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Vince Tomassetti
Adult Service Program
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Email: vtomassetti@aspbc.org
Deanna Kemp
Adult Service Program
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Email: dkemp@aspbc.org
The presentation "E-Text; the Myth, the Promise, the
Reality" offers a practical look at creating and using
electronic text from a student's perspective. From this
perspective the presenter discusses which types of materials
may be better suited for scanning and which materials might be
better suited for other mediums such as audio recording or
reader/scribe assistance. Besides considerations relating to
the physical appropriateness of the source text, the
presentation touches on other important considerations such as
the user's computer skills, the users learning style, and the
user's motivation to produce the electronic text.
The presentation's format consists of a series of examples
showing a variety of text sources before and after undergoing
the OCR process. The method of demonstration will be a
combination of PowerPoint slides, word-processor documents, and
speech output. The PowerPoint slides present the scanned image
of a print source as the scanner sees it. This is the image
that the OCR program converts into electronic text. Then, the
word-processor presents the actual e-text created by the OCR
program. Finally, the presenter will demonstrate how a user
experiences and navigates the electronic text with screen
reading software.
The sources for these examples come from textbooks and
handouts spanning over a range of academic disciplines. Many of
these examples illustrate types of document attributes that
pose particular challenges for the OCR software which may
result in compromising the text's accuracy. Since accuracy is a
critical factor, the presentation will also include a
discussion of strategies for optimising scanning results as
well as exploring other sources for obtaining electronic text
versions of course materials.
The intent of the presentation is to offer the participants a
first-hand look at a user accessing scanned text with a screen
reader and point out the benefits and limits of scanning
technology. By demonstrating which types of printed text
converts into acceptable electronic text, demonstrating the
level of skill needed for creating acceptable electronic text,
and demonstrating the amount of effort needed for creating
electronic text, it is hoped that the presentation enables
participants to better to determine whether using a scanner to
access printed materials is an appropriate accommodation for
their clients.
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