Adobe Learning Summit 2014

In a couple of weeks I will be flying out to Las Vegas to present at the Adobe Learning Summit 2014- to present with my colleague Linda Mahnken, on the

topic of Creating Accessible eLearning with Adobe eLearning Tools. Linda and I will focus on how you can use Adobe Presenter 10 and Adobe Captivate 8 to create elearning material that is accessible for individual with hearing, visual and learning disabilities.


During the session you'll learn:

• Accessibility features in Captivate and Presenter
• Which content types are and are not accessible    
• Best practices for accessible online content

If you have the opportunity this is a great conference that is co-located with DevLearn. I have been using Adobe Presenter for many years and with each version it gets better and better. For those of you who are not familiar with Adobe Presenter, Presenter is a PowerPoint plug-in that will give you a whole host of new features which are ideal for anyone who is creating material for the web. With more of my students accessing the web from mobile devices it is really exciting that I can now publish my courses in HTML 5, which I know will work on iPads and Android based tablets. One of the features which has always set Adobe Presenter apart from other PowerPoint plug-ins is the speed in which I can develop materials for the courses that I teach. In addition to being able to create interactive material- the ability to assess my students knowledge of the material is equally as important. Adobe Presenter 10 continues to excel in the ability to create quizzes which can be linked to an analytic dashboard so that as an instructor, I can quickly see who needs assistance and intervention. Adobe Presenter 10 also provides students with the opportunity to discuss ideas and leave comments when the material is presented which is truly a unique feature. 

For teachers who are considering flipping the classroom, Adobe Presenter 10 comes with Adobe Presenter Video Express which makes creating instructional videos from your computer a cinch. Adobe has really thought out this

application and within minutes you will be creating your first highly polished videos that you can publish to YouTube, Vimeo, & Adobe Connect.
Adobe Presenter Video Express includes the ability to add Closed Captioning-taking advantage of speech recognition to get the captioning done quickly. If you have been struggling to find an easy to use tool for creating instructional videos on you Mac or PC then take a look at  Adobe Presenter Video Express. There is a lot to like in the new Adobe Presenter 10-but for me it has always been that balance of features with rapid development. Hope to see you at the Adobe Learning Summit 2014 Conference.

Read More

Science Under the Lens: ProScope Micro Mobile from Vernier

Getting students engaged in the learning process is paramount these days and what better way to do this than with computer technology. As our American education is going through a transformation there is an understanding that the students in our classrooms today need to become well versed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Looking at the Next Generation Science Standards it is clear that this document is a real paradigm shift in how we deliver instruction in the classroom in these areas. It is clear that the shift

ProScope Micro Mobile

is a move away from rote memory to a performance based model of students demonstrating their knowledge by doing and showing their conceptual understanding of the material. It is in this context that Vernier Software and Technology has been providing educators and students with sensors and probes to provide students with the opportunity to perform scientific inquiry. It is clear from the research, that giving students hands-on experience with the tools that scientists use is one way for students to develop a deeper understanding of scientific processes and concepts.

With many schools adapting the iPad for instruction it is exciting to see how many companies have begun developing accessories that can transpose the device into a tool that students can use for scientific inquiry. It is in this light that Vernier Software and Technology just released the ProScope Micro Mobile which turns the IOS devices and Samsung Galaxy S4 into a digital microscope with 20x-80x magnification utilizing an Edmund high quality glass optic lens. The ProScope Micro Mobile has a built-in lithium battery which keeps its charge for up to 5 hours and has a fast 2 hour charging cycle via a USB cable.

The out of box experience was very positive and the Quick Start Guide got me up and running quickly, once I had fully charged the ProScope Micro Mobile.  When you purchase the ProScope Micro Mobile you will need to decide which device you will be using it so that you get buy the proper housing for the lens. The lens can be used with many devices as long as you buy the appropriate housing for your device. Having said this, I fit the lens assembly into the housing and snapped it onto my iPad Air. The lens fits over the camera on the iPad and has a ring of LED's which can be adjusted for the best lighting effect and to reduce surface reflection. At this point you can open your Camera app on your iPad, turn on your ProScope Micro Mobile, adjust the LED's, and adjust the magnification to see what is under your microscope. I placed a strand of my hair under the ProScope Micro Mobile and was amazed at what I was able to see. To capture the strand 

Captured with IPEVO Whiteboard aa on iPad Air

of hair under the ProScope Micro Mobile you simply click on the Camera button to capture the image. The ProScope Micro Mobile allows you to use whichever camera app you elect, which gives you a wide range of options. 

Teachers in the classroom may want to consider using the IPEVO WhiteBoard or the Belkin Stage app with the ProScope Micro Mobile to give students more options for capturing and annotating what they capture under the microscope. Using the included built-in hands free stand, teachers have the capability of capturing and saving video as well that is under the microscope that they can share with students. For

Leaf Under Microsocope

$149 dollars the ProScope Micro Mobile is a high quality iPad accessory that can bring science to life for students in the classroom. I for one know that students will get really excited about using this tool in the classroom or in the field to bring science to life. If you are looking for ways to bring excitement back into science and engaging your students in the process then look no further and consider requisitioning the ProScope Micro Mobile.

Read More

Packing Miracast- The DELL Mobile Projector M900HD

The computer trends are pointing to lighter, more portable and highly mobile technology for today's work force. This is no less true for all of us in education as many schools are moving to tablets and devices that connect to the cloud. With this shift, it is exciting to think about how teachers are using their classrooms to cull out unique learning spaces. If you are thinking of how you can redesign your classroom space I would highly suggest that you consider reading The Third Teacher, and excellent book about re-thinking the learning space in our classrooms. This got me thinking about how we move away from the teacher in the front of the classroom and setting up learning spaces with technology that would enable students to share ideas quickly. Companies like Steelcase have envisioned the future of the classroom with their media:scape solution. Media:scape allows students to quickly share and collaborate on their content on a monitor by simply clicking on a "puck" that is in front of them. While this is an exciting solution it still requires devices to be hard wired to the monitor in order to collaborate. 

Over the past year, I have been experimenting with various wireless technologies that enable teachers and students to share their computer and tablet screens, using wireless technologies. Having attempted this several years ago with little success I was wondering what the evolution of this technology would have to offer in 2014? One of the wireless technologies I worked with is an Intel standard called Wi-Di (Wireless Display) which allows you to stream the contents of your tablet or computer to a HDMI device without cables or wires. Many educators often refer to Wi-Di by using the term Miracast to describe a peer-to-peer wireless screencasting standard formed via Wi-Fi Direct connections in a manner similar to Bluetooth. Miracast supports Windows 8.1 and Android (4.2 or great) devices right out of the box with zero configuration. Having access to Wi-Di would be great for the classroom because it would enable me to move about the

ScreenBeam Pro Education Edition

classroom without the need to be tethered to the projector. One of the benefits of Miracast is that it does not require you to use the school's wireless network to set it up. Using the ScreenBeam Pro Education Edition, Miracast receiver connected to my projector I was able to quickly share my screen and audio with my students with my Windows 8.1 and Android devices. The real benefits of using the ScreenBeam Pro is that it does not require me to have access to the school's wireless network. Similarly, using other screensharing technologies which are dependent on the WiFi network off bogs down from bottlenecks which makes sharing a challenge. To read more about my experiences using Miracast and ScreenBeam Pro for Education you can read my previous blog post here. You can also watch this video done by my colleague Dr. Tom Grissom at Eastern Illinois University to learn more about using Miracast technology in the classroom.

As Miracast becomes a standard in the Windows and Android technology sector it is exciting to see companies like Dell begin to embed the Miracast receiver right into their projectors. This is a trend you will begin to see this year as companies look for ways to move to providing consumers with ways to share information off of their computers,

DELL Mobile Projector M900HD

mobile phones and tablets in a quick and efficient manner. Dell was kind enough to send me a DELL Mobile Projector M900HD to test out that has Miracast embedded. The DELL Mobile Projector M900HD is an extremely small and portable projector (9.13" x 6.46" x 1.69") weighing in at 3.5 pounds. In this small package you will find a 900 ANSI Lumens LED projector which casts a very bright image. The DELL Mobile Projector M900HD is a sleek low profile projector that comes with a carrying case making it very easy to carry from classroom to classroom. As good as the DELL Mobile Projector M900HD looked, I wanted to test out to see just how easy was it to connect my Surface Pro 3 and Nexus tablet. What better way then to jump right in.

The true test at least for me was to unbox the DELL Mobile Projector M900HD, plug it in and see what happens. I plugged the DELL Mobile Projector M900HD in and powered it on and it immediately started up in the Wi-Di mode which was great! I opened up my Surface Pro 3 and swiped in from the right, selected Devices, and Project and added the DELL Mobile Projector M900HD as my Wireless device. The Surface Pro 3 quickly found the DELL Mobile Projector M900HD but for some reason a dialog box came up on the projected screen asking me to enter a PIN which I could not enter. After several attempts I was able to connect to the projector to my Surface Pro 3 and I was off and running. Since the initial process the DELL Mobile Projector M900HD has connected flawlessly to my devices making it a great companion for workshops and presentations. Like other technologies there was a firmware update that I was made aware of on the projector which may have made the initial hand off procedure flawless. It is important to note that the Miracast standard not only allows for screensharing but will also playing audio over the WiDi connection.

So what is the take away? It is really exciting to see the Miracast technology built-into the DELL Projector M900HD that will enable teachers in the classroom to more easily set up learning centers where students can easily share their ideas effortlessly using this wireless standard. Miracast does allow students to connect and disconnect their devices making it ideal for students to be able to share their work. With schools always up against bandwidth issues, Miracast technology circumvents this problem and enables teachers to utilize this zero configuration solution without the need to IT. So if you are looking to redesign your classroom's learning space and want an area for sharing, think about the DELL Projector M900HD and how the built-in WiDI can turn your classroom into a collaborative and sharing environment. The DELL Projector M900HD may be diminutive but packs a lot of power in a small package that is ideal for setting up new collaborative learning spaces in the classroom.

Read More