All Free!

Universal Design Solutions for Your Classroom, all absolutely free!
from my presentation at the 23rd Annual MSU Teaching and Technology Conference

Adobe Acrobat Reader with Speech (v. 7.x): If this is not installed, get it installed. It allows most Acrobat docs to be read at loud with variable speed and pitch. FREE

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Microsoft Reader with Text-To-Speech engine and Read in Microsoft Reader (RMR) add-ons: This is a slightly complicated install – must be done through Internet Explorer – requires three or four (with the dictionary) steps. But it reads to your students, allows them to highlight and take notes, and even has dictionaries – and can handle English, Spanish, French, and more). FREE

http://www.microsoft.com/reader/downloads/pc.asp (laptop/desktop PC)

http://www.microsoft.com/reader/downloads/tablet.asp (tablet PC, with "write notes in the margins!")

http://www.microsoft.com/reader/developers/downloads/tts.asp (Text-To-Speech)

http://www.microsoft.com/reader/developers/downloads/rmr.asp (RMR, creates one-click conversions from MS Word)

http://www.microsoft.com/reader/downloads/dictionaries.asp (Dictionaries)

Firefox Browser v2 with FireVox Text-To-Speech: Firefox is the far more accessible web browser, and when linked to the FireVox TTS engine, it reads to you. You can also install one-click dictionaries, and right-click translations. FREE

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ (Install Firefox)

http://www.firevox.clcworld.net/clc-4-tts_bundle_v2.8_release.xpi (Install FireVox)

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/918/ (Install gTranslate)

http://www.m-w.com/downloads/firefox/index.htm (Dictionary Installs)

Google Notebook: The simplest of research tools, allows students to grab online data, organize it, and share it – from Google Labs. FREE

http://labs.google.com/ (the install is down in the left column)

Google Docs and Spreadsheets: Sharable (within the room or worldwide), free, word-processing and spreadsheets. This changes everything. FREE

http://www.google.com/google-d-s/tour1.html (a tour with get started links)

Google Calendar: Share calendars with your students and keep them on task. This sophisticated system can even send reminder text-messages to the student's mobile phone (if your school is smart enough to allow mobile phone use). FREE

http://www.google.com/calendar

Google Earth: If you are not using this tool you are missing a key tool for almost every subject, from Geography to Math to Creative Writing. FREE

http://earth.google.com/ (introduction and install)

Graph-Calc – the on-screen graphing calculator: Even allows you to paste equations into notes in a word processing program. FREE

http://www.graphcalc.com/download.shtml

Google Maps: In whatever language you please… (a simpler, no need to install anything, global place finder). FREE

http://maps.google.com/ (US)

http://maps.google.co.uk/ (Britain/Ireland)

http://maps.google.de/ (German)

http://maps.google.fr/ (French)

http://maps.google.es/ (Spanish)

http://maps.google.co.jp/ (Japanese)

Wayfaring – map-making software: Let students build simple geography and history projects with this wonderful "map mash up" software. FREE

http://www.wayfaring.com/ (Sign In!)

http://www.wayfaring.com/maps/show/13492 (My "Naming the World" map, as an example)

Click-N-Type – the on-screen, programmable keyboard: That even shows upper and lower case letter to struggling writers and runs in dozens of languages. FREE

http://www.lakefolks.org/cnt/

SENSwitcher – the simplest switch program: With great support for high-needs students. FREE

http://www.northerngrid.org/sen/Menu-L.htm

Other Key Sites:

Google's UNESCO-linked Literacy Project http://www.google.com/literacy/

The SpeEdChange Blog http://speedchange.blogspot.com/

TechDis (UK) http://www.techdis.ac.uk/

Becta Test Bed Project and Action Research (UK) http://www.evaluation.icttestbed.org.uk/learning

Better Living Through Technology (UK) http://www.bltt.org/

- Ira Socol