Using Goalscape in the Classroom

I had a chance just this week to reconnect with Richard Parslow, the developer of Goalscape, a unique and innovative goal setting and planning tool for the Mac and Windows computers-who shared with me some of the new development that are taking place. Richard talked about Goalscape Connect their new online tool to create goalscapes when collaborating and working with teams. To access Goalscape Connect all you need is a browser and a connection to the internet and a Goalscape account. With an account you can begin to create a new goalscape to help you visualize your goals and subgoals. Goalscape lets you set up a central goal in the center of circle with your subgoals fanning out around the central point. With Goalscape, it is very easy to see your progress and add notes and resources to each goal and subgoal. One of the key points of using Goalscape is that you can rate the level of importance of each goal and subgoal and begin to realize that if you spend more time on one goal you have less time to address another. Once your goalscape is set up you can quickly get an overview of your progress and see what needs to be done.

As humans we are all goal driven and being able to concisely articulate our goals helps us to know how and where we are going. I just started back teaching an advanced graduate course in assistive technology and asked my students to use Goalscape Connect to chart their own goals for the course. Last week I introduced them to Goalscape Connect and we did some hands on work with it. For their assignment, I asked them to use Goalscape to develop their goals for the course to help guide their learning. Understanding the principles of Universal Design for Learning (multiple means of engagement) it is important even for adult learners to have them to identity their own learning goals and objectives to help drive their learning. This week I will get a chance to see what they have accomplished with Goalscape Connect and give them the opportunity to drive their own learning. What can be more motivating that that?

As an extra treat, I have invited Richard Parslow to speak to my class via Skype to share his insights for developing Goalscape- I for one am looking forward to that. If you would like to click here for a trial of Goalscape

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Posted in: goalscape,project planning,visual learning

AssistiveTek Introduces the HoverCam T3 Document Camera

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 via email. The HoverCam T3 is compatible with both Macs and Windows 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 

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Posted in: adobe learning summit,classroom,document camera,hovercam T3,visual learning,visualization

Inspiration Launches Webspiration Pro

It was really exciting to learn about the launch of Webspiration Pro from Inspiration, which is geared for business professionals and college students. Launched as software as a service all you need is a browser an a account to get started to access this feature rich tool for visual thinking. Webspiration Pro is sold as a subscription and if you act now you can get some really great deals on the pricing. Webspiration is ideal for brainstorming and collaborating with colleagues when working on shared projects. Using Webspiration it is easy to invite, comment,  chat with collaborators as you are working on your ideas. You will find Webspiration to be easy and intuitive to use with the right mix of features. I have always enjoyed using Inspiration on the desktop and now with the release of Webspiration it affords the capability to share my ideas and collaborate across time zones. When I'm ready, I can publish my maps to my blog or web site with the provided URL and embed code. So if you have the chance take the time to look at the release of Webspiration Pro. There is a free 30 day Trial - so get started and let me know what you think? And by the way, Inspiration is working on an iPad App for Webspiration which should be pretty cool! More to come.

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Posted in: inspiration,mind mapping,visual learning,webspiration,webspiration pro

Kidspiration 3 Workshop

This past Friday I spent the entire day working with elementary school teachers in New Jersey showing them how to use Kidspiration 3 in the classroom. Within a two hour period all of the teachers were introduced to the Picture, Writing, and Math View. The teachers were quick to learn how to use the program and the intuitive interface found in Kidpsiration 3 which really helped them along. With the addition of the Word Guide and the Math manipulatives, Kidspiration 3 is clearly an essential piece of software for the elementary school classroom. Many of the teachers were excited to explore the Activities and Online Lessons to get more ideas on how this tool could be used in their classroom. With the text to speech support and the graphic representation of information Kidspiration 3 is an ideal tool for students whose learning preference is visual. Kidspiration 3 is also ideal for use with interactive whiteboards- and remember if you are working with young children you can move the tools to the bottom of the screen. Many of the teachers were really excited with the possibilities and thoroughly enjoyed using the Math tools that are now built into Kidspiration 3. If you have not taken a look at Kidspiration 3 in awhile, I would urge you to take a look at it and download the Trial version that is available from the Inspiration web site.

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Posted in: inspiration,Inspiration 9,Kidspiration,visual learning

Universal Design for Learning and Math Manipulatives

Sitting in a three day workshop on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) gave me some time to reflect on the state of software development and the power of the Internet. The focus of the three day workshop was on helping teachers to remove barriers to math instruction (Grades 5-8) in the classroom. Using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) model we were able to look carefully at textbooks and lessons and figure out ways that we could present math lessons so that we provide students with multiple mean of representing math concepts. As our workshop leaders from CAST were presenting the information they pointed us to various sites on the Internet that offered students the opportunity to work with virtual manipulatives. I was thinking that just a couple of years ago we would have been discussing the use of commercial software to meet our objectives but now we were focused on websites that offer a rich source of math manipulatives that students could work with to help them better understand and visualize math concepts. Tings have certainly changed in such a short period of time. Take a look at some of these websites to see whats there- you will be amazed!

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Posted in: math,Universal Design for Learning,visual learning

InspireData from Inspiration

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.

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Posted in: inspiration,inspiredata,visual learning,visualization

Power Tips & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software- 2nd Edition Released

Chuck Frey who is synonomyous with visual learning and mind mapping has just released Power Tips & Strategies for Mind Mapping Software- 2nd Edition. Chuck has added over 20 plus Case Studies so that you can see how other professional are using mind mapping software effectively. I for one am looking forward to reading it and seeing my Case Study in print. This looks to be Chuck's best resource ever on mind mapping and it is worth taking a look at it on his site.

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Posted in: Chuck Frey,mind mapping,visual learning