Robin

 

Nice job summarizing Kurzweil and its features. I have been preparing
textbooks for a school district for the past 3 years. We have
approximately 20 students using Kurzweil from grades 6-12. Each student
uses it according to their needs. The school district has Kuzweil
available on all machines in the middle and high school and we make it
available for student use from home (VPN). As the students come to the
end of their career with us, I train them to prepare their own
documents. Up until that point, they struggle trying to keep on task. 

 

 

Renee Seykora

Assistive Technology 

New Canaan Public Schools

________________________________

From: learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:learningdisabilities-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of
robinschwarz1 at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 6:05 PM
To: learningdisabilities at nifl.gov
Subject: [LearningDisabilities 1940] Re: Screen Readers

 

I can't help but join this discussion for just a minute-- I think Glenn
referred to the Kurzweil system a while back--another screen reader of
many levels of sophistication. I have trained students on it -- students
with LD, not necessarily ESL-- and they have found it exceptionally
helpful.   It is used at Curry College , which has a program for
students with LD within the College (PAL) --in that program students are
trained as someone suggested, to use the Kurzweil just like a
calculator-- just another tool.  They can, with arrangements the PAL
program helps them make, bring tests to be read on the Kurzweil, and of
course have all their text books and papers read on it.  Many of the
students in that program have significant learning challenges-- and
without such technology would never make it at college.   

Landmark College in Putney VT also uses it, last I knew.  ( Landmark is
a college ONLY for college students with LD).  One of the faculty there
had developed an excellent technique using the Kurzweil for
teaching/improving reading skills-- a use which is over and above the
intended purpose of merely having text read outloud to learners who
really need it.  

Among its many advantages are that it has a large choice of voices that
read, speed is adjustable, it will highlight by word, phrase, sentence
or paragraph as it reads, it will read words by syllable or phoneme when
the word is moused over, it has a great dictionary feature which was
getting better all the time, and it has a variety of tools such as
sticky notes, highlighting or moving passages for creation of reviews or
tests, and on and on.  Its study skill applications are heaven sent for
LD learners-- 

Last I knew, the company had CD's with many standard pieces of
literature already scanned on and was expanding to text books.   

For a while I was exploring use of the Kurzweil with ESL students- I
still think it has terrific possibilities since academic English is
always so time consuming to learn to read and understand-- with the
dictionary feature, students can study textbooks or literature with much
less effort, plus they can profit from having words pronounced and
phrasing modeled.   Also,  I am currently studying issues around ESOL
learners who are pre-literate/non-literate, and it has come to my
attention a couple of times that even when such adult learners become
adequately literate, they process information better orally--what could
be better than having software read their assignments or the newspaper
or even pleasure books to them? 

Last I knew, Kurzweil had a range of products-- from a basic system that
you download to the computer and use with a scanner for reading your own
things, to the much more elaborate versions with lots of pre-scanned
materials.   Almost every conference concerned with learning in some way
or another has an exhibit.  

BUT as with any technology, one needs thorough training in using it to
its fullest advantage.  Kurzweil also provides excellent support and
training.   


I don't hear about it much-- but it sure is worth looking into.
Students do really well with it.   It is especially useful for schools
where it can be installed in a number of computers.   

Kurzweil actually produces many way more technologically complex
products not related to education directly--so when you find the site
you may be wondering whether it is the right place.  It is.   

Robin Lovrien Schwarz 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Schneider-Erger <lschneider at tmcc.edu>
To: learningdisabilities at nifl.gov
Sent: Thu, 10 Apr 2008 3:21 pm
Subject: [LearningDisabilities 1938] Re: Screen Readers

Text Aloud has a number of good features.  Students can type their paper
into the program and then click on Speak and it will read it to them.
If a text book comes with a CD, you can load it into the program and it
will read the book to you.  Here is a web link to find out all about it:
nextuptech.com/TextAloud/.  

 

Our literacy students use it when they want to self check their writing.
It is very easy to use and the cost varies depending on the user.

 

Hope that helps everyone out,

 

Linda Schneider-Erger


>>> On 4/10/2008 at 12:25 PM, <RKenyon721 at aol.com> wrote:


Hi Linda,

 

Thanks for sharing.  Can you tell us more about Text Aloud?  How do your
students use it?  What kinds of students most benefit from it?  Is it
easy to learn?   What was the cost?

 

 

Rochelle

 

Rochelle Kenyon
Moderator, NIFL/LINCS Learning Disabilities Discussion List
Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee
RKenyon721 at aol.com 
 
To post a message: 
Learningdisabilities at nifl.gov 
 
To subscribe: 
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/LearningDisabilities
 
To read archived messages:
http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/learningdisabilities/2008/date.html

 

 

 

We have Text Aloud on our computers at Truckee Meadows Community
College.

 

Linda Schneider-Erger 

lschneider at tmcc.edu 

<http://www.nifl.gov/linc/discussions/list_archives.html>  





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