RTI Webinars

Council for Exceptional Children's RTI Blog has posted a series of upcoming interactive webinars that will take the viewer from an introduction to actual intervention use. There is a fee (but it's marginal; especially for CEC members). Might be worth taking a look.

Introduction to RTI
Presenter: Cara Shores
Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009
4:00 – 5:45 p.m. EST

Implementation of RTI at the School Level
Presenter: Cara Shores
Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009
4:00 – 5:45 p.m. EST

Considerations When Using RTI in Diverse Schools
Presenter: Janette Klingner
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009
4:00 – 5:45 p.m. EST

Requirements: speakerphone, a computer, and a high-speed internet connection

Good news for Apple/Mac clients

Recommendations for assistive technology (AT) are usually a significant element of any diagnosable psychoeducational assessment. Until recently these have been used primarily on site at schools, but increased bursary options have allowed many students to now take these tools home and use them on their own system.

Historically these have been, for the most part, Windows based programs. While in the past this usually was not an issue, the number of Apple/Mac clients I have seen of late is quite significant. Fortunately, the AT companies have been ahead of the curve and the vast majority of these tools are available for Mac as well.

Here is what is currently available on Mac:

Kurzweil

MacSpeech Dictate is Nuance's MAC version of Dragon Naturally Speaking

Inspiration is available on MAC and as a WEB application. Kidspiration is also available for MAC.

WordQ

And don't forget that Mac has alternatives to Word, Excel, and Powerpoint in their iWork package.