ictsan

Audacity is an excellent way of preparing short sound clips.

This software is totally free. The latest version can be be downloaded from this site; http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Any sound that the computer can make can be captured by Audacity; a CD playing in the CD drive; input from a microphone; a radio programme being listened to via the internet.

Short extracts can be taken from copyright tunes to use in Powerpoint, Clicker or other software to create personalised materials for pupils with exceptional needs.

Audacity saves projects in its own format – .aup (Audacity project). It also will export files in .wav format. It will also export files using a Mpegs (.mpg format) which are smaller files because compression is applied at the time of saving. However you need to have a module available to the system. This is called ‘lame_enc.dll’. This can be downloaded from the site too. You will only be using short clips, so compression is not an important issue.

Great news, Audacity will run from a pen-drive! It does not have to be installed on the computer system at all. There are Windows, Mac and Linux versions.

Even greater news. Audacity will run from a pendrive. Make sure you put ‘lame_enc.dll’ on your drive beside the Audacity application. That’s all you need. Have fun with it.

Note – this week – last week of September 2007, it has been impossible to download a working version of the software. The version downloaded is corrupted. Not such good news.

Here is some documentation to help you get started with Audacity;

Audacity-Capturing_sounds.pdf

Sticky Keys is a very simple solution for users who, for whatever reason, are unable to press two keys at a time. In MS Windows, it is usually set through Accessibility Options. It means that they can easily access capital letters by pressing SHIFT THEN K to get a capital “K” , rather than  SHIFT AND K together.

It does not stop there. The keyboard short cuts or keypress combinations, used to control computer functions can be accessed this way. Look at this list for combinations which can be very useful, and easier than using the mouse for someone with motor difficulties.

It is best to choose the option to have the above symbol on the desktop taskbar, so that you can see that it is working. This tell the user that CTRL and SHIFT have been pressed.

The other keys are; ALT and The Windows Key.

A very useful combination is ALT and F4 to close the current window. Much easier than using  a mouse for some users.

Voice recognition in schools was the subject of a study published by the CALL Centre, Edinburgh University in 2003 ; http://callcentre.education.ed.ac.uk/Research/Speech_Recog_PRA/speech_recog_pra.html

The publications included two guides to getting started with voice recognition – each one speacific to the two main software packages at the time; Dragon Naturally Speaking and Viavoice.

At some point since then, Viavoice has been discontinued in terms of new development. It is effectively being marketed as a cheap option. Dragon continues to be developed and is the leader in the field.

There are still a lot of questions hanging over its use by young people and in schools. It has been developed as an alternative for bisiness users to using a secretary. The standard voice files seem to be based on adult males with recived pronunciation (RP) accents. Thus it takes a fair bit of use for the system to become attuned to a youngster with a regional accent.

It has been said that it takes as much time to support a youngster using VR as it does to provide support through scribing for major pieces of writing. It is important to realise;

• The system has to be set up though a period of training in which the user reads aloud from on screen texts. This can last fifteen minutes for a good reader, much longer for a poor reader. An assistant might need to dictate the texts for the poor reader to repeat them.

• The system adjusts to the users voice during each session using the software. Thus if errors in recognition are allowed to go uncorrected, the quality of the recognition deteriorates.

• VR systems are sensitive to background noise

In short, VR will keep on improving as a productivity tool for business users. When it comes to its use by youngsters at home or at shool, it is definitely a high maintenance form of intervention. Think very clearly why you are considering VR. A youngster with motor difficulties might be more effective using word/phrase predicition. A dyslexic with severe spelling difficulties may allow errors and end up with system giving poor recognition. He might be better using speech feedback and quality spellchecking.

A very recent development has been the release of Speak Q; http://www.wordq.com/speakqenglish.html

This is voice recognition aimed at young people. The whole training process is easier and shorter. The youngsters hear the voice and can just reapeat what they hear. There is however, some doubt about how good the voice recognition develop asthe youngster uses it. This is very much a new product. It is more expensive than Dragon. The good news is that a set of demo discs is available. Yes an opportunity to try before you buy.

Recently, a video has appeared on Youtube of a teenage dyslrexic who does use Dragon Voice recognition well;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXHawlHLmtI

Folk who have worked in the additional needs field for a while, and are using digital photography, probably started using a Sony Mavica camera. Excellent cameras. The picture quality is still excellent. If you are lucky enough to have a model which can switch between floppy disc and memory stick (FD/MS) then you have a camera that has years of useful snapping ahead of it.

You’ll need to buy a Memory Stick like the one you’ll see here. It has to be MagicGate stick. I think these cameras take any size between 16 and 128 Mb Sticks. These are available still, but you are most likely to find one on ebay.

Even the older floppy disc models are worth hanging on to. Even if your new computers have no floppy drive, you can use a USB floppy drive. However, floppy disc drives will eventually fail – as will every other form of electronic storage device.

These cameras are still very good. They also have the Coomber factor. They are rugged but just too uncool to be stolen for personal use. It is actually easier to teach a young pupil to use one of these cameras than many of the smaller cameras schools buy these days.

Bordertalk – short index of target words

Here is the short index of the Bordertalk scheme. The essential to Bordertalk being successful for a pupil is to start him/her at the right level. They should start at a level that is a little bit challenging, but at which success is guaranteed. If there is any doubt between which of two levels to start the youngster, use the easier level first. You can always leap forward. Going back is always disheartening.
Here’s the list of the content of the levels. The full list is also available below.
www.educationict.org.uk/ictsan/docs/Bordertalk-short_index-target_words.pdf

Bordertalk – full index of target words

Bordertalk is a programme of on-screen exercises to help a pupil develop awareness of the common phonic patterns and word attack skills. They require the use of a talking word processor – Clicker or Textease.
Here is the full list of all the target words in the Bordertalk scheme; Levels A1, A2, AB1, AB2, B1, B2, C1, C2.
www.educationict.org.uk/ictsan/docs/Bordertalk-index-target_words.pdf
For access to the scheme, in Textease version, and the rationale and method for using it, look here;
www.educationict.org.uk/ictsan/bt/

The first part of the Clicker 4 training deals with using the ready made Grids, known as Clicker Grids for Learning., which are installed on all the networks in the authority’s primary schools. The full catalogue is available here;
The way that “users” have been set up is dealt with. A’ user’ is a collection of settings for ways Clicker 4 behaves – speech options; picture insertion; etc. It also gives a place for the grids to be housed. You can only save grids if you are logged on as ‘Our School’s Grids’
Download the documentation  here.

Clicker 4 Documentation (1) – Using The Ready Made Grids

Clicker 4 Documentation (2) – Making your own grids, Talking Books

This is a very vexed question. It is ironic that as the number of computers increases, the number of people actually touch typing is probably falling. Why?

• Touch typing is a motor skill. If you look at your hands you will be learning a different skill; typing with your hands in the right position, but still looking at the keys
• The main problem with touch typing is that it is a long process and loses its impact if the learner is using a hunt and peck method to type work in the meantime.
• You need the following; a good piece of touch typing tutor software; plenty of intensive practice; motivation to keep on using the skill.

A good TT computer program has; good notes explaining the rationale; a good on screen layout that prompts the correct key-press; a strucured set of exercise that lead from placing the fingers on the home keys to the use of the whole keybaord.

One piece of software that is recommended is English type. It acts as a very good tutor. It also explains well in text and audio why you should not look at your hands. It is available from http://www.englishtype.com

The BBC has an on line typing tutor;
Dance Mat Typing;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

This has a good ‘about’ sections which should be essential reading. The presentation is gimmicky and cluttered, but it’s free and on-line so does not need installing on your computer or network.

A tip – really good touch typers type at a steady rate. The temptation for some learners is to type too fast. They tend to rush through the parts they can do easily and then slow down for the trickier parts. The best way is to learn to type slowly but evenly as if to a beat. As you practice you can speed up. Accuracy, not speed, is the important issue when you start learning.

Touch typing for all pupils?
If a class is learning to touch type, they need to have sufficient experience, which means a cluster or network of computers to use. They also need to keep away from using the keyboard for other purposes. This is the hardest challenge!

It seems that we are able to predict pupils’ likely success with touch typing by pretesting them on a simple handwriting speed and neatness test. Quick and neat writers are likely to work quickly through the exercises. Slow writers with poorly formed letters are likely to struggle with touch typing.

revised  9.9.2007

Priory Woods Software

This school regularly updates its website with new activities which provide a reward for pupils using switches, touch screen or a mouse. The reward is a short burst of video with music.
It’s best to take a look at the Priory Woods School site

Sebran and Sebran-Mini

This software can be downloaded for installation onto your PC.
There are activities for pointing and clicking and pressing individual keys.
Download them from here

Moving Targets

Moving targets is a suite of five activities suitable for
mouse users, users of touch screen or interactive whiteboard.
You can run these straight from the internet.

This is where you find Moving Targets

Here are a few sites where software can be run without downloading it onto your computer. It runs within the browser window on the computer;

Freely usable literacy activities;
www.crick.northants.sch.uk/pageliteracy.html
www.sebastianswan.org.uk/ – some on- screen books
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/index.shtml
www.candlelightstories.com/
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/magickey/adventures/index.shtml

This list taken from a longer document by Jo King – to be found on the Education ICT website
Maths Sites – Take look at the list from the Education ICT Website
Also- some activities from Mape/Naace and Star Tower
Links from Langlee Primary School Site
BBC Skillswise

Commercial Sites – with some access for evaluation purposes
http://www.educationcity.com/
http://www.gridclub.com/ (free to Scottish schools)

Guidelines on Internet Use in Schools
Schools have to have a policy on safe use of the Internet. You’ll find details here