Group items tagged

A writer who suffers a stroke loses the ability to read by sight, but adapts his ability to read via motor cues to not only learn to read again, but to produce another book.

"iWordQ US (English) is an easy-to-use writing and reading application to assist struggling writers and readers. In Writing mode, a simple text editor is used for writing with the support of word prediction, abbreviation-expansion and speech feedback features. Spell-check and dictionary access is included. Use speech recognition with an iPad 3. In Reading mode, text is shown in a more visually pleasing manner to improve readability. This is used for proofreading, reading to learn, silent reading, reading aloud, and casual reading/listening. A novel text chunking method (patent-pending) can be selected to enhance comprehension and readability of text to allow you to focus on one text chunk at a time"

"The Read&Write GOLD training series walks learners through all of the features found on the Read&Write GOLD toolbar, including features for reading, writing and self-editing, study skills, and research.",  said Jon Blissenbach, Atomic Learning's VP of Product Business Development. "Our partnership with Texthelp allows us to offer this comprehensive training collection for learners with special needs." Videos are available for both the PC and Mac versions of Read&Write GOLD.  Each online training collection includes 2-3 minute videos for each of the features of this powerful assistive technology software, giving learners with special needs the opportunity to achieve and succeed in their learning goals

Fun4TheBrain is a great interactive and educational site for children. It contains a variety of math, reading and science games. The reading games are perfect for reviewing parts of speech and learning sight words and vocabulary. Some of the reading games are also available in hard copy to help teach children to read by giving them a stress-free and fun approach to learning. Math games cover a range of topics such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

"Do you own an iPhone? Do you also have toddlers or kids who are about to enter school? Put the iPhone and the kids together with some of the apps listed below to keep the kids busy as they prepare themselves for school. The list below is separated by categories, and each app is listed alphabetically under those categories to show that we do not favor one app over another. The links lead to reviews about the apps or to the businesses that created the apps. This way, you can learn more about the apps before you download them. While many of the apps listed below are free, some cost anywhere from $0.99 to under $4.00. Also, the reviews can help you learn whether the app truly is age-appropriate for your child."

"One question that emerges when we discuss a learning environment that embraces combine our devices is active reading. In simple terms, this is the act of bookmarking, highlighting, and annotating texts. However, active reading is much more than a list of skills. We want it to become a disposition where the learners active their habits of mind and skills with each reading experience."

"KidTools and KidSkills are new kinds of software to help students take control of their learning, behavior, and problem solving to improve success in school. The tools are research-based and have undergone extensive testing with actual students in classroom settings. These software programs include a library of tools provided as easy-to-use templates for children to personalize and use independently in school and other settings. There are two levels of tools in each of these programs. eKidTools and eKidSkills are made for elementary students with some reading abilities, ages 7-10. Within eKidTools, there is a set of PictureTools made for preschool/primary children that do not require reading abilities. iKidTools and iKidSkills are made for intermediate/middle school students with reading abilities, ages 11-14. Because these tools are all related, children can move up and down the levels to use the tools that best fit their skills and needs. "

Anyone heard of this?

"What is Web 2.0? In this introductory session, you will read three articles that describe how the Web is becoming a participatory environment for people of all technical capabilities. New online tools allow users to find and interact with peers that share similar interests, and entire learning communities have been built online. These readings will share the implications these technologies can have for teaching and learning. You will explore the blogs of some education leaders who are thinking about learning and teaching in a Web 2.0 world and will share your thoughts about Web 2.0 in the discussion board. At the conclusion of this session you will preview the final project for this workshop. "

There are no instructions on the site and there are some good reasons for that: most people, even adults, do not read instructions, children who cannot read will ignore written text anyhow, but most importantly for us, there is no need and in fact, instructions get in the way of the experience : the navigation through the various sections of the site is purposefully simple and intuitive, the functionalities within games are carefully thought out to afford a maximum of possibilities while keeping that special relationship to the real World. When small children pick up objects, they invent new ways of holding and using them. Thus there is no right or wrong way of using anything on this site. It's up to the children to find what they want and to grow their naturally exploring mind. We found that what they don't discover straight away, they'll find later, what they don't know how to do at first, they'll learn when they are ready and, as many of you know and/or have found out, that is extremely powerful and confidence building. Having said that, we also found out that adults were quite confused by all that. What? No text? So we have finally decided to give parents who do not have the time to explore - and teachers who are preparing lesson plans - a quick guide to all the games, activities and animations on the site (for those who are wondering there are over 200 of them!). But remember, these pages are for adults only!

"For years, students with significant support needs (SSN) received little or no literacy instruction as their education programs focused on life skills, social skills, and vocational training. The little literacy instruction they did receive relied on teaching methods that we now know helped them learn simple component skills in isolation. For example, students matched upper and lower case letters or learned a limited set of sight words. Unfortunately, this instruction never helped students with SSN learn how to read or write to gain or convey meaning. A series of changes in education laws, along with the efforts of students, families, and educators, have raised expectations for academic achievement for students with SSN."

"Learn about assistive technology for people with reading disabilities, low vision, blindness and other disabilities that make reading, writing and other tasks difficult. Written by someone who uses assistive technology to read and write."

Many students struggle to read well enough to support learning in various areas of the curriculum. Drawing on an eight-month inquiry, with 28 grade five students, this article discusses text-to-speech technology as an inclusive reading practice that allows students entry into their literacy communities, access to a variety of texts, and enhanced meaning making.

"Audio story books are a great means of improving learners reading and listening skills. There are several website resources now offer free audio materials but not all of them are free. To look for quality audio books that are free can take you a lot of time and energy. In this regard and in an attempt to make it easy for educators visiting Educational Technology and Mobile Learning to get a free access to the materials I have been reviewing here about the best websites you can browse for free audio books, I have compiled a list of links in a presentation that you can download and share with your students. I have reviewed all the links included and if you want to read the review just click on any title and you will be directed to the post."

"ABCya! is the leader in free educational kids computer games and activities for elementary students to learn on the web. All children's educational computer games and activities were created or approved by certified teachers. ABCya! educational games are free and are modeled from primary grade lessons and enhanced to provide an interactive way for children to learn. ABCya! games and activities incorporate content areas such as math and reading while introducing basic computer skills. Many of the kindergarten and first grade games are equipped with sound to enhance understanding."

"Welcome to the official guide to technology and learning by Edudemic! This part of Edudemic is meant to offer you, the teacher, some of the best and most popular resources available today. We've combed through hundreds of resources in order to narrow down our guides into something easy to read, easy to use, and easy to share."

"Carson and Sallie created this video, "How Read2Go Moved My Life," for the first White House Student Film Festival to demonstrate how technology can change learning experiences in school. "

"This easy-to-use reading and writing App runs directly on the iPad with no Wi-Fi or 3G access necessary. It includes powerful support features that benefit struggling readers and writers of all ages, especially those with dyslexia, dysgraphia, or other learning difficulties. iReadWrite is an affordable all-in-one solution for anyone looking for reading and writing support as they work on their iPad! "

"ewordify.com is powerful, free, online reading comprehension and vocabulary development software. It helps people understand difficult English faster, helps them learn words in new ways, and helps teachers create high-interest learning materials from any English text passage. See the yellow box at the top of the page? Just paste in a difficult English sentence, paragraph, or more, or enter a web page URL and click the button. You'll instantly see an easier version, for fast understanding now. No dictionary needed! Plus, the easier version is specially highlighted to help build vocabulary."

"It's one thing to read about learning and attention issues. It's another thing to see them through your child's eyes. Experience firsthand how frustrating it is when your hand won't write what your brain is telling it to. Or how hard it is to complete a simple task when you have trouble focusing. Use these unique simulations and videos to better understand your child's world."

"The Strange & Wonderful World of Ants is a beautifully designed, educational, and quirky children's iPad App. It features an adjustable reading level making it appealing to a wide range of children and adults. * Dynamically adjustable reading level. Appropriate for readers aged 7-12. Younger readers can enjoy the app with a parent. * Gorgeous design. Stunning illustrations and interactive animations. * Educational content. Makes it fun to learn about the weird and inspiring world of the ants. "