Tools of the Trade- A Day of iPad Training

MaxCases Educator

Today I set off to do an iPad Training and thought it would be interesting for you to find out what I packed for the workshop. Of course, I packed my trusty Apple iPad which I have been using for the last 2 years and it has treated me well. I also used my Epson Powerlite 915W projector which not only supports VGA but HDMI which is great for using with the Apple TV. If you really want to experience the iPad when doing training then you need to carry your Apple TV with you, so that you can move around the room with the iPad as you are projecting the screen. Apple's Airplay technology is just great for sending the video and audio to the device. I also used the Maxcases Educator Case with my iPad which allowed me to hold the iPad securely with the adjustable hand strap which gave me the freedom to write directly on the iPad using the free IPEVO Whiteboard app. Using the IPEVO Whiteboard app enabled me to use the iPad as if I were using an interactive whiteboard and could simply write on the screen on the iPad and everyone was able to see the contents. I also demonstrated the IPEVO Ziggi-HD document camera and IPEVO Wireless Station for iPad which gives you the power of utilizing a document camera with the iPad. For my presentation, I used a Haiku Deck that I customized for this training session which looked spectacular- the graphics really popped.and having a 3000 Lumen, Epson 915W projector really sets the stage for some fantastic looking images on the screen. I also used the Belkin Tablet Stand which worked great to position my iPad on the desk when I wasn't using the Maxcases Educator case. It's really a symphony when all the pieces come together! A super day of training was had by all :-)

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

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Clicker Docs for iPad Updated to Version 1.2

For those of you who are using Clicker Docs for the iPad it was just recently updated to version 1.2 and some really nice features which include:

Clicker Docs- Large Size Prediction Bar & Word Count

What's New in Version 1.2

- Option to set a bigger size for the Predictor/Spell Checker suggestions
- Improved predictor performance
- Improved hardware keyboard support – predicted words, spell checker suggestions and SoundShift button can now be accessed while the virtual keyboard is minimized
- Word count added to Document menu
- Thumbnails of Word Banks are shown in Explorer, Favourites and Recents
- When adding a new grid, this is now inserted after the current grid
- New View & Edit option when pasting text in Edit Mode – makes it even easier to create an A-Z Word Bank from any piece of text
- The language (British or American English) is still set automatically when the App is first used, but this setting can now be changed
- More pronunciation improvements

I for one am very happy to see that the you can now change the size of the Predictor/Speller Checker bar which should make it easier for students with visual or fine motor disabilities to select words from the predicted list. Likewise, it is now easier to use the word prediction feature when a student is using a Bluetooth keyboard. i also like that students can now get a word count and some overall stats on what they have written. All in all, this a very nice upgrade and I would suggest that you go to the apps store and upgrade your copy of Clicker Docs.

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iReadWrite for iPad-Powerful Tools for Writing

It is really exciting to see the traditional publishers of assistive technology jumping into the app marketplace and providing end users with powerful new apps that pack a lot of features. I had the good fortune to be able to review iReadWrite from TextHelp, Inc. which was recently released and am very impressed with the feature set. This is TextHelp's first foray into the iPad marketplace but they have been long standing publishers of Read Write Gold on the Windows/Mac platform and have a great deal of experience providing students with assistive technology supports.

iReadWrite is a well designed app that works as advertised.  It provides students with text-to-speech , word prediction and vocabulary support. iReadWrite does not require an internet connection to utilize the program which is ideal for students who may be in schools with poor web connectivity. At the time of this writing iReadWrite can open rtf. and txt. files. Students will quickly grasp how to use the word prediction feature which is a real strength of the program. I have worked with some students who have dropped out vowels and iReadWrite was still able to predict the word. iReadWrite has one of the most powerful word prediction features that I have seen to date for iPad apps. However, I would like to see some way for students to be able select the predicted word from the list, when they are using a Bluetooth keyboard. Perhaps having the first ten word numbered that can be entered via a number key from the keyboard could work. Utilizing the Swipe feature students will be able to quickly enter the words into the writing area. If a student is unsure of which word to use- they can hold their finger down and up pops the definition with a picture support. This vocabulary feature is well designed and implemented and will be very helpful for students when they are writing. In addition to spell checking, iReadWrite also does homonym checking and will look for those confusable words that students often use which are incorrect. This feature is easy to use and students will quickly see which words were flagged as iReadWrite changes the font to Blue. When students have completed their written work they can export the text to: Mail. Message, Twitter, and Facebook. They can also copy the text and paste it into another app if they prefer. It would be nice to be able to Print directly from iReadWrite, but maybe that is a feature for a future upgrade. Short of some minor feature requests, iReadWrite provides students with a robust set of tools that will help them in the area of reading and writing. TextHelp, Inc has done a tremendous job of creating an app that is both powerful and full featured for the iOS platform and educators need to include this in their AT Toolkit when making recommendations.

I have included a screencast that takes a quick tour around iReadWrite:

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Belkin Tablet Stands - Adding Ergonomics to the Tablet Equation

While most schools are eager to purchase the latest iPads or tablets for the classroom sometimes they may over-look how and where students will be using them. When looking at how students will be utilizing the iPad it is

Belkin Tablet Stand

important to take look at the positioning of the iPad so that it is at a comfortable viewing and typing height. Sometimes in our haste to get the latest technology into the classroom we may overlook the ergonomics which can have a big impact on just how functional the system is. With this as a backdrop, I had a briefing with Jon Roepke, Belkin Senior Product Manager, Education who had a chance to share with me some of their offerings from Belkin in the K-12 marketplace. Belkin has released two stands for the iPad (Belkin Tablet Stand & Belkin Tablet Stand with Storage) which vastly improve the ergonomics when students are typing or utilizing the iPad in either landscape or portrait mode. These finely crafted devices are both aesthetically pleasing and molded with a soft cushion material on the top of the stand with a hard plastic on the bottom. The soft cushiony material in the channel firmly grips the iPad in either landscape or portrait mode, thus putting the iPad and a comfortable viewing and typing angle. The bottom of the Belkin Tablet Stand has non-skid

Belkin Tablet Stand with Storage

rubber which prevents the iPad from moving when typing or interacting with it.

Aimed at the primary grades Belkin also shared with me the Belkin Tablet Stand with Storage which adds to the basic stand the capacity for students to store their schools supplies. The Belkin Tablet Stand with Storage is an ideal stand for students who will be using the iPad or other tablet and who need the ability to organize their supplies. It is ideal for students who need to store their ear buds, pen, pencil or whatever these choose. The design is very pleasing and the latching mechanism is easy for students to access and securely closes. If you are using iPads or tablets in the classroom then you need to consider the ergonomics and take a look at the Belkin Stands to help you create better working environments for your students.

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My Evernote Workshop at the Library

Over the past couple of years I have done a number of technology sessions at my local public library which have pretty well attended. This year I decided to do a presentation on Evernote, which I thought would be of interest to the community  I have been an Evernote user for over 5 years and use it more and more for my own personal and professional needs. During the presentation I demonstrated how to use the Evernote application on a computer, iPhone & iPad. Using my trusty Epson PowerLite 915W projector, I am able to connect my laptop via a standard USB cable to the projector and connect my iPad via the VGA cable. Using the Epson Remote that is included with the projector, I can quickly switch between the two devices which makes it really handy and easy to switch between the computer and the iPad when doing presentations. I should note that the USB connection sends both the video out and audio to the projector which makes it a really easy set up when doing presentations. During the presentation I used a presentation deck that I created with the Haiku Deck app on my iPad which I then imported into Keynote. Once the Haiku Deck presentation was in Keynote, I could now use the Keynote Remote app to move through my slides which works really well. I will do another post about this workflow in  the near future. I am really enjoying using Haiku Deck and the finished product looks like I hired a graphic designer to create-in fact I did it myself and you too can with Haiku Deck. Below is the Haiku Deck that I used for my presentation. Enjoy!

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

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Great Day Presenting to Undergraduate Students Majoring in Education

It was really great being able to share the work that I am doing with undergraduate students who are majoring in Education at the College of St. Elizabeth. Today was their annual educational association conference and I had a chance to share the work I am doing using iPads in the classroom. I had a chance to demonstrate a number of new and innovative technologies that in some way all connect to the iPad. The students got a real kick out of the demonstration I did with the iPevo Wireless Station and the iPevo Ziggi HD document camera. I placed three quarters under IPevo Ziggi HD camera and then handed three groups of students an iPad with the iPevo Whiteboard app installed  Once the students logged into the iPevo Wireless network they were all able to see the three quarters and annotate on top of the image. I shared with the group how this strategy and approach could be used as students set off to solve real world problems having access to high quality video feeds. In my presentation, I next demonstrated the Mighty Scope Connect, a handheld wireless digital microscope from Aven, Inc. The Mighty Scope Connect, is an impressive microscope that easily creates an adhoc wireless network with your iPad and utilizing their Wi-Viewer app it wirelessly sends the image to the iPad. The quality of the image under the microscope was really crisp and clear and the future teachers could think of some interesting ways to utilize this tool in the classroom. Just like the iPevo solution, students could log into the Mighty Scope Connect network and view the image in stunning detail on their iPads using the supplied app.  I plan on doing a more in-depth review of theMighty Scope Connect in another blog post. As part of my presentation I also demonstrated probeware from Pasco and how it could be utilized with the iPad using a Bluetooth connection. Using the PasPort Airlink 2 connected to a Temperature, Sound Level, & Light probe, I was able to demonstrate how the device could capture the light level in the room in real time and display it on the iPad. It was enjoyable day and the students were very excited to learn about all of the innovative technologies that are out there and find their way to the classroom.

Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app for iPad

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