Technology Tuesday

Chris’s Corner 

"No One But Chris puts Chris in the Corner" 

Manhattan Project Update Part III: “STAY CALM!” 

Welcome back, everyone! Here are the newest updates for the Manhattan Project. At the last installment of Chris’s Corner, I mentioned that we were developing a new tool that would go beyond basic currency review and be realized as a fully interactive tool for adding and subtracting sums of money, thus limiting the need for staff intervention the double-check money sums as participants go through ingredient lists. It is this tool that is this week’s focus.

This tool (for which we don’t yet have a title) can be used either in conjunction with the AbleLink Visual Impact app used in meal preparation, or can be used as an independent practice tool. When an individual opens up this program, this is the first thing they see:

 

There is clearly a massive and very out of place Tyrannosaurus Rex in the kitchen, but stay calm! He turns out to be extremely courteous, and is merely there to prepare dinner. Tragically, due to the comical proportions of his arms, he is unable to reach anything, and therefore needs help. The participant can then choose from a number of recipe choices (we have 3 developed to date), or can opt to practice independently.

 When participants choose a recipe item, this becomes the “list.” They are then directed to the store, which looks like this:

Upon arrival at the store, they are then prompted to indicate whether or not they would like a tour. The tour is basically a walk-through of each component on the page. Participants can add or remove coins or dollar bills to the counter, and a running total is displayed on the right of the screen. Either the target total or the running total can be selected at any time to prompt the program to speak it aloud. Clients can also receive hints at any time. Once the two totals match up, participants are prompted to count out the coins and bills as shown on screen (Participants can also opt to see the most efficient way a total can be made, i.e., one can use 75 pennies for something costing $.75, but three quarters is much more efficient). This process goes on until all the ingredients have been purchased, or until the participant quits the activity.

As I mentioned earlier, this tool currently being tested, and there are a few things that need to be done to optimize it, but it’s already a lot of fun.

Stay tuned for more updates!