I read an interesting article on www.smartplanet.com that talks about a new "app" that can be used on an iPad called AppWriter. This "app" assists students who struggle with speech and language to read and write better in the classroom. The software features Dyslexie, a font designed to help dyslexics read and write, as well as text-to-speech optical character recognition. This is yet another feature designed to help users who have learning disabilities or visual limitations. The software can read all button and menu items aloud. The cool part about this "app" is that you take a picture of any handout, photocopy, textbook page, or whatever and the software syncs the document into the iPad and can actually read through the entire document. For users with learning disabilities, AppWriter offers a word prediction feature designed to help users construct sentences and make fewer grammatical errors. The Dyslexie font may help users to differentiate letters that look similar, making words and sounds easier to comprehend. The demand for assistive technology is growing fast among educators.
I want to know what you think about this article and how you can see programs like AppWriter being used in schools today.
I think this app sounds like a fantastic idea! I know from personal experience that teaching a student with dyslexia is a challenge. To be able to help the student sufficiently, while still teaching a lesson can become tedious. This app would be able to help a dyslexic student, or a student with any disability, to be able to do better in the "mainstream" classroom.
ReplyDeleteThe only disadvantage of this app is that the school and/or student needs to have an ipad available at their fingertips. In the poorer school districts, they may not be able to afford an ipad for every student, or even any at all.
I can remember back to my special education courses that assistive technology was a huge topic that we covered and took time to go over. In the 21st century, the amount of technology that can be used in the classroom almost seems unreal. The AppWriter is definitely a product of the future of eduaction, especially with students with disabilities.
ReplyDeleteI can see the AppWriter and similar programs used in the classroom for pretty much any grade level; from elementary school, helping students learn to read - to college, assisting students in reading and gaining the information presented by the professor. Students can substantially benefit from the assistance the program gives, whether it be a dyslexic, a student who struggles with speech and/or language, or even a "regular" education student looking for extra help in reading.
With this app, students are able to take a picture of basically anything they are instructed to read, and the app will read it for them, as well as help them make constructive responses. This app is without a doubt going to be a positive addition to any classroom, special Ed or not.
Applications like this one can be very helpful to students who need it thats it the technology is used correctly. If the school is able to afford it or the parents of the child want to sell out money for an Ipad and the application, AppWriter students can be using it in every class without making it noticable that they are having extra help because of dyslexia. My once concern would be if it could be used in a math classroom, it says it sync's with whatever worksheet or handout but I would have to see for myself if it formats well will math problems and applications that I would be having my students complete in class. Lastly, the one thing I could see being an issue with this - which sadly, is an issue with most technology these days is the teachers, staff and employees of the school have no knowledge of its full potential or even how to use it correctly. So if this was the case I feel as if teachers and students who be using it would need the proper training for it.
ReplyDeleteI really feel as though this app will aid children who have difficulty reading, writing, and learning material. However, agreeing with Amy, I feel as though teachers must be trained in how to use the program correctly to insure that the students are using the app to its fullest. I also feel as though this app cannot take away the role of the teacher and should be used stricly as a reinforcement tool. Teachers cannot depend on this app to differentiate for them.
ReplyDeleteI think that this app would help out a lot of people, from children that are just learning or having disabilities all the way to adults that also have disabilities or are learning another language. I agree with the previous comments that teachers would have to be trained and instructed on how to properly use the technology before they try to use it in a classroom. It might be an issue that once a student uses it, they do not want to stop. For example, if a child uses it when they are learning a new language and use this to help them translate or hear the pronunciation of words, students may not want to willingly take that next step to read without the aid.
ReplyDeleteI have worked in a school with students with disabilities and have seen many different types of communication devices. The ipad is quickly being picked up by the parents and/or having the district acquire one for their child. This app would be a great addiction to this school especially for those who can one day become mainstream.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this app would be a fantastic idea as long as all of the features work properly. This seems like a great in class support and independent work tool because of its ability to help the student with the aid of the teacher and alone. The beauty of this app with an iPad is that it is so easy to use and caters to everyones needs. Things like this are sprouting up everywhere and to not use technology in the classroom nowadays is a rarity. I would love to see this app in action!
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