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another iPhone app for communication

Posted by 14 on the 11th May, 2010

As expected, yet more apps are appearing for the iPhone. The latest one is called iComm, and it seems to have hit the media headlines, which is a good advert for AAC. iComm is designed by a parent as are some of the others discussed in earlier blogs and in the CALL review paper. It seems...

Tap to Talk for iPod, iPhone and iPad

Posted by 14 on the 5th May, 2010

Interestingly, the little communication program Tap to Talk that was brought out originally for Nintendo DS and DS Lite, is now available also as an App for the iPhone, iPod Touch and/or iPad. This may get round some of the sound volume issues, and also as multiple Tap to Talk albums (ie vocabula...

New Bookshare online introduction to accessible formats

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 4th May, 2010

Bookshare has a new online learning module for people who want to learn more about accessible digital books and resources. It has a US focus, but has good examples, with video and audio clips, of why some pupils need books in accessible digital formats and why it makes a difference to their edu...

using the ipod / ipad to support reading and writing

Posted by Allan Wilson on the 20th April, 2010

We have featured a number of apps for the iPod Touch and the forthcoming iPad over the past few months, including apps for communication (see blogs on 18th January and 6th April) and for more general educational purposes (see blogs on 18th January and 24th February). These devices also have pote...

learning to read - structured phonics products [updated 9/12/10]

Posted by 4 on the 14th April, 2010

In the wake of growing evidence in favour of a 'return to phonics' for example from Tommy Mackay's Scottish Executive funded West Dunbartonshire Literacy project, a burgeoning market has emerged that offers a number of products, not just for early readers but also targeted at pupils who have diffi...

Communication Apps for iPhone, iPod and - NEW - iPad

Posted by 14 on the 6th April, 2010

This blog has mentioned before the growing range of communication Apps for iPhone and iPod Touch. You can download an updated CALL Information Sheet reviewing different communication Apps, (and even a Nintendo DS app). Times are changing - many of these Apps are (much) cheaper than a roll of Ve...

quick guide to free / low-cost software

Posted by Allan Wilson on the 26th March, 2010

We have updated our quick guide to Low-cost / No-cost Software Tools for People with Dyslexia. This provides information about a selection of mainly free programs that can help people with reading and writing difficulties to access text on a computer. The guide is not intended to be a comprehensiv...

free text to speech options for the mac

Posted by Allan Wilson on the 23rd March, 2010

We are often asked if there is an Apple Macintosh version of WordTalk, the free text-to-speech add-on for Microsoft Word. Unfortunately, there isn't, and, due to differences in the way that PCs and Macs handle sound, there is unlikely to be a Mac version. There are a number of free text-to-speec...

eBook accessibility

Posted by Paul Nisbet on the 18th March, 2010

Alistair McNaught, Senior Advisor at JISC TechDis leads the Right to Read Alliance working group on eBooks and his latest report to the Alliance identifies several very promising developments in the area of accessible eBooks. JISC RSC commissioned research by Shaw Trust into the accessibility of...

Useful resources about making accessible resources from JISC RSC