When Amazon announced the Kindle Fire in September, I quickly pre-ordered the device knowing that it would be a big seller. If all goes well I should have the Kindle Fire in had some time tomorrow so that I can share that experience with you. I have been using a Kindle for some time now and really enjoy reading on the device and look forward to experiencing reading on the Kindle Fire. Amazon relying on their Cloud Services has made it really easy to access my ebooks from the many devices that I use. As a company Amazon gets high grades from me for customer support and when my Kindle Reader arrives it will be registered and ready to use with my account. Amazon has done a marvelous job with the integration of their Whispernet network and I cam looking forward to a seamless experience with my Kindle Fire out of the box. More details in the coming days!

I have been using eReaders for some time now and really enjoy the convenience and ease of use of these dedicated devices. In my travels to schools, I am beginning to see more and more schools pilot eReaders in the classroom, especially for students who struggle or who are unmotivated to read. Teachers see the value of students being able to change the size of the font and easy access to the dictionary feature. For many students who struggle in reading many are now more motivated to read on an eReader device as compared to a traditional book. Students can also peruse the Electronic Bookstore and of course with teacher permission download sample chapters from books to see if it will pique their curiosity to engage them in the reading process. But before you go out and purchase an eReader here are some questions you should think about: 1) Do I have access to WiFi in my school or building? Many of the eReader's support WiFi as well as 3G which will enable you to download books directly to the device without the need to use a computer. If your school has a good WiFi infrastructure then you can save a considerable amount of money by buying the WiFi model of the eReader. For example the  Amazon Kindle Touch with WiFi is $99 dollars compared to the Amazon Touch WiFi/3G model which is $149  dollars. If your schools doesn't support WiFi then you should consider the Kindle Touch WiFi/3G model which would allow you to download books over the air using the 3G network. There is no extra data costs associated with using the Kindle Touch WiFi/3G model for downloading books to the devices. 2) How long can  I expect my dedicated eReader to stay charged? Many of the dedicated eReaders that utilize E Ink technology can stay charged for long periods of time under normal use. The E Ink technology mirrors that of a traditional page and uses minimal battery life to render the black text on a white background. eReaders like the Kindle Touch and Nook that utilize E Ink technology can stay charged for up to 2 months- which is really incredible if you will be using in a school setting. eReaders that utilize E Ink technology assume that you will be reading the book with a lot of ambient light available. 3) Where can I purchase my books? All of the major re-sellers of eReaders like Amazon, Bares & Noble, & Kobo provide the user with one stop shopping in their online book store. The online bookstore can be accessed from the devices and books can be quickly downloaded to the devices over WiFi or the 3G network. If you are purchasing books for a school you should investigate getting a corporate or school account with the companies so that you can purchase books with a school Purchase Order 4) Can I read other materials beside books on the dedicated eReader? In addition to books many of the eReaders also support reading magazines, newspapers, blogs as well as your own personal documents in various formats ie. PDF & Word. When you purchase an Amazon Kindle you are provided with unique email address that you can send Word or PDF documents to, which can be delivered to your Kindle over the WiFi network. This feature is handy for students who want to read their documents on their eReaders 5) How important is having audio and Text to Speech capabilities on my eReader? While eReaders are great for reading books some eReaders like the Kindle Keyboard and Kindle Touch also support playing audio books from Audible.com as well as reading text on the screen if the Text to Speech capabilities have been enabled by the book publisher. For students with reading disabilities or for those who struggle to read having the text to speech capabilities is a great feature.Likewise, being able to listen to a professionally narrated book from Audible can be very motivating for students who need to reengage with text. I hope these questions and answers have provided you with some food for thought when you are planning to purchase eReaders. If you have any questions about eReaders, please feel free to email me. If you are interested I am available to run workshops on using eReaders in the classroom.

Now that the holidays are behind me it is time to share some new ideas and tips and tricks. I have been doing a lot more reading on my Kindle's then ever before and when I came across the Send to Kindle Chrome Extension that would enable me to send web pages to my Kindle I was really excited to test it out. So for those of you who prefer to read web content on your Kindle this could be the perfect solution. I installed the Send to Kindle Extension to my Chrome browser which was very quick. Once installed, I set the Options in the Send to Kindle Extension to send the web page to my Kindle Keyboard. Each Kindle that you own has a unique Kindle email address that you can manage from the Amazon Kindle Web page. For example a typical Kindle email address for a device might look like johnsmith@kindle.com or johnsmith@free.kindle.com. It is important to direct the web pages correctly to Send to Kindle so that you don't get charged for electronic delivery- this is more so for those of you that have a 3G Kindle. It is important to remember that there are no associated fees for delivery of electronic documents over WiFi, however there are charges over 3G. So for those of you who have a Kindle with 3G make sure you send it to a Kindle email address with a free.kindle.com account. The last step in the process is to go to your Manage your  Kindle page on the Web and enter kindle@klip.me to give  the service permission to originate electronic documents from the web to your Kindle. Now when you are browsing the web and want to collect a number of article to read on your Kindle you simply click on the Send to Kindle Extension button in the Toolbar and the next time you are reading your Kindle and are in a WiFi area all of the articles you clipped will show up ready to read. So if you are like me and like to collect some reading material for the evening to read on your Kindle then this is the extension for you. Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

The Amazon Kindle Fire was released on Nov. 15, and shocked consumers with its $199 price tag. It seems like most of the rhetoric around the device has been its price, and while that certainly is a huge part of its success, it also has some pretty spiffy features. I have a Fire and I've compared it to a friend's Barnes and Noble Nook and in just about every unscientific test, the Fire came out ahead. First of all, it feels great in the hand. It's a solid device that doesn't feel like you will break it in half if it gets roughed up a bit. The sleek edges feel like they could be an Apple product but they won't cost you an arm and a leg like some of that company's products. The Fire also has a great app store. The Amazon App Store has thousands of apps with tons being added daily. The Free App of the Day feature is a really great benefit as well. I recently downloaded the My First Puzzles app after it came on the App of the Day and my little nephew has probably been using the device as much as I have lately. The free app offerings are a great touch. In addition to apps, Amazon's Prime service is great for streaming movies, TV shows and borrowing books for free. The $79 subscription fee is a little steep but when you consider that there are more than 10,000 movie and television titles to be screened, the price seems almost insignificant. The device is not without its drawbacks. There are the obvious points where it doesn't stack up to the iPad, like the lack of a camera or microphone but the Nook also bests the Fire in a few places. In a recent study by DisplayMate, the Fire was found to be twice as reflective as the Nook. The white balance also leaned a little to the yellow side. I have noticed that the Fire's display doesn't seem quite as crisp as my friend's Nook, but as long as I am able to see the screen clearly, which I certainly can — probably better than on my laptop — I'm a happy camper. The Fire is a great device if you can get over the relatively poor display and at $199, it won't burn up your savings. Margot is a technology writer and self-professed expert on how to get a deal using a Dell coupon. 

With information coming at us at a frantic pace it is no wonder that we can quickly become overwhelmed. This is especially true for students who have a need to curate their notes and sources when writing research articles. Life was a lot easier for me when I was in school, there were simply books and journals, that I used to cite my works. Today students are faced with the myriad of Internet sources, books, journals, podcasts, and multimedia to keep account of when doing research. In this light, Matchware, recently released a new product NoteControl aimed at students to help them collect, collate, and sort notes when doing a written research paper. The coup de grace is the ability of NoteControl to output a perfectly formatted bibliography in many accepted and recognized formats (ie APA, MLA, Harvard to name a few.). The premise of the program is quite simple-you create a notebook and then use the space to capture all of your notes which can include: Text, Picture, Sound, and Web notes. NoteControl allows the user to create a Folder structure to organize your notes and it is easy to move Notes that you capture from one folder to the next. For example, if you want to create a citation for text from a web site, you can simply go to the web site and highlight the text you want to use and then Click on the Text Note icon. This will bring up a note card with the text automatically included- you can change the name of the note card and once you click the Accept button your noted will be stored along with the source.You can use the same technique to capture graphics from websites or store needed  files (Word, PDF's) for your research project. If your computer has a microphone it is easy to store audio notes in your notebooks from within NoteControl. Matchware has teamed up with WorldCat to enable users of NoteControl to access their large database of resources and collections from libraries around the world. Students are able within NoteControl to search the WorldCat database and have the citation automatically filled out with all of the necessary information for a properly formatted entry. If you have all of the information for a citation you can also manually add a citation to your research Notebook. Students will find the WorldCat tool a very handy tool to use for doing research and will find it even easier when it is time to generate the bibliography. After you have collected your notes and resources NoteControl really shines when it is time to export all of your notes and create your bibliography. With one click of the mouse NoteControl lets you export your source listing, notes and bibliography directly to Word. NoteControl will export your notes and bibliography to any one of several formats including APA, Chicago, and MLA styles. The bibliography is perfectly formatted saving you the time an effort to manually recreate it once your paper is completed. You will find NoteControl an easy to use tool that is ideal for high school and college students who are writing research papers. As students begin to utilize more and more Internet resources they will find NoteControl and ideal tool to take charge and organize their resources for use in their papers. For those students who have access to MindView 4 and want to see their notes and resources in a mind map you can export them directly from NoteControl. Overall, NoteControl is an easy to use program that delivers on its promise to provide students a way to organize, sort and curate notes for research papers and projects. A one year subscription to NoteControl is prices at $49 dollars and at this time is only available for computers running Windows OS. There is a trial version of NoteControl available for student to try out which I would highly suggest. At $49 dollars for a year, NoteControl is good value and another tool that you should have your students take a look at to help tame the paper tiger when it comes time to write that research paper. It would be great if Matchware could add Text to Speech (TTS) supports within NoteControl for students that benefit from this type of support. NoteControl also allows students to work on collaborative projects across the web which adds value to this fine product. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

If you have ever played around with Wordle then you know just how much fun it is to see the keywords from a website jump out at you- visually showing you the topics that have been covered. I was very glad to receive an email from Henry Lewkowicz from Context Discovery that a Keyword Cloud feature has been added to Wikisummarizer. I gave it a try and searched on the term "Assistive Technology" to see how the Keyword Cloud feature would work. Wikisummarizer generated the Keyword Cloud very quickly and when I was done I copied the embed code that was supplied and pasted it into my blog for all of you to see. Works like a charm as you can see- so go give it a try and let me know what you think! braille Assistive technology disabilities speech design rehabilitation umbrella term keyboard universal design alternative communication

Just got back from attending and working with Ginger Software on the Exhibitor floor of the ATIA 2012 Conference in Orlando, Florida. It is always so exciting to be able to attend this conference which is packed with passionate educators who are looking for the newest tools and strategies to assist their students. As much as I love walking the Exhibit floor looking for new products it is reconnecting with my fellow assistive technology colleagues that makes this conference very special. Having the time after hours to share ideas, resources and experiences is a great way to learn and expand on your skills. While I was at the ATIA 2012 Conference I had was in the Ginger Software Booth demoing the latest version of Ginger which is the leading spelling and grammar correction tool for students. When Ginger is analyzing the errors it is taking into account the context of the words in the sentence so that when it makes it suggestions it is right on target. Ginger is a great tool for both students with writing disabilities as well as for student where English may not be their native spoken language. Ginger software can provide students with high quality text to speech support so that students can hear the suggestions that are being recommended. Students will love the fact that Ginger is able to make all of the changes to the sentence with a click on the Approve button. Ginger is available to schools for a starting price of $190 dollars which includes 10 licenses which also extend to home use. Ginger can track student errors and provide teachers with prescriptive grammar and spelling lessons based on the student's error patterns. Now students can also continue to use Ginger at home when they are doing their written work.Consumers can download a free version of Ginger which can provide spelling and grammar checking but lacks the text to speech component. Ginger is available for the Windows platform. If you would like a web based demo please contact me.

While having a 16 GB iPhone or iPad sounded like you would have lots of storage capacity when you first bought it-before you know it the apps, movies, music and documents begin to take up lots of space and soon you are running on empty. Now what are you going to do? Well with the advent of the Kingston Wi-Drive there is a solution and a good one at that. The Kingston Wi-Drive is available in a 16GB or 32GB configuration and is about the size of the iPhone but slightly slimmer. Once you charge the Kingston Wi-Drive via the USB charger that is supplied and installed the Kingston Wi-Drive app you are ready to test it out. Simply plug the Kingston Wi-Drive into the USB port on your Mac or PC and drag documents, movies, music, and videos onto the drive to copy them over. Once the files are copied dismount the drive and go to your  Settings on your iPad, or iPhone and  to connect to the Wi-Drive Network. Now launch the Wi-Drive app on your iPhone or iPad and lo and behold all of your files, music and videos can be accessed. With the Kingston Wi-Drive it is possible to store your files on an external drive and access them whenever you need to. It is a handy device that can expand the storage capacity of your device and it is easy to transport. At this time you do need to disconnect from your other Wifi networks when connecting to the Kingston Wi-Drive-but lets hope they will figure out a way around this issue. All told, I am very happy with my purchase of the Kingston Wi-Drive and the ease of setup and its functionality.

I have always been impressed with the iPevo Company and the innovative products that they develop for computers and iPad. I had a chance this past week to review the  IPEVO Typi Folio Case which is a well constructed portfolio type of case for the iPad 2 with a Bluetooth Wireless keyboard. The case is made of soft leather and felt which is light weight, slim and attractive. To get started using the IPEVO Typi Folio Case just slide your iPad 2 into the case and press the Bluetooth connection button to pair  the keyboard. Pairing the Bluetooth keyboard was a breeze and within seconds I was using the keyboard to type a memo. The top row of the keyboard has dedicated keys to make it easy to navigate, adjust the volume, and play videos. The IPEVO Typi Folio Case, Bluetooth keyboard is comfortable to use and has a region below the keyboard which acts as a a palm rest. The Bluetooth keyboard has a magnet base which keeps the keyboard in position but if you like you can easily detach it and use it away from the base. The IPEVO Typi Folio Case comes with a mini USB cord to charge the internal Li-ion Battery that fully charges with Bluetooth keyboard within 3 hours. The keyboard has a good feel to it and like most of the portfolio cases on the market for the iPad the keys are slightly smaller than you would find on a laptop computer which may make it difficult for some individuals to use. The IPEVO Typi Folio Case allows the user to change the viewing angle to any of the three positions available. Overall, this is a high quality product and one that bears looking at in that it is priced very competitively at $79 dollars. The IPEVO Typi Folio Case comes in both tan and black.

I'm sure if you are in a school or running a small business you are constantly being asked to sign papers and fill out forms. So in the process, you generally print the forms sign them and then if you are like me and have moved away from using a fax or snail mail, you have to scan the document and save it as a PDF, which always takes extra time. According to Infotrends the cost of handling paper which would include filling it out, copying, faxing, scanning can cost between  $.65 to $1.89 per page.  Likewise, PriceWaterhouseCoopers has estimated that the costs associated with handling paper forms can cost companies up to $20 dollars per form and this doesn't include the costs associated with finding a misfiled form. So what would happen if your changed your workflow and used a solution like Xpaper? Xpaper utilizes a digital pen and paper solution for handling the filling in of forms and automatically creates a crystal clear PDF which you can file and archive. Lets find out how it works! So yesterday, I received a contract in via email that I had to sign and return to the originator. Prior to me using Xpaper, I would have had to print the document sign it and then either decide to fax or put it through the mail. All these options would require extra expense and time but with Xpaper all I had to do was print the contract out on my color laser printer as I would normally do and use the Xpaper printer driver. But here is the difference, using Xpaper-my laser printer printed the contract on the paper with a very fine dot pattern watermark on the paper that my digital pen could see. The watermark is very faint and allows the digital pen to know exactly where I am writing on the page. Once I completed writing on the contract I simply docked my digital pen and voila the ink was merged onto the contract and I had a crystal clear PDF file with my signature and information that I could now email or archive. So without changing my workflow, I immediately benefited from the time savings of using Xpaper to create a PDF which I can now store. Using Xpaper I could also use specialized connectors to automatically create customized workflows to send document to a ftp site or email. If you are interested in learning more about Xpaper and how you can use it in your school or business to improve how you handle paper forms, please feel free to contact me. Feel free to email your form so that I can show you how Xpaper works.

                    Location: Warren Middle School Two (1 Day) Sessions of the Summer Institute will be offered on                    Dates: July 10 or July 11th   Presenters Brian S. Friedlander, Ph.D. & Christine Besko-Maughan, M.S., ATP July 10, 2012 Enhancing Academic Performance Using the iPad for Students with Learning Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders The multi-sensory design of the iPad has made a big impact in the field of education because it appeals to all learners. There are thousands of applications (apps) in the area of education, with many designed specifically for students with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This workshop will explore many of the apps especially targeted for these populations and address implementation strategies for integrating the iPad in the curriculum. In addition, some communication apps will be explored, such as Proloquo2Go, My First AAC, and Tap to Talk.  Attendees are encouraged to Bring Your Own iPad (BYOI) for this hands-on experience. July 11, 2012 Using the iPad to Enhance Expressive Communication Skills for Students with Limited Functional Communication The iPad has become a revolutionary tool in the area of augmentative/alternative communication (AAC), due to its flexibility and affordability. There are numerous applications (apps) currently available that are similar to high-end dynamic display units, but at a fraction of the cost. Many students with autism struggle with expressive communication and the iPad may be a viable option for improving this area of communication. This workshop will examine popular apps, such as My First AAC, Tap to Talk, Alexicom AAC, AssistiveChat, to name a few. In addition, a detailed training will be provided on how to program and customize Proloquo2Go.  The workshop will include a hands-on lab to allow attendees the opportunity to explore various communication and language building apps. Attendees are also encouraged to Bring Your Own iPad (BYOI). Seating is limited so register early! Registration Fee: $129 & Includes iPad Laminated Reference Guide For more information email: brian  (@) assistivetek.com or call 908-852-3460 School Purchase Orders are Accepted made payable to AssistiveTek, LLC, 174 Stephensburg Road, Port Murray, NJ 07865 To Register click on this link: http://adobe.ly/yjzdDx  Conference Location: Warren Middle School, 100 Old Stirling Road, Warren, NJ 07059

As a child, one of my favorite toys was an Etch a Sketch. I could spend endless hours creating wonderful masterpieces on it by turning the two white dials. In some ways the Boogie Board Rip LCD Writing Tablet reminds me of the Etch a Sketch. The Boogie Board Rip is similar in many respects to the original Boogie Board that I reviewed last year, but adds the one important feature of being able to save your drawings and transfer them to your computer. You will notice when you unbox your Boogie Board Rip that in addition to the Erase button you will find a Status and a Save/Wake button. You will also notice that the Boogie Board Rip now includes a stylus that you will need to use in order to save your rendered drawings. There is also a Lock and Unlock switch on the top left side to help you from accidentally erasing your drawings when you store the Boogie Board Rip. To get started with the Boogie Board Rip, I pulled out the stylus and unlocked the device and started doodling.  I have always enjoyed the feel of writing and drawing on the Boogie Board Rip- it has a really smooth and luxurious feel to it as the stylus glides on the surface to unveil a light hued green ink. Using the stylus it is now possible to make finer lines and accent your drawings. I have to say there is something addictive about using the Boogie Board Rip for drawing and doodling and I know others will feel the same. The Boogie Board Rip can stay charged for up to 60 days and comes with a rechargeable Lithium battery that is charged via the USB cable connected to a computer or a power source. A lot of the original Boogie Board users had asked for the capability of being able to save heir drawings and with the Boogie Board Rip it is now possible. After you have completed the drawing using the stylus you simply press the Save button and you will notice that it will quickly flash-letting you know that the file has been saved. Now all you need to do is plug in the micro USB cable to your computer and the Boogie Board Rip  will mount as a drive and you will see all of your pictures saved as a PDF file which you can drag over to your computer to open. The Boogie Board Rip saves the file as a vectorized PDF file which can be opened by Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Illustrator. The Boogie Board Rip can store up to 200 drawings and is a great way to archive your work. The Boogie Board Rip is a fun device to use and I'm sure you will find lots of ways to use it in the office or classroom. If you have some ideas on how you would use the Boogie Board Rip please leave me a comment. The Boogie Board Rip sell for $129 dollars and for more information you can click here. The Boogie Board Rip is a fun and engaging tool and one I know I will use over and over. Just think how much paper I will save doodling- happy doodling!

Over the years I have written countless articles about how I use mind mapping in the work that I do, but one of the areas which may be overlooked is in the writing process. As part of my consulting business I am often asked to write project proposals for new work as well as status updates on projects that I may be working on. While man of us may be inclined to open up Microsoft Word and start writing, I have always found it easier to structure my thoughts using mind mapping software. As part of the process, having the ability to brainstorm what I am going to include is a natural using mind mapping software. Having the ability to move my ideas around the mind map helps me to organize my ideas and structure the content that I will include in my final report. Once I have completed the brainstorming phase, I move the ideas around the map until I am satisfied with the content. Next, I begin to attach notes to my topics to flesh out my ideas. The notes will serve as the content for my report once I have exported the mind map into a Word document. After adding notes to each of the ideas in my mind map, I am now ready to utilize the export feature to Microsoft Word- which quickly generates a structured proposal or status report. Many of the leading mind mapping applications allow you to export directly to a PDF file format. I prefer to first export the report to a Microsoft Word document first so that I can make any final edits and changes before converting it to a PDF file. Utilizing mind mapping tools to help generate and structure the report gives my proposals and project updates a unique look and feel that sets me apart from other consultants. The cover sheet of my report includes the mind map along with a table of contents which allows the reader to easily navigate to a specific page in the proposal. Once my report is in Microsoft Word, I generally convert it to a PDF file for my client which ends the process. I might add, that for my final touch, I have been using Adobe Acrobat SendNow service to send my finished proposals which gives me the added feature of being able to track that it was received. So if you are looking for a way to help structure your writing then reexamine how you can use mind mapping software for this purpose- you will be glad you did.

I have been a big fan of Wikisummarizer and have watched the evolution of this service from Context Discovery. Just this past week Context Discovery released their new service Websummarizer which lets anyone summarize the content of a web page. I took the liberty of using Websummarizer to summarize my last post so that you can see how powerful this tool is. Because of some of the constraints of Blogger it is hard to view the contents of the nodes-but to see for yourself and try out Websummarizer click here. I am very interested in learning how you might use Websummarizer in the work that you do?

It was a great day exhibiting at the New Jersey Teachers Council of of English Teachers Conference which was held on the campus of Montclair State University. The conference was well attended and there was a lot of energy in the room as I was demonstrating various solutions for the classroom. The teachers were very excited as I walked around the exhibit hall and used PaperShow for Teachers to send my notes to the computer. There is something magical about demoing PaperShow for Teachers and watching the ink being sent in real time to the computer screen. The teachers were really intrigued with the solution and were already pondering ways to use it in the classroom. For those teachers who do not have access to a data projector in the classroom- the teachers were able to try out Quartet Kapture- which is an easy way to save all of their notes from the flipchart. Using Quartet Kapture, teachers could have students work in groups and record all of their ideas which are then stored on the computer. All of the notes from the session can be saved as a PDF file which can then be easily shared via email or posted on the teacher's website. Many of the English teachers who stopped by commented just how clear images looked using the Hovercam T3  document camera. When teachers asked about the pricing they were excited to learn that the Hovercam T3 is really an affordable solution for the classroom.The Hovercam T3 is great tool for the English teachers and is ideal for sharing text from books. All in all it was a great day!

Using screen sharing software for a webinar is always a leap of faith. What do I mean by that? If you have ever attempted to host a webinar with one tool or another then you probably have experienced just how frustrating it can be to connect. Many of the screen sharing applications ask you to download plug-ins which can make the experience even more frustrating for those users who may be less technically inclined. That is why I was so glad to learn about a new screen sharing tool called Screenleap which I started to use last week. First off, the screen sharing service is free, and if you are joining a session there is no software to install. It doesn't get any easier that this. I demonstrated Screenleap this week in my graduate class and within a minute all 20 of my students were viewing my screen. Great way to publish the teachers screen to your students in a classroom. All my students had to do was go to Screenleap and enter a 9 digit number that I posted- to begin the session and within seconds they were able to view my screen. This worked without a hitch and the ease of use was fantastic!   During the class one of my students wanted to share her screen so that she could demonstrate a math web site- so she initiated the screen sharing session and at the instructors station I entered the 9 digit code and then I was able to see her screen which was projected in the classroom for all the other students to see. Screenleap works as stated and probably is one of the easiest screen sharing applications I have ever used. So if you get the chance check out Screenleap you will be glad you did.

One of the frustrating tasks for many iPad users is figuring out how to print directly from your iPad. Some schools have resorted to purchasing Hp Printers with ePrint technology that lets iPad users print directly to these printers over the Wifi network. Once these Hp printers are put on the Wifi network all  you need to do is go to the app, and if printing is supported, it will find the printer and print your document. Other schools have looked for software solutions which usually means that you have to install a printing app on the iPad and then use your Macintosh or Windows computer as a vehicle to route your docuuments before they hit the printer. Realizing the need for schools to have access to their network printers, Lantronix has recently released the Lantronix xPrint Server which when plugged into the network will automatically recognize and detect all of the printers on your network. With the Lantronix xPrint Server you are now ready to print from your iPad to any of your network printers- there are no apps to install or configure. The Lantronix xPrint Server saves you time and money. AssistiveTek LLC is proud to be a distributor of the Lantronix xPrint Server and is available for $149.95 plus S/H. Purchase Orders are accepted. Contact me if you need more information- this has got to be one of the best purchases your school can make if you are looking for an easy and inexpensive way to print from your iPad.

Tonight, I was teaching my graduate course and we covered different strategies that can be employed for students note taking. We spoke about outlining, mind mapping, and giving students partially filled in materials to help them with note taking skills. This lead me into a demonstration of marrying the Cornell Note Taking Method with the Livescribe Smartpen. I divided the page in my Livescribe notebook into the necessary columns and explained to my students how this could be used in the classroom to help students record the main ideas of the lecture. With the Livescribe Pulse pen I was able to demonstrate how a student could easily review the material that was recorded and how teachers could use the pen to embed the notes in a Learning Management System. At the college we are presently using Moodle as our Learning Management System and wanted to show my students how we could deliver the notes on the web using the Livescribe technology. To get started I had my student take some short notes on the page and I sent the page to My Livescribe account. Once the page was successfully uploaded to my Livescribe account I made it public and clicked on the option to copy the Embed Code. Once I copied the Embed Code I went back to Moodle and using the Create A Web Page option - pasted the embed code and voila the page could now be played within my Moodle course for all of my students to see and listen to. Using this technique it is possible to embed Livescribe notes to wiki's as well as blogs. Livescribe makes sharing your notes a cinch and if you choose to you can view your notes on an iPhone or iPad using the Pencast app. So give these techniques a try and let me know how they work for you. Your students will be glad you did. AT Class p. 1brought to you by Livescribe

I have been having a lot of fun using my Boogie Board RIP over the last couple of weeks just doodling and drawing. However, I wanted to see if I could integrate it into my teaching and blogging and came up with a way to do both. Using the Virtual Desktop Companion software which is now available for Windows on the website, I was able to connect my Boogie Board RIP and everything that I write could be seen on my computer in real time with the software installed. Pairing up the Boogie Board RIP and ScreenR, I was able to create a short video with audio to show you what is possible. Using both tools together I was able to quickly create a video and place it on my blog. Using the Boogie Board RIP Virtual Desktop Companion software application extends the usefulness of this product and opens up doors for creating more interactive and engaging content. I would be interested in your thoughts.

Snap&Read Reading Interface I have had a chance this week to test out Snap&Read from Don Johnston, Inc which is a clever reading utility for Windows and Mac users. Snap&Read floats on top of your existing applications and when you need it to read some text you simply click on and drag a rectangular region around the text that you want to read and voila the text is instantly read, complete with highlighting. Snap&Read uses the high quality Acapela speech engine and by going into the Settings you can easily slow down or increase the reading speed. Users can select from Ryan or Heather to read the text. The beauty of Snap&Read is that it can read text in Microsoft Word, PDF's, as well as Flash based websites which gives the user a simple and elegant way to read text. Snap&Read is available for $79 dollars and is available for Windows and Macintosh. Snap&Read can also be run directly from a USB drive giving students access to accessible text wherever they are. Take a look at Snap&Read today for an easy and effective tool for reading text in documents and the web.

TheBrain 7 Augments Dynamic Knowledge Connections to Increase Focus and Data Accessibility on Users’ Desktops and in the Cloud. Marina del Rey, CA - April 23, 2012 - TheBrain Technologies, the leading provider of dynamic visualization and knowledge management software, announced its newest release, TheBrain 7. The software enables people to connect information into infinite mind maps, modeling thinking and relationships in the real world. TheBrain software, formerly known as PersonalBrain, has been downloaded by over a million users who seek to organize, visualize and share information more intelligently. Over half of the Fortune 100 organizations use TheBrain for digital brainstorming, research, project management, and as a complete knowledgebase to find and connect all their stuff. "TheBrain 7 builds on our company’s guiding principle of flexible and fluid information access by offering even more ways to connect and link information," said Harlan Hugh, TheBrain’s CEO and Chief Technology Officer. "The ability to prioritize and focus on the right information in context is critical. Your digital Brain ensures that your best ideas are at hand when you need them.’’   TheBrain 7 eliminates information overload and searching for files by giving users a clear view of their ideas and information. Unlike standard folder directories and search lists a "Thought" in your Brain can have many connections and contexts. TheBrain displays your Thoughts by concept or project, linked according to how you think. Thoughts contain relevant notes, web pages, and files and can be synced for easy access from the desktop and the cloud. TheBrain 7 has over 50 new features and enhancements including: ·         Next Generation Data Visualization and Mind Mapping - TheBrain 7’s updated user interface gives you the big picture on your information. New animated curved links make it easier than ever to connect and understand key relationships. Expanded preferences let you fine-tune your display, including the ability to customize links with more than 30 possible combinations. ·         Enhanced Linking and Relationship Mapping -; TheBrain 7 lets you add more meaning to your connections. Links are now first class objects and can have arrows showing directionality, notes and attachments in addition to labels, colors and thickness. These powerful attributes allow precise concept modeling and give everyone the ability to capture and instantly recall how and why things are connected.  Seamless Integration between Cloud and Client - TheBrain 7 features tighter cloud/desktop integration which includes complete access to all your online Brains from your desktop and secure synchronization of data with TheBrain Cloud. Increased Performance and Improved Database Backend - Unlike conventional mind maps, each Brain can expand to become a powerful database with thousands of topics. There is no limit to the number of Thoughts or links you can make. TheBrain 7’s increased speed lets users visually navigate and retrieve information even faster. ·         More Tools for Getting Things Done - TheBrain 7’s user interface has been optimized throughout for increased productivity. Highlights include an optimized instant activate that prioritizes tags and types, a new calendar display engine, faster and easier color selection, reorganized preferences and controls, and smoother, faster syncing. TheBrain 7 Pricing and Availability TheBrain 7 is available for immediate download at http://www.thebrain.com and is offered in two editions: Free and Pro. TheBrain Free is offered at no charge. The Free edition does not expire and lets anyone link ideas and Web pages on their desktops and in the cloud. TheBrain Pro offers unlimited file management, advanced search, secure cloud backup, and much more. You can purchase TheBrain Pro as a desktop license only for $219 or with both the license and one year of services for $299, which includes future upgrades and the full suite of online sync and other cloud services. TheBrain 7 Upgrades TheBrain 7 is a complimentary upgrade to registered PersonalBrain 6.0 Pro users who purchased after April 30, 2011 or $100 if originally purchased before April 30, 2011. Existing users can check for upgrade discounts athttp://www.thebrain.com/store/upgrade/ The company is also offering an all-inclusive software upgrade and cloud services plan for $159 per year. TheBrain Service Plan includes ·         All upgrades as long as your subscription is valid ·         Online access of your Brain from a web browser ·         Backup of your Brain online automatically ·         Synchronization of your Brain across multiple machines For more information on TheBrain Service Plan, please visit thebrain.com store, call 310-751-5000 or email sales@thebrain.com. About TheBrain Technologies TheBrain Technologies helps people make sense of the wide range of information they need to organize and assimilate on a daily basis. We believe that two Brains are better than one. And if you extend and capture your thinking about your projects and life you can get some amazing stuff done. TheBrain's patented user interface is so flexible and fluid that you can link any file or concept to anything else. Everyone is encouraged to download TheBrain 7 at http://www.thebrain.com to visualize their thinking or e-mail info@thebrain.com for more information. Media Contacts            Shelley Hayduk TheBrain Technologies 310-751-5000 shelley@thebrain.com Brigitte Senn TheBrain Technologies 310-751-5000 bsenn@thebrain.com

Always on the look out for new tools for the classroom, I came across a new interactive tool called Now!Board, from Learning Resources. For years Learning Resources has been developing innovative and interactive tools for the classroom but this is their first foray into the interactive whiteboard space which has been defined by companies like Smarttech, Promethean, and Mimio. Each of the aforementioned companies, has garnered a fair share of the interactive whiteboard space by providing both high quality products and content that teachers could use right out of the box. Learning Resources appears to be going after the budget conscious school district that is looking to increase and jazz up classroom lessons without making a large capital investment. Now!Board is priced at $499 dollars and will work with both Windows and Mac's making it a great solution for school districts that are running both operating systems. Now!Board will work on any flat surface and is ideal for use with a traditional whiteboard or even on a screen.It is hard to believe when you open the Now!Board box just how small the Now!Board device is, making it a truly portable solution that can be easily shared among classrooms. In the box, you receive the Now!Board software, the Now!Board camera, a USB cable, a Now!Board! Stylus and Wand, and a Quick Start User Guide. To get started I simply installed the software off of the CD and ran the Now!Board software and plugged in the Now!Board Camera. With my laptop connected to a data projector I was ready to experience using the Now!Board. In order to use the Now!Board it is recommended that it be placed about 12 inches behind the data projector. The next step required that I calibrate the Now!Board with the computer which was accomplished by clicking on 9 points on the wall that I was projecting onto. By following the prompts provided by the software,  I was able to calibrate the Now!Board quickly and I was ready to try it out.  Since I was using Now!Board on a wall, I used the wand that was provided to interact with the Now!Board. Students must hold down the button on the wand to interact with the software which may be a challenge for some young students. For those teachers who are used to using interactive whiteboard software you should feel right at home with the software. It is important when using the Now!Board that the wand has line of sight with the Now!Board camera so that you do not block the signal. Once you get the hang of that you will find the software very responsive. It is easy to toggle between the whiteboard functionality and using the Now!Board to control your computer applications as well as annotating on top of them. It is easy to save what you have written using the Whiteboard tool and reopen it at a later date. Unfortunately you can not insert pictures, graphics or videos into the whiteboard tool which may be perceived as a short coming of the Now!Board software. I decided to try the Now!Board while using the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives to see how well it would work on an interactive web site. I choose to use one of the base ten activities and found it rather easy to move the base ten blocks around the screen with the wand. I was also able to annotate the screen with the pen tool and change the color and width rather easily. I next tried a sequencing activity on the web site which worked rather well. The Now!Board palette which is available contains a number of useful tools when using the product. It has many of the tools we have come to expect when using an interactive whiteboard which can be accessed easily from the palette. Unlike other interactive whiteboards all of the objects are drawn with the pen tool and can be moved on the screen with the Scale Object tool. It would be nice if there was a way to draw basic shapes such as squares, circles, and triangles with this system. You will also find a Highlighting tool which can be used with the whiteboard or for annotating text on other applications or on the web. If you need to it is really a snap to take a screen shot of what you are working on which gets stored as a picture file on your computer.If the program requires text input you can bring up the On-screen keyboard from the Now!Board palette and use the stylus or the wand to type.  Using the Whiteboard feature from the tools palette lets you use the stylus as if you were working on a whiteboard. This is where you can write down ideas and draw pictures that you want to use in your lessons. When you have filled up one screen it is easy to click on the plus button to add another blank screen to write upon. Teachers can navigate quickly form screen to screen when using the Whiteboard feature and will be glad to know that it is easy to jump around from screen to screen. It would be nice if there was some way to have a Thumbnail view so that a teacher could jump to a specific screen in the Whiteboard. For teachers who are looking for a cost effective way to add interactivity to their lesson and already have a whiteboard and a projector the Now!Board could be just what you are looking for. There are some factors to consider when purchasing the Now!Board which include that fact that if the Now!Board camera or projector gets bumped you will need to re-calibrate. Likewise, your computer will need to be in close proximity to the Now!board since you will need to connect it via a USB cable. The Now!Board can be used with ceiling mounted projectors which is always a better solution since there is one less piece of equipment that can be accidentally bumped.  Overall I had a good experience using the Now!Board and it worked as advertised. For teachers and schools with a limited budget the Now!Board can bring a new level of interactivity into teacher lessons and make for a great learning center. With a price tag of $499 dollars the Now!Board is in reach of many teachers who may decide to pay out of pocket for it or apply for any number of schools and PTA grants. I for one am looking forward to showing more teachers this tool that they can quickly use in their classrooms' to spice up learning. Learning Resources has a grant opportunity that runs through May 22nd where they are giving away 3 Now!Boards to the top three applicants. Click here to find out more information about the grant and good luck! 

Over the last couple of months I have been pondering and reflecting on the use of my mind mapping tools and how to best integrate them into my mobile lifestyle. More and more, I find that I am accessing my iPhone and iPad and need to have access to my mind maps for projects, to-do lists and brainstorming sessions. While I still rely on my desktop applications for doing the critical creation of my mind maps, I want to be able to access the information on my mobile devices wherever I am. Several years ago, I moved a lot of my mind maps to the web using Comapping, which I have used to teach my graduate courses. Comapping produces great embedding code and works wonderfully within Moodle. My students get the benefits of a prepared visual agenda-complete with links and file attachments which are easy to navigate. The only flaw in using Comapping at this time, is that it is Flash based and can't be accessed using an iOS device. Looking at the options, I now needed to evaluate mind mapping tools that would give me the flexibility of being able to create them on my computer but have the capability to view them on my iPhone and iPad. Being a long time Mindjet MindManger user, I can use the desktop version for the mind mapping creation and upload it to my free Connect account which can be accessed from any iOS device with the Mindjet app. This is a new workflow for me but so far so good. My MindManager maps are stored on line and can be quickly accessed via my iPhone. Likewise, I can also choose to save my mind maps from my computer to my Dropbox account which is tightly integrated with the Mindjet app on my iPhone and iPad. One of the nice advantages of use the Mindjet Connect account with my iOS apps is that the maps are always synchronized and I don't have to be concerned if I am working on the latest version. In a pinch I can also access my Mindjet Connect account from any computer connected to the web and create mind maps which I can than access from my iPad or iPhone-which is really great! I have also revisited MindMeister which I had used for a time several years ago and am very pleased with the features and the fact that it is web based and I can access my maps from my iOS devices. Unlike, MindManager, MindMesiter is all web based which gives me added flexibility of being able to create and access my mind maps with a browser and a connection to the web. With MindMeister, I can attach files and links which makes it a wonderful digital repository for my work. MindMeister creates a graphically rich mind map which can be embellished with icons and images to jazz it up. One of the really nice features of MindMeister is the ability to create embedding code which makes it easy to share out my maps-and works well in Moodle. Using the MindMeister app I can access my maps from any iOS device which has proven to be really helpful on several occasions. Based on my workflow-I still tend to do more creation of my mind maps using a laptop computer which is just fine- but having access to the information and my files on the road from my iPhone or iPad is really indispensable. As developers of mind mapping application begin to think through their strategies for future product development  they need to enter into the formula ways for users to access their information from mobile devices. I trust that some of the leaders in the mind mapping space will announce apps shortly that will give end users more choices so that they don't have to leave their maps trapped on the island of their desktop or laptop.  As always, I'm interested in learning how the mobile platforms have impacted on your mind mapping workflow. PS: I have just begun to utilize MindGenius and the MindGenius app on my iPad and will share my experiences in the next week or so.

Traveling light is always one of my goals when I travel and with the summer months ahead I will be on the go so I decided to take a look at some handy accessories for my iPad. As much as I enjoy using my iPad, I do find typing with the virtual keyboard to be an annoyance when I have to do a lot of typing. I have looked at several of the portfolio solutions but find the small keyboards get in the way of my typing. Having purchased an Apple Wireless Keyboard some time ago, I decided to see what accessories I could find that would make traveling with the keyboard easier. While at the Apple Store in New York, I came across the Incase Origami case which not only provides the keyboard with some protection but with its unique design it serves to prop your iPad at the right angle making it a great solution for on the go. Using the Incase Origami case is a breeze-just snap your Apple Wireless keyboard into the base and fold back the wings which makes for a great stand. The Incase Origami also serves to add a layer of protection to your keyboard when packing it in a bag. The Incase Origami cost me around $29 dollars which I picked up from Amazon. When I go out to the ISTE 2012 Confernce I will be traveling with my iPad and the Incase Origami keyboard case to test it out. In fact, I am using the Incase Origami setup now to write this blog with Blogsy. For those of you that have an Apple Wireless keyboard and an Apple Smart Cover you may also want to take a look at the Waterfield Keyboard Slip. The Waterfield keyboard Slip is a well constructed case that you can slide your Apple Wireless keyboard into to keep protected. It is made of a high quality and durable balistic nylon material that snuggly houses your keyboard. If you want to throw you Apple Wireless keyboard in a bag and feel more secure that it is protected then this is the way to go. Using th Waterfield Keyboard Slip and the Apple Smart Cover is another great way to travel with your iPad. If you are looking for a really easy way to travel with your Apple Wireless Keyboard then you have to take a look at the WINGStand Portable Stand which clevely attaches to your Apple Wireless Keyboard giving you a light weight and portable solution. At $14.95 this is a great solution which you can throw into your bag-to use simply slide the WINGStand Portable Stand to your Apple Wireless Keyboard and place your iPad in the stand. It is that easy and a very elegant solution. By the way you can also use the stand with an iPhone as well - so it is easy for the stand to do double duty. I hope you have a chance to get away this summer and if you are traveling with your iPad and decide to invest in any of these solutions I would be interested in your feedback.