printed instructional materials in accessible formats by obligating publishers to submit essential source materials to the NIMAC. They do this by routinely including language in purchasing contacts and purchase orders that requires publishers to submit NIMAS-conformant files to the NIMAC, or provide assurances that they have already done so, for a specific title and version that is to be purchased.

For IDEA Regulations, an update on XML based mark-up language in Math and Science instructional materials, and Sample Contract Language Documents, click here.

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Kudos! to Lebanon Community School Corporation on their acquisition of a passel of MacBook Air laptops, one for every Lebanon high school student! Lebanon high school teachers have spent this year learning how to create content that aligns to academic standards. They now know how to implement a curriculum based on best practices, data collection and assessment. They are ready to go, moving away from a textbook driven curriculum and stepping surefootedly into a digital curriculum. The MacBook’s will be distributed to students in August, when the new school year begins. To read the story, please see the April CIESC Newsletter (under Engage-Innovate-Educate) . Of course this is an enormous project for any school corporation to assume, one that requires clear-headed attention to detail. If your school will be soon considering this type of learning environment (eventually, all schools will), or if you would like to steer them in that direction, you might be interested in the Lebanon High School 1:1 Learning Initiative FAQ’s. No need to, as they say, reinvent the wheel.

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Another important item in the CIESC newsletter is Summer school registration for the Indiana Online Academy (IOA). If you have students who plan to attend, registration is open until June 6, 2013, and classes begin June 10.

Speaking of that newsletter, Susie Golding does a nice job of gathering information that is pertinent not only to the CIESC service area, but to Indiana Public Schools. Thanks Susie.

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Thanks so much!

The PATINS 2013 Tech Expo is one week from today! Thursday, April 18, 2013. There still is time to register, and even if you decide to come the day of, we will welcome you warmly. This will be a great day to share information, participate in hands-on labs, see and try out new products, and at least 30 of you who stay all day will win something wonderful.

The Fountains

502 East Carmel Drive
Carmel, IN 46032

A few words about Assistive Technology

When considering the best fit between the individual and the technology, there are several concerns that educators must look at. Such as the student’s physical challenges, cognitive skills and sensory issues. Of course you want to choose devices and apps that will give the student a good level of independence, which is a great self-confidence builder, no matter where the student is in their education.

If you serve beginning students, you want to teach them skills that propel them and instill a thirst for further knowledge. If you work in a high school, you will consider tools that will help prepare the student for employment and/or post-secondary education.

At the PATINS Tech Expo, you are invited to get specific with the professionals on-hand, become educated, and share new knowledge with your school districts.

So….

If you are new to special education, and will be helping students make successful AT decisions, the PATINS Tech Expo provides a fun, informative environment where you can explore new, up-to the-second assistive technologies designed to improve student learning, where you will be assisted by an inspiring assembly of savvy specialists.

Or….

If you have worked in special education for a length of time, and have helped students make successful AT decisions, the PATINS Tech Expo provides a fun, informative environment where you can explore new, up-to the-second assistive technologies designed to improve student learning, where you will be assisted by an inspiring assembly of savvy specialists.

Run-on sentences, repetitions and alliterations aside, the PATINS Tech Expo is for everyone who works with students.

Attendee Registration deadline is April 11, in order to be assured a lunch. However walk-ins are welcome!

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PATINS 2013 Tech Expo

Thursday, April 18, 2013

The Fountains

502 East Carmel Drive
Carmel, IN 46032

NO REGISTRATION FEE TO ATTENDEES!
Attendees – Register Here!

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The ZEN of BEV

Bev Lau, ICAM IT Assistant,  has been discreetly, persistently investigating a long list of problem NIMAS files in order to find the solution to one Frustrating Longstanding Problem (FLP).

If you experience a “Not a valid book” error when opening a NIMAS file in Read: OutLoud, please contact the ICAM.

Although there may be other factors which cause this error, at least sometimes it occurs because the xlm file type extension was created by the publisher in upper case rather than in lower case, and Read: OutLoud cannot find the file when the extension is in upper case.

If/When this happens, ICAM can repair the problem rather quickly. Please let us know so we can help you.

It sounds so simple but make no mistake that there was a lot of trial and error and quiet patience involved. And she has that in Spades!   Thanks Bev!

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Thanks so much!

With the Tech Expo quickly approaching I would like to spotlight some of the “Not for Profit” organizations that will be with us this year:

• Achieve 3000
• APH
• Best Buddies Indiana
• Down Syndrome Indiana
• Effective and Compliant IEP Resource Center
• INDATA Project at Easter Seals
• Indiana Center for Accessible Materials
• Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services
• Indiana Resource Center for Autism
• Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
• Indiana Educational Resource Center
• Indiana School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library
• PATINS Project
• Refurbished Computers

All of these vendors will provide expertise, information, and gifts. We are SO hoping you will join us at the PATINS Tech Expo, only 21 days to go.

It has been fairly quiet this week due to spring breaks, and I want to share with you some interesting reads I have perused peacefully.

It’s not a secret that teachers often rely on particular tech-savvy students to assist (i.e. save the day) should the teacher hit a technical snag during instruction. Students as tech teachers is a natural solution; as author  Rob Zdrojewski puts it,  “Many of today’s students are familiar with rapidly-evolving technology, sometimes even more so than their teachers.” Oh really? When I was teaching 7th grade, I quickly identified the students I could always rely on to help me set up the projector or live-stream a video.  Go here to read the article.

Districts Forge School-to-Home Digital Connections-This is an absorbing article about the challenges that must be addressed as school districts provide digital access to their students by allowing at-home use of school-owned portable devices.

We all know that the digital age has arrived, even if it has many corners to reach, yet. To make a successful transition the best way to be is pro-active. Be ready, go greet it, invite it in. I have a friend who is a small-town librarian in rural Kentucky. She has a teenaged daughter, and Susan calls her daughter and friends the SCC (Screen Culture Club). We often discuss the benefits of technology, and the non-tech benefits we enjoyed at her daughter’s age; like the pleasure we had in sharing the books we’d check out from the library. Here is an interesting view on that.

Thanks to Leslie Durst to sending me this page about  apps for use on mobile devices that will perhaps be useful to some of your students for mindmapping, taking and organizing notes/schedules, brainstorming, scanning product barcodes to look up reviews and prices…actually this page is…just get in there and look at all that is available. The title is “…..for College Students”, so the student in the transition stage of high school will certainly find something to take with them.

Q: Why is the letter A like a flower?

A: A bee (B) comes after it!

Thanks so much!

Even though the first day of Spring was rather cold, in addition to warmer days there is much to look forward to.

Just 28 days until 2013 PATINS Tech Expo! The expo is free but you must register so that we can have your lunch ready!

Save the Date!

Thursday April 18 2013

The Fountains

502 East Carmel Drive

Carmel, IN  46032

Attendees - Register Here!

Vendor Presentation Descriptions

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SAVE THE DATE!

The 2013 PATINS State Conference will be held November 4 -5, 2013 at the Crowne Plaza at Historic Union Station, Downtown Indianapolis Indiana. Call for Proposals for this event has begun. The theme for this conference is “Accessible Instruction: Every Educator’s Responsibility”.

Presenters: We ask that all presentation proposals reflect this theme. Proposals may be 60 minute sessions or 2 hour half day sessions. A hands-on computer lab as well as a bring-your-own-device lab will be available. Presenters may submit up to three proposals.

The Call for Proposals for this event will end on April 15, 2013.

Attendees: Registration is now open! Registration Fee: $75/1 day $150/2 days

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/stateconf2013
2013 PATINS State Conference Informational Flyer   

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IERC New from Leslie Durst, Director

The IERC has completed the 2013 Annual Census of Students Who Are Legally Blind and has submitted the student information to the American Printing House for the Blind. Thanks to all of our Special Education Directors and VI Teachers for submitting the required paperwork to complete this process.

DRMS and VI Teachers: The IERC is completing the preparation of the On-Loan summaries for all physical materials loaned to school corporations and still in use by students who are blind or low vision. The summaries will be mailed out next week so please watch for this important mailing.  Responses are due back by April 15, 2013.  This important process allows the IERC to account for items purchased with state and federal dollars and to reuse materials effectively and efficiently, thereby keeping costs down.  Also…Please submit orders for braille instructional materials now for next year! This is especially important for math and science as Nemeth transcribers are harder to find.

IREAD K-2 and IREAD-3 Item Sampler Available in Braille from the IERC

IREAD K-2

The IREAD K-2 is a “no-Stakes” assessment that was created by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) to “help schools monitor student progress and provide appropriate instruction prior to grade 3.”  The IERC has recently worked closely with the Indiana Department of Education Assessment Office to have the 2013 IREAD K, 1, and 2 student assessment materials transcribed into braille by our MAMP Project. These assessments are now available to districts to order from the IERC via the ICAM.  Again, these assessments are available in braille only from the IERC.  The Kindergarten level is available in Uncontracted or Contracted Braille, the IREAD 1 and IREAD 2 are only available in Contracted Braille. Once you log into the ICAM you will use a Title Search of IREAD.

If you are interested in acquiring a braille copy of one of these assessments for your student/s, please log on to the ICAM and place your order.  I would encourage you to do so in the near future, as the IREAD K-2 is designed to be administered only once during the last 4-5 weeks of the school year in each participating school corporation.  We will remove the 2013 IREAD K-2 braille assessments from our catalog after the end of the school year. Please read the IREAD K-2 FAQ from the Department of Education for more information.

Please Note:  Even though this is not a required test by the IDOE, they do ask districts to take precautions to help ensure the integrity and security of these assessments.

1)      Shredding any unused copies of the assessment.

2)     Not sending copies of the assessment home with the students.

To assist with this, the IERC is requesting that after you are finished with the braille copies of IREAD K-2, each braille copy we have sent to you must be returned to the IERC for shredding.  We will follow up with you to ensure that this happens.

IREAD3 Sampler

The MAMP Project has also brailled a copy of the IREAD-3 Item Sampler that is found on the IDOE website.  Per IDOE “The Item Sampler provides information about IREAD-3 for students, parents, educators, and others. The items in this sampler are examples of the types of items found on IREAD-3. These examples can serve as models when teachers are constructing items for classroom assessment. It should be noted that “the sampler is not a practice test.”  It was our intention to provide this in braille so our braille readers can have the same information as our print readers and can be exposed to the types of items found on the IREAD-3.  This is especially important for our braille readers as they must contend with not just information presented in contracted braille, but braille formats as well. While this does not expose them to all the braille formats they may encounter in the actual IREAD-3, it is an attempt to familiarize them with some of the items and formats they will experience.

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Check out the Spring 2013 edition of DOTS for Braille Literacy (Development of Teacher Support) Volume 18, Number 2.

APH has released several new products.  Read about them in the March 2013 APH News.

Apps:  Check out The Visually Impaired iOS App from Braille Institute, ViA if you haven’t already.  It is a powerful app that aggregates & sorts apps by category, price and iTunes ratings.  Better Vision All-in-One Reading App is a mobile app for iOS and Android devices that magnify text, provides contrast and color filters to improve clarity.  It can also read text aloud. AbleRoad is an app and website that enables persons with disabilities to find, rate, and review local shops, restaurants, theaters and other businesses based on their accessibility to persons with mobility, sight, hearing, or cognitive impairments. AccessNote is a specialized notetaker app for iOS devices from AFB that provides persons with vision loss with a simple, convenient way to take notes at work, at school or at home. The Optelec Magnifier App is a FREE magnification software application which turns an Apple device with an on-board camera* into a powerful low vision solution. FREE!

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 Happy Spring! Thanks so much!