The Measure of Demonstrating
Knowledge: Using Technology to Assist with Writing
Presenter
#1
David
Bradburn
Kurzweil Educational
Country: USA
Day phone: 781.276.0600
Fax: 781.276.065
Email: davidb@kurzweiledu.com J SE
See how Kurzweil 3000 allows students to conoentrate
on the content of what they write and to independently demonstrate their
knowledge through the writing process.
Students with learning disabilities often struggle to understand spoken and
written language. Because of the nature of their difficulties, students
struggle with many school- related tasks, including reading, spelling, composition,
organization, and handwriting, and as a result, are frequently frustrated with
their assigned work. Written assignments are often not even attempted by
students who struggle with the mechanics of writing, who have a limited
vocabulary or word finding and retrieval problems, and who have
difficulties organizing their thoughts. Even highly motivated students with
learning disabilities with strong verbal skills often struggle to put their
thoughts on paper in a
clear and concise manner. These problems are often compounded by poor fine
motor skills and poor handwriting.
Writing is intrinsic to the learning process. Through writing, students commit
new information to memory, allowing them to analyze, integrate and synthesize
their knowledge. Frequently, educators use a writing task to assess what
students have learned. For some struggling students, the use of common
technology has simplified some of the frustration of writing. Powerful word
processors with spell checkers and grammar checkers provide two tools to
alleviate some of the problems. Simply the shift from using paper and pencil to
a keyboard has improved legibility and quality of written expression for many
students. But, for other students, more help is needed.
This session will provide an overview of Kurzweil 30000 — the premier reading,
writing and learning software for struggling students. Because Kurzweil 3000 is
also content independent, teachers in elementary, middle and secondary schools
alike use it to help students succeed in the classroom regardless of their
curriculum.
Kurzweil 3000 includes many features to support the writing process. Pre-writing
supports like bookmarks, extractable highlights and notes allow students to
brainstorm, and to indicate important facts and integrate pertinent information
into new documents. The writing toolbar includes basic word processing tools
and more. Words and sentences are spoken as they are typed. Reference tools,
including digital dictionaries (in multiple languages) and a thesaurus are
readily available. Vocabulary lists are customizable and content-specific. The
word prediction feature contains homophone and confusable word support, as well
as customizable vocabulary support.
Teachers and students using Kurzweil 3000 for writing assistance actually see
an increase in writing output, as well an improvement in syntax, grammar,
sentence structure and spelling. Organization improves as students make the
connection from study skills strategies to writing performance. Vocabulary
development improves, and word finding/retrieval problems are minimized through
the word study supports.
Kurzweil 3000 technology gives struggling students the tools to become
independent
readers, writers and thinkers. Kurzweil 3000 allows students to concentrate
their energies
n the content of what they write and to independently integrate and demonstrate
their knowledge through the writing process. Educators are better able to
assess what and how their struggling students are learning through more
consistent output, and students have access to an incredibly important strategy
for learning, as well as for independently demonstrating their knowledge. In
addition, the product is proving instrumental for both classroom and
standardized assessments. Educators can measure students
true abilities with Kurzweil 30000s unigue,
customizable testing accommodations conforming to individual IEP requirements,
learning styles and preferences. .
Go to previous article
Go to next article
Return to 2006 Table of Contents