Abilipad- My new favorite writing app

There are a lot of really great note-taking and word processing apps available for the iPad.  These apps are great, but they work best for students who are already proficient at writing.  What I feel has been missing from my iPad experience up to this point is a solid app that helps students with the complex and sometimes difficult task of written composition.  To my delight, I recently learned about a great writing app for the iPad called Abilipad. This app has a lot of great features that make it a very nice adaptive writing tool for struggling or emerging writers. Those features include:
-word prediction (does a nice job with creative spelling!)
-auditory feedback (can be set to read aloud each letter, word, sentence, or paragraph as you type. Will also read your entire passage back to you. )
-easy and intuitive file management system.
-(perhaps my favorite feature) the ability to create and download custom keyboards with letters, words, phrases, or pictures!

All of these features make the writing process accessible for all developing writers.  With the ability to make custom keyboards, complete with pre-made word, phrase, and picture buttons, you could even use this app with emerging scribblers.  Also, the developers of the app have created a way to download and share custom keyboards made by other users from the Abilipad online keyboard library.  I checked out the library, and found something for everyone, even OT's and SLP's!

The variety and quality of features available in this app really makes it a stellar writing tool for anyone working with struggling or emerging writers.  I would really encourage you to check it out on the App Store.  It costs $19.99. For a more detailed explanation of the app, and to see examples of how it has impacted student progress, check out this great blog post.

Bookshare tutorials

This post will share some tutorials we have made or found that will walk you through some of the basics you will need to know to use bookshare.org with your students on a PC or Mac.  If you do not know what Bookshare is, please click here.

Note: Bookshare can also be accessed via iPod/iPad and Android powered phones and tablets.  For more info about these platforms, click here.

There are two basic processes involved in using Bookshare:
1) Download books from www.bookshare.org and save them to your computer
2) Open the books using DAISY reader software and read it.

One of the most popular DAISY reader options available today is called ReadOutLoud Bookshare Edition.  You can download the program for free from the Bookshare website (if you are logged in as a member).  To see a tutorial on how to download and install the program, click here.

To see a tutorial on how to Download books from the website and save them to your computer, click here.

To see a tutorial on how to Read books you have downloaded, click here.

I hope you will find these tutorials helpful.  Please let me know in the comments section if you have any questions or problems with accessing or using the tutorials.  Good luck using this wonderful resource with your students!

Mobile Bookshare Apps for iOS and Android devices

Bookshare.org is a wonderful resource for students with print disabilities.  If you have not yet heard about what Bookshare is and how it can change your student's lives, please check out www.bookshare.org, or check out our Bookshare post. 

Students wanting to access free books from Bookshare on their iPad, iPod, iPhone, or Andoid phone or tablet can now do so with the help of a couple of nifty apps.  These apps will access the bookshare website directly from your device, download books directly to the device via wireless internet, and read them aloud using synthetic computer voices.  They are very easy to use and a great tool for mobile device users.

The Bookshare app for iOS devices is called Read2Go.  It costs $19.99 on the iTunes App Store and is compatible with any iOS device.  The app comes with high quality voices pre-installed.  You can change the font size and screen/text/highlighting colors, as well as the speed, pitch, and gender of the voice.  You will need to access a wifi network to download books to your device, but do not need to access wifi to read books already downloaded to your device.

One Caution: In order to use Read2Go, you will need to sign in using your Bookshare username and password.  This means that if students do not have an individual Bookshare account, they will need a teacher to sign in and download books for them using the Teacher's Bookshare username and password.  (Teachers, be careful with your password if using this option).  I have had several families who, once they purchased the app on a personal device, and got set up with an individual Bookshare account, take off and use the app completely independent of the schools, which can be a very powerful thing.

If you are an Android user, there is a free, open source Bookshare app called  GoRead.  The basic setup and idea is similar to the Read2Go app.  You will still need wifi to download books, but not to read, and you will still need a Bookshare username and password to use the app. 

There are still no direct solutions for reading Bookshare books on a Kindle, Kindle Fire, or Nook.  These three devices do not support the DAISY format and, (to the best of my knowledge) do not have DAISY apps available like iOS and Android.  There is a way to convert DAISY books to the Nook's ePub format using a $99 software program called DAISYtoEPUB.  Since the Kindle uses a proprietary book format, you have to then convert the Epub file to a MOBI file using a program called Calibre. or convert it to plain text (.txt) format.  Hopefully these devices will become more user friendly in the future for Bookshare members.

As always, please let me know about any problems or questions in the comments section, and thanks for reading!

Bookshare- Free Digital Accessible Books for Students with Disabilities

I count my ability to read as one of the greatest joys and blessings in my life.  Reading provides me with opportunities to learn, think, escape, relax, and grow.  Sadly, there are people who cannot fully enjoy reading due to visual, physical, and learning disabilities.  That is why I love to tell people about a resource for free accessible books called Bookshare.  Here is a description of what Bookshare is, taken from their website (www.bookshare.org):

Bookshare® is an online library of digital books for people with print disabilities. It operates under an exception to U.S. copyright law which allows copyrighted digital books to be made available to people with qualifying disabilities. In addition, many publishers and authors have volunteered to provide Bookshare with access to their works. By requiring individuals to register as Members and provide a Proof of Disability, Bookshare ensures that only qualified individuals use the service.

Bookshare Members download books, textbooks and newspapers in a compressed, encrypted file. They then read the material using adaptive technology, typically software that reads the book aloud (text-to-speech) and/or displays the text of the book on a computer screen, or Braille access devices, such as refreshable Braille displays.

Through an award from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Bookshare offers free memberships to U.S. schools and qualifying U.S. students

Bookshare opens the door to the enjoyment of reading for people who cannot otherwise access text because of disability.  In order to qualify for a free bookshare account, a person must be a student (K-12 or higher ed) with a qualifying disability.  Students can qualify in one of three ways:

1) be unable to see a book because of blindness or low vision

2) be unable to hold a book or turn pages because of a physical disability

3) be unable to read a book because of a learning or reading disability.  For more info on who qualifies, click here:

  

  They can then qualify for a organizational membership through a participating school and/or an individual membership.  Members who already have an organizational membership simply need to send in a form to bookshare to request an individual membership.  For more info on membership options, click here

 Over the next little while, I am going to work on producing some simple tutorials as a resource to download books from bookshare.org and read them using assistive technology.  So stay tuned and please check out www.bookshare.org for more info!

Text to Speech Roundup - Pros and cons of 3 Free computer text reader options

In the last few months, I have blogged about some great computer text reader options available for teachers of struggling readers.  The main idea behind all of these options is to have a computer program read text to students who are unable to read it themselves.  This makes them more independent, confident, and successful.  This blog post today is a round-up of some of the free options available.  Each option I will discuss is free, and each has particular advantages and disadvantages.  Here is the list:

1) Free Natural Reader 11.  This is a free computer program that you download from the internet and install on your computer.  It provides 2 ways to read text: 1) a window that you can copy and paste text into from another document or application, or 2) a floating toolbar that  "floats" over any open doc or application.
-Pros: 

• When using the copy and paste window option, text is highlighted as it is read. (multi-modal learning!) 
•  Floating toolbar is convenient
• Can adjust the rate and pitch of the voices

-Cons:

• You may have to put in a tech request to get this installed, as it is an actual software program
• You can only use the digital voices that come pre-installed on your computer, which may be lower quality voices
• It can be a little tricky to change voices or adjust the speed of the voice

2) Read&Write for Google Docs.  This is a free study skills toolbar that is available as an extension to the Google Chrome browser.  It works very nicely, but ONLY works with text in the Google format.  Click this link to see about converting existing docs to Google docs format.
-Pros:

• Highlights words as it reads (multi-modal learning!)
• Better quality voices
• Since it is an extension to a browser and not software, you don't need a password to install it.
• Other study skills options, such as highlighting, dictionary, and collect highlights

-Cons:

• ONLY works with Google docs format
• ONLY works on Google Chrome browser
• MUST be connected to the internet for it to work

3) Speak tool in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.).  Most folks are unaware that Microsoft office 2010 and 2003 come with pre-installed text reader tools. You just have to know where to find them. (NOTE: Office 2007 offers the Speak command in Excel, but not in Word)   To see a tutorial for Office 2003 click here.  To see a tutorial for Office 2010, click here.  To see a video for office 2010, click here. or click here for an alternate video (in case the first one didn't work).
-Pros:

• Don't need to convert your documents to another format
• Students can be trained to do this with any computer they use.  No special software is needed.
• Don't need to access any other program to hear your text read aloud.

-Cons:

• You can't choose your voice or the voice rate
• It does NOT highlight the words as it reads.  This makes it harder for students to follow along.
• Different processes to learn depending on which version of Microsoft Office you have.  Not available in Word 2007.

So there you have it.  I hope seeing these three options head to head will give you some ideas of what would work with your students and situations.  Each tool has advantages, and a savvy user would have more than one option depending on the setting and task.  As always, please provide feedback in the comments section.  


 

Some websites you might like

I just wanted to share some nifty websites I recently learned about that are of particular interest to teachers. 

The first site is called watchknowlearn.org.  It is a huge online library of free educational videos.  You can search for videos on everything from the Green Eggs and Ham, to multiplying fractions.  There seems to be more content for the younger grades at this point.  This is a great tool for teachers who are looking to add more visuals to their lessons, or to find videos to go along with a story or poem they are teaching. 

The next site is whatshouldireadnext.com.  This site lets you enter the name, author, or even ISBN of a book, and it will generate a list of similar books.  This is a great resource for students who get stuck in rut with a particular author or series.  You could help them branch out and find new authors to love!

The last site I want to share is www.textcompactor.com.  This site is an auto summarizer tool.  It lets you copy and paste in a block of text, choose what percentage of the text you want to keep, and then it will create a summary of the text based on that percentage.  This is a great tool for taking an expository text on grade level and "cognitively rescaling" the text to better match the reading level of your students. If you used to enjoy the Auto Summary feature available in Microsoft Word 2003, but cried when it was taken out of later versions of Word, then this site is for you!

I hope you enjoy the sites and share them with others.  Please feel free to share YOUR favorite sites in the comments section and I'll get them in future posts!

Word Prediction Options (I made you a list!)

After some recent discussions with different parents and teachers about word prediction software, I decided to compile a list of some common options that are available for PC/Mac/iPad/iPod/Android.  This list is by no means exhaustive and authoritative, but it lists many of the more common options available today.  I have tried to arrange them  in order by price from "Hey, it's FREE!" to "Holy cow, that's half my mortgage payment!"  I have also tried to include websites for each product so you can do more research on your own.  To see the list, please click this link.

I hope this helps when exploring options.  Please feel free to share this list with anyone who you think would benefit.