[gui-talk] Keeping You Up-to-Date Premiere Assistive Technology
David Andrews
dandrews at visi.com
Thu Dec 6 14:53:53 CST 2007
>
>PREMIER ASSISTIVE
>
>2007 Year End Newsletter
>
>
>
>SEASON'S GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES
>TO YOU, YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS FOR A
>SAFE AND HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON
>FROM ALL OF US AT PREMIER ASSISTIVE!
>
>EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE
>
>
>Who Should Use Assistive Technology?
>
>Historically, products classified as "assistive
>technology" have been limited to use by
>individuals who are qualified for accommodations
>under the umbrella of special education. Often
>due to exorbitant pricing, schools have
>typically only acquired sufficient licenses to
>help a small number of users. Unfortunately, in
>this context, the term "assistive" has the
>connotation that it is "intended only for" or
>"limited to" this targeted group of users.
>
>Without straining anyone’s imagination, it is
>rapidly becoming obvious that assistive reading
>/ writing technologies can clearly be beneficial
>to many users that would never have access under
>the narrowly-defined criteria of eligibility by
>which organizations have been governed.
>Government research indicates that 15-20% of the
>general population have some degree of reading /
>writing challenge
a far larger population than
>is being served by traditional special
>education. There are tremendous opportunities
>for individuals who are considered "At Risk" or
>who speak English as a Second Language to
>leverage reading technologies to aid their
>reading challenges. On an even larger scale,
>virtually any student in general education
>classes can benefit from the power and
>efficiency of reading tools to pore through the
>growing body of digital content available in
>electronic books and the Internet. With a
>broadened audience of potential beneficiaries,
>we should correspondingly change the moniker of
>"assistive reading technologies" to be more
>properly labeled as "literacy tools".
>
>Of course, none of this newfound potential is
>possible unless pricing and licensing of
>literacy tools is within the reach of ALL
>organizations and individuals AND can be easily
>delivered and deployed for their use. One of the
>many strengths of Premier Assistive is that we
>make it possible not only for any organization
>to affordably provide literacy tools to
>everyone, but for individual users to acquire
>these tools for their personal use as well.
>
>In a world where availability of digital content
>is accelerating at a break-neck pace, EVERYONE
>is being EXPECTED to explore, find, evaluate,
>summarize and retain more information than ever
>before. It is quickly becoming difficult, if not
>impossible, to digest all the information that
>we face each day. Traditional methods of
>manually reading and reviewing hardcopy-based
>materials are no longer sufficient. Devices such
>as cell phones and GPS systems, new to many of
>us only a few short years ago, have become a
>required part of our daily lives because they've
>come to serve a need for mainstream
>civilization. In that same vein, in the next
>several years, you WILL see digital literacy
>tools move into that same mainstream role as
>they become integrated in our daily lives. Those
>tools will be everywhere: school, home and even
>the workplace. Look to Premier Assistive to play
>an integral role in developing and delivering those technologies to you.
>
>Respectfully,
>
>Ken Grisham, President/CEO
>Steve Timmer, Chairman
>
>PRODUCT SHOWCASE
>
>
>PREMIER TO GO
>
>Premier To Go is a portable device that lets
>users bring literacy tools to any computer
>without installing software. Though not much
>larger than a pack of gum, Premier To Go
>includes a full suite of tools including
>real-time text-to-audio, integrated dictionary,
>information summarization tools and many more.
>Plus there's more than 1.5 GB of free space for
>your documents, e-books, notes and other files!
>
>With Premier To Go, users can leap over barriers
>to access, including those caused by network
>security and software policies in libraries, at
>work and at school. The technical staff never
>needs to touch it! Our self-launching technology
>eliminates all IT overhead, and all products are Vista compliant!
>
>
>Using Premier To Go technology is as easy as....
> * Plugging the Premier To Go USB drive into the computer of your choice.
> * Launching the Premier To Go floating toolbar.
> * Start using any of the 10 different literacy tools.
>
>You get all 10 of the following applications on
>the portable Premier To Go drive:
> * Universal Reader Plus - ideal for reading emails and web pages.
> * E-Text Reader - a tremendous study tool
> that allows the user to summarize, highlight,
> bookmark, search and extract text from a document.
> * A 250,000-word Ultimate Talking Dictionary
> with an integrated thesaurus with partial word look-up.
> * Premier Predictor Pro - talking word
> prediction that works with every program where typing is required.
> * Talking Word Processor - has an integrated
> dictionary and the world's most powerful talking grammar check.
> * Scan and Read Pro - is compatible with
> most flat-bed scanners. Just place a book on
> the scanner and within a few seconds Scan and
> Read Pro can be reading it aloud.
> * PDF Magic - is outstanding for converting
> inaccessible PDF files into more accessible formats.
> * PDF Equalizer ML - can access, read, work
> with and supplement PDF files from ANY source.
> Includes multi-lingual support--dynamically
> change the user interface to the language of
> your choice in English, French, and Spanish.
> * Text-To-Audio - will convert text files to
> MP3 format and store them on your personal
> player, allowing instant access while away from the computer.
> * Talking Calculator - is an easy-to-use
> fully functional calculator that reads your calculations to you.
>
>Order before January 15, 2008, and you can get a
>10% discount on Premier To Go, with 10 literacy
>tools included. Mention promo code PTG2007.
>
>RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS
>---- Digital content, e-Books and More!
>
>Premier is introducing this special section of
>the newsletter as a resource for teachers and
>students who are looking for digital content to
>use in the classroom or want to check out how
>technology is used to enhance today's world of
>digital learning. You'll find web sites that
>have been recommended by other educators with
>ideas on ways to engage and involve a new
>generation of students in this digital era. Most
>of the sites included are free or only have a
>nominal subscription charge. You can use Premier
>Assistive's tools to read content on many of
>these websites, include files in HTML, Word doc and PDF file formats.
>
>We are rapidly finding that access to
>information is becoming more collaborative in
>form...peers and colleagues more easily and
>openly creating and sharing information like
>never before. Premier Assistive would like this
>section of the newsletter to be YOURS to share
>with others any sites that you have found to be
>helpful in your teaching. If you have favorite
>sites for digital content, new technologies,
>etc., please send us the links to those sites so
>that we can include them for other readers'
>benefit. E-mails can be sent to
><mailto:Ronda at readingmadeeasy.com>Ronda at readingmadeeasy.com.
>
>NOTE: All sites included in this section should
>be reviewed by you prior to use. Premier
>Assistive’s listing of a site does not
>constitute its endorsement of the content of
>these sites or of their policies or products.
>Please use these at your discretion.
>
>----------
>America's Story from America's Library
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.americaslibrary.gov/about/welcome.html>http://www.americaslibrary.gov/about/welcome.html
>Website by Library of Congress that contains
>many non-book items such as letters, diaries,
>records and tapes, films, sheet music, maps,
>prints, photographs and digital materials.
>Stories about America's heritage are presented
>through a variety of subject areas.
>
>Enchanted Learning
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html>http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html
>Contains more than 20,000 web pages with
>activities for teachers and students on a large
>number of content areas for a variety of grade
>levels. Includes section on printable books
>(some are for young readers) in pdf format. Subscription for $20 per year.
>
>The University of Adelaide Library (Australia)
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/>http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/
>More than 1,000 e-books in html format.
>
>Aesop's Fables
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.aesopfables.com/>http://www.aesopfables.com/
>Collection of over 655 online versions of Aesop's fables.
>
>Bibliomania
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.bibliomania.com/>http://www.bibliomania.com/
>Over 2000 classic e-books. Site includes study
>guides (written by Oxford and Cambridge
>University graduates, and offer in-depth
>summaries, discussions and commentaries on the
>texts) and teacher resources for teaching English and English literature.
>
>Fullbooks.com
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.fullbooks.com/>http://www.fullbooks.com/
>Thousands of e-books with full text.
>
>Munseys
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.munseys.com/>http://www.munseys.com/
>More than 23,000 free e-text books available in
>many formats, including PDF and HTML. New books added to site daily.
>
>Project Gutenberg
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page>http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
>First producer of electronic books (e-books).
>More than 20,000 e-books with many others
>available through Project Gutenberg partners and affiliates.
>
>Questia
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp>http://www.questia.com/Index.jsp
>Subscription service with access to more than
>67,000 online books and 1.5 million scholarly
>articles. Includes journal articles, magazine
>and newspaper articles on the humanities and
>social sciences as well as productivity tools,
>lesson plans, etc. Valuable resource for research papers.
>
>Association of American Publishers
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.publisherlookup.org/>http://www.publisherlookup.org/
>Publisher lookup service that helps find
>appropriate contacts at publishing houses for
>requesting electronic formats for textbooks,
>scanning permissions, etc. Especially for
>college and university Disability Support Services.
>
>Benetech Bookshare.org
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.bookshare.org/>http://www.bookshare.org
>Gives print disabled people in the United States
>legal access to over 35,000 books and 150
>periodicals that are converted to Braille, large
>print or text to speech audio files. Books and
>periodicals from Bookshare.org contain the full
>text of the publication (not pre-recorded audio)
>that can be read with the adaptive technology of
>the reader's choice. The books on the website
>are also available in digital Braille that can
>be read with refreshable Braille devices, or
>exported to an embosser. There's a $25 sign-up
>fee and $50 annual subscription fee. Must
>provide proof of disability to have access to
>copyrighted digital books. There a re some
>public domain books available to the general public.
>
>Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.rfbd.org/>www.rfbd.org
>Producer of accessible educational materials for
>students with disabilities such as visual
>impairment or dyslexia. Contains content from
>literature and history to math and the sciences,
>at all academic levels, from kindergarten
>through post-graduate and professional. Varying fees and levels of membership.
>
>Schools without Books
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.schoolswithoutbooks.org/>www.schoolswithoutbooks.org
>Approximately 75 free e-books in public domain
>are available for reading online.
>
>Chem4kids!
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.chem4kids.com/>http://www.chem4kids.com/
>Basic chemistry information. Includes content on
>matter, atoms, elements, reactions, biochemistry, the periodic table, etc.
>
>Cosmos4kids!
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.cosmos4kids.com/>http://www.cosmos4kids.com/
>Basic astronomy information site. Includes
>content on the solar system, universe, galaxies, stars, and exploration.
>
>Biology4kids!
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.biology4kids.com/>http://www.biology4kids.com/
>Basic biology information site. Includes topics
>on plants, vertebrates, invertebrates, cells,
>microorganisms, and animal systems.
>
>Geography4kids!
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.geography4kids.com/>http://www.geography4kids.com/
>
>Earth Science information. Includes topics such
>as atmosphere, hydrosphere, climates, earth
>structure, biosphere, biogeochemical cycles, and more.
>
>Physics4kids!
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.physics4kids.com/>http://www.physics4kids.com/
>Basic Physics information. Includes topics such
>as heat and thermodynamics, electricity and
>magnetism, motion and mechanics, nuclear
>physics, light and optics, and many more.
>
>Numbernut.com
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.numbernut.com/>http://www.numbernut.com/
>Covers basic math content such as counting,
>shapes, addition, subtraction, multiplication
>and division. More advanced topics cover
>fractions, decimals, percentages, money, and ratios.
>
>Webmath.com
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.webmath.com/>http://www.webmath.com/
>Math site that provides help solving various
>types of math problems. Provides explanations of
>steps and includes K-8 math, trigonometry,
>geometry, algebra, calculus, etc. Helpful for homework support.
>
>Teacher Tube
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.teachertube.com/>http://www.teachertube.com/
>
>Free site for viewing and posting videos
>generally created by teachers and students.
>
>Sites for Teachers
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.sitesforteachers.com/>http://www.sitesforteachers.com/
>Hundreds of educational web sites rated by
>popularity. Many links to teacher resources
>ranging from lesson plans, worksheets, and
>educational games to such things as songs and printable stickers.
>
>Museumpods.com
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.museumpods.com/id33.html>http://www.museumpods.com/id33.html
>Site for many freeware software downloads
>related to podcasting, blogging, aggregators and RSS feeds.
>
>Magix
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.magix.com/us/free-downloads/trial-versions/all-trial-versions/>http://www.magix.com/us/free-downloads/trial-versions/all-trial-versions/
>
>Free downloads and trials for photo management,
>movie editing, making podcasts, and music management.
>
>PodcastBlaster
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.podcastblaster.com/>http://www.podcastblaster.com/
>$39.95 for manual, podcast software, sounds files and website resource list.
>
>Voicethread
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.voicethread.com/>http://www.voicethread.com
>Online media album that allows people to make
>audio or text comments, and share them with
>anyone they wish. Allows an entire group's story
>to be told and collected in one place. Can add annotations and/or doodles.
>
>Gliffy
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://gliffy.com/>http://gliffy.com
>Draw and share diagrams, flowcharts, org charts, etc. online.
>
>bubbl.us
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://bubbl.us/>http://bubbl.us
>Online brainstorming tool allows you to create "mind maps" of the session.
>
>GOOD NEWS FROM YOU - Our Premier Users
>
>
>It is often difficult to perform some everyday
>tasks like paying bills when vision is limited.
>One user of Microsoft Works whose vision is
>substantially impaired was excited to find out
>that Premier Assistive's Universal Reader Plus
>would allow her to scan her personal bills and
>then have them read to her with just one
>software package. She downloaded Universal
>Reader Plus from the Premier Assistive website,
>confirmed the product would do what she needed,
>and then purchased it to permanently load on her computer.
>
>----------
>
>"I really liked the Talking Dictionary. You
>don't have to know the word that you're trying
>to look up. If I know what I need to find is a
>type of person, I can type in 'person' and with
>Premier's Interlink technology, I can scroll
>through 'Types' and find the word related to the
>ethnic background that I was looking for and
>every word in the list can be read to me by just
>arrowing up and down through the list. It's pretty sweet!"
>
>----------
>
>Not only are Premier Assistive's tools used in a
>number of school districts and homes across the
>U.S. and Canada, they also are becoming more
>widespread in the higher education space. One of
>Premier's grant recipients writes that "the
>beauty of these programs is that they are for
>people with or without disabilities and are
>available to everybody, including faculty...They
>provide support for students with disabilities,
>students with literacy challenges, and those
>that just want to study and use their time more
>efficiently. Students can use the tools to
>create MP3 audio files of their reading
>assignments so they can study when they're 'on the go'."
>
>----------
>
>A high school student wrote that he uses the
>study features of Premier's E-Text Reader
>regularly as one of his study techniques. He's
>able to highlight text within digital documents
>with different colors and easily extract the
>highlighted text in an automated fashion to
>create notes to use to study for his tests. He
>noted that he can also place bookmarks in the
>digital document to easily skip from one section
>or important point to the next.
>
>----------
>
>If you have a "Good News!" story about how
>Premier's software is being used or how it has
>helped you or someone you know, please send your story or comments to us.
>We'd love to include them in a future newsletter.
>
>Please send your "Good News!" to
><mailto:Ronda at readingmadeeasy.com>Ronda at readingmadeeasy.com
>
>For more information, visit us at
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.readingmadeeasy.com/>www.readingmadeeasy.com.
>
>IN THIS ISSUE
>
>Who Should Use Assistive Technology?
>
>Premier To Go
>
>NEW!! Resources for Educators
>
>GOOD NEWS!
>
>SPECIAL OFFERS
>
>NEWSLETTER SPECIALS
>
>**PREMIER TO GO**
>Order before January 15, 2008, and you can get a
>10% discount on our featured portable device,
>Premier To Go, with 10 literacy tools included.
>
>Purchase Premier To Go (suggested retail price
>of $299.95) for $270.00 plus S&H.
>
>Be sure to mention promo code PTG2007 when ordering.
>
>----------
>**VIDEOCAST STUDIO**
>Don't forget that the October Newsletter special
>for Premier VideoCast Studio is good through
>December 31, 2007. You can take advantage of
>either of the following two offers:
>
>Purchase Premier VideoCast Studio (suggested
>retail price of $199.95) for only $99.95 plus S&H.
>
>Alternatively, purchase Premier Assistive's VPOD
>at the suggested retail price of $424.95 plus
>S&H, and you can receive a FREE copy of Premier VideoCast Studio.
>
>Be sure to mention promo code VC2007 when ordering.
>
>----------
>For more product information, check out our
>website or call us at one of the numbers below.
>
>TO ORDER in the U.S., call: 815-927-7390, Option 1
>
>TO ORDER in Canada, call: 902-482-4680, Option 1
>
>DID YOU KNOW...
>
>FREE PRODUCT DOWNLOADS
>Check out our website for free fully-functioning downloads of our products.
>
>Try them out! You'll get 25 accesses for each product to see how it works!
>
>----------
>"HOW-TO" VIDEOS
>
>To learn how the literacy tools work or get a
>refresher, watch the videos on the Premier
>Assistive website. And don't forget that every
>product has its own built-in Help file and comes
>with an electronic user manual.
>
>CONTACT US
>
>
>Premier Assistive Technology
>Executive Offices
>1309 N. William St.
>Joliet, IL 60435
>Phone: 815-927-7390
>Fax: 815-722-8802
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.readingmadeeasy.com/>www.readingmadeeasy.com
><mailto:info at readingmadeeasy.com>info at readingmadeeasy.com
>
>Premier Assistive Technology R&D Lab
>13102 Blaisdell Dr.
>Dewitt, MI 48820
>Phone: 815-927-7390
>
>Premier Assistive Canada
>PO Box 875, STN A
>Sydney, NS
>B1P 6J4
>Phone: 902-482-4680
>Fax: 902-270-5224
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/redirect.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com&url=http://www.readingmadeeasy.ca/>www.readingmadeeasy.ca
><mailto:info at readingmadeeasy.ca>info at readingmadeeasy.ca
>
>----------
>NOTE: To stop receiving our newsletter, please
>reply and write UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
>We respect your privacy and time.
>
>
>HAPPY HOLIDAYS! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
>
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/unsubscribe.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com>click
>here to unsubscribe from our mailing list. Or
>reply to this message with the word unsubscribe
>or remove in the subject line.
>
>Address : 1309 N. William St
>City: Joliet
>St: Illinois
>Zip: 60435
>
><http://clicks.benchmarkemail.com/link/report_abuse.asp?g=0&c=193575&l=263920958&e=dandrews@visi.com>REPORT
>ABUSE
>
><http://www.benchmarkemail.com/antispam.asp>Benchmark Anti-Spam Policy
David Andrews and white cane Harry.
More information about the gui-talk
mailing list