Learning Disability Resources in The LD Live! Podcast and Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reader Blog

I was doing some exploring last night on some podcasts on special needs. Melinda Pongrey has a podcast site called LD Live! She announced that she has started a reader blog on The Seattle Post-Intelligencer on Learning Connections. The Newspaper has started a community blog for regions in the community. Folks can start their own "column" so to speak to share about their hobby, interest, industry, etc. Melinda has started one for learning disabilities and has quite a few posts there. She has a podcast interview on advocacy by the Special Needs Advocacy Training Institute, A video presentation on learning diversity, and an interview with my fellow blogger Ira Socol, of the SpeEdChange Blog, who posts comments quite frequently here on my blog. He has had a great impact on what I am currently doing for student access in my region right now (which is moving along quite well, I might add - but that will be another post, another day).
I would highly recommend checking out Melinda's work. She has put a lot of time and energy into her posts, podcasts and interviews.
Thank you Melinda for your efforts. I am glad to discover what you are doing. I intend to start reading and listening more frequently.
All the best to you!
Lon

"kidthing" Has More than Meets the Eye

I spent a valuable hour yesterday with Larry Hitchcock, the CEO of the new children's web 2.0 site, "kidthing". We discussed Internet sites for kids, safe spaces and how kidthing gives children both. I had spent time exploring the free application/player that downloads from the site and plays all the media you buy or get in demo/free versions. I had not quite understood the mix area, and the stand alone power of kidthing.

Think of it as an itunes type of service for your children with ad-free lists of books, pictures, educational games and videos. A parent can drag a game, some family pictures from the computer, a book, some more pictures and a coloring activity to the mix bar and create a multi-media activity session. Parents or teachers can set a time limit on the mix and then let children play. You could think of these as "playlists" that can be saved, used again and shared. If you send me a mix, you have the option to share it, which means it is off your computer accessibility until you return it - just like borrowing a real book, or you can give me the option to purchase the items I don't have in my archive to add on - then you still have the book and game you shared accessibile to you. My son and I could build a mix with his favorite games and books mixed with family pictures and video and share that mix with his cousin in Illinois. They can share and swap mixes.

The company is developing a relationship with various publishing companies that, talking to Larry, sounds like a "Who's Who" in children's publishing. They are also working hard on a recordable application so a grandma can buy Hop on Pop , record herself reading the book and then send it to the grandchild to have on their book list to read anytime. Larry also pointed out that to record and save your child reading a favorite book at 6, 7 and 8 years of age would be a priceless memory later on.

Larry said they have been working on a cooperative program with the "Read Across America" program, to take the selected titles and feature one a month for a download that coincides with the program that is promoted in schools across the country. He shared that the publishers are allowing kidthing to give away these free downloads for a limited time to support literacy. I am sure that this also helps them promote their titles. This is a great way to get some free books to kids that need them in an online download instead of shipping heavy boxes of books around the country to schools and homes.

I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to sit with Larry on the phone, have my kidthing player up on my computer and have him personally walk me through the resources. I would encourage you to go to "kidthing", download the player and then do the same. Go to my Blog Talk Radio player and play the interview archive or link to it here. While you are listening, have the player up and explore. If you are a teacher or a parent - trust me - you will be thrilled with the potential of this new tool.

All the best to you!

Lon

"Browse Inside" Gives Readers Free Access to Harper Collins Books

Harper Collins now gives limited-time access to full versions of books in electronic text through their "Browse Inside" beta application.

DAISY.org linked to a post on National Public Radio (NPR) where they presented a short blurb on Sneak Peeks by Publishers online:
"As an experiment, HarperCollins has posted complete electronic editions of a few books for free on its Web site, including titles by some of its well known authors. The publisher plans to post a fraction of new titles online before their publishing date as a "sneak peek.""

I decided to visit Harper Collins and look into the electronic books they were sharing. I found a link from their home page to "Browse Inside - Try Before You buy", which I linked above. I found a nice graphic/banner that shows how to access the full text, search through the book for keywords and phrases, see search results as highlighted text within the book and a linked table of contents to access the chapters and contents.

I counted 21 titles on the "Browse Inside" page that could be read. They were divided into featured books that are new releases, recent releases and most viewed. I randomly checked titles and found that they appeared to have the full book on all of them. I was impressed. Of course you can't use text to speech with them and you are literally having to read them online from the site, but what a great idea. They live up to the message "full access" that they have put in the graphic for this resource.

I am glad to see that some companies are getting the concept that in order to get something you need to give something. The dynamic of this plays out naturally in the blogging and web 2.0 world of viral growth. As we share blogs and posts by others, the word gets passed and our blogs get shared as well as the ones we share about. By giving first we build credibility, return readers, etc. In a recent Wired Magazine, the cover read "Free Stuff" in large letters. The magazine addressed the trend where the corporate web world is adding the blog to their sites, looking for web 2.0 interactivity and beginning to give free material and limited free releases of product.

I am glad to see the publishing industry jump on board with some free online books to browse and read - just as itunes gives out their songs of the week. Whoever is spearheading the marketing with this project at Harper Collins should be applauded for allowing their books to be shared in this way. For those of you looking for free text to read - this will be a great site to add to your favorites.

Don't forget to check out the kidthing today with Larry Hitchcock on No Limits to Learning Live where we will have to talk about the free giving concept to marketing as it applies to their give away of "Horton Hears A Who" by Dr. Seuss on their kidthing site. We will discuss the birth of the site, the concept, what is has and how it can be used for AT applications in education. Check them out and the interview on my sidebar on the Blog Talk Radio Player Thursday, May 29 at 10:30 a.m. Pacific time.
All the best to you!

Lon