Microsoft are now selling their Surface Book which is a hybrid combo making it a surface with a keyboard. Although I love my Surface Pro 3 I find its stand quite uncomfortable on a knee. It is designed to be used on a table which is fine for most settings except a lecture or seminar setting. Hence, when I heard about the Surface Book I was drawn to thinking about it. The drawback is its price – £1,499 to £2,699! Compared to Acer, Lenovo or HP there is quite a price difference! Also, do I want to give up HD storage for my specialist software if I were to switch. So it looks as if I will give this a pass until the price drops and there is a viable way of working my software. You can explore its specification and purchasing details at :-
Author: AccessAbility Smyles
Specialist ICT SEND Consultant,
Committed Christian,
Loves photography and computing
Plays piano and guitar - both badly!
Windows 10 November update
Microsoft have issued a major update to Windows 10 which has over 200 improvements. The main improvements are to Cortana which now includes hand writing recognition when making notes. Also, faster load which is 30% faster than Windows 7. The major changes really are targeted to the corporate market where enterprise systems and deployment management are key. I will write more once I have tried out the update
The Cyber Cafe – Trowbridge
This is a local initiative in Trowbridge which I met with Jane, organizer and trainer , today. They provide a safe internet environment for people with disabilities to access the internet and develop their ICT skills. Take a look at their website :- http://www.disabledonline.org.uk . From my point of view I am going to try and help them resolve some technical issues they are having. It’s a charity and non-for-profit organisation.
The Grid 3
The Grid 3 has been shortlisted for the up and coming BETT Awards. The Grid 3 is a communication software that provides excellent access tools like eye-gaze. It does a lot and the look is much more user friendly to use. Why not take a look at the video at The Grid 3 ? There is a 60 day demo to trial of you want to try it out yourself!
Wyvern Training
I was contacted by Wyvern Training concerning their product. In this time of constrained budgets and time having tools that enable independent training and reminders about the different functions of an access software is very useful. Wyvern offers video shorts which are clear, informative and done from the user’s point of view. Please go and take a look over at:-
And leave your contact details and ask for a demo logon to see for yourself.
Google Keep + iChrome
Google Keep on an Android device now includes a simple drawing tool creating your own diagrams. I combine Google Keep with iChrome and in fact I took the notes at a conference with it. Notes can be free text or using check boxes like bullet points. I like the fact that you can export to google docs. All this whilst keeping an eye on my social media tools, weather, files and emails coming. Compact and handy for students to use of all abilities. Notes are automatically stored but sometimes if the note is left open you can accidently close it by accident. On a chromebook you can do all the above but not the new drawing element. Hope they do that on a future upgrade.
What makes a school’s use of IT successful?
The answer is engagement – this is the key finding of the 3rd Millenium Award scheme. Schools are so diverse and its important to share some of the commonality between them and this is one of the key factors.
Do you want to find out what engagement levels are there in your school? Then contact
He can provision you to use the tools that will help you to find that out. The website is:-
Your Own Technology Survey – YOTS – free survey for schools
This is a free tool for your school to test how much your use of mobile technology is impacting teaching and learning. There is a need for more schools to do this.So register your school and take the survey!
Siri and the means to write with speech
“This note is about writing and using Siri to make up stories as a good way of making information accessible. I can actually have more work into this note. I can also write lengthy pieces. Writing with your voice is different to using typing. You need to be able to pause, or had some text what you think of the next phrase to end your sentence. All of what you see written here has been done for using Siri or using the microphone on the keyboard .
The revolution for those with spelling issues is immense. It won’t solve dyslexia is! But it might just help with you to write some notes. Especially at home! Homework will be a breeze there!”
All the above was written using the microphone on the keyboard in notes on an iPad Air2 . It’s not perfect grammar but I have kept the Implications for those with spelling issues are that they are no longer to writing, except at the editing stage will you do have to spell words!! I really like the idea that I can have Siri working and I can pause when I think of the next sentence on Siri is still writing-that is really awesome. I am truly impressed!
It even able to drop the paragraph line and use voice commands to control the program. It even adds spaces between words. So the challenge is there to use speech as an alternative form to writing.
Typing Assistant – Word Prediction software
I am always on the lookout for good software and for word prediction. Typing Assistant is such a tool. eType has been one I have suggested but the risks and indeed it seems difficult to get the link I think this is a better option. It works on Windows 10 so I presume it would not have a problem on Windows 7 as the install looks a standard one. You can change the amount of prediction and make changes to text size. You can load in different vocabularies but there isn’t any dictionary or thesuarus support. You get what you pay for! In this case – nothing! You can access a 45 day trial after that you would have to pay for it.
Go to:-
Here are the key features:-
Universal Compatibility: Works with virtually all programs on MS Windows.
Word Prediction: Predicts the words you intend to type in order to speed up your typing and/or help your spelling.
Auto-Complete: Completes text input automatically to save keystrokes.
Auto-Correct: Corrects spelling mistakes automatically in any program.
Auto-Expand: Expands abbreviations to full text in any program, like AutoText feature in MS Word.
Auto-Clipboard: Accesses clipboard history quickly.
Auto-Launch: Launches frequently used applications/files/folders conveniently.
Spell Checking: Beeps on misspelled words.
Configurable Profile: User can switch between profiles for different language typing.
Wide Adaptability: Quick settings for both fast typist and hunt-and-peck typing.
Portable: Runs from a USB memory device.
Security: Never collects or leaks your information.
Easy to use: Use your computer as usual and the whole process is mastered in 5 minutes.
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