Fast For Word- a computer program for auditory processing/phonological awareness

A few days ago I was speaking at a conference in Melbourne, Australia, and got chatting with the cameraman. "I'm really interested in this," he told me.  "My son struggled."

I asked what the problem was and what he had done. "It was auditory processing," he said, "but now my son's fine."

So now I was really interested too! We talked for a while.  He told me he had bought a piece of software, sat down with his son and, over a period of a few weeks, played with it, and, "It worked."

I have no experience of this program myself, I'm just passing on what I was told.  But maybe it's something you might like to investigate if you've been told your child has trouble with auditory processing?  The program cost around $400 AU, which is probably a lot less than paying for ongoing help from a speech therapist.  These things can be very expensive. Often it's the personal one-on-one time that's the crucial factor.  Good luck!

Dictation software - reviewed by a savvy teen

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A couple of times on this blog I have mentioned voice-to-text software.  Specifically, I’ve talked quite a bit about Dragon Dictate.  But don’t just take it from me.  If you’re looking into this and would like a simple account from someone who’s current and having the same kinds of organizational and writing problems you have, check out this article featuring young teens who are finding better ways to study.

Abbie (14) raves about using a big wall calendar. Her best tip:  “I mark not just the date when something has to be finished, but the date when I need to start on it".

Eli (13) is a dab hand at using Dragon Dictate: “I probably add over 50% more detail when I’m doing it this way,” he says of dictating his essays.

Software to read your book aloud

If you're thinking of buying text-to-voice software, here's a rundown of 3 of the many products you will find.

1.  Kurzweil  - Kurzweil 3000 (Mac or Windows compatible) will reproduce scanned text on screen, with pictures, as it appears on paper, and highlights the line and word as it reads it  to you, helping you read along. Extra tools include bookmarks, sticky notes, and options to have the text read in English, French, German, Spanish or Italian. The cost seems to hover around $900 US (for the 1000 version) so it's pricey for individuals.  

2. Natural Readers -  Mac and Windows compatible, this product seems to do much the same as Kurzweil with prices ranging from $50 to $300.

3. Speak It - An app for your iPad, costs $1.99 and gets good reviews. Worth a look. 

Dyslexia and The Blur Effect

Black is black.  But to help a dyslexic reader, should it be a little bit gray? 

You’ve probably heard the idea that pink paper is a good color to print on because it seems to help a lot of dyslexics read better, now teachers are saying there are other really easy and really helpful things we can do on our print ups and computer screens.

Make your font an off-black and your background an off-white.  -Shades of gray may make a big improvement to the blur effect a lot of dyslexics experience.

Click here for the full article and other easy tips.

Goodbye to the GPS?

Is the GPS already on its way out?  -A friend just raved to me about his latest $2.99 app that does ...all the very same stuff. 

Where To is another nifty app. from Apple.  They give their blurb here. 

Apps, Apps, here come Dictation Apps

  

In an earlier post I talked about using Dragon Naturally Speaking on your computer.  Now, in the same Dragon series, here are a couple of FREE apps you might want to check out:

Dragon Go!  - Allows you to speak what you're searching for on the web - Google, Wikipedia, Youtube are defaults. You can also search for maps (using the location function), Twitter, and more. 

  

Dragon Dictate - Is for taking down memos and short notes. It can make the occasional error when it’s competing with background noise, or if you mumble your words- but still pretty good.  If Dragon Dictate is too inaccurate for your speech, you can add in a Voice Memos app which will just record your note as audio.

Is it Time for You Tube?

 

"Silly videos, crass practical jokes, music videos, bloody street fights; you name it, you can probably see it on YouTube. But what many of us (teachers, that is) are finding out is that the site is also rich in serious, professionally made videos that can teach our students a lot."

...I have mentioned Mister Teacher before on this site because he has a lot of fab things to say, and not in a long-winded way, on technology.  Personally, I need to make better use of technology, it's way high on my list of stuff I absolutely, definitely, really must get onto.  If you're in that position too and are interested in using You Tube for teaching, and are on the brink of doing instead of blah blahing, like slouchy me, check this out.

Speak (your essay!) and the computer writes what you say

If you struggle with typing/writing your essays, you should check out a great computer program known as a "speech to text" program. I asked an assistive technology expert how it all works, what it costs, and other stuff, and here are the answers.

Ben, in simple terms, what IS this program?

This software program, called Dragon Naturally Speaking or “Dragon.” will type what you say, almost like your personal secretary.

How do I start?

You sit at the computer with a headset and microphone on, much like the people who work the drive-thru at either Dunkin Donuts or Mc Donalds would wear. The computer program asks you to read aloud a story. You choose from an easy story written by children to an advanced speech from President Robert F. Kennedy, it's up to you. The computer will “learn” the sound of your voice and adapt to you. When you're finished, the computer is trained to your voice and can type what you say fairly accurately.

Ben, you see people using this program all the time, what are your best tips?

The Dragon program works very well for those who aren't great at typing. The big limitation is that you should know beforehand what you want to say. -Otherwise you may be tongue-tied or waste time saying "ummm". It's best if you have notes, or the whole essay, jotted down for yourself when you begin.

How much is it?

The Dragon Naturally Speaking program isn't expensive. There is a version available from Best Buy for under $50. It's in most computer stores and the most expensive versions are still under $300.

Which students get most use out of this?

The ones who come prepared, with notes jotted down, and stick with it for a few hours until they really get the hang of it. Once you have done the initial training you can work fast but the training part, even though it's really only an hour or two, can put off some students.

When you say training, is that the part where you read the story?

Yes. You can read one story or more if you want to. You can read one story and then start with your own work straight away. The point is that the more the computer hears of your voice, the more accurate it gets at writing up what you say. Oh, and you can take breaks of course.

Can you fix mistakes in the print, say, for example, you say "patch" and the computer writes "pinch"?

Yes. The print goes into a word document so you can edit it as you would any other regular word document.

Ben Lim works at Bunker Hill Community College, Boston. Thanks Ben!

Downloading audiobooks from itunes

If you've just been given your reading list for for school or college don't forget that you can download audiobooks from itunes for about $15 a pop.

Other things you might want to consider:

1.Check to see if your school or college disability unit can help you. Maybe they loan out ipods and/or can buy the book?

2. At Costco you can buy a $50 itunes card for $45 (you save $5).

3. Maybe someone who likes you will buy you an itunes gift voucher (since this is an educational need).

Using ipods to help reading fluency

I came upon this great blog by a computer whiz who's explaining to less wired-up reading teachers how we can use ipods in class. I'm sure all manner of adaptations are feasible and intend to try some.

Update:

A site you can join to download audiobooks onto your ipod, or onto your computer for direct listening or downloading in segments onto your ipod, is www.audible.com. It costs around $14 a month with a cheaper rate for the first 3 months. Advantage=you can get all the latest titles.

For loaning CDs and DVDs don't forget your library. They have catalogues and you can order titles that aren't currently on their shelves. Advantage= it's free.