As a continuation of my last post and previous blogs continuing the discussion of AT and its involvement in the writing process, I had the privilege to check out numerous websites of different AT devices along with their features. I chose to talk about the two I feel are very important as well as interesting to students with disabilities.
The first one is Kidblog.
Kidblog is a website created for teachers, by teachers, so students can get the most out of the writing process. Given the fact that our society has become so reliant on technology for our every day tasks anymore, this site allows students to fit into their heavily technology driven society while still learning and maintaing an important skill:writing. Writing can pose as a very difficult task to many people including adults, students, and those students with disabilities.
Students in particular that would benefit from this safe, secure, classroom controlled writing blog website would be students with autism, students that have difficulty writing with a pencil, students with learning disabilities, and any other students that enjoy and would benefit from a writing program on a computer.
As a classroom teacher, I would use it as a supplement to many of my writing lessons and tasks that I would have my students complete. The software per say is not downloaded, rather it is a website that a teacher or school subscribes to. It's entirely FREE and allows the classroom teacher to solely manage the accounts of each of the students. It's a secure website. The site itself that students post their writing assignments on is eye engaging so students are encouraged and highly motivated to learn.
The second website that I chose was Write:Outloud.
Write:Outloud is a company created by Don Johnston to help students learn to read and write. He himself struggled as a reader and writer in his schooling an this alone was the motivator to create a successful company that creates different AT devices to use. There are many types of products that can be downloaded for different subjects including writing. Some products that are used to help students with their writing are First Keys 3, Write:Outloud, Co:Writer for Neo, Co:Writer 7, and Co:Writer for App.
As a classroom teacher, depending on the assignments and the abilities of my students, I would choose (Most likely one) product that serves as the most beneficial. Students that would greatly benefit from products as mentioned above would be students with Autism, Dyslexia, students with hearing impairments, learning disabilities, and any other disability that allowing the computer to read back wording would be beneficial.
The pricing of any of these products can range from $10 to $700 and even beyond. Thats's why as a teacher, it's very important to know the range of abilities an what your students are able to do.
Check it out: http://donjohnston.com/writeoutloud/
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