CENMAC’s Thursday Thirty
Online training & information sessions
Our Thursday Thirty free live online training & information sessions run throughout the school term.
Join us at 15.30 to 16.00 (GMT) on Thursday afternoons to find out how a wide range of assistive technologies are used to support learning and communication in mainstream and special educational settings.
Take a look at the programme below (scroll down to view) and register to attend the sessions of interest to you.
Who should attend? Our training sessions are suitable for teachers, SENCOs, school SEND teams, TAs, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, parents and carers supporting children and young people using assistive technology to access the curriculum and/or to communicate.
Training joining details
We will email you the Microsoft Teams joining details a couple of days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please check your spam or junk mail folder and contact Annabel at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
CENMAC’s Thursday Thirty – Symbol Support from SEN to Mainstream
Thursday 14 November 2024, 15.30 – 16.00 (GMT)
Communication symbols are rarely used in mainstream teaching, yet they are ubiquitous in specialist classes.
A typical mainstream class has two to three children who struggle with communication. Symbols can make a huge amount of difference to their experience, however, adding symbols to lesson materials is time consuming.
In this session Neil Thompson, Director Commtap CIC, will show you how:
- making lessons communication-inclusive with symbols doesn’t have to be onerous
- a small number of symbols can take you a long way
- our symbolising tool for PowerPoint makes the process even easier
Neil will also show you Commtap’s bank of free resources for supporting communication, our free key word signing dictionary, and how you can get involved with both projects.
Joining Details
We will email you the Microsoft Teams joining details a couple of days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please check your spam or junk mail folder and contact Annabel at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
CENMAC’s Thursday Thirty – Using CMPSR® and Arrownotes in SEN settings
Thursday 21 November 2024, 15.30 – 16.00 (GMT)
Join Si Tew from Digit Learning and explore Digit Music’s technology and content, showing how it can be used to deliver engaging music sessions and create an inclusive music ensemble in SEN settings.
CMPSR® is the gaming-style music-making instrument that puts the play back into playing. Like a piano/keyboard but much easier. Move the joystick to play notes, chord progressions, control FX, and more.
Arrownotes is Digit Music’s revolutionary new musical notation system that teams up perfectly with our beautiful digital instrument, CMPSR®.
Joining Details
We will email you the Microsoft Teams joining details a couple of days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please check your spam or junk mail folder and contact Annabel at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
CENMAC’s Thursday Thirty – Supporting AAC to reflect Language and Culture in schools
Thursday 28 November 2024, 15.30 – 16.00 (GMT)
Join this session with David Banes from Global Symbols and explore some of the key issues to consider when developing and using pictorial symbols that reflect the languages and cultures within your school.
All schools can benefit from the free and open resources available at GlobalSymbols.com. In this session we also introduce the brand new SymbolBuilder to be launched in early 2025, harnessing generative AI to develop and edit symbols.
Joining Details
We will email you the Microsoft Teams joining details a couple of days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please check your spam or junk mail folder and contact Annabel at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
CENMAC’s Thursday Thirty – Inspiration 11: a lifetime tool for users with neuro differences or cognitive challenges
Thursday 5 December 2024, 15.30 – 16.00 (GMT)
Inspiration 11 is used to create a variety of visual diagrams, maps, outlines, presentations and more. Combining visual and verbal cues, the software allows students to create highly customisable diagrams that help with creativity, engagement, and memory retention.
This is particularly effective for users with neuro-differences or cognitive challenges, where Inspiration 11 often becomes a lifelong tool they depend on in education, the workplace and personally.
Join Ruby Pettifer to learn all you need to know about this simple but powerful visual thinking tool.
Joining Details
We will email you the Microsoft Teams joining details a couple of days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please check your spam or junk mail folder and contact Annabel at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
CENMAC’s Thursday Thirty – Voiceitt: Accessible Speech-to-Text to Meet Students’ Education Goals
Thursday 12 December 2024, 15.30 – 16.00 (GMT)
Voiceitt is speech recognition technology for people with nonstandard speech due to conditions like cerebral palsy or accented English.
In this online session Michael Cash, Product Specialist at Voiceitt will demonstrate Voiceitt’s speak and dictation modes and share how they can empower your students’ engagement in their classroom and beyond with additional features like the Voiceitt Chrome Extension and Zoom integration.
Joining Details
This session will be held via Zoom so that Michael can demonstrate Zoom integration. You will receive a link to join the Zoom session a few days before the event. If you do not receive the joining details one day before the event please contact Annabel at newsandevents@cenmac.com.
CENMAC’s Thursday Thirty – Get Organized with Tiimo: A Neuroinclusive Planner
Thursday 30 January, 15.30 – 16.00 (GMT)
Discover Tiimo, an award-winning neuroinclusive planner, and how it can support you in organizing your studies, building routines, and managing your time—so you can stay on top of tasks and succeed with less stress.
Joining Details
We will email you the Microsoft Teams joining details a couple of days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please check your spam or junk mail folder and contact Annabel at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
CENMAC’s Thursday Thirty – An introduction to Sensepilot – Control your computer with head tracking and facial gestures using your webcam
Thursday 6th March 2025, 15.30 – 16.00 (GMT)
New SensePilot allows the user to control their computer with head tracking and facial gestures using only a webcam.
Join CEO & Co-Founder Mike Hazlewood to find out who SensePilot are and what they can currently provide. He will also share their plans for the future, when they will launch and and how to download/future input methods and operating systems. He will also share how people are using SensePilot, what it enables them to do and will also discuss their learnings and adaptations from the Beta test.
Joining Details
We will email you the Microsoft Teams joining details a couple of days before the training session so keep an eye out in your email inbox. Please check your spam or junk mail folder and contact Annabel at newsandevents@cenmac.com if you do not have the joining details one day before the event.
If you have any changes in school and need training to implement the students’ assistive technology please do get in contact with your advisory teacher or mail@cenmac.com.
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