Blog on the topic of assistive technology, eLearning, mind mapping, project management, visual learning, collaborative tools, and educational technology
It has been an exciting spring searching for new and innovative products for the classroom. In this blog post I will highlight the HoverCam T3 Document Camera one of the new products that is now available from AssistiveTek, LLC. Using your unspent ARRA dollars for the HoverCam T3 is a great way to ensure that teachers will have the tools they need to improve their teaching strategies. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me viaemail. The HoverCam T3 is compatible with bothMacs andWindows computers.
The HoverCam T3 is the ideal document camera for classrooms. It has a 3-megapixel camera and displays clear images of papers, worksheets, newspaper clippings and 3-D objects. Connect it to your computer and projector or drag-and-drop onto your interactive white board to enhance your lessons. Record your voice and HD video with one touch.
HoverCam T3 replaces bulky, lower resolution document cameras. It's ultra-portable with a tiny footprint. It is a simple but powerful device which requires only one USB cable. The HoverCam produces smooth, HD video images that are always in focus with onscreen annotation, making your visual presentation a "wow" experience.
In addition to being a presentation camera, use the T3's scanning ability to digitize your filing system, archive and manage classwork, assignments, artwork, exams and even bills and receipts. It even comes with built-in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software which can turn notes on paper into text that can be edited on your computer. The included HoverCam Flex Software makes managing scanned files and full screen presentations easy.
The HoverCam T3 is priced at only $219 dollars which makes it ideal for every classroom. If you look at competitor products you will be paying at least twice the amount for the features that are built into this product. The HoverCam T3 is compatible with both Macs and Windows computers
Highlights
·Real time video projection, perfect for interactive teaching, visual presentations, distance learning and online demonstrations.
·Patent pending LiveZoom™ allows smooth 8X digital zoom.
·3 megapixel, 200 dpi scanner, with large depth of field for documents and 3D objects, ideal for everyday scanning, copying, faxing, emailing/sharing needs.
·Small footprint, with a 4" x 5" oval base, 21" height. Weighs just 1.8 lbs.
·Built-in microphone with one-touch recording, USB-powered, energy efficient.
·Integration with Cloud Services, such as Dropbox, Evernote and Picasa. Record your meetings, presentations and/or lessons to share with colleagues or students later.
Purchasing the HoverCam T3 High Resolution Document Camera is a great way to spend down your ARRA Funds. Imagine what teachers will be able to do having these tools in the classroom! When you purchase the HoverCam T3 from AssistiveTek, LLC know that you have the support of a company dedicated to enhancing education and learning in the classroom. Look for Free webinars on how to get the most out of your investment in the HoverCam T3 in the Summer 2011. To keep up with changes in the field of educational technology please follow my blog
About a month ago I had the chance to speak with Richard Parslow from Goalscape about his unique software application called Goalscape which runs on both Windows and Macintosh computers. Having been in the field of psychology and education most of my career I am very aware of just how important it is for us to set goals. Without goals, I know for myself, I am less focused and don't nearly accomplish as much as I know I can. I was just reflecting on a mind map that I created about a year ago that laid out some of my goals for the year. Having my goals visible and spelled out allowed me to see where I was going and what I needed to do to get to my desired objective. When I first set my eyes on Goalscape I was fascinated with the user interface and just how easy it was to use. Goalscape makes a lot of sense as a tool to chart one's goals and to assess one's progress.
I had a chance to interview Richard so that you can learn more about the company and their fine software product, Goalscape. What follows is Part 1 of my interview with Richard Parslow a principal in Goalscape.
BSF: Tell us a little about the Background of your company
RP: Professional sailor Marcus Baur came up with the idea for Goalscape when he was preparing for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. He needed a way to communicate with his crewmate and coach about everything they needed to do in every area. Crucially, he also wanted to be able to identify priorities for all the work; and record progress. The original implementation was a hand-drawn version of the Goalscape goal map. Marcus always knew though that he wanted to implement the Goalscape format in a software tool to provide a proper rich display and enable dynamic updates.
BSF: How did you get started?
RP: We produced an initial Java prototype and used it to generate interest in some key markets: sports coaching, business consulting, life management. We sold enough copies to pay for the next stage of development (AS2 version) and progressed from there to the current implementation (AS3 on AIR).
BSF: Who are the principals?
RP: Marcus Baur, Richard Parslow, Emmett Lazich and Malav Shroff
BSF: What re their respective backgrounds? RP: Marcus Baur Managing Director, Germany Marcus is an Architecture graduate. He sailed the 49er skiff class professionally for 12 years, representing Germany at two Olympic Games. He also won 3 European Championships and medaled twice at World Championships.
Emmett Lazich Head of Development, Australia Emmett is another ex-professional sailor. He coached the 49er Olympic Gold Medalists at Sydney 2000 and has twice coached World Championship winners. He is also a software expert and built fault-tolerant systems for Hutchison Telecom in Australia.
Richard Parslow Marketing Director, UK Richard has a background in financial markets and corporate software. He is another World Champion sailor and coached the Team GBR 49er squad from 2001 to 2006, during which time two different teams won World and European titles.
Malav Shroff Director, India Malav was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and joined McKinsey as a consultant. He is a past President of the International 49er Class Association and is now a successful entrepreneur with several strings to his bow. He also competed at the Athens Olympics.
BSF: Tell us about your position at Goalscape?
RP: I work closely with Marcus on all aspects of the marketing: messages; customer communications; website and presentation text and images. I also negotiate deals with our major corporate customers, play “user from hell” in product tests and do first-line customer support.
BSF: Tell us about how you got started with Goalscape
RP: Marcus showed me the original Goalscape prototype at a 49er World Championship where he was competing and I was coaching. I had worked on software development and other projects and I immediately recognized the power and simplicity of the Goalscape display. Shortly after that we set up a company to develop the concept and market the software.
BSF: Who are the intended users?
RP: Anyone who has ambitious or complex goals! Individuals, companies, consultants (in any field), sportsmen, coaches, clubs and federations… even politicians (should they dare to be clear and transparent!).
The degree of motivation in any project depends on the quality of the goal. Putting goals at the center of attention and making them available for discussion increases the quality of such goals.
Good goals make you money, great goals make you happy, compassionate goals help others, but the best goals do all of the above.
BSF: What is the market you see for such a product?
RP: Goalscape is ideal for providing a visual breakdown of any information structure or project, so it is inherently a cross-market tool… Since human beings are inherently goal-achieving creatures, the market is everyone! For now though, we are focusing on Consulting and Executive Mentoring; Sports and Life Coaching; and Presentations.
BSF: Please share with us about the latest release of Goalscape
RP: Goalscape Desktop standalone software (on download) is on version 2.2.1582.610; and Goalscape Connect (for online collaboration) is on version 2.2.1596.173.
Features
Features common to both Goalscape Desktop and Goalscape Connect include:
• Visual model of any information hierarchy, with unlimited number of levels and nodes (goals)
• Clear display and easy adjustment of Relative Importance (size of slice) and Progress (shading)
• Project work planning: Responsibilities, Timescales, etc
• Shows the overview in a single, easily understood image
• Captures detail as Notes text or attachments (any file format)
• Simple to understand, easy to use (no training or even manual required)
• Full video tutorials embedded as “infopoints”
• Simple restructuring using drag & drop
• Color-coding
• Standard hotkey shortcuts
• Smart Search function
• Spellcheck
• User-definable text fields
• Full support infrastructure: as well as the integral ‘infopoint’ video tutorials there is a full online Help package and a very active customer forum.
PersonalBrain 5.0 Released: Dynamic Mind Mapping Software Helps Users Take Control and Leverage Information by Visualizing Connections and Capturing Users’ Thoughts
PersonalBrain 5.0 Offers: New Visualizations, Import of Many File Formats and Augmented Mac OS Integration
Marina del Rey, CA.—Jan 6, 2009—TheBrain Technologies announced that PersonalBrain 5.0, the latest version of its powerful information visualization and organization software is now available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. PersonalBrain 5.0 will be unveiled at Macworld 2009 at booth #3419, North Hall.
PersonalBrain’s award-winning dynamic interface enables users to link all ideas, files, and Web pages so people can better understand their information, see hidden connections, and liberate themselves from linear file organization.
Current systems such as folders, search lists, and email fail to connect different concepts, people, projects and their digital information associatively. PersonalBrain gives users a conceptual space that puts ideas at the forefront, creating a dynamic network of visually connected Thoughts that represent the user’s mind.
Designed for people who need to analyze, brainstorm and synthesize a wide variety of information both on their local computer and on the Internet, PersonalBrain lets users express key relationships across all information sources, so underlying thinking and key ideas are instantly visible. All files, documents and web pages can be instantly recalled and retrieved with PersonalBrain and displayed with all related connections so key information is easily discovered.
PersonalBrain 5.0 Feature Highlights
Powerful “outline” view enables a broader view while retaining the flexibility of a networked structure
Visual tagging gives another way to find information and enhances the ability to use PersonalBrain for Getting Things Done.
Presentation mode enables full screen visualization that easily avoids the tedium of slideshow presentations
Save customized layouts created in the “expanded” view
Import of outlines and mind maps created in many other programs lets users upgrade their existing data into a scalable associative network
Augmented Mac OS X Functionality
Spotlight integration enables searching of information in the context of how it’s all connected
Address Book, iCal, and Apple Mail integration enables users to tie all the information on their Mac together seamlessly
QuickLook integration enables users to instantly preview attachments
Specially created Mac OS X look and feel fits in seamlessly
Enhancements throughout PersonalBrain make everything from scrolling through information with the mouse wheel to creating reports faster and easier.
“PersonalBrain enables us to take control of the volumes of information that we are inundated with and organizes ideas and content based on our unique thinking and perspective,” said Harlan Hugh, Chief Technology Officer of TheBrain. “PersonalBrain 5.0’s new importing features make it even easier to get started. Powerful new visualization and tagging features give users an increased level of semantic meaning in their Brains to see and discover key information relationships and capture critical thinking.”
Pricing and Availability
PersonalBrain 5.0 is offered in three editions for immediate download: Free, Core, and Pro. PersonalBrain Free is offered at no charge and lets anyone link ideas and Web pages, images and notes. Pro and Core editions are priced as follows: PersonalBrain Pro $249.95, PersonalBrain Core $149.95. PersonalBrain 4 users can upgrade to 5.0 for $74.95. The upgrade is free for users who purchased PersonalBrain 4 after June 1, 2008.PersonalBrain runs on Windows 2000, 2003, XP, Vista, Mac OS X 10.4+, and many flavors of Linux.
For some time now I have been playing around with Wordle, a web based application that can take your text or feed from your blog and create "word clouds" which you can display or post to the web. It is an interesting visualization tool and one that gives you some context, at least for me, about what I have been writing about. I recently entered my blog URL into Wordle and came up with this word cloud. What do you think of Wordle?
Several weeks ago I was interviewed by Laurence who runs the Official SmartDraw Blog on the topic of: Why Do Adults Forget About Visualization? We had a chance to delve into mind mapping, graphic organizers and SmartDraw 2008 and why I feel today's student will need to have well developed visualization skills. We had some really good conversations and the result can be found on the Official SmartDraw Blog. I hope you enjoy it. I would be interested in know how you feel about this topic.
I came across this intriguing Newsmap website that displays the news based on its relevance. It is visually appealing and you can quickly get more information about the headlines and the number of related articles by clicking on the news map. Enjoy
I originally wrote this piece about a year ago but thought that it would be of interest to you. This is a very exciting piece of software to help students make sense out of data by teaching them how to do analysis using visual and analytic methodologies.
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After checking in to the National Educational Technology Conference at the San Diego Convention Center I decided to see what materials the Exhibitors had left for us in anticipation of the start of the conference on the following day. To my surprise, the Inspiration Company, was about to announce a new product called InspireData, which really intrigued me. Having been a long time user and trainer of Inspiration products I was excited to see a product that was cross curricular and that could help students develop their ability to analyze data. With all of the data that is around us, students more than ever before need to develop their ability to make sense of the data and interpret what it all means. In this respect InspireData gives students the tools to begin to sift through data sets and draw conclusions by using visual methodologies. Students canuse Venn, stack, pie and axis plots to help them interpret and draw conclusions about the data set they are working on.
A Closer Look Having played around with InspireData for the past week or so and I am very impressed with the user interface and its ease of use. InspireData comes with over 50 data sets on a wide variety of topics and subjects, which are sure to engage students in the inquiry process. InspireData data sets span the areas of science, mathematics, social studies and more and give teachers a great place to start in learning how to use the program. Some of the examples of the data sets that are included are: US Immigration, World Population, Plant growth, Planets basic, NBA Statistics, and Hurricanes, Both students and teachers will find something of interest in these varied data sets to pique their curiosity and to engage them. Using a very similar metaphor as you will find in Inspiration students can move from the Table View to the Plot View with a click of the mouse. When starting the program students can select one of the pre-made data sets or students have the option of entering their own data directly in the application. Students also have the option of importing data from tab delimited or CSV files. One of the really nice features is the ability for teachers to create a Questionnaire which then allows students to fill in data into a form as one would find on the web. This really facilitates data entry and assures that the required data is properly entered into the Table. Teachers can set up a computer with the Questionnaire and have students enter data that they collected right into InspireData. Once the data is entered into the Table that is when the fun really begins. Switching over to the Plot view students can decide which of the type of plots can help them to visualize their data and make meaning from the disparate data points. Students can use the following types of plots to better help them understand their data: Venn, Stack, Pie, Axis, and Time series.
With a click of the mouse students will be able to switch from the Table view to the Plot view to begin plotting their data. InspireData adds two unique types of plots, the Venn and the Time series plot. The concept of Venn plots may be new to students at it really helps students to visually how different variables in their date tables are related. InspireData allows students to have up to 3 hoops as they are called when they are creating their Venn plots. In one of the sample data sets called Sleep Survey students can begin to explore how the number of hours of sleep is related to the ease of waking up or if there are any relationships between gender, age and hours slept. Within each of the Venn loops students can set the filters that determine where the data points move to. This is highly visual and students can quickly begin to compare and see how the data points are grouped. For example in the first loop you can have a filter that says Hours Sleep < proccess=" hard.">
InspireData invites students to look for relationships and makes it extremely easy to change filters when creating Venn plots. One of the unique plots that your students will find in InspireDate are Time series, InspireData allows students to plot a series of data as a line graph representing change over time. Once the data is plotting you can animate the data to illustrate the change over time. This is a great feature for scientific data that your students may collect as part of a science project. Students will enjoy the ability to create the Time series plots and see the relationships evolve over time. Once students have analyzed and plotted their data, InspireData will allow them to capture their slides (plots) so that they can retrieve it at any time. When students capture a plot, InspireData records the following information: plot type, axis assignments, notes, view constraints, labeling/coloring and the plot title. Students can rearrange their slides in the slider sorter and use them to present a slide show. Students also have the ability to Update slides from the Slide Sorter if they have made any changes to them for example adding a note.
Conclusion
InspireData is one of the more creative cross-curricular tools that has come out in a long time. There is something inherently engaging about the program that will keep students asking questions about the data they are studying. As I noted students and teachers will find the program easy to use and the 50 data sets that come with InspireData should meet the needs of many teachers. InspireData is a program that you will want to jump in and play with as you explore relationships with your data set. With so much data being produced today it is imperative that students become informed consumers and learn to use tools like InpsireData to make meaning of data in the world around them. InspireData has tremendous cross-curricular applications and will quickly become of the leading analysis tools in the K-12 educational marketplace.
Reprinted by permission from Inclusion Times, which is published by AssistiveTek, LLC. Brian S. Friedlander, Ph.D. is a trained school psychologist, with expertise in the area of assistive technology.
