Free 2 week training: Accessible Instructional Materials and Social Media Tools.

The Family Center on Technology and Disability is pleased to provide a free, 2-week online summer institute, July 20-31, 2009. The Family Center's summer institutes have been extremely popular, connecting educators, disability professionals and parents throughout the country with leading national experts in assistive and instructional technologies.

This year's institute will have two learning strands: Accessible Instructional Materials and Social Media Tools.

Participants can register for continuing education units (CEUs). More information on each strand is provided below.
Click here to Register Online.

If you have additional questions
Email: fctd@aed.org
Call: Jackie Hess at (202)884-8217 or Ana Maria Gutierrez at (202)884-8068.

Accessible Instructional Materials
WMA, DAISY, BRFŠ..... Do you find digital media options bewildering? You aren't alone. Navigating the world of accessible instructional materials can be confusing. From file formats to players to digital conversion and play-back, how does one make sense of it all? This strand of the FCTD's online summer institute will explain and explore the world of accessible media, including the laws designed to get instructional materials into the hands of students with print disabilities.

Participants will learn about digital formats, how to find and access digital books, and about software and hardware suitable for classroom, home, and therapeutic environments.

Social Media Tools
They're growing like topsy...­ Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and thousands of blogs, wikis, and related social media tools. When well used, they connect, inform, entertain, and educate. Whether you love them, hate them, or just can't be bothered, social media tools have changed the way Americans meet, communicate and collaborate. Educators and disability professionals have joined the fray, creating forums specific to their interests, including assistive and instructional technologies. If you're an experienced user of social media, we invite you to share your insights and resources. If you're quietly guarding the secret that you really have no idea what a wiki is, and Twittering...well, really; then this is the place to learn, in educator,parent, and disability professional friendly language.

Register for the Family Center on Technology and Disability's 2009 Summer Institute today!