Janette Graham and Andrea MacBeath, based at the ASL Technology Service in Richmond Park School in Glasgow provided their top ten tips (well at least twelve, really) for supporting literacy. They covered Word Prediction such as using Penfriend or Co:Writer; symbol support using Boardmaker; use of WordTalk and a host of others. Not only that but they kindly offered to share their PowerPoint slides for the presentation with others.

Katie Robinson, a teacher at Middlefield, a school in Glasgow for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder,  presented on her use of the SmartBoard with pupils she works with. She has found that Smart technologies offer particular advantages for pupils with ASD. These include:

• being bright and attractive, drawing on the strengths of visual learners
• being interactive, pupils really can "Do to learn"
• allows the teacher to reduce his or her use of verbal language – free from multiple sub-clauses
• easier to focus on, helping when teaching the skills for taking part in a group – such as turn-taking

Katie noted that she had found Education City particularly appropriate software with the pupils she worked with. Problems of positioning the board, using a touch sensitive screen as opposed to the kind that lock you into using a particular kind of pen (options of magic wands, conductor’s batons and such like led to some useful discussion).

About 130 people attended here in CALL Scotland, in Edinburgh, for the second very successful CALL Scotland ICT and Inclusion day. It's quite ambitious to try and meet the CPD needs & interests of everyone from staff working with Primary pupils with severe and complex additional support needs, to NHS therapists, to tutors of students with disabilities in Further Education. But somehow our mix of exhibition displays, suppliers' presentations and good practice workshops seems to have pulled it off! Evaluation forms show that participants liked everything a lot, and especially the chance to have 1:1 discussions and hands-on with suppliers, the ideas provided in the practitioner workshops, and information about free software resources.

About 80 people enjoyed a great day at the Ross County Victoria Park stadium in Dingwall yesterday on 16th June. There were 18 presentations from suppliers and practitioners on a wide range of topics as well as a chance to look at software and hardware in the exhibition space. A quick glance at the evaluation forms shows that all the participants found the day useful. Craig Mill's AccessApps and 2Simple software got several appreciative mentions, as did the lunch and the weather. Next up Edinburgh and then Glasgow.