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Free Professional Learning in 2023!

Posted by Shirley Lawson on the 6th December, 2022

In an ideal world we would like to provide all our Professional Learning for free. We feel it is important and essential that there is a raised awareness of how transforming assistive technology can be to learners with Additional Support Needs. And for that reason, we want to spread the word through...

Free brilliant software tools to support writing

Posted by Craig Mill on the 1st December, 2022

Following on from an article I wrote on free software to support reading, this guide highlights some useful tools to help struggling writers. Rather than focus solely on Windows, here I explore technology that can be used across the 3 most popular devices: Windows, iPads and Chromebooks. &...

Looking for ready-Made festive resources for learners with Complex Needs?

Posted by Claire Harrison on the 1st December, 2022

Somehow it’s December 1st already, and it’s always a busy month in schools. So as a timesaver here's a collation of (mostly) free (mostly) symbol-supported holiday-themed activities for learners with Complex Needs. There’s some great stuff out there, from Sensory Stor...

Using Select to Speak with a Scottish voice on a Chromebook

Posted by Craig Mill on the 24th November, 2022

The online natural text-to-speech voices on the Chromebook have improved in recent years. The 'Select to speak' tool, gives learners the option to hear the text on the screen and highlight parts of the text to improve focus. Google is increasingly rolling out more natural voices, including v...

OrCam - fantastic technology for learners with reading difficulties and low vision

Posted by Craig Mill on the 22nd November, 2022

Last week at CALL we had a demonstration of the OrCam products. I was initially sceptical at first as I saw the Orcam Eye at a conference a few years ago - it was attached to a rather long cable/battery pack and I thought it was a bit clunky.  However, after the meeting I could see th...

National Discussion symbol resources

Posted by Joanna Courtney on the 17th November, 2022

People all over Scotland are talking about Education as part of a National Discussion. A promise has been made to listen to the views of children and young people. Every child’s ‘voice’ in this discussion is important and their views will be listened to carefully and used to make S...

The Best Free Windows Software to Support Reading

Posted by Craig Mill on the 10th November, 2022

In this article I consider the advantages and disadvantages of Immersive Reader and highlight some free alternatives.  The popularity of built-in tools such as Immersive Reader (IM) and Read Aloud in Microsoft Word, Edge, Teams and OneNote can make a big difference to support learners with...

An excellent module that every teacher should enrol on!

Posted by Craig Mill on the 9th November, 2022

Not my words, but one of the many positive comments from participants who have completed the free 'Technology to Support Dyslexia' module. What is the Technology to Support Dyslexia module? Technology to Support Dyslexia is an online, self-study module that explores how techno...

Accessible Halloween Stories

Posted by Joanna Courtney on the 27th October, 2022

Looking for some accessible Hallowe'en reading material? Why not download one of our spooky Bookbug books for your learners from the Books for All Database?  From this year’s upcoming Bookbug Family bag there’s Scaredy Bat Download Scaredy Bat Or, why not br...

Some Switch Access Options for Playing Music

Posted by Claire Harrison on the 10th October, 2022

On a visit to a specialist base in a mainstream secondary last week, we explored some options for extending and developing a learner's switch access skills. I thought it might be helpful to share some of the technology tools we tried and compare their different features. This is by no means...

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