Week 5 Assistive Technologies

2/20/2012 Assistive Technologies and other thoughts

Seeing Ray Kurzweil continuing his groundbreaking work along with the Keystrokes software with Elina, elaborated uses of switches,  sip/Puff, Wisp, Joystick mouse control, rollerball mouse use, half sized portable keyboards, pneumatic desks, frogpad input pad for one handed input, customizable electronic keyboards and the use of braille input and output devices fills in some gaps for me and leaves me wondering about other technology I have seen before.  Eye tracking mouse control software seems ground breaking of what I have seen of it's uses and there was a bio-organic computer chip which was capable of implant and used then for controlling digital devices.  It is clear to see some barriers are definitely being lowered and removed but I am sure as tech develops we will see even greater developments come along or at least I hope.  It is abundantly clear from personal experience that even though someone may seem impaired, you need to see that there is no impairment, only the same person as you with a need for better communication or an improved chance for input or output.  I have witnessed this many times over even up and in to people with serious cognitive abilities.  I was very happy to read about a breakthrough in betaroxene for improving and removing 50% of myoidal plaque from the brain for Alzheimers patients the past week.  I have seen where their mind is working but the communication aspect of communication is jumbles and difficult or impossible.  I believe if  you are alive your mind more often than not is functioning with a high capability.

Week 4 Maguire Digital Imaging

Week 4 Maguire
Imaging has been the basis for most of my life with a BFA degree in painting and drawing, first place Addy awards in photography, video editing, 3D animation, film making, halography and much more.  I fell in love with Photoshop the first time it came out in 1986 and actually there was a parallel program menu for menu called Digital Darkroom.  Adobe had some leave the camp and spinoff there own version I heard.  It was identical in every way and at first I didn't know why they were both out.  Anyway they got bought out by Adobe and the rest is history.  Going through these exercises in any photo manipulation software is vital, this technology has been out now for 27 years and even longer in software like TIPS True Image Processing Software for Targa and Vista cards and other specialized systems.  To have all this power in your home computer is truly an opportunity to expand your capabilities for yourself and in the case of a teacher for their students.

Week Three ed 5254

Going through different varieties of web 2.0 apps show there are a myriad of choices.  Finding a content (best version) connectibility app which utilizes most efficiently will take time and a lot of research.  Right now a simple blog in blogger offers us a direct approach to script consultation and comment blogs on same.  With every child in America being pushed to get a Ipad in the next 5 years all of this becomes an even stronger reality.