Removing Barriers:Assistive Technology Tools to Support

Reading & Writing for Students with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities

"Ball point pens will be the ruin of education in our country. Students use

these devices and then throw them away. The

virtues of thrift and frugality are being

discarded. Business and banks will never allow

such expensive luxuries.”

Disruptive Innovation

SpeakUp 2009

• use social based learning for learning and personal lives

• access to untethered learning• digitally rich learning using relevancy-

based digital tools, content & resources that allow for self directed learning

Project Tomorrow (2009)

30%

http://tinyurl.com/25qkf8s

46-47%

The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) was undertaken in Australia in 1996

Barriers to Learning & Opportunity

..impaired access, participation and progress in learning, social connectiveness, and employment

Barriers to Learning & Opportunity

“prepare for an environment where they will spend more time reading and using information on the internet than they will reading from a printed book”

Remediation vs Compensation

Edyburn (2006) http://www.uwm.edu/~edyburn/L%26L2006.pdf

One size fits all?

Universal Design for LearningMultiple Means of

• Representation

• Action and Expression

• Engagement

Universal Design for Learning

Multiple Means of

Representation

Student - How we gather facts and categorize what we see, hear, and read.

Teacher - Present information and content in different ways

Universal Design for Learning

Multiple Means of

Action & Expression

Student - Planning and performing tasks. How we organize and express our ideas.

Teacher - Differentiate the ways that students can express what they know

Universal Design for Learning

Multiple Means of

Engagement

Student - How we get engaged and stay motivated. How weare challenged, excited, or interested.

Teacher - Stimulate interest and motivation for learning

Universal Design for Learning

CAST - Center for Applied Special Technology

http://www.cast.org

National Center on Universal Design for Learning

http://www.udlcenter.org

It Can’t Teach

Universal Design for Learning

Multiple Means of

Representation

Student - How we gather facts and categorize what we see, hear, and read.

Teacher - Present information and content in different ways

Reading Tools

Present information and content in different ways

Text-to-Speech

Alternative Formats

AT Reading Tool Features

• Digital, customized text• Read text aloud (text to speech)• Dictionary & Thesaurus• Text to audio capabilities• Scanning to text

Reading Tools

• Natural Reader V7 - www.naturalreaders.com• WordTalk V4.2 - www.wordtalk.org.uk/home• PowerPoint – //fullmeasure.co.uk/powertalk/

www.spectronicsinoz.com/faqs - click on “freebies”

Reading Tools• Clicker 5• Kurzweil 3000• Texthelp Read&Write• WordQ / SpeakQ• ClaroRead• Read:OutLoud SOLO

Clicker 5

Read: OutLoud 6

Texthelp Read&Write Gold

Portable Reading Tools

Reading Pen TS

Livescribe Pen

eReaders

http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/blog - Weblinks for accessible text and ebooks

iPad Reading Apps

http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/article/apps-for-literacy-support

Universal Design for Learning

Multiple Means of

Action & Expression

Student - Planning and performing tasks. How we organize and express our ideas.

Teacher - Differentiate the ways that students can express what they know

Writing Tools

• Spell Checkers

• Text-to-Speech

• Homophone/Confusable Words

• Word Prediction

• Speech to Text (Speech Recognition)

• Mind Mapping Software

• Other tools

Clicker 5

Speech Recognition

What factors influence success?

Word Prediction• Co:Writer• Texthelp Read&Write• Kurzweil 3000• Penfriend• ClaroRead• Word Q• WYNN

Word Prediction

Word Prediction

Word Prediction Comparison Chart

Ginger

Portable Notetakers

Livescribe Pen

NEO 2

• Apps

www.spectronicsinoz.com/article/apps-for-literacy-support

Writing Tools

Universal Design for Learning

Multiple Means of

Engagement

Student - How we get engaged and stay motivated. How we are challenged, excited, or interested.

Teacher - Stimulate interest and motivation for learning

Engagement

iPad

Thanks.

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Email: grego@spectronicsinoz.com