ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY BLOG | INVENTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Mimio Interactive is truly a revolutionary piece of hardware that can really transform the the way teachers instruct in the classroom. The mimio Xi, is a small bar that is affixed to a standard whiteboard. In conjunction with a computer, projector and the mimioStudio software that comes with the mimio Interactive you can turn any standard whiteboard into an interactive whiteboard with all of the functionality that one would expect from a dedicated interactive whiteboard. Using state of the art technology you are able to bring in digital pictures, control your PowerPoint presentation, and design activites in front of the class using the very intuitive mimioStudio software. Using the stylus as a mouse teachers can digitally write their notes within the mimio Studio notebook and save them for future use. At the end of the class period it is easy to print out the notes and distribute them to the students that need them. Better yet you can bring in picture backgrounds and clip art from the gallery's within mimioStudio to build exciting and rich lessons. Imagine being able to project on the screen the Periodic Table and then have students come up and highlight all of the noble gases with the mimio Mouse stylus. With mimioStudio, teachers can annotate the web site by highlighting and using the digital pens which are automatically saved to the Markup file within mimioStudio. It is a great way to save the information and review it for another time. All of the individual pages within mimioStudio are saved and teachers can quickly jump around the pages by going into the Thumbnail view. Simply double clicking on the thumbnail will bring you to the page. mimio Mimio Interactive allows teacher to create highly interactive lessons to engage students in the learning process. Teachers can also link websites from within the Mimio Studio notebook and be out on the web in seconds. mimio Interactive is available for Windows and Mac OS X. If you are looking for a way to transform your teaching in the classroom then you owe it to yourself to take a look at mimio Interactive-you will be amazed by its features, price and functionality.

Skype has become an indispensable tool for me in the work that I do. Skype is available for just about every platform and allows members to speak to one another using voice over internet protocol from your computer with a standard microphone. Membership is free and between now and the end of the year you can call landlines and cell phones in the US for free from Skype. Setting things up is fast just download the software from Skype. Once downloaded register your name and you should be off and running. This past summer Skype added the ability to make video phone calls from your computer using inexpensive webcams and this week they released a new beta for the Macintosh that allows Mac users to use their iSight cameras for video calls. Skype users can now video conference with anyone who has an account and it no longer matters if you are running Mac OSX or Windows. Try it out and let me know what your think? Think about the professional development opportunities and reaching out outside your school district for expertise.

I just recently did a quick video call with a friend of mine from Crick Software while she was doing a training in Florida. It was great being able to share with the group how I am using Clicker 5 in the work that I am doing. Thanks Deb!

If you are looking for a creative way to write using the Internet take a look at Writely.com. Within your browser you will have access to a word processor and a collaborative tool that will allow you to share your documents with others that you designate. Take a look at Writely and let me know what you think.

Some educators are rather surprised when viewing my video: Assistive Technology: A Way to Differentiate Instruction for Students with Disabilities that assistive technology needs to be considered for students with high incidence disabilities. In the video I had the opportunity to capture teachers, administrators and students as they are using assistive technology and its importance in their school day. You will find the testimonials to be very moving and learn why these technologies are so important.

Take a look at a new and very interesting application called InspireData from the Inpsiration Company that was released this summer. For the full review go to LD Resources

Enjoy

Brian