At Bayside, we make use of a variety of technologies to support students. While some supports are to meet the individual needs of some students, we also use some technology to support all students.
OpenDyslexic Font: I try to use OpenDyslexic font most of the time in the classroom. I also have it installed on my four classroom computers. OpenDyslexic is a font that was created to increase the readability of text for readers with dyslexia (a Learning Disability affecting reading.) I refer to it as a "weighted font," because the bottoms of the letters are heavier and seem to weight the text. We have had students in the past who have had good success with this, so I try to use it as a universal strategy. Since it's a font you install on your computer, you can also use it with any program, which is great! You can download the font for your home computers here: opendyslexic.org/.
wordQ+ speakQ Software: Two years ago, Bayside was able to purchase a school license for wordQ + speakQ software. Many of our students had already been using this software as a support for a variety of learning needs related to writing. One of the benefits of purchasing the school license is that we can offer the software, free of charge, to our Bayside families.
To briefly describe wordQ + speakQ, I think of the program as an “overlay program.” It works with many programs, like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, email, (or other programs) are open, wordQ + speakQ works overtop, providing the following support:
If you would like to borrow a DVD to install the software on your home computer, please send Mrs. Sabin an email at [email protected] and I will let the Resource Team know . They will send the CD and instructions home. Please remember that we have a limited number of CDs to lend out. We ask that you return them as soon as possible, so the next person on the list can receive it. If you have any questions, let me know.
Want to learn more about how to use wordQ + speak Q? There are some great tutorial videos found at: http://www.goqsoftware.com/resources.php . This is a great place to start. Scroll down to the wordQ + speakQ section.
OpenDyslexic Font: I try to use OpenDyslexic font most of the time in the classroom. I also have it installed on my four classroom computers. OpenDyslexic is a font that was created to increase the readability of text for readers with dyslexia (a Learning Disability affecting reading.) I refer to it as a "weighted font," because the bottoms of the letters are heavier and seem to weight the text. We have had students in the past who have had good success with this, so I try to use it as a universal strategy. Since it's a font you install on your computer, you can also use it with any program, which is great! You can download the font for your home computers here: opendyslexic.org/.
wordQ+ speakQ Software: Two years ago, Bayside was able to purchase a school license for wordQ + speakQ software. Many of our students had already been using this software as a support for a variety of learning needs related to writing. One of the benefits of purchasing the school license is that we can offer the software, free of charge, to our Bayside families.
To briefly describe wordQ + speakQ, I think of the program as an “overlay program.” It works with many programs, like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, email, (or other programs) are open, wordQ + speakQ works overtop, providing the following support:
- word prediction, which is similar to what many of us use on our cell phones
- speech feedback, to read back what you’ve written This makes it easier to “hear” mistakes and make corrections. It can also be used to have text (including text on most websites) read aloud.
- speech recognition, which allows students to speak into a microphone while the program converts the speech to text. Although this isn’t used as much by middle school students, it can be helpful when students can’t figure out how to start spelling a word.
If you would like to borrow a DVD to install the software on your home computer, please send Mrs. Sabin an email at [email protected] and I will let the Resource Team know . They will send the CD and instructions home. Please remember that we have a limited number of CDs to lend out. We ask that you return them as soon as possible, so the next person on the list can receive it. If you have any questions, let me know.
Want to learn more about how to use wordQ + speak Q? There are some great tutorial videos found at: http://www.goqsoftware.com/resources.php . This is a great place to start. Scroll down to the wordQ + speakQ section.