This year's ICT and Inclusion days, held in Aberdeen and Edinburgh last week proved to be a great success. We would like to thank all of the suppliers and presenters who attended, as well as the 200+ delegates who came along. It was good to see that so many people found the days very useful.

We've been looking at the feedback from the days. A number of presentations given at both venues proved particularly popular, including those on Google Chrome and Using iPads. In Edinburgh, the presentations from Longstone Primary School on supporting pupils with dyslexia and from the Edinburgh Hospital and Outreach Teaching Service on Film Making and Animation to Support Social, Emotional and Behavioural Needs in Primary School went down very well.

This year, we experimented with holding a prize draw at the end of the day to encourage people to stay a little longer. Thanks, again to the suppliers who donated prizes - some of the prizes were VERY worthwhile! It was good to finish each day on a 'high'.

How can we fit it all in?

This year, space was an issue, particularly for Edinburgh. It can be hard to physically fit everything in when so many companies want to attend and when we want to balance the supplier presentations with presentations from CALL, BRITE and local schools, colleges and services. Timetabling can also be a bit of an issue. Ideally, we'd love to be able to provide longer sessions, with longer gaps between them, with some of the more popular sessions being repeated, but we know that people would like to get home before midnight! There were also requests for facilities to allow 'hands on'. We have the technology - it is just a matter of working out how to fit it in.

Go West!

Some of the people who came through to Edinburgh from the West were requesting that we hold ICT and Inclusion in the West next year. We were in Glasgow last year and plan to return to the West next year.

Comments from Delegates

"A good opportunity to see a variety of resources available to enhance communication and use within Early Years ICT."

"Lots of interesting presentations - sometimes 30 minutes wasn't enough!"

"Great opportunity to make connections with various organisations and professionals."

"Exhibition was well laid out and the presentations I attended were informative and well-presented."

 

 

You can still book online to attend this week's ICT and Inclusion events in Edinburgh (Wednesday 15th June) and Glasgow (Thursday 16th), though it is too late to be certain of a free lunch! ICT and Inclusion, organised by CALL in conjunction with the BRITE Centre and JISC Regional Support Centre, Scotland North and East, brings together more than 20 of the UK's leading suppliers of software and technology to support learners with additional support needs in schools, colleges and universities

Following a couple of late cancellations there have been some changes to the programme for the days, with a small number of presentations being repeated in Edinburgh:

• QED will be demonstrating the new Tobii PC-Eye eye gaze system (also on the Smartbox stand), though they still hope to have a switch-accessible Kindle on display. 
• Forcetenco will be previewing VOICEYE, a free app for reading documents, that could be a very useful tool for people with a visual impairment, or dyslexia;
• Pass IT On / U Can Do IT will be giving away free CDs of public domain software at their talk in Edinburgh.

There will still be 25 stalls to visit in Edinburgh, and 24 in Glasgow - more than ever before.Don't miss the presentations by our guest speakers from Higher and Further Education, and from schools in Glasgow - these presentations are always highlights of the day!

It's not too late to book a place at one of next week's free ICT and Inclusion days, run in conjunction with the JISC Resource Centres, though we may not be able to guarantee lunch if you book very late:

• Tuesday 15th June - Invercarse Hotel, 371 Perth Road, Dundee DD2 1PG.
• Wednesday 16th June - CALL Scotland, Moray House School of Education, Paterson's Land, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ.
• Thursday 17th June - The Bruce Hotel, 35 Cornwall Street, East Kilbride G74 1AF.

The Exhibition, featuring many of the UK's leading suppliers of assistive technology and software for pupils and students with additional support needs runs from 9 am until 4pm each day and is accompanied by a series of presentations. Timetables can now be downloaded from the ICT and Inclusion web site, where you can also register to attend.

Late additions

There have been some late additions to the list of suppliers and organisations that will be attending:

• Ink Learning are joining the exhibition in Dundee. They will be demonstrating their Primary Steps Maths and Primary Steps Phonics programs that can be enjoyed using a dance mat. Great fun, educational and good exercise!
• Ability World and Steljes will be coming to Edinburgh and East Kilbride. Ability World will be bringing their innovative, Uni-tech system and Voice Ink software, which enables you to 'print' spoken words and sounds onto your teaching resources and communication boards. Steljes will be demonstrating their latest Smart Table, which brings a revolutionary approach to group learning, and other products.
• Pass IT On / U Can Do IT and the Scottish Sensory Centre will be providing information about their work in the Edinburgh exhibition. Pass IT On provide access to computers for people with disabilities in partnership with U Can Do IT, who provide training. The Scottish Sensory Centre provide training and support for teachers of pupils with visual or hearing impairments.