This week we started by looking at five assistive technologies. My group presented Natural Reader, a text-to-speech software program that is very simple and effective. The first presentation was about My Study Bar. It looks like it has lots of tools for students. I tried the typing tutor myself (because I teach keyboarding in one of my courses) but I was not impressed with it. :( The next presentation featured Kurzweil. Several years ago I had a number of students who used Kurzweil on a regular basis. I recieved a full day of training on the program. I love it and I have seen the results! One new thing I learned is that there is now a product called "Kurzweil on the Go" which is portalbe (on a USB). We continued with a program I had never heard of – Wynn. Wynn stands for what you need now! It is very similar to Kurzweil, but apparently cheaper. The final presentation was on Read and Write Gold. These presentations seemed to confirm the saying “you get what you pay for” because software that was expensive seemed to be worth it! The free or inexpensive programs were limited. As Barb says, you have to make a match! I think it is great to be exposed to the different programs out there so I can make an educated recommendation or decision.
We continued the day by exploring a bunch of apps on the iPod Touch and iPad. I am amazed. I am not a cell phone user, and I have never downloaded an app! I use my iPod Nano for music when I run but WOW! There is so much out there! On my “to-do” list is to explore the iTunes store and I cannot wait! I have made a list of some of my favourite apps in a separate post.
I am really impressed with the iPad. My husband and I are seriously considering purchasing one. I introduced it to my three year old after class on Saturday and he loved it. I only had to show him once how to navigate and that was it! The next morning he didn’t even say good morning... his first words were “Can I use the iPad 2, Mommy?” I looked at my husband and we both laughed. My son loved e-books, tracing letters, finding colours and shapes, as well as art apps where he could draw or paint. I will post a list of apps separately so I can remember which ones he likes (so that when we have one we can download)!
All in all, another engaging class where I learned about so many new things!
