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Writing
For years
we've written with our hands! We've used pens and pencils on
paper. We've typed on rapidly changing manual, electronic and
computer keyboards. Producing handwritten or typed text on paper
or on the computer has been our method of recording our
thoughts, ideas and information.
Now, advances in technology and methods of recording, reporting
and documentation is opening a whole new world for many who have
challenges in producing written work.
For many of our students who have handwriting or typing
problems, poor spelling or difficulty with maintaining posture
for writing, the task of writing is an enormous challenge.
Historically, we have provided many different types of alternate
computer input systems – keyboards, rate enhancement software,
and enlarged key labels just to name a few. |
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One
of the most underutilized and yet most powerful methods of recording
information and writing is through the use of voice!
After
years of working with students in occupational therapy, focusing on
training handwriting skills and using alternate keyboards, it is noted
that the vast majority of these students continue producing written work
at a slow rate with poor, substandard content and spelling. Many, many
of these students have verbal skills and wonderful ideas and information
to share. The vast majority of these students are able to dictate to
teachers and parents and in this way can record the valuable thoughts,
ideas and learned information they have.
Now,
with the technology we have available to us, there are a wide range of
options which will allow students to use their voices to WRITE and to
produce work of a higher quality and quantity. Also, the very nature of
these voice input systems allow students to become INDEPENDENT writers,
thus increasing their achievement, overall independence and their own
responsibility for the work they produce. As they work independently,
their ideas, thoughts and information they are recording are their OWN.
they don’t need to concern themselves with what another individual might
be thinking about their responses and writing at the time the task is
being completed. Teachers can grade students on work that is truly the
student’s work.
When using the appropriate tools, verbal students of absolutely ANY
functional and academic level can use their voice to write. Lower
functioning students can utilize voice recording with simple macro
buttons to automate the process. “As long as they can talk, they can
write!” A combination of screen reading software and voice recording
software can make the complete ‘non-reader’ and ‘non-writer’ learn to
read and write at far greater levels than possible with other, more
traditional methods of input.
Higher functioning students can often become significantly more
functional with their writing skills using speech recognition.
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