Writing Process:
I found this website to very helpful and great tool for
teachers to use. This website not only provides background information on the
writing process but provides additional recourses including lesson plans,
examples, print-outs, and mobile applications that can be used in connection
with the website. This type of software would most benefit students with
writing and reading difficulties both with disabilities and students just
needing additional support. This website is easy to navigate and can be used by
teachers and classrooms of all grades K-12. I would recommend this as a tool
when working with the writing process.
Graphic Organizers:
I have used
inspiration many times for my own work and have incorporated this tool into
lesson plans. Inspiration gives students the tools to analyze, interpret,
illustrate and present complex concepts more clearly. Any age student for any
topic can use this tool. A great tool for students who work better with visual
aids and teachers can use this to create visual aids for students. I would
recommend students and teachers using this to help incorporate the visual
component into the classroom for ALL students.
MindView
is a great program for students to access. Here they can organize their
thoughts, add different images and media, and when completed export to Word,
PowerPoint, or even a website/blog. Projects on MindView can be interactive
while ensuring an emphasis on the content material and not the use of
technology. Due to the complexity of this program I would recommend use of this
by older Middle School and High School classrooms. Again this is a great tool
for our visual learners.
Word Processing for Drafting:
LD Resources is a collection of resources on various aspects
of learning disabilities. This website started as a place for the founder to
share handouts with people and has grown to include many articles writing by a
variety of authors. In addition this website provides tools, lists of schools
and organizations, and other resources that will better help the Learning
Disability community. I found this website to be very bland. While the information
was very helpful this will primarily help teachers who are trying to better understand
some of their students.
Write: Out Loud is a software used to read the words as they
are written. This software includes spell checker, homophone checker, and
dictionary help. I have never personally used this software but know students
who have and have seen the difference in their work. This website is a great
resource to go to learn more about how and when to use the software and where
to acquire the software. In addition case studies are provided and further resources
are provided to help those looking for writing tools. I think this can be a
great place for teachers to explore who have students using this program I the
classroom to answer any questions or help teachers who are exploring new
options for their struggling students.
Word Prediction:
WordQ is software that assists with typing and proofreading by
providing features such as word prediction, highlighting, and auditory feedback.
The software can also read back text as the user types it. This is great tool
to help students with thought completion and those that struggle with proofreading.
I have never heard of this software but after viewing the demo online and
reading a variety of reviews I would be open to trying this in my classroom. It
is important to always have a variety of tools for students to use and this is
one that I will try. I would recommend use by older Elementary and above for
the best success.
Google Scribe is a program on the Google platform that
provides text completion service. Using information from what you have already
entered in a given passage, Google Scribe provides a related word or phrase to
complete the sentence. While I think this can be a great tool for students who struggling
with typing this may not allow students to fully complete a thought if a
software program is completing it for them. This software needs to be carefully
observed by teachers and used in appropriate situations for students who need
help typing and not completing thoughts.
Speech Recognition:
Dragon Speech Recognition software
uses your voice to create and edit documents or emails or manipulate different
applications and files. This software makes it easier for anyone to use a
computer despite your capabilities. While you talk into a microphone the
software transforms it into text, making it easier and quicker for you to
complete an assignment or task. I love this program and would recommend it for
almost anyone who has typing and writing difficulties as long as you can speak
slowly and clearly. This program is best used in quiet spaces to decrease noise
interference but I have used this and find it to be extremely helpful for those
that struggle with accessing computers.
SpeakQ software let’s you type the words you know and use your
voice to say they words you don’t know how to type. Speech recognition helps
students and individuals to write everything you say from single words to
entire phrases and thoughts. This program has more tolerance for speech
recognition of children, accents, and speech difficulties. I think this is a
great program because it allows you to mix typing and speaking to be able to
work to your fullest and push yourself while providing assistance when needed.
Because of the easy child voice recognition any individual with typing and
writing difficulties can use this tool.
Text-To-Speech:
TextAloud 3 is text-to-speech software that converts your
text into natural sounding speech. This can be done in word documents, emails,
web pages, and any other files on your computer. You can either listen on your
computer or make audio files for use on mobile devices. This programs best
benefits students with dyslexia or other reading disabilities to help improve
reading and comprehension by listening to a text while viewing it. Growing up I
used similar programs and found them incredibly helpful with my comprehension. Because
of the ability to transform audio files to mobile devices like iPods and cd
players, the audio can be listened to anywhere around the school or home to
make this program more useable. I would highly recommend using this software
with students who have reading and comprehension difficulties.
Read & Write is a software program that helps
individuals with reading and writing. This program helps students to use what
they reading and help turn it into complete compositions. This program includes
reading support such as: picture dictionary, speechmaker, text-to-speech,
screenshot reader, and PDF aloud and writing support such as: word prediction,
spell checker, verb checker, speech input, and speak while typing. This is a
great program to use for students who have difficulties with both reading and
writing to help make the connections and build confidence in these areas. This is
a new program to me however after reading reviews I will be adding this to my toolbox
of resources to access when I see my students struggling.
Phonetic Dictionary:
Write: Out Loud is a software used to read the words as they are written. This software includes spell checker, homophone checker, and dictionary help. I have never personally used this software but know students who have and have seen the difference in their work. This website is a great resource to go to learn more about how and when to use the software and where to acquire the software. In addition case studies are provided and further resources are provided to help those looking for writing tools. I think this can be a great place for teachers to explore who have students using this program I the classroom to answer any questions or help teachers who are exploring new options for their struggling students.
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