Card Reader

(for digital cameras)

Left: my Card Reader        Right: optional or your own camera card/digital film

My software tries to be very personal with the learner/user.  It *wants* you to customize it for each Learner.  Yes, I know, it's time consuming.  But the people for whom I struggle to make great software for, often respond to a very select group of reinforcers.  That means getting real pictures of real things into 2 of my programs:

Point To Pictures:  Designed for 'severe-profound' populations (please excuse the 'label'), my AAC *training* program acknowledges the narrow spectrum of real-world 'things' (toy, person, food, activity, item, etc.) that the Learner will understand, desire, and work for.  It is imperative that you use a digital camera to get those actual 'things' into the program.  And it is further critical that you actually *give* the Learner that thing when they 'request' it (through touchscreen, mouse, joystick, Intellikeys, or switch).

Spell-A-Word:  With Learners under 10, or for those that require 'extra' motivation, digital pics of real-world 'things', once again, allow the Learner to be motivated and truly understand word/phrase meaning.  Of course, you must follow through and actually *present* that 'thing' to the Learner upon sucessful completion of that word/phrase.  If they truly want the 'thing', they will work for it.

OK, now to the 'meat of the matter'! 

Use any digital camera you want...but do NOT use its cable to connect it to the computer.  Do NOT even *install* the software that came with the camera. You see, most cameras these days use digital film called SD cards (there are card readers available for all camera cards; I sell only SD because that is the most popular).  And the card hold a *bunch* of pictures.  And the card is removable from your camera.  Many laptops *have* a card reader built in.  But most desktop computers do not.  And that is the 'meat of the matter'!

Use a USB Card Reader to get your pictures onto your computer!  And then *any* program (mine, MS Word, Classroom Suite, *anything*) can access the pictures directly!  It's soooooo much easier.  Plugging your 'digital film' into a card reader will act as just another drive on your system.