2000 Conference Proceedings
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THE CONNSENSE BULLETIN IS ONLINE: TECHNOLOGY SOLVED THE
PROBLEM
Chauncy N. Rucker The A. J. Pappanikou Center: A UAP,
University of Connecticut, 249 Glenbrook Road, U-64, Storrs, CT
06269-2064, (860)423-7880, rucker@uconnvm.uconn.edu
Although the purpose of this presentation is to announce the
online version of the ConnSENSE Bulletin, I'd like to spend much
of my time explaining how the move to the web came about. This
will be followed by an explanation of the site, how we review
software, and how you can become involved.
The ConnSENSE Project
The ConnSENSE (Connecticut Special Education Network for Software
Evaluation) Project was funded by the Connecticut State
Department of Education to develop a statewide model for
evaluating software for students with disabilities. Beginning in
1982 the project developed a software evaluation instrument and
trained professionals (mainly special education teachers) to
evaluate software. We put together a collection of software and
would then send pieces out to our reviewers. Once we received the
review and the software back from a reviewer it was sent on to
another reviewer. When we had received reviews back from three
reviewers the staff wrote a review based on input from all three
of the reviews and it would be published in the ConnSENSE
Bulletin. The ConnSENSE review process was very comprehensive,
but was also very labor intensive and time consuming. It was
difficult to be current with our reviews.
The ConnSENSE Project was among a fairly small group of projects
reviewing software for students with disabilities. ConnSENSE
reviews were selected to be included in the Only The Best. Only
The Best is an ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development) annual publication and database that gathers reviews
from about 25 evaluators throughout the country. Software listed
in the book has been evaluated as excellent by at least two of
the evaluators.
In addition to the software reviews, each ConnSENSE Bulletin
contained articles, resources, information on our annual
conference, and a calendar of other technology conferences. The
Bulletin was printed and mailed out to as many as 3,000
subscribers. The ConnSENSE conferences and our graduate program
in assistive technology continue to this day, but after more than
10 years the ConnSENSE Bulletin was discontinued because we
simply did not have the funds to cover the expense of printing
and postage.
Way Cool Software Reviews Project
Although the ConnSENSE Bulletin was hibernating, our summer
courses in assistive technology were still going strong. This was
very fortunate for us because a group of our graduate students
taking an Internet course during the summer of 1995 came up with
the Way Cool Software Reviews Project. The project is designed to
encourage students, teachers, other professionals and parents to
write reviews of software they use at school or at home that they
think is way cool. Although all reviews are welcome, we are
particularly interested in software that would be useful for
those with disabilities or students with gifts. These reviews are
then published on the Way Cool List and the Way Cool web site.
The Way Cool Software review process is much less formal than
was implemented with the ConnSENSE Project. We collect software,
publicize what software we have on the Way Cool List, and send
the software to someone who responds to the offer. Although we do
have a basic evaluation form, we do not insist that reviewers
follow it exactly. Once we receive a review we edit it so that
the format of the reviews is fairly similar, and put the review
on the list. In addition to software we have on hand, many people
have submitted reviews of software they already own. This
certainly expands our collection of reviews.
The Way Cool List
Lists (managed by Listserv software) provide a great opportunity
to interact on a particular topic. On the Way Cool List,
subscribers discuss software issues and ask questions about the
software reviews. All reviews are first published on the list so
that people can add comments before we publish them on the Web.
Fortunately, several publishers have joined the list. Thus, for
example, when a subscriber asked a question based on reviews of
Menlo the Frog, a technical person from the company was quick to
respond with an answer to the list. This interaction between
software publishers and software users is seen as a very positive
feature of the Way Cool Software Reviews Project.
The Way Cool Web Site
The Way Cool web site provides links to all of the software
reviews, information on the Way Cool Project, including a copy of
the evaluation form, and links to related projects. Many of the
reviews of commercial software contain links to publishers' home
pages where more information is provided. There are also reviews
of shareware and these provide links so that you can download the
shareware. You can visit the Way Cool site and view all of the
reviews. http://www.pappanikou.edu/wcool.html
A Great Idea
After seeing the success of the Way Cool Software Reviews
Project, I began to think that perhaps the web offered an
opportunity to begin publishing the ConnSENSE Bulletin again.
Certainly there were a number of projects having to do with
disabilities taking advantage of the web. One of the most
successful is LD Resources hosted by Richard Wanderman.
http://www.ldresources.com In addition to the web site, Richard
sends out and an Email newsletter on a somewhat irregular basis
to the Learning Disabilities community. The LD Reader contains
interesting articles, resources, and observations and updates the
readers on recent additions to the web site. This is a great
model, but in addition to me borrowing the model, Richard gave
hours and hours of advice as I began to develop the ConnSENSE
Bulletin web site and the first ConnSENSE Letter. The web site
was operational early in 1999 and ConnSENSE Letter #1 went out
early in February. The web site means that the ConnSENSE Bulletin
can be published without the expense of printing or postage. In
fact, since the A. J. Pappanikou Center sponsors us, everything
about the site and the Letter is free to the public.
ConnSENSE Reviews
Based on our early experience it appeared that attempting to
utilize the original ConnSENSE review process would be too
cumbersome. We also had the experience of the Way Cool Software
Reviews Project to draw on. The Way Cool software review
procedure certainly works, but we wanted to end up with reviews
that would be recognized by Only The Best. Ultimately we decided
to continue the Way Cool review process, publish the reviews on
the Way Cool List and the Way Cool Web Site, but only publish
these reviews in the ConnSENSE Bulletin if they met a more
stringent criterion. To be a ConnSENSE Bulletin Review the review
(a) should concern software that could be of value to individuals
with disabilities or are gifted, (b) must have been completed by
a professional in the disability or gifted area, (c) hopefully
includes feedback on use with students, and (d) must have been
edited for consistency by ConnSENSE Bulletin staff. I must admit
that we have on occasion published a review that didn't meet all
four criteria, simply because they were deemed so worthwhile.
ConnSENSE Bulletin Web Site and the ConnSENSE Letter
The ConnSENSE Bulletin Web site contains articles, resources,
updates on Washington activities, job announcements, ConnSENSE
software reviews, related sites, and a conference calendar. There
is also a form so you can sign up to receive the ConnSENSE Letter
and an archive of previous letters. The ConnSENSE Letter is sent
via Email on an irregular basis, approximately once a month. It
updates all the new additions to the web site.
How can you become involved?
You can visit the ConnSENSE Bulletin web site and sign up to
receive the ConnSENSE Letter.
http://www.pappanikou.uconn.edu/csbull.html We welcome articles
(perhaps your technology success stories), resources, job
opportunities, information on conferences, etc. Send me your
input and I would be glad to share it with the readers of the
ConnSENSE Bulletin.
Another important way to contribute is by reviewing software. If
you'd like to review software we would encourage you to subscribe
to the Way Cool list, check out the reviews on the Way Cool web
site, and send us a review of software (a) you own and you think
is way cool, or (b) that you see on the Way Cool list and choose
to review for us. Incidentally, when you write a review of our
software you are allowed to keep the software.
You could also encourage students to submit reviews of software.
We have several cases in which students have contributed reviews
that were then published on the Way Cool list and the Way Cool
web site.
Everyone is welcome to send a review to add to the list. If it
meets the ConnSENSE criteria, the review will also be published
on the ConnSENSE Bulletin web site. To subscribe to the Way Cool
list, send this one line message: subscribe waycool-L
Yourfirstname Yourlastname to: listserv@UConnvm.uconn.edu
Conclusion
So indeed the ConnSENSE Bulletin is now available online. The
technology of lists and the World Wide Web helped us solve our
earlier publication problems. Please spread the word. We would
encourage everyone interested in technology for individuals with
disabilities to subscribe to the ConnSENSE Letter and the Way
Cool List, utilize the ConnSENSE and Way Cool web sites, and
submit articles, resources, and reviews.
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