Different Types Of Assistive Technology: Word Prediction Software and Talking Word Processor Software

In my last blog post, I described how I changed a lesson I had previously taught, to make it more UDL friendly and to make sure that there weren't any barriers to learning for any of my students. In this blog, I am going to talk about different ways that educators could make their lessons more UDL friendly and to also help make sure there are no barriers to learning. A great way to do this is to implement assistive technology to help those students that need it! The hard part is figuring out what assistive technology device is going to help the students needs.


Option #1: Word Prediction Software

  Word prediction software is most helpful to students who struggle with writing.

The type of learner that would need to use word prediction software are learners who have illegible handwriting, struggle with spelling and grammar and have trouble translating thoughts into writing. When using the word prediction software, the software "predicts" the word that the user intended to type. 

Some brands of word prediction software that is used in schools are Aurora Suite, Co: Writer SOLO, EZ Keys for Windows, Words+, Inc, SpeakQ, Text Help, Read and Write Gold, Word Q and Quillsoft.

I watched a tutorial for the Co: Writer SOLO word prediction software! From watching the tutorial I learned that this word prediction software is REALLY cool! This software comes with a word dictionary. When the user misspells a word, the dictionary pops up with a list of "predictions" of the word the user may have meant to spell. The user can then move the mouse over the words in the dictionary and the software reads the words to the user. If the word the user meant to spell is on the list, the user clicks the word and the software fixes the spelling error. Additionally, if the word the user spelled is not on the initial dictionary list, the software allows the user to see more lists of words until they find the word that they were looking for! The user can even customize the dictionary based on the topic they are writing about! 

If you are an elementary educator, trying to decide if word prediction software is appropriate for a student in your room, this website is a great resource to use!!!!


Option #2: Talking Word Processor Software 

The talking word processor software would be most helpful for students who are poor writers, readers and students who have visual impairments. 

 Since talking word processor software allows the users to hear every letter, word and sentence that is typed, it helps struggling readers listen to the words and choose the right word based on how it sounds. This software is also beneficial for students with visual impairments because it allows the users to enlarge the size of text and  change the color and background of the text. 

The types of learners who would need to use a talking word processor are those who are reluctant to write, have moderate grammar and spelling challenges, struggle with reading and write better with auditory support.

Three frequently used talking word processing programs include IntelliTalk II, Write: OutLoud, eReader and Type & Talk.

I watched a tutorial for the Write: OutLoud talking word processor software. This software allows the user to hear what they have typed while they are typing and also hear it read back to them to make sure their sentence makes sense. This software also offers a talking spell-checker. For each word in a users writing piece that is spelled wrong, the user can HEAR other correctly-spelled options to replace that word! This software also has a homonym checker. If a student thinks they used the incorrect form a word, the student would use the homonym checker and read the definitions of all the homonyms of the word the user typed. Depending on the definition, the user would select the correct homonym! The greatest part of this software as far as educators are concerned, is that it allows teachers to modify the software for when the students are taking a test! The program allows the teacher to be able to enable or disable the spell checker, dictionary and homonym checker features of this software during a test!!

If you are an educator trying to decide which talking word processor software is appropriate for a student in your classroom,this website is a great resource to use!!