1. BY EILEEN R GARZA, PHD, OTR, ATP
BOARDMAKER 6 PLUS
BY EILEEN R GARZA, PHD, OTR, ATP

2. Opening screen
No board is loaded…..yet

3. File menu
Gives you access to a new board, open a board you previously made or open a template that was developed by Mayer Johnson. Recent boards will list items you have recently worked on.

4. New Board
If you select “New” you will get a fresh board. The ruler lets you tell the size and orientation of the board.

5. New board continued
The dashed green line lets you know that your configuration between the program and the printer do or do not match. For example, here the printer is set for portrait, but the program is set for landscape.

6. Paper matches setup
Ideally you will want your green line to match your paper size. This lets you maximize your use of paper.

7. Let’s look at the toolbar
The Ugly man brings up the Symbol Finder. We will look at that more in a minute.

8. The arrow
This tool allows you to select a cell or part of a cell for editing.

9. The cell tool
This is the tool with which you draw a cell or button.

10. To free hand draw a button

11. The cell sprayer
Lets you reproduce a cell multiple times in seconds! Just select the tool, then left click on a cell, hold and drag.

12. The line tool
Lets you draw lines on the board or in your button/cell.

13. Your text tool
Lets you place or replace text on the board or in the cell/button.

14. Symbolate tool
Pairs text with a symbol for supported reading. Great for social stories.

16. Color palate
Depending on the feature you have highlighted, this will allow you to change the background, border, or other features of a board or button.

17. Line thickness

18. Cell/button shape

19. Shadow tool
Primarily for when making dynamic screens for communication devices.

20. Zoom tools
For fine tuning. Use of these tools does not change the size of what is printed.

21. Let’s make a button!
Choose your button tool. To make a perfect square, hold your shift key down while you drag from the corner.

22. Now let’s make more!
Take your spray tool.
Drag it across the page.

23. You can do the same thing with a filled button.

24. The Symbol Finder tools
The top part is the search command. The input could need to be at the beginning of the word, the exact word, or somewhere in the word.

25. Search Window
Where you type in the title of your search.

26. All symbols view
When you click this button you view all icons that fit with the search you indicated in the window.

27. Categories
If you click this button you can see all the categories in the program. If you make custom icons you will label and file them according to the categories.

28. Change symbol names
This tool is also used when custom icons are to be saved to the library. You can indicate the search terms that you will want related to the icon. If you change a name this way, it is a permanent change.

29. Alternate names
If you click the drop down you can see alternate names for your symbol, or type in the text you want to appear on this particular board.

30. The toolbox lets you set the parameters for the text, what size, location, language, etc.

31. Lasso tools
Let you select part of the button to use it in your custom button. You can choose the rectangular one or the free hand lasso.

32. Open Board
Will direct you to the “My Boards” folder where you have saved your custom boards. They should be saved to your H drive.

33. Open Template
Will take you to the templates that ship with the software or can be added from the website.

34. Templates Communication devices Schedules Calendars Displays
Activity pads

35. Keyboard commands speed you up.
Ctrl A Select all
Ctrl C Copy
Ctrl V Paste
These commands are common to many other programs.

36. Additional resources are available at the following websites:
library/asp
ies/storyReader$4
EZRA_AAC_resources_May_2007_FINAL4.pdf

37. and many many more!

38. Take a few minutes and play.