Assistive technology overview - AT Committee - Katherine Thomas School - February 10, 2012

1. Beyond the Basics:
Using Kurzweil as a Writing Tool
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

2.  A Swiss army knife
 Reading support (“text to speech”)
 Writing support
 Test-taking (fill in the blanks, circle tools)
 Study skills (highlighting)
 Kurzweil combines tools to increase their value. For
example, you can…
 Organize ideas in order to write a short essay
 Read for main ideas and details, and then generate an outline to
write from
 Two types of Kurzweil software
 One type can initiate scans (LearnStation)
 The other type can’t scan (Professional)
 How tell the difference? Go to Help menu About
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

3.  Where is Kurzweil?
 On your desktop
 It is installed on the school’s servers
 only 38 Learnstations can be used at a time
 only 5 copies of Professional at a time
 Resources
 IT for server issues
 Matt in LS/MS
 David and Candace in HS
 Resources on KTHS Tech Blog
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

4.  Grades 3 or 4 through adult
 Comprehensive feature sets means most students can find benefit, especially
when they have difficulty with
 decoding
 fluency
 visual tracking
 comprehension
 generating & organizing ideas
 Plus: study tools (highlighting) and test-taking tools
 Keyboarding skills are necessary
 Can operate Kurzweil with speech-to-text (Dragon) and alternative keyboard
(Kurzweil overlay for IntelliKeys)
 Resistance to Kurzweil; K isn’t cool. Some strategies:
 use with entire class
 model use
 demonstrate benefit (e.g. auditory feedback when editing)
 prepare documents for use before class starts (edit scans)
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

5. 1. Drafting Text
2. Working with Word Documents
3. Using Word Prediction
4. Using Word Lists
5. Scaffolding the Writing Process
6. Looking Up Words
7. Using Spell Check
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

6.  File New Text File (version 11)
 Writing toolbar is blue. It lets you adjust…
 Font, font size, font styling
 Alignment (left, centered, right)
 Single spacing (single, etc.)
 If ruler not displayed: Tools Options Show
Ruler
 Can combine with other writing tools:
 Word Prediction (3)
 Word lists (4)
 Spell check (7)
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

7.  Kurzweil speaks words as they’re typed (“text to
speech”)
 Auditory feedback available in all writing tasks
 Students can hear their mistakes, discuss them, and
pinpoint where they take place
 Make sure preferences are set as follows:
 Tools Options General, check “Speak as Typing”
 Can adjust voices used
 Tools Options Reading (select voice)
Tip: Words are highlighted as read; sound can be
turned off to get the benefit of tracking without the
distraction of read-aloud
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

8. Kurzweil’s tools are simpler than Word’s, but Kurzweil can
help students edit Word documents.
1. Can open Word documents from Word to edit.
 Lose images and formatting
 …but gain Kurzweil’s auditory feedback, word
prediction, word lookup, and advanced spell-checking
features
2. Kurzweil taskbar (great feature but buggy in Windows 7)
 Right click on taskbar (bottom of screen) and select Toolbars
Kurzweil Taskbar (ignore message)
 Select and drag text from Word or any source into taskbar
 It will be read aloud (usually)
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

9.  Helps students type more quickly and
expand vocabulary
 To activate:
 Click little Crystal Ball icon on Writing
toolbar OR
 Tools Word Prediction
 When activated, displays a list of
words that begin with the letters that
a student types (type w to get the list
on the right)
▪ Single click to hear a word
▪ Double click to select it OR click its number
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

10.  Kurzweil offers three
dictionaries to generate word
predictions:
small, medium, large
 The larger the
dictionary, more choices in
word prediction but more
confusion for students
 Can add words as they are
typed (Tools Options
General Word Prediction)
 Phonetic spellings (type filan
and Kurzweil predicts
philanthropy); not as robust
as Co:Writer
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

11. Kurzweil’s word lists support
 Allows you to create vocabulary vocabulary development while
lists writing: Tools Setup Word Lists.
 Kurzweil includes Lists of
Confusable
words, Homonyms, etc.
 Words in any list can be…
 highlighted in word prediction
 highlighted in text (Tools
Highlights)
 Encourages use of words in
context
 Supports correct spelling of words
Click to create a new list.
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

12.  To create new list:
 Tools Set up Word
Lists New
 Then, Create Words
from [source] or type in
own vocab list; click
Next and name the List
 Under Options, have
new list words appear in
Word Prediction and
Tools Highlight to
encourage use of words
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

13.  Scaffolds writing process
a. brainstorming
b. outline
c. draft
d. review
 Can go back and forth between steps (draft
outline); some choices will be
dimmed, however
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

14.  Brainstorming is used to create concept map
 Bubbles
 Links between bubbles to show sequence/relationship
 Quick Takes is like Inspiration’s Rapid Fire tool – used
for brainstorming (quickly generating a concept map)
 Word prediction, Word lookup, and auditory feedback
are all available
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

15.  Write Outline generates numbered
outline
 Can edit by adding
 Topics
 Subtopics
 Notes
 Can change style of outline
numbering
TIP: Can generate an outline from
Kurzweil’s column notes (File
Extract Column Notes to Outline)
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

16.  Select Write Split Screen:
 Outline appears on left
 Write draft on right (select and drag from left); supported by
auditory feedback and word prediction
Outline Draft
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

17.  Write Review
 Checklist asks students to edit by considering
 The way their words sound (“Listen to Your
Written Word”)
 Spelling
 Punctuation
 Capitalization
 Word lists
 To change/add review items: Tools
Options, click Review Items.
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

18.  To get meaning of word: Reference Look up Word I
type, then type in word
 For a selected word, click Reference Selected Word, you
get
 Definition
▪ Can be read aloud
▪ Choice of dictionaries
▪ Synonyms
 Syllables
 Picture definitions (if installed)
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

19.  Simple spell check always
available on Write menu.
 Can change all occurrences of
word.
 Spell check as you type
(Tools Options Spell
Check, “Check spelling as
you type”)
 Ranked spelling (Tools
Ranked Spelling)
 Shows number of occurrences
(times a word is used)
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool

20. Tip How to carry it out
Change tools shown on main toolbar Tools Customize Apply Toolbar Set.
Use Writing Path toolbar for Write Menu
tasks. Many toolbars minimize the
Writing Taskbar and do NOT include
Writing Path tasks.
Virtually scan any document (Word, Within the other program, display
PowerPoint, Web page, etc.) to Kurzweil program. Print KESI Virtual Printer.
Professional version
Make all basic features available by right Tools Customize Right Mouse
clicking Button. Select the functions to make
available by right clicking.
Attach notes to student’s writing in Within the document in Kurzweil, click
Kurzweil Tools Note, and add a Footnote,
Bubble Note, or Voice Note.
2/10/2012 Beyond the Basics: Kurzweil as a Writing Tool