Safari iOS 5 New Features and Enhancements

Although there has been a lot hype about iOS 5 integration with iCloud and Twitter, I was pleasantly surprised by the many enhancements to the latest version of Safari included with the update. Below is a summary of these enhancements, some of them expected, others less obvious to discover. 

• Multiple tabs are expected of course but the speed and reliability in opening tabs are a welcome relief over my struggles with Atomic Web browser (which will be dropped from my app list).
  
• Navigation is much faster when browsing through web sites such as NY Times. Even browsing is improved within the ANGEL CMS, although there are significant issues with mobile browsing support by Blackboard, but that is a topic for another day.  
• Tap the Bookmarks icon and choose Reading List to add pages to be read later and synchronized with other iOS devices. (You will need an iCloud account and turn on Bookmarks to enable synchronization.) 

• Safari has made distraction free reading - made popular with Readability - as easy as the desktop version with the option to listen to the text as well. Simply click the Reader button in the address bar to strip away distracting sidebars, advertisements, and animation. Select text and click the Speak button to have the words read back to you. (Not surprisingly it does not appear that the Speak button is available in iBooks, Newsstand or commercially sold media.) First open the Settings app and choose General > Accessibility > Speak Selection. 

Web site: http://cdc.gov/obesity/causes/index.html  

• AirPrint still requires an AirPrint enabled printer or special software installed on your Mac or PC (see section below). I especially like the Send to Evernote and Dropbox option with Printopia. 

• Finally with the new version of Safari Mobile you can download attachments and open them with Apple or third party apps that support the corresponding file types (e.g. PDF with Goodreader or iBooks, PowerPoint with Keynote or Evernote) - very nice! 

Printing with AirPrint

Although wireless printing is now available with an iPad, direct printing to a wireless printer is restricted to a select number of HP printer models:http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/airprint.html.
There are currently three workarounds that I know, all of which require connecting a printer to an AirPrint enabled Windows or Macintosh computer. The printer can be connected directly via USB or by Print Sharing (which I have not yet tested).

• Run AirPrint Hactivator by following these instructions:http://netputing.com/2010/11/11/airprint-hacktivator/. A free, not-so-elegant at your risk solution for MacOS X.
• Run AirPrint Activator for Windows by following these instructions:http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/11/26/airprint-activator-for-windows-lets-you-print-from-ios-on-window/ . A free, not-so-elegant at your risk solution for Windows.
• If you have a Macintosh, Printopia (7-day trail, $9.95 for paid version) is easy-to-install and provides an option to print directly to a printer on your wireless network, print a PDF file to the Macintosh running Printopia, send a PDF to Dropbox (in the folder Printopia), and send a PDF to Evernote. The Macintosh must be running and logged on to the same wireless network as your iPad. If you have iWork apps installed such as Keynote or Pages, then you can print selected slides or pages. Follow these steps to install:http://www.ecamm.com/mac/printopia/instructions.html

Assistive Mobile Technology to Help Students Succeed

Title: Assistive Mobile Technology to Help Students Succeed

Format: Poster Presentation PDF of actual poster

Where: SUNY Plattsburgh, Angell College Center

When: Wednesday, May 26, 6:30 - 7:45 pm

The iPod touch is a multipurpose mobile device that provides easy access to text, images, media, and an enormous library of free and low-cost educational apps. The mobility and relative affordability of an iPod provides opportunities for students with assistive learning needs to succeed in the classroom using technology that was previously limited to a computer, was difficult to use, and expensive. The iPod's touch screen interface reduces anxiety for students by empowering them to quickly master essential tools that facilitate learning and engagement.

Using a combination of free or low-cost applications the iPod touch can be transformed into a video player, audiobook player (with or without text), voice recorder for recording lectures, specialized e-text reader, text-to-speech converter, speech dictation device, sound amplifier, and online reader of reference materials. Aside from its obvious use as a stand-alone mobile device, the iPod is an ideal companion for a laptop or desktop computer because of its portability, touch screen interface, and on-the-go access. Listed below are a number of scenarios that provide opportunities for students to improve their success in the classroom.

Scenario - PDF's to Audiobooks

For many students comprehension of printed text materials depends on reading and listening to the text at the same time. Although it is possible to scan printed materials into electronic format the process is tedious and inaccurate. Read more ...

Scenario – Recording Class Lectures

A number of instructors are recording their lectures for course casting that provides opportunities for students to review materials for reinforcement or that they missed. If course podcasts are not available, then students can request permission from their instructor, especially if they are registered through their office of accessibility services. Read more ...

Scenario - Listening to Blogs

Blogs provide important opportunities to reflect and write in an open environment for learning through feedback, revision, and sharing. Converting a blog to spoken text provides many opportunities for students to reinforce learning. Read more ...

Scenario – Mobile Text-to-Speech

Although desktop software such as Flame Reader and iSpeak It! provide more features, control, and organization of text-to-speech recordings, they typically require a three-step process: convert text to speech, copy the recording to iTunes, and copy the spoken text to an iPod touch. Read more ...

Scenario – Reading E-books

Electronic readers provide students access to an enormous library of free and electronic books, periodicals, and newspapers that can be directly read on an iPod. Although the use of e-books is already growing, there is expected to be a substantial impact when the iPad and other touch screen tablets reach the market in early spring. Read more ...

Scenario – Speech Recognition

The potential for speech recognition is significant and already practical with new apps such as Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search, although the free version has limitations. Human speech is processed and recognized through online servers that provide opportunities for inputting text without having to type. Read more ...

Notes

Except for the lack of a built-in camera and cell phone capability, an iPod touch connected to a Wi-Fi network and equipped with an optional microphone is closely functional to an iPhone — without the monthly wireless costs. Refer to the section Microphones for a listing of recommended iPod microphones.

Microphones

There are a number of iPod touch microphones available, varying in quality and price - some up to $40 each. I have tried these low-cost mics with good success.

• For under $2.00 at Amazon the Mini Capsule Microphone is of surprisingly high quality, although it’s really small and easy to misplace. Buy more than one.
• The $8.00 Headset Adapter + Microphone includes a 30" cable and clip-on mic that claims to work with the 1G iPod Touch in addition to the newer 2G-3G models. Plug in a stereo headset and you have a hands-free speaking and listening device - really handy when carrying on phone conversations with Skype.

Resources

• iSpeak It: http://www.zapptek.com/ispeak-it
• Stanza: http://www.lexcycle.com
• Enhancing Audio Podcasts for Online and Mobile Learning: http://www.slideshare.net/mpondu/enhancing-audio-podcasts-for-online-and-mobile-learning
• Assistive learning tools: http://atmac.org
• Touching student lives in the classroom:
• http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/story.php?itemID=16472 - choose iPod touch for Meeting the Needs of Special Learners.
• The Assistive Technology Blog: http://www.assistivetechnology.vcu.edu
• Assistive Technology in Education -iPod: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Assistive_Technology_in_Education/iPod

Converting PDF's to Audiobooks

Scenario - PDF's to Audiobooks

For many students comprehension of printed text materials depends on reading and listening to the text at the same time. Although it is possible to scan printed materials into electronic format the process is tedious and inaccurate. Some publishers will provide audio materials in a format that requires a special player such as a Victor Reader. Typically these players are cumbersome to use, bulky, and are not integrated within a student's learning environment. There is also the stigma of having to carry around the device. In this scenario publishers provide searchable PDF files usually by chapter.

Attention! Conversion of copyrighted materials can only be used by students who have purchased the textbook and are registered with the office of accessibility services. The PDF’s and converted spoken text cannot be distributed.

Software: PDF to text converter; iSpeak It! for Macintosh or Flame Reader (Windows); iTunes for Macintosh or Windows http://www.apple.com/itunes

Hardware: iPod Touch for reading and listening; portable media for audio only.

Process

• Open the PDF document - typically a chapter file - and convert it to text (Macintosh Preview, Adobe Acrobat, CutePDF for Windows, or http://zamzar.com).
• Copy and paste the text into FlameReader for Windows or iSpeak It! for Macintosh
• Convert text into MP3 or AAC audio format.
• Add the recording to iTunes and then tag the audio recording.
• iSpeak It for Macintosh provides options to facilitate tagging, bookmarking, and categorizing the spoken text as an iTunes audiobook. In addition the text is copied to the Lyrics tab.
• Copy the recorded chapters to the iPod Touch. Students can read and listen at the same time or listen only.

Converting Text-to-Speech for iTunes and Mobile Playback

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