Presenter's Tools

Last week I posted about the cool timer's that are available online. There are also some other greate tools, for working in front of a group or class.

I have used ZoomIt for about a year now and it is a truly useful tool. On a Windows computer you can zoom in on a specific region, draw lines, rectangles, circles and even type text. Keyboard shortcuts allow you to change your pen color with: orange, red, blue green and yellow options. You can also color the screen to black or white for a sketch pad. There is a built in countdown timer that allows you to manage activities and whatever your are doing is gone with a quick click of the esc key on you keyboard.

Another feature I have found particularly useful is the fact that ZoomIt will run from a flash drive or with the latest release directly from the web. Meaning I don't have to download it or install it on a strange machine I may be using.

Now, you are probably asking: What about the MAC? Well, I used to tell people, "Sorry, you can use the control key and scroll up to zoom in, but no drawing or other cool features" Turns out that like so many other times in my life I was wrong. Omnidazzle on the Mac will give you a lot of useful features to present or instruct from a computer. It allows you to highlight areas, zoom in or create focus on you mouse. Additionally it has some features that make finding your cursor on a large screen easier.

Links:

ZoomIt: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897434.aspx

OmniDazzle: http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnidazzle/

A vision for the future: Gadgets

This video sure shows some unique perspectives and allows me to rant about two things I have been wanting to rant about.


Future Vision Montage


Ok first,

What does knowledge mean? We are fast approaching a time when access to what others have already studied and learned will be immediately accessible to anyone. I had a Botany class where I memorized 200 plants. I had to be able to recognize woody parts, leaves, and flowers. I could be shown anyone of them and would be required to recognize them. Do I remeber them now? NO! Well ok a few, but not most of them. If I had been taught how to accurately look them up and use a botanical key, I would still have that skill.

Second,
What gadget will we use? I don't know but it is clear we will use them. And we will use them to connect to people. Today I was waiting for an interview with a school district and suddenly on my phone I get a text. Former student wants to add me on facebook. So I text back add. Suddenly we are connected. Within a moment I get a new message

This is where things are going. We touch through tech. Not in some creepy way, but in the normal ways we have for years. We connect with people and interact, debate, discuss, and collaborate. I don't know exactly where we are going, but it's going to be a fun ride!

Citation Nods:

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=a517b260-bb6b-48b9-87ac-8e2743a28ec5

http://www.officelabs.com/Pages/Envisioning.aspx