1. Interactive Boardmaker
Marcia Obukowicz
Cesa 9

3. Successful visual tools must be:
Easily recognized
Easily understood
Accessible
Easy right!
Let’s take a little quiz

4. What common words/phrases/pictures do these symbols represent?

5. Answers to “Picture Symbols are Easy” Quiz
Like
Again
Show me
Whole
Past
Fast
Correct
Short
Tomorrow
Word
Communication
That’s crazy!
Remember to LABEL your pictures and teach any symbol you use.
Remember to LABEL your pictures and teach any symbol you use.

6. Visuals can support Communication:
English Language Learner: visual cues language
Organization: labels, schedules, calendars
Behavior: Social stories and cue cards
Curriculum support: reading, writing, math, social studies and science
Centers and class activities such as games, songs and stories
And much more…
What is the impact of communication

7. A little chat about behavior

8. Here are some quick examples
Communication:
Max has trouble cueing up the words he wants to say. When the teacher asks him a question, he freezes. Early in the lesson the teacher shared a picture board with the class about animals that live in the forest. This board triggers a memory Max has about his dog meeting a skunk. He tentatively raises his hand…..

9. Who lives in the forest?

10. Communication
Cara uses symbols to communicate. She likes to play in the various centers but needs a way to communicate her play.

12. Communication can
be tricky. Consider
a typical conversation.
Have comment options
that make sense for the
situation.

13. Jose’s family recently moved to town
Jose’s family recently moved to town. He’s 4 and this is his first educational experience in English. He’s doing an art project and needs orange paint. So he says “naranja por favor.”
Using a board with the names of art supplies in Spanish and English the teacher asks him to point to what he needs. He points to the orange paint symbol. “ah naranja is orange.” Jose smiles as he carries the paint back to his desk.

14. Boardmaker has at least
44 languages to choose from.

15. Jason has trouble remembering his schedule and is upset by unexpected transitions. There are several therapies and specials each week. He hates making mistakes and can get pretty upset if he does.
His teacher decides to make him a picture schedule with clock faces by each activity so he can anticipate what time each change will occur. He checks a box as he finishes each activity so he knows where he is at and what will come next.

17. Alice has trouble waiting at the door. She is 4 and in EC
Alice has trouble waiting at the door. She is 4 and in EC. She rushes to get her coat on and if not watched will open the door that goes outside to playground that doubles as a bus pick up spot at the end of the day.
Her teacher decides to put a “stop” and “wait” symbols on the door at Alice’s eye level to help remind her to stop and wait for her teacher

19. Stu is included in 1st grade, working at his desk on his writer’s workshop project. He has trouble writing but he knows what words he wants to use if a picture is with them.
His teacher made simple sentence boards with pictures that can be added to make a sentence.
Stu “writes” about the blue bird he saw in a tree using the pictures to convey his story.

21. Matt is working on his math
Matt is working on his math. He does much better with manipulatives when he is counting. Today he is using “popcorn” for his math activity

23. Joan’s teacher has started circle time
Joan’s teacher has started circle time. Soon it will be time to pick a song. Joan is excited because there are so many fun songs to sing. She is shy about talking when the teacher calls on her but she knows which song she will pick from the board.

25. Brian finds social situations difficult to navigate
Brian finds social situations difficult to navigate. His speech therapist is helping him learn how to take turns when playing a game by using a social story.
Since Brian has trouble reading print she used pictures and symbols to convey what the story says.
They read it before playing a game and Brian is starting to wait his turn.

26. Using social stories to explain change and expectations

27. Lindsey has used pictures to support her reading
Lindsey has used pictures to support her reading. She is getting older now and is starting to read some sight words and wean herself from the full picture supported reading she had been using.

28. Use symbolate as picture supported reading
Use symbolate as picture supported reading. You can add pictures or change/delete symbols

29. Grinch in symbolate
You can
Edit symbols In
Symbolate
mode

30. Kelsey is in art class. She is quite good at painting, finding that other kids admire her work. She has Down’s Syndrome learning sign language and pictures to communicate. Her family speaks Hmong at home. She is very social but her speech is unintelligible and a lot of her classmates don’t know signs. She is new to the district and the IEP team thinks she may need a communication system to support her at lunch, in the classes she attends in regular education and ventures out into the community.

31. Art Mat

32. Symbol area

33. Working a category search: Can help fill a topic board quickly.

34. Working with Boardmaker
Silly Man vs. Mouse mode
Toolbar
Adding pictures

35. Using Your Digital Pictures
Navigating in Boardmaker
Working in symbol vs. arrow mode
Editing pictures selected
Importing pictures right to the board (Arrow Mode)
Import for symbol use (Symbol mode)
Adding 2 pictures in one symbol

36. Importing a picture to symbol library
Choose silly man mode
Paste item onto board
Symbol library definer will open
Name (1) and categorize (2) the symbol
Hit ok. (3)
Think Tagging 1 2 3

37. Scanning Pictures When would you want to scan a picture?
Stories
Characters in a story
Adapting text
Issue: Copyright
Why might we want to scan pictures?

38. Boards that use pictures
Classmates
Class Activities
Sequencing experiences
(dressing, routines, fieldtrips)
Pictures match real places
Backgrounds
Send to back or anchor to back important
Story boards/props
Choice boards
Social Stories

39. Editing Digital Pictures
On the Board
Adding as a symbol
Combining 2 pictures
Jpegs and Bitmaps
(more of an issue in Ver. 5)
Save the symbol made:
a) hold shift and select all
b) Copy
c) shift to symbol mode and paste
d) symbol adder will pop up.

40. Shuffling: Select all buttons to be shuffled, select edit menu, shuffle button

41. Saving Time Use premade activities Use premade templates
Make your own template
Make reusable activities
Don’t beat yourself
Too much too fast …
is too confusing

42. Premade activities to download: www.boardmakershare.com/

43. To Add Background Scenes to a board:
R click on picture on the board
Send to back or anchor to back important

44. Making a “my category”
Take the pictures you want to add to the symbol library
Put Boardmaker into “silly man” mode
Go to “File” – “import”
Select picture and when it comes in to the symbol making screen select “assign categories” “my categories” and name.

45. Symbolating a song Lyrics for Monster Mash song at
Lyrics for Monster Mash song at

46. Combining text for one symbol in symbolate
Click symbolate mode
Hold “ALT” key
Highlight text under symbol and type new combo
Release “Alt”
Mr. Grinch
Mail carrier

47. Adding voice to buttons or symbolate
Double click on button or symbolate box
Select basic tab
Choose how you want sound to come back:
Read it
Read and Highlight (option only in symbolate)
Record the song

48. Interactive Board Design Considerations
What is the end goal for this activity?
Will this be individual or a set?
Will we need a main board?
..\..\0910 Trainings\Bugs\The Color Books
Do we need spoken previews or button actions?
Navigate between pages?
Will buttons be moved?
Will we be writing with this board?
Do we need pop up support?
Will quick changes need to be made on the fly?

49. Building a main board: When linking start at bottom level and move up to main
Links between board are
managed through button actions
change boards or launch application
Start here

50. U and D modes D mode is for Design U mode is for Use.
Activities will not “play” in D mode
Activities can not be changed in U mode unless quick actions are applied.

51. Moveable Button Tool Add this tool to your BM toolbar Dynamic board to
Show
Moveable button tool

52. Creating Moveable Buttons
Click on moveable button tool
Name button click ok
Click and drag button to its “destination” and drop it.
Enter a name for the destination
You can add a speak message to the symbol when it arrives at the correct spot by assigning a speak message action to the destination
p156

53. Using moveable buttons/ snapback
Chose the duck on the toolbar
Click on a button, name it, do this for all buttons down below.
Drag one of the green buttons to the green button on the sentence bar, name this, it should be red, a destination button. Do this for each of the buttons.
Go to mouse mode
R click and chose moveable button properties, choose snap back or clone, hit ok
The button properties will come up hit ok and yes.

54. Snap Back and Clones 1) R click on the moveable button 2) Select Moveable button properties 3)Check the boxes for snap back and clone

55. Moveable Button: Clones

56. Working with Moveable Buttons Example
popcorn counter plus.bm2
P155

57. Decide what buttons need to do: Spoken Preview Read Text Navigate
Main Page:
Make a folder:
Open it
Make a content folder.
Levels: When navigating between
levels go to button action, cool stuff.
Hold down shift key and click
Launch application
This gives you a search box.
Decide what buttons need to do:
Spoken Preview
Read Text
Navigate
or…….

58. Think Template: Color Books

59. Button Action

60. Button Actions
Basics: Most commonly used actions, such as Speak Message,
Type Message, Change Board, etc.
Messages: Actions that control the function of a Message Display.
Board Change: Actions that link buttons to other boards or PopUps.
Text & Cursor: Actions that perform cursor movements and text selections.
Message Files: Actions that open and save text and picture documents.
Settings: Actions that allow a user to change access and preference settings.
Variables: Actions that are used to create conditional button responses, such as If, Else, Otherwise, etc.
Quick Actions: Actions used to create buttons that can be edited in Use mode.
Cool Stuff: Assorted useful actions, such as Random, Launch Application, and Set Picture.

61. Which text will you use? Type text you want it to say
Record is also an
option.
Uses text from the button

62. The three main tabs Basic: Voice, spoken preview, recorded messages
Board Change:
Navigation
Cool Stuff:
Launch movies and applications, random

63. Playing Movies Create a button Double Click on button
Select “Cool stuff”
Click “Play Movie”
Remember the movie works in use mode not design mode. Find a symbol to represent your movie.
Page 183

64. Random Name Generator

65. Voice change: duck pond alt voice.bm2

66. Talking Book Template
Directions are at my wiki:

67. Another Sample
..\..\My Boards\The Mitten

68. Beginning Design A simple talking book
Make a folder called simple book template
Save each Boardmaker page to it
Animate with “U” and check
Make a new folder copy and name
Select all (ctrl a)
Copy simple book template into the new folder to build the new story

69. A simple interactive board

70. Typing Boards
Create a message display button which can receive text and type it from a “board”
Select “Message display” from Dynamic Buttons and a message box will appear
Create typing board, giving each symbols the action of typing text to the message display.
Remember to space after each phrase…. P

71. Open Message Board Buttons that will type to the board are “taught” to do this in “button actions”

72. A simple message board Code to “Say message” in button action tab
messages
p141
If you want a picture with word, select basic tab in Button actions, choose Picture button, two choices will be given. Make sure to add what to say in the button speak tab or
check “use button text”
template

73. Other Features to Explore
Pop up windows ( Add choices without messing up the main board look)
Quick Action buttons ( Board adapted on the fly)
Launcher feature can launch other programs on the computer
Variable buttons that can respond differently depending on…..

74. Pop Ups: Corn Bread Used to conserve space
Make a folder for activity: pop ups are separate boards from the activity board. Folder keeps all the parts together.
Create activity board
Form pop up boards right over the top of activity board
assign all functions and select all buttons for the pop up board with shift key.
Reposition to where you want them. Make one button the change board back button. (Apply this through button actions under board change)
Go to dynamic boards, select create Popup Board, save in activity file you created!!!!!
Go back to original board, select cell, connect to popup through button actions, board change “Go to popupboard”
Pick board and click ok. P
Used to conserve space

75. Quick Actions: Changes in Use Mode

76. Tip for multiple board viewing
Use tile view to look at the boards you are building for an interactive page.

77. Printing Boards To decrease frustration check print set up
Choose landscape or portrait
Change page perimeters to match

80. Online Supports http://teachers.ocps.net/atteam/
Boardmaker’s updated learning materials site
Yahoo User group
Florida school user group exchange
Click under workshops and find Boardmaker Ax exchange