This article looks at assistive technology as a means to help students build their writing skills. The authors discuss how a combination of AT, from DVDs and videos to simple animating software and word prediction programs like Co-Writer, can be used to engage students in the writing process and motivate them to improve their writing skills.
The article discusses a variety of AT software and hardware used in this program to get kids to think and to motivate them to work at their writing. Hollywood High by Scholastic and Kreative Komix by Visions are simple programs that require little technical knowledge to create animated stories. The end product depends on the text written by the student - the text to speech software reads the dialogue written for a selected character. If a word is misspelled or a line is poorly written, the student sees and hears those errors when their movie is played back. For students who struggle with the process of writing, typing or spelling, you can use a word prediction program that works with regular word processing software. Programs like Co-Writer enable some of the students that struggle with writing because of cognitive or motor difficulties to participate with everyone else.
Teachers can also use the classroom DVD or VCR to show 10 minute clips to help spawn the kids’ creativity and to teach the elements of a story. You can also use InterVideo WinDVD or a print screen to capture images that can then be used in sequencing activities. You can also use Don Johnson’s Draft Builder (process software with graphic organizational tools and voice output) to do similar activities with text. Students needing voice output can click and hear each sentence read as they put the sentences in proper sequence.
As for why I chose this topic, I didn't initially. I was searching for AT for vision training, found this article, and thought it looked intriguing. I loved that used things the kids already liked to create familiar examples that get them to think and that make learning more "real". I also really liked that the program is self-motivating by creating a dynamic visual product from the stories the kids make up. The software provides visual and auditory feedback about the writing, allowing simultaneous processing and making it ideal for multiple learning styles.
I think there's a considerable need for this kind of AT intervention. I was an English major in undergrad and it always astonished me how poor the quality of writing was with some of the students I tutored. I tried to find ways to make it more interesting, but working with kids who were more into movies, tv, and video games than books, it was hard. While I don't know how well this kind of program would have worked for the age group I was working with, I feel like if they had been exposed to something similar when they were younger, they may not have needed tutoring later. Best of all, this curriculum can be used with a whole classroom, so there's no extra lesson planning for the teacher (though there is mandatory training) and no student gets singled out as "different".
The article discusses a variety of AT software and hardware used in this program to get kids to think and to motivate them to work at their writing. Hollywood High by Scholastic and Kreative Komix by Visions are simple programs that require little technical knowledge to create animated stories. The end product depends on the text written by the student - the text to speech software reads the dialogue written for a selected character. If a word is misspelled or a line is poorly written, the student sees and hears those errors when their movie is played back. For students who struggle with the process of writing, typing or spelling, you can use a word prediction program that works with regular word processing software. Programs like Co-Writer enable some of the students that struggle with writing because of cognitive or motor difficulties to participate with everyone else.
Teachers can also use the classroom DVD or VCR to show 10 minute clips to help spawn the kids’ creativity and to teach the elements of a story. You can also use InterVideo WinDVD or a print screen to capture images that can then be used in sequencing activities. You can also use Don Johnson’s Draft Builder (process software with graphic organizational tools and voice output) to do similar activities with text. Students needing voice output can click and hear each sentence read as they put the sentences in proper sequence.
As for why I chose this topic, I didn't initially. I was searching for AT for vision training, found this article, and thought it looked intriguing. I loved that used things the kids already liked to create familiar examples that get them to think and that make learning more "real". I also really liked that the program is self-motivating by creating a dynamic visual product from the stories the kids make up. The software provides visual and auditory feedback about the writing, allowing simultaneous processing and making it ideal for multiple learning styles.
I think there's a considerable need for this kind of AT intervention. I was an English major in undergrad and it always astonished me how poor the quality of writing was with some of the students I tutored. I tried to find ways to make it more interesting, but working with kids who were more into movies, tv, and video games than books, it was hard. While I don't know how well this kind of program would have worked for the age group I was working with, I feel like if they had been exposed to something similar when they were younger, they may not have needed tutoring later. Best of all, this curriculum can be used with a whole classroom, so there's no extra lesson planning for the teacher (though there is mandatory training) and no student gets singled out as "different".
This two part article series can be found at:
