Transcript BasicsMod4Ppt2

Software for Students
with Special Needs
Content-free Software
for Writing
Categories of Software
1. Reinforcement (Drill & Practice Software)
2. Interactive Books (Talking Stories)
3. Content-free Software
4. Exploratory Software
5. Reference Software
6. Assessment Software
7. Access Tools / Software
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3. Content-free Software
• Allows user to enter own content
Benefits
Use in many areas of curriculum
Develop own materials to meet indiviual
needs of students
Helps students to overcome barriers to
learning
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Content-free Software
Types:
Word Processing Programs
Talking Word Processing Programs
Word Prediction
Word Bank
 Planning and Organising
 Desktop Publishing / Art & Design Applications
 Multimedia Authoring Systems
 Presentation
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Word Processing Programs
• Enables user to produce wide range of
professional looking products
Benefits:
 Writing can help students develop word
recognition and reading skills
 Highly motivational as students can express
themselves without being worried about
appearance
 Text can be moved, changed and copied
easily
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Word Processing Programs
Benefits (cont.):
 Facilitates drafting and rewriting processes
 Spellchecker allows students to concentrate
on content rather than spelling
 Picture or graphic can facilitate those with
reading difficulties
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Word Processing Programs
Prerequisites:
 Basic knowledge of sentence building,
sequencing, punctuation, etc.
 Basic keyboard skills
 Some mouse skills
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Word Processing Programs
Students who benefit from this type may
include those with:
• Writing Difficulties
• Emotional/Behavioural Disorders
• Hearing Impairments
• Physical Disabilities
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Word Processing Programs
Examples include:
 Appleworks
 Creative Writer
 Microsoft Word
 Writer’s Workshop
 My World 2
 Write on for Windows
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Talking Word Processing
Programs
• Include an inbuilt speech synthesizer that
reads back text
• Can be set to read every letter, word, line,
sentence, paragraph or whole screen
Benefits:
 Allows students to monitor their work
 Auditory feedback assists students in
correcting their spelling, grammar, syntax
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Talking Word Processing
Programs
Students who benefit from this type may
include those with:
• Reading and Writing Difficulties
• Visual Impairments
• Speech & Language Disorders
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Talking Word Processing
Programs
Examples include:
 Clicker 4
 Granada Writer
 Inclusive Writer
 Textease 2000
 Texthelp! Type & Talk
 Write Outloud
 Writing with Symbols
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Word Prediction
• Run in conjunction with a word processing
program and suggests words as text is
entered
• When user types first letter of a word, a list
of words appear
Benefits
 Suggests words so students can
concentrate on context rather than spelling
 Remembers words that student uses most
frequently
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Word Prediction
Students who benefit from this type may
include those with:
• Reading and Writing Difficulties
• Physical Disability
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Word Prediction
Examples include:
 Co: Writer
 Penfriend
 Predict IT
 PredictAbility
 TextHELP! Read and Write
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Word Bank
• Allows the teacher to input lists of words
• Student can hear the word by pointing to it
with the mouse
Benefits
 Teacher can chose words that individual
students have difficulty with
 Can input topic words, sentence starters,
etc.
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Word Bank
Students who benefit from this type may
include those with:
• Reading and Writing Difficulties
• Physical Disabilities
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Word Bank
Examples include:
 Wordbar
 Granada Writer*
 Clicker*
 Textease 2000*
* Talking word processors that include word banks
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