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The first update to Boardmaker for a number of years was released on 7th September 2010 – called Boardmaker Studio!

It includes many new features particularly in the areas of creating interactive activities for students to use to support learning on their computers or with Interactive White Boards or touch screens.

Why should you consider Boardmaker Studio in preference to Boardmaker or Boardmaker Plus! Version 6? Boardmaker Studio is most useful if you…

• Are new to Boardmaker and don’t have a particular preference for the traditional Boardmaker user interface;
• Are familiar with Microsoft Office-type applications and prefer to use software with those familiar icons and menus;
• Are uncomfortable using many of the advanced interactive features of Boardmaker Plus! but may be willing to create activities from the powerful Studio Starter templates built into Boardmaker Studio;
• Need to adapt lots of activities on various instructional topics for students with diverse needs (as Boardmaker Studio lets you create and adapt activities faster than you could with Boardmaker Plus!);
• And/or don’t want to have to rely on keeping the CD handy for use when starting Boardmaker Studio.
  

For more information on how the features of each version of Boardmaker compare – visit the Comparison Chart on the Spectronics website.

Answers to your questions

There will be MANY questions asked about this new release of Spectronics’ most popular software program! To help with answering many of these we have put together a comprehensive FAQ sheet downloadable as a PDF or viewable online if you are unable to download files. Contact us

with any further questions that you have – as always, we are happy to help.

A couple of key Q&A’s include the following.

• Will it be Networkable?
  
  • If you are asking about a version of Studio that will run from a server and can be accessed by workstations on a network, then the answer is currently no. However, Studio does have improvements that make it easier to perform remote installations over a network. The new MSI installer will support silent, push installations to other computers on the network.
    

• Do you need the CD in the drive to run the program?
  
  • No.
    

• Is there a Macintosh version of Studio?
  
  • No, at this stage, only a Windows version is available.
    

• Is there an “upgrade option” from my current version of Boardmaker?
  
  • No. DynaVox Mayer-Johnson are not allowing upgrades from previous versions – as they see this as quite a different program to the current Boardmaker Plus! and Boardmaker programs. But, if you purchased Boardmaker Version 6 or Boardmaker Plus! Version 6 within the past 30 days, you are welcome to return the program, as per Spectronics’ standard return policy, and purchase a copy of Boardmaker Studio instead.
    

• What will happen to Boardmaker Plus! and Boardmaker Version 6?
  
  • No changes there. DynaVox Mayer-Johnson plan to continue selling and supporting those products – so Spectronics will continue to offer them to you! And of course, we will continue to support any technologies purchased from us for the life of the product.