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100 Web Tools for Learning with a Disability

100 Web Tools for Learning with a Disability
The Internet and the computers we use to access it are full of educational possibilities that can help to speed up, complement or provide endless opportunities to expand our knowledge. Unfortunately, sometimes those with disabilities may find these resources more difficult or sometimes impossible to access. Whether you need to use the computer for research, to write a paper or just to learn a new skill, those with disabilities of all kinds can check out these resources to help them improve their learning potential while surfing the Web. Text to Speech Tools Those who have visual disabilities or who have trouble reading can use these text to speech tools to get information delivered to them in audio format. Thunder: This free screen reader program makes it easy to browse the Web, get email and more by reading all content aloud to users. Alternative Formats Get textbooks and other educational information delivered in format besides text with these tools and resources. Math Help

101 Ways Your Smartphone Can Make You Smarter & a Better Student If you own a smartphone, chances are you're already well-versed in the ability of your device to make you smarter than ever, but there's so much more that you can do. From add-ons to hacks, there are many ways you can make your smartphone even more flexible than the manufacturers intended, so read these tips to make you and your smartphone both smarter and better. Communication Turn your smartphone into an even better communication tool with these tools and hacks. Make cheap calls: Connect your smartphone to Jajah's Mobile Web, and you'll be able to save some money on international calls. Broadcast text messages: Sign up with TextMarks, and you'll be able to send out messages to a large group, or just let people see what you're up to. Finance With these strategies, you'll be able to use your smartphone as a personal finance manager. Track your budget: Automate budget tracking by IMing a budget bot from your phone. Travel Media & Entertainment Organization Information Utilities Security Hacks Palm

40 Amazing iPad Apps for the Learning Disabled The iPad is a device that many lust after as a shiny new toy, but many people with disabilities can benefit from what it has to offer as a functional tool. Students with learning disabilities can enhance and develop their communication skills, learn how to adapt to situations, and develop social skills. Check out this collection of iPad apps that can make a difference in the life of a learning disabled child. Crazy Face Lite: Crazy Face Lite encourages shy students to speak more often, and is great with students who have trouble speaking.Autism Timer: This app offers a digital timer for students with autism.Behavior Assessment Pro: BAP identifies factors related to problem behaviors for autistic kids.Awareness!

25 Awesome Beta Research Tools from Libraries Around the World If you're tired of using the same old search box on your local library website for research projects, it might be time to broaden your horizons. Try out one of these in-the-works betas sponsored by world-class libraries around the world. From academic libraries like that at MIT or renowned research centers like the Library of Congress, the following beta research tools feature innovative tricks to connect you with the most relevant, valid results on the Internet and in their card catalogs. Melvil Dewey would be proud. Tools Used at College and University Libraries Check out this list for academically-minded beta search tools sponsored by universities around the world. Vera Multi-Search: MIT: This new tool is still in the works, but once it's officially approved, students and researchers can use Vera Multi-Search as a way to find material in several different databases with one single search.

4 Ways iPads Are Helping People With Disabilities Noah Rahman has moderate Cerebral Palsy affecting his communication, cognition and upper and lower body movement. When he turned two, his language, cognitive abilitity and fine motor skills were diagnosed by a developmental specialist as being at least 12 months behind. Then Noah got an iPad. Four months later, his language and cognition were on par with his age level. His fine motor skills had made significant leaps. Today, the three-year-old (pictured at right with his father) spends an hour or two on his iPad each day. SNApps4Kids taps into a burgeoning trend for people with disabilities. "Touch has made it exceptionally accessible — everyone has an iPad, everyone has an iPod," says Michelle Diament, cofounder of Disability Scoop, a source for news relating to developmental disabilities. For people lacking motor skills, touch screens are more intuitive devices. Here are four ways that touch devices are changing the lives of people with disabilities: 1. 2. 3. 4. Long-Roads Ahead

50+ Open Courseware Writing Classes from the World's Leading Universities Although technical courses tend to get more attention, the availability of writing courses online is impressive. Whether you want to learn how to write for business or just brush up on grammar, you're sure to find what you're looking for. We've compiled more than 50 of these classes, and they're open for anyone to take. Introductory Courses Get beginning writing knowledge from these courses. Introduction to Writing: Academic Prose: In this course, you'll learn how to write for an academic audience. Grammar & Language Use these courses to perfect your writing mechanics. English Grammar in Context: This course will teach you about the importance of grammar, features of speech, and more. Research Whether you're researching for pleasure, work, or school, these courses will steer you in the right direction. Intermediate Writing: Research Writing in a Persuasive Mode: In this 16-week course, you'll learn how to use critical reading and thinking skills to create persuasive research writing.

How disabled users access the Internet In 1995 a new era of accessibility for disabled people began. The DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) was passed, stating that: It's unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to members of the public. A website is regarded as a service and the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) and DRC (Disability Rights Commission) have been quick to apply pressure on to organisations to push this law into practice. So, how do disabled people access the Internet? Blind users Internet users who have no sight at all may utilize a screen reader, which reads the content of the web page, or rather the HTML code of the page, back to them. Partial/poor sight To take full advantage of the Internet, users with partial or poor sight may need to be able to enlarge the text on web pages. If your site is accessible to this group of users then the size of the text throughout the page will increase. Colour blindness Deaf users

The Facebook Classroom: 25 Facebook Apps That Are Perfect for Online Education With so many students, teachers, and librarians on Facebook these days, the social media site has become somewhat of a platform, offering developers a way to create and share applications for education. This, of course, is great news for online education, as it provides all sorts of great tools designed to make learning and administration easier. Check out these applications that represent some of the ideal tools Facebook has to offer for online education. For Students These tools are great for making easy work of studying, research, and more. Books iRead: Share the books you're reading, and see what others think of books with this application. For Teachers and Administrators Share assignments, slides, and so much more with these applications. BookTag: This app offers a great way to share and loan books out to students, plus create helpful quizzes for studying. For Everyone These apps are great for just about anyone in online education. Did you enjoy this article?

iModeling app: video modeling to teach skills to people with Austism Spectrum Disorder - iTunes App The Ultimate Guide to Using Open Courseware: 70+ Apps, Search Engines and Resources for Free Learning While you can't get college credit for taking open courseware classes, you can make the most of the information and education they offer both in personal and professional aspects of your life. After all, even if you're not working towards a degree, taking the same courses as those in the ivy league can't possibly hurt you and may even be able to better keep you informed and on the cutting edge of what's going on in your field. So how can you make the most of these free online courses? Search Engines and Directories Check out these sites for finding courses and materials you're interested in. A World of Ideas: Give this site a look for catalogues of both audio and video lectures from universities and radio stations on a wide range of topics. Open Courseware Collections There are hundreds of classes offered entirely for free from universities and educational institutions all over the world. Podcasts Videos eBooks Educational TV Resources, Articles and Guides What Is Open CourseWare?

What effect has the internet had on disability? | Technology | The Observer There are more than 10 million people living in the UK with a long-term illness, impairment or disability according to the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) and although medical treatment and pre-birth screening have reduced this number dramatically over the last half-century, many of the problems faced by this population have not changed. Compared with their non-disabled counterparts, people with disabilities in this country are still more likely to be poor and unemployed with fewer qualifications than non-disabled people, more likely to be the victims of crime and more likely to experience occupational and social discrimination. This was supposed to have been fixed by the web. After all, to put it crudely, there are no staircases online. In 2003, I started an MSc in social psychology, with all the wide-eyed expectations of a baby academic. Two results stood out. Unfortunately, this is part of the problem.

99 Resources to Research & Mine the Invisible Web College researchers often need more than Google and Wikipedia to get the job done. To find what you're looking for, it may be necessary to tap into the invisible web, the sites that don't get indexed by broad search engines. The following resources were designed to help you do just that, offering specialized search engines, directories, and more places to find the complex and obscure. Search Engines Whether you're looking for specific science research or business data, these search engines will point you in the right direction. Turbo10: On Turbo10, you'll be able to search more than 800 deep web search engines at a time. Databases Tap into these databases to access government information, business data, demographics, and beyond. GPOAccess: If you're looking for US government information, tap into this tool that searches multiple databases at a time. Catalogs If you're looking for something specific, but just don't know where to find it, these catalogs will offer some assistance. Directories

Accessibility and Assistive Technology - Facebook Help Centre 20 Great Websites To Earn Part-time Money While Working In College | Get Degrees There are literally thousands of ways to make money online. They range from affiliate marketing, blogging, domain parking, web designing and many more. But most of them, like any other real world business require time and patience to bring in a decent amount of cash every month. Contrary to the general belief, there is no get-rich-quick scheme online. Having said that, there are various ways which help you get started quickly and make a few bucks. The following list contains 20 such websites/methods which can help teens and college students generate some cash quickly. Sell Stuff 1.eBay Buying and selling on eBay is probably one of the most common methods to earn money online. College students can utilize eBay to sell old unused items and generate cash. 2.BuyMyTronics BuyMyTronics is a cool site which will buy all your gadgets including old and broken gadgets. 3.Zazzle 4.Craigslist The potential of Craigslist as a money making tool is endless. 5.Cafepress Writing, Reviewing & Blogging 7.Elance

Easy Chirp : web accessibility for the Twitter.com website application

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