We mentioned CapturaTalk in a newsletter last year – a clever program that allows your Windows Mobile phone to take a photo of written text and then have it read aloud to you in a clear UK English voice! It will also read aloud text in documents on the phone – including emails, SMS messages and web pages visited. PDF files can now be read aloud too.

Version 3 of the program has just been released and is definitely worth a look. Click here to download a free 30 day trial of CapturaTalk Version 3. Or visit the Spectronics website for information on compatible phones; to view a video of CapturaTalk in action; or to read case studies from successful users of this fully portable way of supporting people who struggle with reading! The program even includes the Concise Oxford English dictionary, if you don’t understand a word simply select it and have the definition read to you by your phone. Truly mobile learning!

The workshop “Reading and Writing Tools for Students with Learning Disabilities” was presented today at the 2009 Special Education EXPO (6/7/09 – Education Development Centre, Hindmarsh, Adelaide, South Australia).

Students with learning disabilities and difficulties have at their disposal a range of inclusive technologies to support their learning.

The emerging research concerning the use of these technologies indicates their use can make a difference to the learning and educational performance of students who struggle with literacy. Technology is increasingly being used to remove barriers to learning and provide access to knowledge and understanding.

This workshop provided participants with an up-to-date overview of the range of technologies available to support students with reading, writing, research, study and organisation difficulties in upper primary and secondary school settings and beyond. Many of these tools are also of value to students who struggle with their studies because English is not their first language.

Technology in this area changes rapidly and these changes make it difficult to distinguish which tool or combination of tools will best benefit a particular student. This workshop discussed the benefits of key features of these technologies, including text to speech, word prediction, speech to text, portable note taking and alternative digital formats.

Here is a copy of the PowerPoint (in PDF) from today’s workshop: http://gregoconnor.wikispaces.com/file/view/Read+%26+Write+Tools+LD+09.pdf

An additional resource was mentioned in today’s workshop, “The New Rules of Engagment: A Guide to Understanding and Connecting With Generation Y”  by Michael McQueen. For more information go to http://thenexgengroup.com/page/online-store/

Another VERY cool new technology is CapturaTalk! This clever program allows your Window Mobile phone to take a photo of written text and then have it read aloud for you in a clear UK English voice! It will also read aloud text in documents on the phone – including emails and SMS messages received along with web pages visited.

Click here to view a short video which highlights how CapturaTalk makes it easy to instantly read text anywhere that it can be photographed. The content of books, menus, schedules and work directions are all instantly accessible and understandable to struggling readers. It will even read aloud definitions of words which a user has difficulty understanding. This new technology was also recently featured on BBC news.

To learn more about CapturaTalk and the Windows Mobile smart phones with which it is compatible – visit the Spectronics website.