CSDB Outreach Loan Bank Current Inventory

Software	Note Taking / Word Processing	Digital Technology and other
Inspiration Software and Idea Book	AlphaSmart Dana	Digital Video Camera
Kidspiration Software and Idea Book	AlphaSmart Neo	Mimio & LCD Projector
Clicker Software	Note taking set-up	Digital Still Camera
Wordbar Software	iCommunicator	TurningPoint classroom response units
BuildAbility Software		CapTel Phones
Visual Voice Tools

To request items fill out the forms here.

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Name: Dana by Alphasmart

Descripton: A alternative to laptop computers, the Dana uses the Palm OS and can be loaded with any Palm OS software. You can type or enter data using the keyboard or by writing with the Dana stylus directly onto the screen. With Dana, you can: print directly to selected printers; add MultiMediaCard (MMC) or Secure Digital (SD) cards; and easily exchange files with many popular PC applications like Microsoft Word and Excel.

Sample Educational Use: Students can use the Dana to take notes and outline papers. It can be used for any word processing tasks that a computer can do, but is portable and much less expensive than a computer. With additional software, the Dana can be used to teach keyboarding skills any has many other educational uses.

Click here to find other educational uses for this device.

Product Website: http://www.alphasmart.com/products/dana-w_In.html

Components: Dana, USB cable, carrying case, AC adapter (picture)

User Information: Use pages 15-28 of the user's guide that you find here.

Approximate Cost: $380.00

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Name: Neo by AlphaSmart

Description: Neo is easy to use, lightweight, and affordable — designed to provide a wide range of computing capability on its own, and to integrate effortlessly with desktop and laptop computers. It is a less expensive alternative to the Dana, but doesn't have quite the computing capability. It has a smaller screen than the Dana. It has a built in word processor like the Dana, but cannot use Palm OS software. It is compatible with Macintosh and Windows computers.

Sample Educational Use: The Neo is a portable technology that allows word processing, keyboarding, assessment and other uses. It can use a Co-Writer applet to assist special needs students write by suggesting words that they start to type.

Click here to find other educational uses for this device.

Product Website: http://www.alphasmart.com/products/neo_In.html

Components: Neo, USB cable, carrying case, AC adapter (picture)

User information: Click on "Basic" for introductory information

Approximate Cost: $250.00

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Name: Mimio & LCD Projector

Description: The mimio Xi is a portable and low cost device that attaches to any whiteboard (up to 4'x8' in size), connects to your PC/Mac and when used with a projector, allows you control your desktop applications and documents directly from the board. Without a projector, mimio enables you to digitally capture notes or drawings that can be saved, shared, and/or integrated into other materials.

Sample Educational Use: The mimio Xi can be used for interactive class activities that use the computer. It allows all students in the class to view the computer monitor at the same time, and to control the cursor from the white board. Any activities that can be done on the computer, can be done as a whole class activity on the mimio. The mimio also captures any writing on the white board. The notes written or brainstorming done can later be printed for discussion or study. Listed below is the mimio site that gives general information about classroom use, and a site that give activity ideas based on another white board technology.
http://www.mimio.com/solutions/education/index.php
http://www.d131.kane.k12.il.us/Bardwell/smartboard.html

Click here to find other educational uses for this device.

Product Website: http://www.mimio.com/products/capture/

Components: Software, capture bar, mounting brackets, styli, whiteboard markers, mouse insert, receiver and USB cable, eraser, power supply (picture)

User Information: basic how-to set up for mimio; quick troubleshooting for LCD projector. If you need Mac set up instructions, go to the product website and download the Mac version of the pdf

Approximate Cost: $800.00 (mimio Xi) $850.00 (LCD projector)

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Name: Kidspiration Software & Classroom Idea Book

Description: Software created for K-5 learners, it provides an easy way to apply the proven principles of visual learning. Students build graphic organizers by combining pictures, text and spoken words to represent thoughts and information. Kidspiration improves the  K-5 standards-based skills of: categorize and group, develop emerging literacy skills, build comprehension skills, express and organize thoughts.

Sample Educational Use:  Kidspiration can be used for brainstorming, story mapping, character mapping, illustrating story problems, showing relationships visually, etc. The Kidspiration site http://www.inspiration.com/resources/index.cfm gives many educational uses for the software and the book, Kidspiration activity book will give 32 ideas of how to integrate the software into classroom activities as well as 5 complete lesson plans for using Kidspiration.

Click here to find other educational uses for this software.

Product Website: http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/kidspiration/index.cfm

Approximate Cost: software: $64.00,  book: $20.00

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Name: Inspiration Software & Classroom Idea Book

Description: Students build graphic organizers to represent concepts and relationships and use the integrated outlining capability to further organize ideas for reports. Inspiration's integrated diagramming and outlining environments work together to help students comprehend concepts and information in language arts, science and social studies. Educators use Inspiration to customize instruction, achieve standards, assess student progress and energize learning.

Sample Educational Use: Inspiration software is a visual method to outline, brainstorm ideas, concept maps, and plan papers. It includes templates for various types of papers (e.g., a persuasive essay, conflict resolution) and allows students to write in outline form, and then actually compose their paper, using the outline. For more ideas, you can go to this website http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/inspiration/using_insp/index.cfm .The book Classroom Ideas Using Inspiration  For Teachers by Teachers is a practical guide for integrating Inspiration and visual learning into your classroom. This easy-to-follow book contains lesson plans at all grade levels in language arts, social studies and science including: brainstorming techniques, concept mapping in science, planning a web page and other multimedia projects, understanding stories using graphic organizers, analyzing events using the outline view. When you open Inspiration, you can click on "Learn to Use" and training videos are available to help you learn to use the program, or add features to your basic Inspiration documents.

Click here to find other educational uses for this software.

Product Website: http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/inspiration/index.cfm

Approximate Cost: software: $64.00, book: $20.00

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Name: Digital Video Camera

Description: Handheld Digital Video Camera, that also takes digital still pictures.

Sample Educational Use: Video learning activities, then have students "caption" them in writing or sign language to be performed/read while the video is running. Use the camera to make a "before and after" video of student skills in any area (reading, sign language, physical education, etc.) to share with parents. Video students in class doing some project to share with other classes. Preparation for oral reports can be videoed and then used by students to improve their delivery. Use video clips to put on the web to share special activities that take place in the classroom. Make a video diary of a unit to show time lines.

Click here to find other educational uses for this device.

Product Website: Canon USA

Approximate Cost: $320.00

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Name: Digital Still Camera

Description: Digital Camera with software, and cable connection to computer

Sample Educational Use: Any time students  need inspiration for writing, they can use a digital camera that they, or one of their classmates have taken. You can build up a library of digital pictures that can be kept on your classroom computer or on the server so that it can be accessed by all students. For more specific uses in the classroom you can try some of the following sites. This is a site titled "1001 Uses for a Digital Camera" has lesson plans in many areas for using a camera. This site  is a  has lists of uses for digital cameras. You can also do a Google search using "+lesson-plan +digital-camera" to find specific lesson plans using a digital camera.

Click here to find other educational uses for this device.

Product Website: Canon USA

User Information: Basic how-to

Approximate Cost: $300.00

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Name: Classroom Note taking Set-up

Description: Two notebook computers, a protective sleeve for each computer, a portable desk for note taker computer, a roller cart, one USB removable storage, and software loaded to mirror the note taker screen on the student monitor. Computers are connected via an ad hoc network, so no classroom network is necessary.

Sample Educational Use: A Deaf/Hard of Hearing student (usually high school) with sufficient reading skills to be integrated in a classroom with or without interpreter. A note taker would be in the classroom as well, taking real time notes (not real time captioning) so the student wouldn't have to take notes, and could have them available to check the content of the lecture.

Click here to find information about notetaking in the classroom.

Product Website: Items purchases included:  Dell Inspiron notebook computers;  Maxivista mirror screen software; Instand portable computer stand, a folding roller cart found on a retail website (similar to this), and notebook computer sleeves to protect the computers in the cart found on another retail site.

User Information: basic how-to, and instructions for the insTand stand

Approximate Cost: computers: $1050.00, software: $50.00, computer stand: $100.00, cart: $40.00, computer sleeves: $15.00

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Name: iCommunicator

Descripton: The iCommunicator consists of a laptop computer, software, wireless microphone and receiver. The speaker trains the speech recognition software (Dragon Naturally Speaking) to his or her voice, then wears the microphone in any situation where the user wants to have the transcription available. The transcription can be saved and used later for review of the lecture.

Sample Educational Use: Students with advanced English skills could use the iCommunicator as notetaking support for classes. The transcription does not include punctuation or capitalization, so the student would have to be able to use other cues to  understand the lecture. The student would also have to be able to figure out words that were transcribed wrong, and figure out what the correct word should be.

Click here to find other educational uses for this device.

Product Website: http://www.icommunicator.com

Components: computer, power cord (in 2 parts), wireless microphone (transmitter) and receiver, chargers for both transmitter and receiver, user's manual, training manual, carrying case

User Information: set-up information

Approximate Cost: $6,500.00 for computer, software, transmitter and receiver

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Name: Clicker Software

Descripton: Clicker is a powerful and incredibly easy-to-use writing support and multimedia tool, which enables you to write with whole words, phrases or pictures. It has won five BETT Awards, the 'Oscars' of British Educational Software - as voted for by teachers. It can be used to support any area of the curriculum.

Sample Educational Use: Clicker is a scaffolding device for student with idea, who have difficulty with vocabulary and spelling. It allows the teacher to supply specifics vocabulary, phrases, or even pictures for the student to choose to include in his writing. It can be used in any curriculum area, and is a word processor as well.

Click here to find educational uses for this software.

Product Website: http://www.cricksoft.com/us/products/clicker/

User Information: This is a web version of the Clicker handbook.

Approximate Cost: single user, $199.00, lab pack of 5 $399.00

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Name: Wordbar Software

Descripton:. Wordbar is a toolbar that sits along the bottom of your screen. You can click on words and phrases in Wordbar to send them to your word processor. It allows you: rapid point-and-click access to thousands of words, includes the latest speech technology and has a great looking user interface for any age

Words and phrases in Wordbar are organized into tabs - just click on tab to see a different set of words.

Wordbar comes with high-quality software speech so you can hear words or phrases before you write. You can also use speech voices for other languages, or record your own speech. It includes

• New file templates and grid templates at different heights, suitable for all age ranges
• Remembers not only the speech engine, but also the font for each Wordbar
• Change the height of tabs for improved visibility
• Send a Tab, Enter/Return or Space after the text when you click it
• Child-friendly Sassoon font included for new users who buy the CD-ROM
• Easy network support - even create a shortcut to each user's My Documents folder!

Sample Educational Use: Wordbar is a software program that allows students more independence in using new vocabulary. It give the student freedom to choose between words of similar meaning, and can be used to help students compose sentences using the correct parts of speech.

Click here to find educational uses for this software.

Product Website: http://www.cricksoft.com/us/products/wordbar/

User Information: This page has four different versions of the user’s guide—web based, .pdf, animated PowerPoint and unanimated PowerPoint.

Approximate Cost: Single user, $199.00, Lab pack of 5 $299.00

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Name: BuildAbililty Software

Descripton:. BuildAbility is the easiest-to-use authoring tool for building rich, single-switch early literacy activities and lessons. Teachers can build a complete multimedia page in just four easy steps — draw or choose a picture, add text, add sound and select the page advancement. The one-click toolbar lets you add the next graphic, text, sound, movie, your voice, student voices and the single-switch option. BuildAbility activities are easily shared with other teachers and parents with the free BuildAbility Player.

Sample Educational Use: You can create instant lessons or books with students sitting right there. Tie in topics that students are learning to build background knowledge. Easily include students' own drawings, their own experiences, voices or photos of familiar people and surroundings taken with a digital camera.

BuildAbility engages young learners with movement. Drawmation™ technology remembers each stroke you make on a page. As students read, pages are redrawn and the story dramatically unfolds. Story text is automatically read aloud and highlighted, helping students attend to words. BuildAbility books can be adapted versions of what the general class is reading, "how-to" books for daily tasks or about any topic. In order to u se Drawmation you need to use a drawing table. That can also be borrowed from the loan bank.

Click here to find online tutorials for this software.

Product Website: http://www.donjohnston.com/

User Information: The software includes teacher support. That support consists of:
Three training modules composed with BuildAbility
Story Selector for student access to sample stories
Learning materials
100+ photos, sounds and movies
Story Selector for student access to sample stories

Approximate Cost: Software-$99.00, picture disk-$40.00, video disk-$40.00, graphics tablet, $100.00

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Name: Visual Voice Tools

Descripton:. Visual Voice Tools™ is a collection of seven tools that help students and clients develop fine control of their voices. Beginning with simple sound awareness, students progress through multiple aspects of voice control. Students learn and practice fine control of pitch, loudness, voicing, and breath control for phonation.

Sample Educational Use: Visual Voice Tools provide visual and auditory feedback for students and clients who need to improve voicing, pitch, loudness, and timing. It sustains attention and interest during practice to improve vocal output

Click here for the product support page from Riverdeep.

Product Website: Click here

User Information: The program comes with a teacher's guide and CD in a 3-ring binder that includes all necessary user information

Approximate Cost: Single user, $199.00, Lab pack of 5 $399.00

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Name: TurningPoint Classroom Response Units

Description:. TurningPoint transforms the standard classroom PowerPoint  presentation into a powerful interactive presentation and captivates students' attention. Teachers can display questions, surveys, opinion polls and games that allow every student in the class to select a response via their response keypads ("clickers") and transmit the data immediately to the presentation.

Sample Educational Use: TurningPoint delivers immediate interactive response functionality to students and teachers. With it, teachers can evaluate the collective understanding of the entire class and track individual student learning at the point of instruction. Use TurningPoint for participation points, graded tests, and even state standards performance tracking . Reports are available to meet virtually all classroom needs from individual student participation scores to classroom results. Here is a link to a list of uses in the classroom.

Click here for information about using response units, "clickers" in the classroom.

Product Website: Click here

User Information: Click here for links to the entire user's guide, or specific chapters, or click for the quickstart guide page 1 and page 2

Approximate Cost: cost depends on the type of response card purchased, but a classroom set up of 30 including response cards and software can be purchase for less than $1,000.00. Contact TurningPoint for an exact quote.

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Name: CapTel Phones

Description: CapTel phone users place a call in the same way as dialing a traditional phone. As they dial, the CapTel phone automatically connects to a captioning service. When the other party answers, the CapTel phone user hears everything that they say, just like a traditional call. Behind the scenes, a specially trained operator at the CapTelSM captioning service transcribes everything the other party says into written text, using the very latest in voice-recognition technology. The written text appears on a bright, easy-to-read display window built into the phone. The captions appear almost simultaneously with the spoken word, allowing the phone users to understand everything that is said — either by hearing it or by reading it.

Sample Educational Use: Demonstration purposes for Hard of Hearing students whose speech is recognizable, but whose hearing is not acute enough to use regular phone services.

Product Website: Click here

User Information: The product website has the information necessasry for setting up and using the phones. For demonstrations purposes, the phone number to access captioning is with the equipment.

Approximate Cost: $350.00

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last edited: 02/04/2008