Reading


 * =Reading - Website=



Adaptive Technology

Reading
 * All use some sort of text-to-speech adaptation


 * Multimodal – engage sight and hearing

Types:
 * I.** **Audio Books and Publications**

Audio Books and Publications are Recorded books allow users to listen to text and are available in a variety of formats, such as audiocassettes, CDs, and MP3 downloads.


 * Audible.com**
 * Provides a wide range of genres and selections such as magazines, radio shows, podcasts, stand-up comedy, and speeches with topic such as culture, politics, business, education, etc.
 * Registration and membership is required
 * Commercial book industry
 * Provides ranges of genres
 * Supplemental resources


 * KURZWEIL Educational Systems**
 * Website provides integrated visual and auditory software tool for individuals with dyslexia, learning disabilities or attention deficit disorder.
 * Provides lesson plans with variety of learning difficulties including: Learning Disabilities, Vision Impairment, ADD/ADHD, and Physical Impairments.
 * Book Share**
 * Their mission is to assist individuals with print disabilities have equal and timely access to print materials.
 * It is an online library of digital books.
 * Individuals have to register as members and provide a Proof of Disability.
 * Members download books, textbooks and newspapers in a compressed, encrypted file.


 * II.** **Optical Character Recognition**

- Technology that allows a user to scan printed material into a computer or handheld unit. The scanned text can then be read back to the reader. OCR is available as a physical hardware, or computer software. Kurzweil 3000

Kurzweil 3000's patented dual highlighting of on screen text improves students' reading performance by highlighting a sentence, line or phrase in one color and each word in another color as it is read aloud. One-click access to word support, including recursive dictionaries, synonyms, syllables and word spelling helps students with decoding and keeps them actively reading when they reach passages they would otherwise have difficulty comprehending. Teachers can embed Bubble Notes containing questions and instructions to assigned reading to help students stay on task and support reading comprehension. Students can improve their reading comprehension and retention with tools such as text highlighting, annotations, Bubble Notes, voice notes, bookmarks and extraction of outlines or word lists. As students type, they can use the check-spelling-while-typing and speak-while-typing features to quickly recognize and correct spelling mistakes. The audible spell checker and comprehensive Word Prediction feature further assist students with writing and editing reports, essays and papers independently.
 * Features**
 * Patented Dual Highlighting**
 * Use Bubble Notes for Powerful Instructional Support**
 * Powerful Study Skills**
 * Flexible Writing Tools**

**Read the Web Using Mozilla Firefox**
Kurzweil 3000 enhances audible and visual access to web pages with Mozilla Firefox, opening up the resources of the Internet to all students, while providing the same reading and reference features that users enjoy within Kurzweil 3000.

**WYNN Wizard**

**Features**

WYNN highlights text as it is spoken and transforms the text into information that is easier to understand by students with disabilities such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and aphasia.

Two versions of our software for learning to read and write are available
WYNN is available in two versions: WYNN Wizard and WYNN Reader. Both these computer programs read text aloud while highlighting spoken words, include the four color-coded toolbars, and provide reading, writing, studying, productivity, and Internet features.


 * **WYNN Wizard**, our premier product, is scanning and reading software. It includes optical character recognition (OCR), the ability to scan printed pages and convert them into electronic text. Speech synthesis enables this scanned text to be read aloud. Additionally, WYNN Wizard can read word processing documents, Adobe Acrobat PDF files, text files, and the Internet.
 * **WYNN Reader** includes all features of WYNN Wizard except OCR, or scanning capability. Additionally, files that have been previously scanned and saved using WYNN Wizard can be read with WYNN Reader.

**Livescribe Paper-based computer pen**
 * 1) **Paper-Based Computer Pen**

Technology that records and links the audio using the pen and special paper. The student takes notes while recording. The student can then go back and listen to the notes in any section by simply touching the pen to the corresponding section of notes. This type of pen may benefit a poor writer, a student who has trouble listening, who has trouble with focus or memory, as well as a reading disability. The Echo Smartpen by Livescribe may be a tool to consider as well as the Pulse smartpen reader. The Pulse Smartpen by Livescribe is also an option, but the Echo is cheaper and discounted more
 * Features**
 * 1) [[image:Screen_shot_2011-11-15_at_7.38.16_PM.png]]



Write: Out Loud (see above) streamlines the writing process by not confusing students with too many extra features. The software reads text aloud as a student types it, so he or she receives immediate auditory feedback. Though the promotors of the software highlight its simplicity as an advantage relative to competitors' products, Write: Out Loud does still include helpful editing tools (spelling, homophones, etc).