Welcome
•Housekeeping
•Agenda
5:00-5:10
5:10-5:45
5:45-6:30
6:30-6:45
6:45-7:45
7:45-8:00
Welcome and Introductions
Overview PPT
UCF Students
Project Demo
Tutorials and projects
Wrap-up and Evaluations
Interested in an Advanced
Boardmaker Training?
Set a date
Objectives
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Discuss how Visual Strategies can improve
student learning
Learn what Boardmaker can do
Hands-on exploration of Boardmaker software
Create a product with Boardmaker for immediate
student usage
What is ATEN?
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Assistive
Technology
Educational
Network
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Coordinating unit for the state of Florida
A specialized center in the FDLRS (Florida Diagnostic Learning
Resource System) Network
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Operate loan library and demonstration lab
Maintains a web-site (www.aten.scps.k12.fl.us)
Participates at State Conferences
Publishes a newsletter
Offer technical assistance when appropriate
Provide trainings at ATEN Sanford
What is Assistive Technology?
Any device and/or service that is determined to be
educationally necessary for a child to receive a Free
and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
&
helps these individuals to interact with the world
around them!
Visual Strategies
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What are they
How can they help
Boardmaker
Software by
Mayer-Johnson
http://www.mayer-johnson.com/
Use Boardmaker to:
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Make communication boards.
Create calendars.
Design schedules.
Modify curriculum.
Import digital pictures.
Make photo albums.
And much, much more. . .
Calendars
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Boardmaker comes
with calendar
templates that are
ready to use.
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Just add symbols and
print out your
calendar.
Templates for devices
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Boardmaker has over 185 templates that fit a variety of
communication devices.
Templates come in a variety of sizes and shapes. All
are ready to have symbols added.
sample
More Templates
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Boardmaker has
templates that fit the
a variety of display
items.
Good way to
increase
communication in
the community.
Schedules
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If you use schedules,
Boardmaker provides
7 schedule templates
that are ready to have
symbols added.
1st page of 8-step schedule
More Schedule Templates
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Boardmaker Schedules come in several styles.
Use the templates or design a schedule
template of your own.
Ready to have symbols added
Create your own schedules
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Design schedules to fit a variety of activities
that will take students through the day.
Customizing Curriculum
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Make worksheets,
reading activities,
writing activities, and
more.
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With Boardmaker, they
can be simple or
complex as you want
them to be.
Directions
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Make picture
directions for the
classroom or
home.
Custom Books
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Customize books
by using
Boardmaker to
make sentence
strips.
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Hint: Use Avery
Removable Full
Sheet Label Paper
#6465. Symbols can
usually be removed
without damaging
the paper.
Flash Cards
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Make your own
flash cards and
picture cards.
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Make the cards
any size or style
you want.
fold
Signs
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Make classroom signs.
These can be used to inform
about class activities or to
give directions.
More books and games
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Make books.
My
ABC
Book
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Create games and song boards.
Twinkle, twinkle
Twinkle, twinkle
little
star.
little
star.
WHALE’S TALE GAME
How
I
you are.
Up
wonder
above
what
the world
Menus
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Scan images from fast
food restaurant menus.
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Use scanned images to
create a picture menu
of favorite fast food
restaurant items.
Import pictures
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Make a photo
album or class
newsletter.
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Take pictures of
classroom
activities, import
them into BM to
use anyway you
want.
Designing with Boardmaker
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Make a place mat.
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Customize any
place mat with
symbols or design
your own with
construction paper
and laminate for
durability.
Boardmaker Tutorial
You will learn to:
 Make a button
 Spray a grid
 Find and place symbols
 Remove symbols
 Combine symbols
 Make color-coded symbols
 Use lasso tool
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Handouts (yellow)
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Draw Window at a Glance
Symbol Finder at a Glance
Working with Categories
Starting Boardmaker
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Be sure the CD is in
the drive.
Use the short-cut on
the desktop to start
your Boardmaker
Or, click on
START>Programs
and select
Boardmaker.
Double-click on the
Boardmaker icon on
the desktop
OR
Open via the
START menu
Creating a New Board
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After the program opens, you have choices. . .
Select “Open a new board” for this exercise.
This button for getting started
This button for your saved boards
This button
opens the
pre-made grid
& template
folder
Creating a New Board
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Boardmaker
opens to a blank
workspace.
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The tool pallet
has the design,
writing, and
color tools
* Use your Window at a Glance cheat sheet as a resource
Drawing a Button
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Select the “Button
Tool” from the tool
palette.
Move the cursor to
the blank workspace.
Click and drag
diagonally to create a
button.
Click on the button
tool
Click, HOLD, and drag to
the right. DO NOT release
the mouse key until the
button is drawn.
Spraying a Grid
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Select the “Button
Sprayer Tool” from
the tool pallet.
Move the cursor into
the center of the
button.
Click and HOLD
DOWN the mouse
key. Drag cursor to
the right.
Note: to change the grid position.
Select EDIT>SELECT ALL and
move all the buttons at once.
For this exercise, make a grid 4
cells across and 2 cells down.
Finding a symbol
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To open the Symbol
Finder Window, click on
the Boardmaker icon in
the tool pallet.
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The symbol finder
window will open.
Click on the
Boardmaker icon.
*Use your Symbol Finder cheat-sheet as a resource
Finding a symbol - Step 1
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Type the word “story” in the
“Symbol Search Window”.
3 ways to search
Search beginning of word
Search anywhere in word
Search whole word
Symbol Search
Window
Finding a symbol - Step 2
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Click on the “thumbnail” view button to display
symbols that match “story”.
Thumbnail
view
Thumbnail
view button
(this is one
button with 3
objects on it)
Finding a symbol - Step 3
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Select the “storyteller” choice and type the words
“Let’s read” in the Alternative Symbol Name Field.
Click on the storyteller selection
Alternative Symbol Name Field
*Use your Working with Categories cheat sheet as a resource
Finding a symbol - Step 4
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Press the Enter Key and the symbol will be
placed in the grid.
Building a Board
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Continue building your
board by typing “bear”
in the Symbol Search
Window.
Select one of the bears
from the thumbnail
selections.
Type in 6 more words of
your choice and fill the
buttons of the grid.
When placing a symbol by
clicking in a cell, the cursor
will change to the
Boardmaker Icon symbol.
Removing a symbol
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Type the word “butterfly
in the Symbol Search
Window.
Click on the button that
has the bear.
When the prompt comes
up asking you to
Replace, Add to, or
Cancel, select Replace.
Put Two Symbols on a Button
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Type the word “read” in
the Symbol Search
Window.
Click on “thumbnails” and
select the stick figure
reading.
Remove the word from the
Alternative Symbol Name
window.
Highlight the word and use
the delete key on your
keyboard to remove the
word.
Put Two Symbols on a Button
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Click on a button to add the
symbol.
A prompt will appear asking
if you want to Replace, Add
To, or Cancel. Select “Add
To”.
The symbol will be added to
the button.
Put Two Symbols on a Button
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Work with the two symbols to make them fit nicely on the
button. Practice this step with several symbols.
Symbol is added
to button. Now
there are 2
symbols on the
button.
Click in center of
“read” (top
symbol). Dotted
line will appear
around this
symbol.
Click on the lower
right corner of the
dotted line. An arrow
will appear. Move
arrow diagonally to
left. Do this slowly.
Repeat with the
second symbol.
Then move the 2
symbols around
on the button to
look good.
Using the Lasso/Marquee Tool
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Using the Symbol
Finder Window, type
“I want to talk to you”.
Click on the
Lasso/Marquee tool.
Use the cursor to draw
around a portion of the
symbol.
Press enter key to add
to grid.
Try adding this to another
symbol on your grid.
Marquee tool is a
square. Lasso
tool is an
irregular circle.
Add a Background Color
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Click on the
background.
Click on the color
tool on the tool
pallet.
Select one of the
colors.
Clearing Symbols from Buttons
Close Symbol Finder
Window here.
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Remove symbols but
leave the grid.
Close the Symbol
Finder Window.
Pull down the Edit
Menu from the Menu
Bar choose Select All.
Pull down the Edit
Menu again and select
Clear.
B/W Symbol-Color Background
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Click on the
Boardmaker Icon to
Symbol Finder
Settings Button
open the Symbol
Finder Window
Click on the Symbol
Finder Settings
Button.
Select “Use Black &
White Symbols” and
Note: This window also controls the
click on OK.
languages, word default size and more.
B/W Symbol-Color Background
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Type the word
“happy” in the
Symbol Finder
Window.
Click on thumbnails
and select one of the
happy symbols.
Add several more
symbols to your grid.
Note: the thumbnails will
appear in color but will
transfer to the grid in
black and white.
B/W Symbol-Color Background
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To add color to a
button, click on the
button first.
Click on the Color
Tool selection on the
Tool Pallet.
Click on the word
“Button” and choose
a color.
Repeat for other
buttons.
Adding a Title to the Board
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Click on the “A” tool on
the Tool Pallet.
Click above your grid
and type a title.
Without clicking off the
sentence, pull down the
Text menu from the
menu bar and select 30
pts.
Use the arrow tool to
center the sentence.
Review
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This completes the Boardmaker
basics. You can now:
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Draw buttons and spray grids
Add background color
Add a board title
Place symbols on buttons
Add to and remove symbols
Create color-coded symbols
Change the symbols from color to B/W
On your Own
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Create a project that you can use in your
classroom
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Schedule
Calendar
Command Cards
Directions
Other