Monday, May 6, 2013

Module 3


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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