TextHelp Read&Write GOLD for Windows Hands-on Workshop
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BYO Hands-on Laptop workshop facilitated by Greg O'Connor (Teacher/Education Services Manager) at the Accessing the Future Conference in the Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia - December 2011.
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TextHelp Read&Write GOLD for Windows Hands-on Workshop
- 1. TextHelp Read & Write 10 GOLD Training Workshop
- 2. 22nd - 25th May 2012 Jupiters Gold Coast Convention Centre Queensland, Australia www.spectronicsinoz.com/conference/2012
- 3. Â
- 6. Introduction to Read&Write 10 GOLD
Hinweis der Redaktion
- TIME: 30 seconds Welcome and thanks to each person. Check comfort levels. Introduction of who is with you (if anyone) and procedure for the day. Say you will deal with questions as you go â they shouldnât feel they must wait until a particular time however there should be time at the end for questions. The purpose of this training presentation is to give an insight into TextHELP Read & Write Gold. TextHELP Read & Write Gold is designed to promote inclusion for users with learning disabilities by providing an assistive technology solution. This training presentation is split into different sections covering all of the features of TextHELP Read & Write Gold. The presentation should be used in addition to the TextHELP Read & Write Gold training guide.
- Time: 30 seconds Welcome and thanks to each person. Tell the attendees how you wish to deal with questions. The purpose of this presentation is to give an insight into Read&Write Gold. Read&Write Gold is designed to promote inclusion for users with learning disabilities by providing an assistive technology solution. The presentation can be used in addition to the Read&Write Gold video tours and training guides.
- Time: 1 minute This PowerPoint will cover all the main features in Read&Write Gold.
- Time: 2 minutes TOOLBARS Read&Write Gold has a choice of toolbars to make it easier to access the functions required. In addition to this the User can also customise the My Features toolbar to have only the icons they wish. The toolbar can be docked to the side or top. Read&Write Gold works with many Windows based applications. These can be opened and then when required the support features of Read&Write Gold can be called upon.
- Time: 3 minutes SPEECH Having speech feedback is a key feature of Read&Write Gold. It can read back as you type, read back from a Microsoft Word document, read emails or web pages. It will also be used with the other support features of the software such as having the definitions read back in the dictionary. There is a choice of very human sounding voices. These can be adapted â there is a choice of male and female voices, you can adjust the speed and volume. As text is read it will be highlighted thus improving word recognition. If it should happen to pronounce a word incorrectly it can be simply altered. Speech Maker converts selected text into a range of audio files â WAV and MP3. So you can convert chapters of books, pages from a website or revision notes. Once converted the audio file can be saved on to other media players such as a CD to listen to on a CD player or an MP3 player. Making your own audio book means that you have added flexibility when reading. Daisy Book is a format that has been developed to help those who are print disabled. These books can be downloaded from the Internet and then with the use of the Daisy Book Reader they can be read with highlighting. The ability to add bookmarks and search the text adds to its usability. Screenshot Reader is used where text is inaccessible. This can be in image files, inaccessible Flash or locked PDF documents. With the Screenshot Reader you simply draw a box round the text to be read. This takes a screenshot of the area of the screen. The software scans the screenshot and then reads it with highlighting either where it is or in a separate text reader panel. If you wish you can choose to have the text exported to Microsoft Word. Pronunciation Tutor shows how words are broken down in to syllables and the movement of the mouth as it is spoken. It can help those who have difficulty with reading and/or where English is not their first language. PDF documents are increasingly being used by governments, publishers and educational establishments to make documents available over the Internet. PDFaloud provided with Read&Write Gold enables these documents to be read - again with highlighting.
- Time: 3 minutes SPELLING Those with dyslexia and other learning disabilities will often struggle with spelling and can make very complex spelling mistakes. Read&Write Gold has an advanced phonetic spell checker that can be used to reduce the number of spelling errors that are made by users. The list of suggested corrections can be read by the software to help the user choose the correct one. In addition to this a definition and sample sentence is provided. Common with other spell checkers Read&Write Gold has a Custom Dictionary and Automatic corrections. The Phonetic Map is how the spell checker works. Mappings are made such as, ânoâ to âknowâ and âdâ to âbâ, so for example, where a spelling mistake is found with the letters ânoâ in it, the software will substitute the other mapping â âknowâ, to find a correction. There is an extensive map and in addition the user or teacher/tutor can add more if necessary. An Error Log records all the spelling mistakes made, the correction, the error type and the date it was made. This can be printed out and kept as a record and/or used to help improve spelling for example, by using it for spelling homework.
- Time: 3 minutes WORD PREDICTION Word Prediction learns the users style of writing and predicts the next word they may want to use. Maximum number of words being suggested 12. To place any of the words into the document from the panel it is simply a case of clicking on it or pressing the corresponding Function key. The words can be read out by the software to help the user choose one. The dictionary can also be accessed to get a definition. An ear icon indicates that itâs a homophone so they need to take extra care when using one of these. Even if the user starts to spell the word incorrectly Word Prediction will try to predict the word they are wanting to use. Included are various prediction databases. These are based on an analysis of 100 million words where the top percentages of regularly used phrases were taken and built it into the database with the ability to classify the words which were predicted. There is a colour indicator beside each word which is based on its context - Green is most likely to be correct, Orange medium and Black least likely. It is simple to create your own word banks and use them with the Word Prediction and in addition other word banks can be downloaded from Texthelp.
- Time: 2 minutes DICTIONARY There is a choice of 3 dictionaries. Basic, Advanced and Web (dictionary.com) Definitions can be read and a list of alternative words can be provided. Word Wizard is useful for when you are searching for the right word to use. Put in the word you know and it takes you through an associated word search to find the word you are looking for.
- Time: 1 minute PICTURE DICTIONARY The online picture dictionary provides images and symbols to represent the word that you are looking up.
- Time: 2 minutes SOUNDS LIKE AND CONFUSABLE WORDS Words that sound the same (homophones) such as âIâ and âeyeâ can give many students problems. With the Sounds Like Feature these words are identified and the other homophones are provided. To make it easier to ensure the correct word is selected there is a definition and sample sentence for each. In addition to this there are 500 words that can be easily confused such as though and thorough. Importantly other words which a student might get confused with can be easily added.
- Time: 2 minutes VERB CHECKER Using the correct conjugation of a verb is a difficult literacy skill to master particularly when English is not your first language. The Verb Checker in Read&Write Gold provides a simple method to ensure the student is using the correct verb conjugation for past, present or future.
- Time: 3 minutes SCANNING So much information is paper based. In order to use the support features of the software it is first necessary to get the document into the computer. This is done by using the Scanning. Two scanning engines are supported â TWAIN and WIA. WIA is also supported by some digital cameras so not only can you use a scanner for scanning but you can also use a camera. It can be scanned in and shown in PDF, Microsoft Word or HTML. The output to PDF will look like a picture of the original and then we can use PDFaloud to read it. With Microsoft Word you have the full editing functionality while with HTML you can have the output in the font and colours that you want.
- Time: 2 minutes FACT FINDER The Internet is a fantastic source of information. The Fact Finder can be used to find information on any given subject. Simply select the word/phrase you are interested in from your document and click on the Fact Finder icon. The search engine will launch with the results. The main search engines are included and you can add others from Texthelp.
- Time: 2 minutes FACT FOLDER Read&Write Gold has a Fact Folder that can be used to collect information, order it and save for review later. Information on the Author and Source are collected and stored. It is a fantastic tool that can be used as a revision or study aid. The user can collect information from a wide range of sources and place it within the Fact Folder. From the information gathered they can then export them to Microsoft Word or HTML (web). Most importantly it will include a bibliography.
- Time: 2 minutes FACT MAPPER Many people prefer to learn in a more visual environment instead of text based. The Online Fact Mapper provides a means whereby information can be represented visually with links showing the relationships between them. This means of showing information is particularly useful for revising and outlining. Another tool provided is the Brainstorm function where ideas and thoughts can be quickly added and expanded on. You can attach notes to each Fact that is added to the map. The map can be displayed in a number of ways such as like an organisational tree or a bulleted list. The maps can be exported to HTML (web) or a document outline can be exported to Microsoft Word.
- Time: 2 minutes SCREEN MASKING There are three main areas that Screen Masking will help with: - It can colour the area where you type or the whole screen to make it easier to read. This would tend to be used by those with Scotopic Sensitivity. - It can mask out part of the screen making it easier to maintain focus. - It can provide an underline to help keep track of words when reading â this is similar to when people sometimes use a ruler when reading a book. Users can change the masking type, the colours used and the area of focus. A spotlight option is provided to provide a clear band to help with navigation.
- Time: 2 minutes TRANSLATOR This online translator means that by simply selecting a word in your document it can be translated into French, Spanish, Italian or German. Words can be read aloud in the relevant language. The paragraph translator uses Google to translate text in to other languages and where supported (French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch and Swedish) the translation can be read back.
- Time: 2 minutes STUDY SKILLS Read&Write Gold has very simple aids to help you with studying or research. Often when reading notes, books or journals we use coloured markers to highlight pieces of text which are of particular relevance. With the Study Skills toolbar in Read&Write Gold this same ability is brought to the computer. It can be used within Microsoft Word or Internet Explorer. The highlighted text can then be collected into a new Word document where a bibliography will be created automatically.
- Time: 2 minutes VOCABULARY TOOL Read&Write Gold has a simple tool to help you increase your vocabulary. With the Vocabulary Tool in Read&Write Gold you can select words in Microsoft Word or Internet Explorer which you want to use. Then the tool will create a document with the words, their meanings and symbols.
- Time: 2 minutes CALCULATORS When it comes to mathematics, there is often so little support for people with Learning Disabilities. Using a calculator can be so much easier when you have Read&Write Gold. Within Read&Write Gold there is both a standard calculator and a scientific calculator, each with speech support. An audit trail shows the process of the sum. The Scientific calculator has 5 memory boxes. â In documentâ calculations means you donât have to bring the sum out from the document. Simply select the sum and then choose the Evaluate in document function and the answer will be put in. The main conversions for Length, Mass, Velocity, Time, Temperature and Volume are provided.
- Time: 2 minutes SPEECH INPUT Read & Write Gold includes Microsoftâs speech input technology. It is designed to be user friendly by providing a simple means of converting your speech into text.