Overview

Welcome to lesson 7 of 9 in the Assessor's Course. This lesson will provide you with an overview of the scanning features available with SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader.

Lesson objectives

After studying this lesson, you will be able to:

• Correctly name the scanning feature available with SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader and state the editions that support the feature.
• Correctly name the SuperNova feature that enables you to view and magnify printed material using a supported camera and state the rule of thumb that ensures camera compatibility.
• Correctly name the SuperNova feature that enables you to connect and view the output from an external computer and describe one scenario where such a setup may be of benefit.

This lesson should take no more than twenty minutes to complete.

This lesson applies to:

• SuperNova Magnifier.
• SuperNova Magnifier & Speech.
• SuperNova Magnifier & Screen Reader.
• Dolphin ScreenReader.

Please be aware that sections of this lesson apply to specific editions. Where this is the case, you will be informed.

Scanning (OCR)

You will find available with the editions that support speech, namely, SuperNova Magnifier & Speech, SuperNova Magnifier & Screen Reader and Dolphin ScreenReader an optical character recognition (OCR) feature, which enables you to:

• Scan and read printed material such as newspapers, magazines, letters and leaflets using a compatible scanner or camera connected to your computer.
• Scan and read inaccessible PDF files such as files that comprise scanned images of printed pages.
• Scan and read text that appears in an image file such as a JPEG.
• Scan and read images you copy to the Windows Clipboard.

You can choose to open and read your converted text in the following programs:

• SuperNova Doc Reader.
• Microsoft Word.
• Text editor.
• Dolphin EasyReader.

Or you can choose to upload the file directly to your Google Drive for later review. Uploading to your Google Drive enables you to store and share the file, which may prove beneficial if you work at multiple locations on different computers, for example, a student wishing to gain access to their classroom handouts on their home computer.

Magnifying objects with a camera

Available with each of the SuperNova editions is a "Connect and View" feature. This feature enables you to connect a HD camera to your computer and project items such as newspapers, magazines, handouts and objects onto your computer screen.

You can position the camera's output to appear at the top, bottom, left or right side of the screen and set it to fill 80%, 50% or 20% of the screen area. You can also set the camera's output to "Full Screen". While in each of these different view modes, you can use CAPS LOCK + MIDDLE MOUSE BUTTON to switch between the camera's output and your desktop.

When the camera's output has focus, you can manipulate the image in the following ways:

• Magnify.
• Rotate.
• Lock (freeze).
• Adjust contrast.
• Apply a colour scheme.
• Copy the image to the Windows Clipboard.

The image you copy to the Windows Clipboard is the full image, irrespective of the size of magnification you are using. You can also press CAPS LOCK + P to copy the image to the Windows Clipboard.

If you are using a SuperNova edition supporting OCR, you can also convert the captured image to a more accessible format.

Tip: As a rule of thumb, if a camera states it supports Skype video calls, then you can use it with SuperNova. You can learn more about the recommended hardware on the Dolphin website.

Projecting a whiteboard onto your computer screen

SuperNova enables you to connect to and view the output of another computer screen such as a teacher's whiteboard on your computer screen. You can view and manipulate the output in a similar way to your viewing of a HD camera's output including magnifying, rotating, locking, changing colours, copying the image to the Windows Clipboard and performing an OCR on the captured image.

The connection between the computers is through a secure virtual network connection and requires the computers to be present on the same local area network (LAN). SuperNova is able to display the output from the second computer and track the computer's focus but does not effect the output or actions of the computer.

VNC is a type of software that makes it possible to view another computer over a network connection. There are a number of free and low cost VNC software programs available. These include tight VNC, Ultra VNC and Real VNC. The VNC software must be installed and running on the teacher's computer for SuperNova to make a connection. The VNC software does not need to be installed on the computer running SuperNova.

To assist in the VNC setup, Dolphin include a simple to follow and quick to install Whiteboard Wizard, which you can download free-of-charge from the Dolphin website. This utility makes it easy for teachers, trainers and other persons to provide and withdraw access to their computer with a single click of a desktop icon.

Summary

In this lesson you reviewed the scanning features available with SuperNova and Dolphin ScreenReader.

You discovered that the OCR capability is included with the editions that provide speech output and that you can view the converted text in various programs and that you can upload the converted file directly to Google Drive.

You also reviewed the SuperNova Connect and View feature, which enables you to view and manipulate images projected onto your computer screen from a digital camera and whiteboard. The Connect and view feature provides an ideal solution for students, enabling them to easily view handouts and presentations on their computer screen while also being able to follow on their screen a teacher's presentation.

Quiz

Below are three sample quiz questions based on this lesson. Please spend no more than five minutes considering the answers to these questions.

1. SuperNova Magnifier enables you to convert an inaccessible PDF file to text using the "Scan and Read" feature. Is this statement true?
2. You can magnify, rotate and change the colours of the image captured from a HD camera. Is this statement true?
3. Students using SuperNova to view a teacher's presentation through the "Connect and View" feature can control the teacher's computer. Is this statement true?

End of lesson

Thank you for completing this lesson. Please select 'Next Lesson' below to continue to the next part of this course.

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But before you move on, here are the answers to the quiz questions:

1. False.
2. True.
3. False.