The Power of Kurzweil: Using Assistive Technology as a Teaching Aid

1. The Power of Kurzweil: Using Assistive Technology as a Teaching Aid Presented by Melissa McClurg High School Intervention Teacher Delphos Jefferson High School October 12, 2009

2. What is Kurzweil 3000? Kurzweil is a comprehensive reading, writing and learning software for any struggling reader, including individuals with learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, attention deficit disorder or those who are English Language Learners.

3. Kurzweil has been beneficial in the following areas: -Incorporating the Curriculum Examples: -Used with all subject areas -Scanning of textbooks and subject area resources -Used during testing situations -Long term projects (i.e. Book reports, essays, etc.) The Benefits of Kurzweil

4. Kurzweil has been beneficial in the following areas: -Reading Fluency Examples: -Colored moving text -Footnotes and bubbles -Highlighting features -Vocabulary Lists The Benefits of Kurzweil

5. Kurzweil has been beneficial in the following areas: -Study Skills Examples: -Footnotes and bubbles -Extracting Text The Benefits of Kurzweil

6. Kurzweil has been beneficial in the following areas: -Decoding Support Examples: -Reading speed -Reading type (letters, words and/or sentences) -Reading Voice -Word Magnification -Speaking Dictionary and Thesaurus The Benefits of Kurzweil

7. Kurzweil has been beneficial in the following areas: -Writing and Editing Support Examples: -Word Predication Bank -Vocabulary Checklists -Grammar check -Voice animation of typing -Speaking Dictionary and Thesaurus The Benefits of Kurzweil

8. Kurzweil has been beneficial in the following areas: -Independent Test Taking Examples: -Lock features -Highlight and drag -Reading Software -Typing and highlighting -Dictionary/Thesaurus The Benefits of Kurzweil

9. Other Ideas for Kurzweil in the Classroom Read the web Use it to read studyisland questions Use it on Quia games (flashcards work well) Create MP3 Files for your website

10. Funding??? Many schools have bought Kurzweil with grants. We bought our Kurzweil 3000 work station and network licenses in 2007. We also bought an HP Scanjet 8390 multipage duplex scanner and headphones. The scanner was $1200. We wrote a letter to our local VFW and they donated $2200 for the project.

11. Working with Kurzweil – The Basics

13. Change Reading Options

15. To Study

20. Show or Hide Toolbars

27. Sticky Notes & Text Notes

30. Look up a Word

39. Create an Outline

40. Kurzweil is a lifesaver for testing…

41. Preparing a test

42. Highlighting and Circling Test Answers

43. Fill in the Blanks Test

44. New, Exciting Features Web License Edition for Access from Home or Wherever - Students ideally want to access Kurzweil 3000 from any computer, whether at school or home. The new Web License edition allows a student or teacher to access a Kurzweil 3000 license via the Internet by entering a user name and password.Also, the Web Licensing option offers easy usage management of licensing for IT departments so they know how many licenses are being used by students and teachers.

45. Questions?