Keep checking back for additional practice exercises!  Feedback as to the usefulness of these exercises would be greatly appreciated!  Send e-mail to:  julie@aacintervention.com

Choose from the following Practice Exercises:

• Using Screen Shots on a Macintosh and Saving them to BoardMaker Practice Exercise
• Downloading Computer Software to Video

Materials Needed: Macintosh computer loaded with BoardMaker

What? In this practice exercise, you will take a screen shot of the teddy bear desktop picture, import it to Board Maker and save it.

Why?
1)  To expand the number of pictures readily available through BoardMaker.
2)  Screen shots are exact reproductions of what you see on the computer monitor.  They can be used in applications such as communication boards and/or "cheat sheets" when no other picture is available and/or where a more concrete representation is needed.

How?
Go to the apple menu in the upper left hand corner of your Mac
Click and hold
Scroll down to "Control Panels"
Select "Desktop Patterns"
Scroll through the various patterns to the teddy bears
Be sure your cursor is not positioned on the picture (otherwise your screen shot picture will display your cursor as well)
Simultaneously press "Shift+Open Apple+3".
Info: You will hear a sound like the shutter in a camera
Info: Screen shots are saved on the hard drive in the order they are taken as "Picture 1, Picture 2 etc."
Open your hard drive
Double click on "Picture 1"
Use the cross hairs to highlight the portion of the picture you wish to copy. In this teddy bear example, highlight one entire teddy bear
Copy the picture (either from the Edit menu or from the keyboard using "Open Apple + C")
Open BoardMaker
Click on the "funny looking guy" to take you to the BoardMaker libraries
Be sure you are in the color libraries (found under the Preferences menu)
Type "teddy bear" in the find box. This will take you to the existing BoardMaker teddy bear picture.
Paste your new teddy bear picture (either from the Edit menu or from the keyboard using "Open Apple
+ V"
Click "Change" after Picture Name
Type in "teddy bear"
Click "OK"
Congratulations You now have another teddy bear picture in your BoardMaker library

More? Screen shots can be taken from any program and imported to BoardMaker or other programs. For example, use screen shots:
1)   in creating directions on how to access various computer programs
2)  on communication boards for more realistic representations of software choices
3)   with Overlay Maker from IntelliTools

Copyright 1999 Julie Maro.  All rights reserved.
On the web at: aacintervention.com e-mail: julie@aacintervention.com
Permission given to copy as long as credit is maintained.

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GOAL:  Take any software and "download" it to a VHS so kids can see it
at home (obviously, you need to have the copyright on this software, but
you can do this with anything you make!)

MATERIALS:
Mac A-V Card or G3 AV Ready
Cables - yellow & white phone plugs on both ends
(I decided to just try the cables that came with my videocamera -
Voila!  They worked!)
VCR with audio and video in ports (must be near computer)

PROCEDURE:
1)  Attach cables from Audio Out port on computer to Audio In port on
VCR, from Video Out port on computer to Video In port on VCR
*note* - I had to get an adaptor from Radio Shack to make this work - it
converted from Phone Plug to stero mini plug - I just took the cable
into Radio Shack and told them what I wanted to do in my best Southern
accent and it worked!

2) Pull up the software you want to use on your computer (e.g.,
IntelliPics Cash for Trash)

3) Put a blank tape in your VCR and turn on VCR

4a) PowerMac Instructions: Go into Control Panels, Monitors, Options -
select Display Video on Television - your computer monitor will go blank
(gasp!)

Here's the tricky part - makes my little heart go pitter patter just to
think about it!
I typically press every button on my TV/VCR handset until I find the
right one, and just tried them all to figure it out - then I remembered
that I DID put this on my computer - press <Input> on your remote
handset, and it should show the computer screen on your VCR monitor.

4b) G3 Instructions: Open Control Tab on bottom left of monitor; choose
Monitor icon; select <Turn TV mirroring on>; you will get a message
telling you to be sure a tv monitor is connected - you may have to
select <Input> on your TV remote handset (see 4a, above); if you see the
picture on your monitor, select OK and you will see the picture on your
computer AND on your TV monitor.

5) Press <Record> on your VCR, then immediately start running the
desired program on the computer.  When finished, press <Stop> on your
VCR, rewind and see if it worked, redo if necessary, until you have what
you want.

Good luck!  Let me know how it goes (remember, if you have a TechnoAce
with you when you try this, it will be FAR less stressful!)

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