iBooks

Here is what the update brings:
• The ability to double-tap an image within a book in order to view it in greater detail.
• The ability to experience books that include audio and video.
• Look up definitions to English words inside books without a specified language.
• An answer to an issue that may have caused some book downloads to not complete.
• The addition of many stability and performance improvements.

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Beakers

I have learned so much in the 13 or so years in this field. The learning has grown exponentially, especially since I first envisioned an AAC app for the iPhone, which turned into Proloquo2Go, and as I started the PhD program at PSU. Yet, as much as I am seeing, experiencing, and learning from reading, meeting people, attending conferences, classes, researching, and more, I am realizing there is so much more to learn. There is so much to learn about how to assist the people with disabilities I work to serve. The fields of education and universal design are endless, for sure. I now believe that it is going to take more than I thought to truly make a holistic difference in the lives of these people I care deeply about. During this time of reflection in my work and life, I am again asking the question, “What will it take?”.

So with that being said, it is “back to the lab again”, where I will be working on that question systematically over time. What a gift to be here at Penn State! The people here are simply terrific. I look forward to sharing the fruits of our research work with you over the coming months and years.

This blog is very important to me and while the posts have been infrequent recently, look for them to pick up shortly.
photo credit

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June 3, 2010
Amsterdam, The Netherlands; State College, PA

Dear Proloquo2Go user, community member, and/or Proloquo2Go partner,

Samuel Sennott, co-creator of Proloquo2Go, is selling his share in Proloquo2Go to AssistiveWare in order to focus his research and development efforts on his PhD at The Pennsylvania State University and on his new company, Sennott Technologies, LLC.

Proloquo2Go has made a large impact on the AAC world over the two years of the collaboration between AssistiveWare and Sennott Consulting. When they came together almost two years ago, they believed they could make a difference by creating a new AAC solution that was powerful, affordable, and cool. From the amazing user community, to a front-page feature in the NY Times, Proloquo2Go has had a profound impact.

While Sennott will not continue to be a part of Proloquo2Go, he will remain fully committed to the AAC community, serving through his research and future endeavors. He has full confidence that AssistiveWare will continue to provide great service as well as many further enhancements to Proloquo2Go that will benefit the Proloquo2Go community.

David and AssistiveWare would like to use this occasion to thank Sam for the important contributions he has made to Proloquo2Go and, not in the least, his success in drawing public attention to the needs of AAC users. With his ongoing research, he will be able to make even more contributions to the field of AAC in the future. Let us all give Sam a big thank you and wish him well in his further pursuits.

Samuel Sennott would like to specially thank David Niemeijer for the amazing work we did together. He would also like to thank his father, mother, family, Deirdre, Joseph Barnick, Pam H., Sue M., Mads, the Penn State community, The DC Crew, TLC, Origin Instruments, Apple Inc. and the whole Proloquo2Go community for their support.

Best wishes,

David and Sam

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Emotiv is a much fabled consumer brain computer interface that seems to finally have a shipping date. I ordered today and am eager to see if they can meet their promise of arrival by Christmas.

From the www.emotiv.com website. Based on the latest developments in neuro-technology, Emotiv has developed a revolutionary new personal interface for human computer interaction. The Emotiv EPOC uses a set of sensors to tune into electric signals produced by the brain to detect player thoughts, feelings and expressions and connects wirelessly to most PCs.

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Proloquo2Go is available on the iPhone App Store.

Late last night, we recieved the acceptance email.  We all have been waiting patiently.  The emails have been pouring in from families and practitioners of all kinds.  The time has finally arrived.

To find out about obtaining Proloquo2Go and about how our partners are making Proloquo2go available  for schools and centers to use purchase orders you can visit our webpage.

Proloquo2go:  AAC on the iPhone and iPod touch

We are so thankful to present Proloquo2Go version 1.0 to the world.  The dream of being able to offer an extremely powerful communication solution that is both available commercially and affordable has been moved forward.

As we launch, there is an image that keeps sticking in my head and makes me smile.  It is of a 15 year old walking into high school and using Proloquo2Go an iPod touch to talk.  True, it is super cool for kids as well.  Yes, we know how adults are wild about the iPhone and iPod touch too.   Proloquo2Go will be “cool” for many people, whether it is as an addition to their tabletop device or myabe it is their first dynamic system.  Yet, there really seems to be something to it for the teenagers!

Plus at an introductory price of $149 and our partners generously offering bundles at resonable prices, we feel that Proloquo2Go is a terrific value.

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Proloquo2Go: AAC in Your Pocket

Proloquo2Go is the new augmentative and alternative communication solution for the iPhone and iPod touch.   www.proloquo2go.com has just been updated in anticipation of the release of version 1.0 of Proloquo2Go.  There is new and extensive information about who Proloquo2Go is for, what it does, and how it works.  There are some terrific stories and quotes about some of the children, teenagers, and adults who are currently using Proloquo2Go.  Additionally, a couple news updates are:

The Making of Proloquo2go is featured in the April/May issue of the Closing the Gap Magazine

Samuel Sennott interviewed about Proloquo2Go as a part of the Assistive Technology Oral History Project on the Connsense Bulletin

Sennott Interview from AT Oral History Project

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Eye Gaze Technology

Mid Tech Eye Gaze Communication (ya, you heard it right)

Mega Bee Eye Gaze Frame

You have to check out this eye gaze frame.  It is so simple and so powerful.  http://www.megabee.net

and here is an online simulation, http://www.e2l.uk.com/megabee/megabee_simulation.html

and a picture of me doing the demo at ATIA

High Tech Eye Gaze Technology

PRC announced the ECOPoint, which utilizes Tobii’s eye gaze technology.

TobiiAti

I loved seeing all the new C-Series devices at ATIA, wow, now a month back.  These are the replacements for the popular Mercury Series.  They have a nice slick new design. Check them out here.

Don’t Forget All the Classic Lowtech Eye Gaze Frames!

While I totally missed seeing the The knfbReader Mobile at ATIA, I am so excited about it.  Basically, using the Nokia Cell phone it runs off, you take pictures of text and it will speak that text.

Last but not least, please check out Adam Bowker’s coverage of the Kindle Controversy.  If you have not heard, there has been questions of whether text to speech on the Kindle is breaking copyright.

Text-to-speech under attack and

Amazon caves to buggy whip manufacturers

So, I hope to do some more indepth reviews of the tools described in this post.  Right after I finish my homework!

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Getting Things Done by David Allen

So this week someone asked me if I somehow have figured out 40 hour days. Ironically, in the same day, I had a hard time getting a certain set of tasks done and I felt frustrated about it.  My life in special education has gone from volunteer where I hold babies with cerebral pasly, read books, and sing with the children,  to student teaching and having my own class of students, to becoming an AT specialist, to teaching teachers, to now working towards a Ph.D. in special education and AAC.  A huge 15 foot swell feels upon me.   With p2g about to be set fully loose into the world, doc level seminars, stats class, and keeping the flames of one to one thousand lit, it is time to get back to basics.

In my initial encounter with GTD, the most influential element I found was Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero video from a talk he gave at Google in July of 2007.  Very simply, I understood what he was talking about.  I barely had to watch the video.  I listened and knew.  It felt like a new chapter in my life.  I remember struggling academically at one point in seventh grade and feeling like why am I so disorganized.  What’s wrong?  Now I realize that strategies of this kind are not necessarily intrinsic to everyone.  Truly many people are meticulous in many aspects of their lives, yet for many others getting things done and getting them done efficiently takes strategy building.  In this past year, I have read and listened to Anthony DeMello.  In excellent book, Awareness and only surviving audio recording of one of his retreats, he speaks about listening.  He advocates not just agreeing or listening for what you think you will hear, but simply listening with an aware and open mind.  When I heard Merlin Mann describe inbox zero, I knew that it was something I should try.  Try I did and just like those green eggs and ham, I like it!  Organization and productivity was for me, really I felt it!  Inbox Zero made a simple, yet profound difference in my life.

So I was all amped up at the beginning of last summer and ready to post all about GTD.  Man was I working my system.  We were all set for the big camp I felt so strongly about.  I felt organized, sharp, and alive.  Then slam.. 60 to 80 hour weeks of the most intense teaching, planning, and workin it that I have ever done.  I tried to keep my system working and luckily it had some good bend in it and did not break.  I laugh at how I had planned all these gtd related blog posts.  I laugh because I was planning them when things were humming smoothly.  Today, I write this post to express that our systems are for both when things are clipping along and for when they seem to be stalling out.  So nearly a year later I am posting to share about something that has worked for me, GTD and specifically, the concept of inbox Zero.

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AssistiveWare and Sennott Consulting are working on a groundbreaking Augmentative & Alternative Communication solution for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch called Proloquo2Go™

www.proloquo2go.com

Proloquo2Go Icon

Proloquo2Go

It is very exciting to be able to share this news with you.  We will be at ATIA this week and would love to see you and tell you more about this remarkable new system.  We will be presenting on Saturday morning.  Here are the details.

Beyond Mac or PC: iPhone, iPod and Modbook as AAC Solutions 8-9 AM on Saturday—-Bonaire 7/8   www.atia.org

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