Mindful designs: practical tips for designing for cognitive & learning difficulties

Mindful designs: practical tips for designing for cognitive & learning difficulties

http://www.slideshare.net/stamfordinteractive/mindful-designs-practical-tips-for-designing-for-cognitive-learning-difficulties-v010

Presentation on apps and ipads

Thank you to all who attended and helped out at the AAACT member meeting on apps and iPads last night. I'm so happy with how successful the night was. :)

Here's a link to the dropbox I created for all the presentation notes and flyers. There are lots of other useful app documents in there too so take your time and have a look through. Please feel free to share the link around because the more people who are armed with the information, the better it will be for our kids. I hope you can find something in it that helps you. I'll be sending the link out in the AAACT mailout next week also.

  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ng2ffvohrc2vkzf/rRv2R6BZmQ

Cybersecurity awareness session

How do you protect yourself online?

CYBER SECURITY AWARENESS WORKSHOP

Tuesday 29 May 10 am - 12 pm Belconnen Library Friday 1 June 10 am - 12
pm Kippax Library Tuesday 5 June 10 am - 12 pm Tuggeranong Library
Wednesday 20 June 10 am - 12 pm Gungahlin Library Wednesday 20 June 2 pm
- 4 pm Dickson Library Thursday 21 June 10 am - 12 pm Woden Library

The Australian Government is working towards helping Australians
understand that no matter where they are or what they are doing, they
need to protect themselves online - whether they are on their home
computer or laptop, iPad/tablet, smartphone, or even their gaming
console. They need to use safe and secure online practices.

This is a free interactive workshop on the simple steps Australians (and
older Australians) can take to protect themselves online, run by the
Australian Government in partnership with Libraries ACT.

Bookings are recommended

For more information contact:
Libraries ACT
www.library.act.gov.au
Phone 6205 9000

Free ipads for children with disabilities

http://www.everydayhero.com.au/event/varietyipads

iPads with specialised software applications are amazingly useful as communication tools for children with special needs. They are compact and "cool" multipurpose pieces of equipment, that are allowing these children to communicate, express themselves, aid learning and much more.
Variety – the Children’s Charity have been granting iPads with specialised software for the last two years, among other equipment we grant for children with special needs. The biggest increase in requests for assistance is coming from families reaching out for help for this equipment to assist with their child’s development.

Inclusive Learning Technologies Conference 2012

From Jannette:

I mentioned this conference at a support group today and was surprised so few people knew about Spectronics - especially those with a need for communication devices - so I though I'd share. I attended this conference in 2010, and was amazed at the technology available to help our kids, and different approaches to teaching that were being discussed. I highly recommend it to anyone who can manage to get there - even if it means applying for funding.

https://www.facebook.com/ILT2012.Conference

 The ILT2012 Conference focuses on inclusive learning technologies to support struggling students and those with disabilities – in the classroom and beyond!

Win an iPad3 for your child

http://a4cwsn.com/win-an-ipad3/

(yes i get more entries in the raffle by posting ;))

Kids in Cyberspace workshop (Sydney)

This might be of interest for parents of kids with ASD / AS or other children who love their online games and social media! I wish I could get to it.

Kids in Cyberspace

SYDNEY • 8:30am-5:15pm • Friday 16th March 2012
NSW Teachers Federation Conference Centre

The Authoritative Update on Cybersafety, Online Behaviour, Digital Culture and Cyber-wellness of Young People

Group Discounts Available: Click here to register multiple delegates or contact Gen Next on 1300 797 794 for details.

Leading Experts, Up to Date information, Practical Knowledge, Real World Strategies

http://www.generationnext.com.au/wp-content/themes/gennext/pdf/Cybersafety-Brochure.pdf

CALD Carers Basic Computer Course

CALD Carers Basic Computer Course
Commencing Wednesday 7 March 2012
9 sessions - Wednesdays and Fridays

This is a basic computer course for Carers from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Background.
A great introduction to computers including sending and receiving email, saving and sharing digital photos and using the internet.

When: 9:30am-1:30pm
Where: Carers ACT, 2/80 Beaurepaire Crescent, Holt
FREE for family Carers from a CALD background

To register: Please call Eleanor on 6296 9908 or email rsvp@carersact.org.au by 29 February.

updates from the AAACT E-bulletin 22 February 2012

Please note I have edited the original email as many of the items in it are already here on the blog J

AAACT NEWS AND EVENTS - 22 February 2012

Members Monthly Meeting Wednesday 7th March at the Bendigo Room, Chifley Health and Wellbeing Hub (Directions Link)
Topic:  I-pads and apps with an autism focus.   Gay von Ess will be contributingher thoughts and experience with these tools.  Please would members might bring a list of their favourite apps in order to share the information with others.   An ideal opprtunity to learn from each other!
Doors open from 7:30 pm  Everyone welcome, light refreshments available.  Gold Coin donation appreciated.  Link
 The ACT Autism/ASD Political Action Group (PAG) is meeting to discuss its agenda and plans for the coming year. There is a lot on so we need to be "strategic".          Issues to be addressed include:

• the ACT election coming later in the year
• the National Disability Insurance Scheme and what it means for people with ASD in the ACT
• fallout from the Gonski report on education for PwASD ... as well as NAPLAN
• the 2012-13 ACT Budget
• ... and much more.

If you have an opinion on these (or other) political matters please come along, or just let us know.

Event Date: Tuesday 06/03/2012      Time:  7:30pm - 9:30pm   Where: (Directions Link)         Contact: Bob Buckley email:   bob@buckley.id.au

Sibs Club 2012: A club specifically for siblings or family members (son, daughter, niece, nephew or grandchild) of those on the Autism Spectrum (Autism, Asperger's, PDD- NOS).  The Sibs Club is run by Autism Asperger ACT Inc, and families are required to be members of AAACT.
Contact: Vicky on 6176 0514 to book a place and process payment.
AAACT Support Groups
Jeanette Purkis Women's Group: Monday 5th March: 7:30 pm to 9 pm - Link
Asperger Specific Discussion Group: Thursday 8th March:  7:30 pm to 9 pm - Link
Fathers/Grandfathers of children with ASD Group - Monday 12th March: Fathers and Grandfathers of children with ASD Group 7:30 to 9 pm
Link to Register: Here
Games Sessions - Sunday 18th March: Noon to 1:30pm - family session 1:30 to 3pm  - Adult session  Link

"Wish we could be at CSUN" commiseration event

CSUN - the 27th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference hosted by California State University, Northridge Center - is one of the world's largest accessibility conferences. The 2012 CSUN Conference will be held in San Diego, California between February 27- March 3, 2012 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel.
The CSUN conference is a multi track accessibility conference covering a range of accessibility topics such as web accessibility, Blind/Low Vision, Emerging Assistive Technologies, Employment and more.
Do you fall into the "Wish we could be at CSUN" category? Please join your fellow Canberra accessibility folks for an informal night of commiseration, discussion and a drink or two

http://www.eventbrite.com.au/event/808030842/efblike

ACT Education & Training Directorate - Parent Workshop Inclusive Technology Show & Tell

ACT Education & Training Directorate - Parent Workshop

Inclusive Technology Show & Tell

Exploring technology options for students with special needs

When: Tuesday, 13th March 2012

Time Session 1: 9.30—11.30 am
or
Time Session 2: 7.00—9.00 pm

Where: Hedley Beare Centre for Teaching and Learning, Fremantle Drive, STIRLING

Room: 5-6

RSVP: Tuesday 6th March 2012

Contact Officer: Diane Chapman

6205 9300

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Education & Student Engagement,
ACT Education & Training Directorate

iPads for Learning

iPads for Learning http://www.ipadsforeducation.vic.edu.au/

This website is for educators who want to learn about using iPads in education. Here you will find information about the Victorian school iPads for Learning trial including specially selected apps, classroom ideas and technical tips.

Autism related links 22/1

Social Media & Autism : A Lifeline
http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/autism-unexpected/2010/may/30/social-media-and-autism-life-line/#.TxZ0rS-3zHc.facebook

Social media is all the rage these days. Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, Digg, StumbleUpon, Kirtsy, blogs, and the myriad of other ways that individuals around the world connect online these days have changed the face of the world.

It's easy to make fun of social media. How many ways do you need to broadcast what you are doing right this second? For parents of children with autism and people with autism themselves, however, social media can be a lifesaving conduit to a social world that is too difficult to interact with IRL—in real life. For people like us, social media is real life.

High functioning person with an autism spectrum disorder: a "tourist" in his native country http://www.autismsupportnetwork.com/news/high-functioning-person-autism-spectrum-disorder-tourist-his-native-country-3899943

Suppose parents describe their son or daughter's problem as very similar to that of a tourist visiting the United States from a foreign country. Upon arrival to the United States, a tourist would find that he does not understand some of the cultural and linguistic aspects of our daily lives. He may not understand the colorful and sometimes questionable slang used by our teenagers. He could be confused, for instance, by slang such as “awesome.” He might want to talk about subjects on which he is very knowledgeable. Unfortunately people may talk about topics he does not understand or about which he does not have a point of reference.

Jake: Math prodigy proud of his autism (movie & script)
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57358845/jake-math-prodigy-proud-of-his-autism/

At age two, Jake Barnett was diagnosed with autism and his future was unclear. Now at age 13, Jake is a college sophomore and a math and science prodigy. Jake says his autism is key to his success.

Gluten Intolerance & Autism – Is There a Connection?
http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/gluten-free-society-blog/gluten-intolerance-autism-is-there-a-connection/

The popularity of the gluten free diet has grown dramatically. More and more parents are turning toward a gluten free diet to help alleviate symptoms of autism and other learning disorders in their children. To a large degree, many in the medical community have ridiculed this, stating that diet and the autistic spectrum have nothing to do with one another. Medical research and anecdotal evidence however shows that thousands of people have had improvement with diet alterations.

The Key to Findings in Three Major Autism Genetics Studies 
http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/simons_simplex_community/key_genetic_findings

The June 9, 2011 issue of Neuron featured three groundbreaking studies on autism genetics. Findings in all three were only possible thanks to families participating in the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC), a unique autism initiative that has worked with more than 2,700 families that have just one child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Tips on how to stop Technology killing family life

It's definitely a fine line between giving kids on the Austism spectrum the downtime on technology they need, and not letting it go overboard. This article might be of interest.

Click link below for full story.

A new term is being bandied around by the experts, technostress relates to the rise in home based technology and the fall in family interaction.

Every family seems to have an iphone, ipad, blackberry, computer, internet, laptop and video games, but the art of just spending quality family time hanging out together seems to be dying out.

Children as young as 18 months can access games on iphones. By 3 years old they are experts at operating DVD players and turning on the TV.

Dr Kidman, psychologist and author of Staying Sane in The Fast Lane, has warned that technology has a profound effect on family dynamics. Instead of bringing them together it actually drives them apart. Everyone can be in the same house or room but they are all in their own 'techno-cocoon' completely absorbed in the technology they are interacting with and totally oblivious of each other.

http://www.generationnext.com.au/blog/?p=2820

iPad applications - list of recommended apps

from the AAACT newsletter today. the list focuses on autism but i'm sure many of them are suitable for many other people :)

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AjbIta8OTS0KdHRMVWx0Q3pvOWRXRXBfd01jc3lqakE&hl=en&single=true&gid=0&output=html

NATIONAL DIGITAL INCLUSION SUMMIT

INVITATION TO BE PART OF THE NATIONAL DIGITAL INCLUSION SUMMIT - 17 AUGUST

2011 (PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A NO FEE EVENT)

Community Sector Banking & Huawei Australia would like to invite you to the upcoming Digital Inclusion Summit, which will be held at Parliament House, Canberra on August 17. Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and Malcolm Turnbull, Shadow Minister for Communications and Broadband have both confirmed their participation in the Summit. The Summit aims to educate and inform key decision and policy makers by highlighting both deficiencies and best case practices within Australia, in a forum from which key recommendations can be drawn to further pursue the goal of not just building a network, but a 'networked society'.

While the event is a full day summit participants are able to come and go as they need to.

At the conclusion of the Summit and following on from his groundbreaking report, Connecting Communities: the impact of broadband on communities in the UK and its implications for Australia, Dr Tim Williams will be producing a report and roadmap of the outcomes of the Summit.

Please forward this invitation to anyone you think may be interested in attending the Summit.

If you are having troubles viewing this email <http://huawei.com.au/email​/> click here

National Digital Inclusion Summit

When the Federal Government unveiled its #au20 National Digital Economy Strategy, it set 8 goals for Australia's Digital Economy by 2020. One clear goal is to make Australia's not-for-profit and community sector organisations rank in the top 5 OECD countries utilising broadband to drive growth and engage users. To meet this goal, Huawei has partnered with the AIIA and Community Sector Banking to host the National Digital Inclusion Summit in Parliament House, Canberra, with a mission to bring community sector organisations together to ensure no-one gets left behind.

2020 Goal: "Australia ranks in the top five OECD countries in relation to the percentage of businesses, and not for profit organisations, using online opportunities to drive productivity improvements, expand their customer base and enable jobs growth."

#au20 National Digital Economy Strategy

The stakes are high for Australia's community, business and not-for-profit sector. Already there is the risk that Australia's community service organisations are falling behind - with the National Digital Economy Strategy pointing to a <http://www.ixa.net.au/site​s/www.ixa.net.au/files/Mea​sureITsummaryReport.pdf
> report finding that the majority are struggling to put technology
> plans in place, and do not have the tools required to engage in the digital economy.

Hosted and facilitated by Dr Tim Williams, author of <http://www.huawei.com.au/c​onnectingcommunities/> Connecting Communities - the impact of broadband on communities in the UK and its implications for Australia, The National Digital Inclusion Summit aims to turn this around, to ensure that Australia meets its 2020 goals, to highlight the challenges ahead, and to identify current best practise strategies to ensure that no-one gets left behind.

<http://huawei.com.au/event​-registration.html> Click here to register.

National Digital Inclusion Summit

17 August 2011, Parliament House Canberra - 9:00am - 5:00pm Register to

attend: http://huawei.com.au/event​-registration.html

Register to view via LIVE webcast: http://webcast.viostream.c​om/

<http://webcast.viostream.c​om/?viocast=4478&auth=4da7​e561-0619-4d34-9f74-707274c81ce3>