A.T.TIPScast

Episode #140 is a Christmas present from Chris's wife, Melissa, not only to Chris, but to all of you! Melissa surprised Chris with a recording of her describing a tool she uses in her high school reading class http://newsela.com. This episode is sponsored by http://texthelp.com

Episode #139 features three song parodies from The Nightmare Before Christmas. My apologies to Tim Burton and Danny Elfman. As you listen, please keep in mind that I've never had one singing lesson, ever. Sing along with the lyrics at http://attipscast.com This episode is sponsored by http://texthelp.com

Episode #138 features a recording of a Google Hangout on the concept of Universal Design for Learning. Derek Kaufman, a Google certified educator in Northern Virginia invited me to say a few words describing Universal Design for Learning. To our surprise, two leaders in the field of assistive technology and Universal Design for Learning showed up to participate in the discussion! Luis Perez and Marvin Williams added their own insights and experiences to help explain why developing curriculum and lesson plans using a Universal Design for Learning approach is necessary in contemporary education. This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Click on the banner above to learn about the amazing Read&Write products. http://texthelp.com http:/attipscast.com

Episode #137 is sponsored by Texthelp. This episode features a recording of a Google Hangout interview with Jason Carroll, the Global Product Manager at Texthelp.com. We discuss the features of the popular Read&Write literacy support software for students who are struggling with reading and writing including an analysis of how to implement some of the most popular and well-utilized features. Features like text-to-speech, word prediction, highlighting, highlight collection, voice notes, picture dictionary, and vocabulary list maker are all discussed. http://attipscast.com

Episode #136 features a description and tutorial for the free game Spirit Animals by Scholastic. http://attipscast.com This episode is sponsored by http://texthelp.com

Someone takes their love of educational strategies one step too far. Solving these problems is going to be murder. Don't answer the phone. This is the 2014 A.T.TIPSCAST Halloween episode. http://attipscast.com This episode is sponsored by http://texthelp.com.

Episode #134 questions the usage of the phrase ''able to'' when reporting on the abilities of students. This is the Season 8 premiere. http://attipscast.com This episode is sponsored by http://texthelp.com

Episode #133 features the third in a series of episodes which share stories of how educators supported the needs and preferences of students by selecting accessible instructional materials. This episode focuses on purchasing materials that are accessible so one doesn't have to modify materials after implementation. This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Use promotion code ATTIPS14SAVE20 to get 20% off online orders of Read&Write! Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer expires June 30, 2014. http://attipscast.com

Episode #132 features the audio from a Google Hangout held with Lindsey Hill from Evanced Solutions discussing their free application, Wandoo Planet the world's first kid-powered interest genome project. Students make selections based on their interests to discover associated media suggestions (books, movies, etc.). Lindsey also describes activities students might encounter when they are visited by the Banish Boredom library tour. This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Click on the banner below to learn about the amazing Read&Write products. Banner ad to get 20% an online order of Read & Write Gold from Texthelp.com Use promotion code ATTIPS14SAVE20 to get 20% off online orders of Read&Write! Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer expires June 30, 2014.

Episode #131 features the second in a series of episodes which share stories of how educators supported the needs and preferences of students by selecting instructional materials that were provided in a digital format. This episode references materials based on a question from an educator working at the secondar level. This episode is sponsored by http://texthelp.com, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Use promotion code ATTIPS14SAVE20 to get 20% off online orders of Read&Write.

Episode #130 features the first in a series of episodes which share stories of how educators supported the needs and preferences of students by selecting instructional materials that were accessible. This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Click on the banner below to learn about the amazing Read&Write products. Banner ad to get 20% an online order of Read & Write Gold from Texthelp.com Use promotion code ATTIPS14SAVE20 to get 20% off online orders of Read&Write! Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer expires June 30, 2014. http://bit.ly/attips14save20

Episode #129 features a reading of the blog post which outlines challenges with the current definition of an assistive technology device and proposes a new way to define the term. This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Click below to learn about the amazing Read&Write products. Texthelp ad that links to http://www.texthelp.com/north-america/campaigns/attips Use promotion code ATTIPS14SAVE10 to get 10% off online orders of Read&Write! Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer expires March 31, 2014. http://attipscast.com

Episode #128 features a reading of Chris' automatic email reply message while he is away at the Assistive Technology Industry Association conference which features app review resources and strategies for teaching reading of multisyllabic words. This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. Click on the banner below to learn about the amazing Read&Write products. Texthelp ad that links to http://www.texthelp.com/north-america/campaigns/attips Use promotion code ATTIPS14SAVE10 to get 10% off online orders of Read&Write! Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer expires March 31, 2014. http://attipscast.com

Episode #127 features a discussion of the benefits of inviting secondary students to listen to audio fiction. This episode features a bumper from David Jackson from Lafayette, Indiana. This episode of the A.T.TIPSCAST is sponsored by Texthelp, provider of the award-winning Read&Write software solutions. http://texthelp.com Use promotion code ATTIPS14SAVE10 to get 10% off online orders of Read&Write! Cannot be combined with other offers. Offer expires March 31, 2014.

Episode #126 features a recording of the first draft of the ''Classroom-based Technology Tools'' chapter for the book Technology Tools for Students with Autism published by Brooke's publishing. The chapter was authored by Christopher Bugaj, Melissa Hartman, and Mark Nichols. When the chapter was first drafted, it was written as a story following a fictional student with Autism named Mike through his day describing the tools he and his classmates used to accomplish different tasks. Unfortunately, when the chapter was pieced together with the other chapters in the book it just didn't seem to flow properly. The chapter was re-written to follow a more traditional, essay-like approach. This episode features a reading of the original chapter. In this episode we hear about Mike's afternoon following lunch which starts with a sensory break followed by math, recess, science, and concluding with packing up for the day. http://attipscast.com This episode is sponsored by http://texthelp.com