YouTube Automatic Captioning Moves Out Of Beta
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010In recent years websites such as CaptionTube and independent services made videos and audio more accessible to deaf or hard of hearing people. In November 2009, Google announced the automatic captioning of videos on its YouTube site to boost captioning provision and support text indexing.
Existing captioning services are not always user friendly or free. With [...]
‘Experience’ Books From Off We Go! Publishing
Monday, January 18th, 2010Irish company, Off We Go! Publishing, has released a set of books for children to learn about different first-time experiences in early life.
These books benefit those with special needs and any young child experiencing these outings for the first time.
Twelve different titles are in the series, including “Going on a Plane’, “Going to the Optician” [...]
Inclusive Reading of “Ben” Book At County Library
Monday, November 23rd, 2009Students from Tallaght’s Scoil Colmcille and Sacred Heart National School gathered at County Library for a reading of “A Birthday for Ben” on the Tuesday morning of November 10th.
During this interactive session the book was read by Elizabeth and signed by Christopher. At various stages, the kids stopped to learn the signs of key words [...]
Cochlear Implants Boost Childrens’ Early Learning
Monday, November 2nd, 2009The development of deaf children fitted with a cochlear implant is being profiled in a study at Malaga University, headed by Ignacio Moreno-Torres.
Three months after receiving an implant, all children profiled could recognise sounds in their immediate environment. Social and family factors were also analysed in the study for a more in-depth result.
Children become used [...]
Study: Video, Games Improve Preschooler Literacy
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009Word-rich TV shows, online games and hands-on resources improve preschoolers’ literacy, a new study by the Corporation of Broadcasting in the United States has found.
Media resources in the program improve literacy in kids aged 2 to 8. For this study, 400 students in up to 80 classes from 47 different centres were taught in a [...]
Learning Language Is Fun! - December 5th, 2009
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009On December 5 2009, IDK and Helium will host another Learning Language is Fun! creative play session at the RuaRed arts centre in Tallaght, Dublin.
In Sligo, a second, concurrent session will be held upstairs at The Factory Performing Space, Quay Street, with artist Helene Hugel.
Both sessions will run from 10:30am to 12pm on December 5th, [...]
Early Reading Skills For Lifelong Literacy
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009Reading is a key skill for deaf children to develop, as our world is driven by information. Think about it – your child and their peers will grow up with email, texting, computer tools, captioned TV, DVDs and online video clips.
As this website noted recently, digital tools like email, webtext, Skype, video relay or chat, can be [...]
Baby Books & Flash Cards For Language Teaching
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009The Usborne book range recently came to my attention, with a big bonus: free postage for books ordered by email from the representative in Ireland.
The “Baby’s First Flashcards” product would be excellent for language work at home, while being fun for babies and parents to look at and hold.
Infants from 3 months upward have the option of [...]
Teaching New Concepts With Dolls And Puppets
Thursday, November 27th, 2008For young deaf children having difficulty learning new concepts such as numbers, the alphabet, shapes and self-care, dolls can provide a solution.
Signing children will like the doll puppet from Finkel Education’s Hope Catalogue, which has gloves for “hands that talk”. It arrives with alphabet blocks, numbers & six shapes, making it perfect in early education settings.
eBay [...]
Personalised Books From Star Stories
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008Personalised books really get childrens’ imaginations going – regardless of ability. A whole book about them! How exciting is that?!
Irish publisher Star Stories has a great range of personalised books, including new titles where the child in the story LOOKS like your child.
In other words, the illustrations change so the child in the book looks [...]