Dr. Beckman's Family-Friendly Tech Advice: Does It Make Sense?: January 2011

How to purchase my book

To purchase through Virtual Bookworm (my publisher) you can click Virtual Bookworm Publisher: Tech Psychologist's Guide or http://tinyurl.com/3d2a6l
Amazon no longer allows Illinois professionals to get credit for referrals to Amazon due to a sales tax dispute. I will be referring to Powell's in the near future.

What is that TinyURL notation that you see in my blog? For those who use a screen reader, the link that is hidden behind words like Tech Psychologist Guide remains hidden. However, screen readers can read aloud the website address, or URL, if it was produced by TinyURL.com. Also, sometimes these addresses are so long that they wrap around several lines or overlap into colored areas of a website that obscure the actual address. Intrigued? You can create your own tinyurl's at http://tinyurl.com

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Accessible YouTube

YouTube has been a great way to connect ideas, people, and innovation. However, in the past it was not accessible to those with hearing and other disabilities, as well as those who speak a language different than the YouTube author, etc.

Now, YouTube has introduced a captioning service. While I've found that that automatic components are often not available for videos, a person can upload text so that the video has almost immediate accessibility.

If you need assistance in obtaining accessibility and/or inclusion services,
please contact Dr. Jeanne Beckman at techpsych@techpsychologist.com

Do you need help advocating for what you need?

Finally! A Family Friendly book about getting technology for school and work

Tech Psychologist's Guide to Technology and Access Tools
by Dr. Jeanne Beckman

"Wow! This book is a great resource... empowers parents to advocate for their children who have learning issues.. a very logical approach to brainstorming and putting into place the most effective [technology] solutions to enhance the learning process... offers parents and other educators a logical step-by-step approach to help children succeed academically."
----Joan L. Green, M.A. CCC_SLP,
author: "Technology for Communication and Cognitive Treatment: The Clinician's Guide"

Available at the publisher, Virtual Book Worm:
www.virtualbookworm.com
(http://tinyurl.com/3d2a6l)

A percentage of each book I sell is being donated to the Winnetka Rotary Accessible Literacy Project.

Moms do know best! Advocating for their children helps children thrive.

Thomas Edison's mother, Nancy Elliott Edison, knew exactly what to do. When her youngest, Thomas, was essentially kicked out of school after three months because he was "addled," she home schooled him. Where would our society be today if she had resigned herself and her son to the destiny predicted by his school?

So moms, when you feel that you're the only one who sees the abilities of your child, when you feel you're the only champion for your child, please remember the faith Nancy Elliott Edison had in her child, whose inventions have profoundly changed our society.
You can see her picture, from the National Park Service:
http://www.nps.gov/archive/edis/home_family/fam_album.htm#sammy

Thought For The Day...

Wednesday, November 28

Illiteracy causes more harm than merely having a reduced ability to read and write. Illiteracy causes entire families to remain isolated from the everyday fabric of their local and global communities, to remain isolated from inspiration acquired by "enough education," and to remain isolated from a means to share history beyond the reaches of their spoken word.
----Jeanne Beckman

Sunday, November 25

For students without disabilities, technology makes things easier. For students with disabilities, technology makes things possible."

----- M.P. Radabaugh

Thursday, November 1

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

------Margaret Mead, anthropologist (and a mom)

Friday, October 26

A single kind act creates a ripple effect, spreading ever widening circles of change in our world.
-----Jeanne Beckman

Wednesday, October 24

Education is not filling a pail, but lighting a fire.

--Yeats

Friday, October 19

Each time a man stands for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

–Robert F. Kennedy

Tuesday, October 16

If a public body, such as a school, seeks to silence a parent-requested speaker because he or she is too "controversial," then red flags should fly. In the past, families have not been allowed to share information through the schools about educational matters, and books have been banned or even burned to keep "the public" in the dark. Although our country holds great value in "freedom of speech," speakers as well as books continue to be banned from some public schools. Books have been written about these bannings, such as

Banned in the U.S.A. : a reference guide to book censorship in schools and public libraries by Herbert N. Foerstel

What can you do? Parents should "get the word out" to other parents to help work with their school boards to direct their school administrations to have written policies regarding oversight of the flow of information available to parents and children in their school districts. After all, school boards are supposed to be representatives of the families in their communities.

Thursday, October 4
If you wish to post an opinion on this blog but don't wish to register with Google, you may email us at webmaster@techpsychologist.com and we will post suitable comments.

Tuesday, Sept. 25
Instead of always starting at the low-tech end of the technology continuum, we should ask what tools would give our students the closest approximation to the age peer’s access to the learning process, including speed of acquisition of knowledge, closest approximation to the output speed, quality of output, and independence of the student’s non-disabled peers.

Dr. Beckman's Family-Friendly Tech Advice: Does It Make Sense?

Family Friendly Tech and Advocacy: Tech Psychologist's Guide by Dr. Jeanne Beckman

How to purchase my book

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Accessible YouTube

Tech Psychologist Dr. Jeanne Beckman

Do you need help advocating for what you need?

Finally! A Family Friendly book about getting technology for school and work

Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

Moms do know best! Advocating for their children helps children thrive.

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Dr. Beckman's Family-Friendly Tech Advice: Does It Make Sense?

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