Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Two AT DVDs

I have a copy of two DVDs published by the State of MN Dept of Education. The first is 'Involving All Students' which covers tools for reading, writing and math. The second is 'An Administrators Perspective on Assistive Technology'.

Both DVDs are hosted by Kathy Wurzer from MN Public Radio and they are both very well done.

If you'd like a copy, just let me know and I'll send one out to you.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Autism Newsletter

The Region 5/7 Autism Newsletter is available.

Good stuff!

Thursday, December 07, 2006

30,000+ books at Bookshare.org

Did you know that Bookshare.org has over 30,000 accessible on-line books in their library?

Check it out!

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Internet Explorer 7

It seems Microsoft has pushed Internet Explorer 7 to Windows users with a recent software update. The following is a message from SpEd Forms concerning the upgrade. In a nutshell, please check your browser settings if you've been upgraded to IE 7. Here's what SpEd Forms has to say:

Recently most Windows computers were automatically updated to Internet Explorer 7.0 by Microsoft Automatic Updates. Some teachers who have had the update installed reported entering information, saving, and then not seeing the information the next time they returned to the same page.

In these cases, browser setup was not reviewed after the Internet Explorer 7.0 update. Remember, if there is any change to browser or system configuration then it is essential to review browser setup. In these cases, Internet Explorer 7.0 was simply showing the teachers older (blank) versions of web pages because Internet Explorer was set to “Check for newer versions of stored pages” “Automatically”. This setting needs to be changed to “Every time I visit the web page”.

Please remember it is essential to check SpEd Forms setup:
1. On every computer used for SpEd Forms.
2. Every time the computer is worked on by computer technicians.
3. Every time the internet browser is updated.
4. Any time SpEd Forms does not behave as expected.

A link to SpEd Forms setup instructions can be found in the yellow box on the SpEd Forms login screen.

Monday, December 04, 2006

Warrior Deli

Did you know that Brainerd High School special ed is running the Warrior Deli? They serve soup and sandwiches from 11:30 to 12:30. Takeout is available!

Here's this week's menu:
Ham and Swiss on Croissant
Roast Beef and Cheddar on Wheat
Turkey Bacon Wrap
Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Sandwich Meal $3.00
Soup Meal $2.00
Soup and Sandwich Meal $3.00

Friday, December 01, 2006

No Other Service Field

You may have noticed that the 'Other Service' field has been removed from the services page of the IEP. It was removed because any service that used that field was 'unbillable' and districts were losing money.
If you can't find a service in the drop down list, just let me know. I can add the service to the list and then we can bill for it!
It's a win-win.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

New Due Process Forms

The State is about to implement new due process forms.

Click here to get a preview of what they propose.

Expect more news on this in the next few weeks or months.

m

PBEC Podcast Format Change

Hi!

I'm changing the format of the podcast! From now on, I intend to have shorter, but more frequent podcasts. My intent is to have 2-3 minute podcasts once or twice a week. This will allow me to work with smaller subjects at a time and allowing for easier production of each episode.

To make this more inclusive, I'm also rolling out this blog, which is an underlying piece of technology used to publish the podcast. I encourage you to bookmark this blog, or use an RSS reader, and keep an eye on the blog. There WILL be posts to the blog that will not be mentioned in the podcasts!

An additional benefit to the blog is that it bypasses email that has been, and will probably remain, a problem as far as reliability is concerned.

That's it for now! God Bless.

m

Thursday, July 13, 2006

PBEC Podcast Issue 7

In this issue of the podcast I talk about Finalizing ERs, Validating IEPs and the Student History button on the Forms page. I also talk about the spell checker in SpEd Forms.

This is the final in the three part series on the latest SpEd Forms upgrade.

Monday, July 10, 2006

PBEC Podcast Issue 6

This issue of the podcast focuses on the changes to the Forms page in the latest SpEd Forms upgrade.

Friday, July 07, 2006

PBEC Podcast Issue 5

This issue of the podcast focuses on the latest SpEd Forms upgrade. Specifically, I cover the changes to the My Setup and Student Setup pages.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Don't use spaces in URLs

I have GOT to remember to not use spaces in the URL for the podcast mp3 file. If I use spaces, it won't work as a media enclosure. DOH! Gotta use that '%20' thingy instead.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

PBEC Podcast Issue 4

This issue of the podcast focuses on assistive technology. Specifically, I cover the highlights of Charting the Cs and cover some upcoming conferences. I also talk about some staff who are leaving the coop. :-(

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

PBEC Podcast Issue 3

This is the third edition of the Podcast.

This issue focuses on email and spam.