Module 3 - AT Software

1. Develop a rubric. (See above)

2. Download a 30 day trial of Inspiration. Create a sample lesson for your classroom or library OR design a project for your workplace.
I would love to use this program during my research paper unit because so many students struggle with organization, note taking, and outlining. If each student had access to the Inspiration software, they could easily type their notes from library research time and turn it into an outline. My visual learners could use the Inspiration clipart to organize their ideas and brainstorm the best way to organize the information in their paragraphs.

3. Download a 30 day trial of the read out loud software program, Kurzweil 3000. Experiment with it.
A few years ago, I went to a three day training for Don Johnston Assisstive Technology products. After experimenting with the Kurzweil program, it reminds me a lot of the Don Johnston product SOLO 6. In the right setting, I feel the Kurzweil software could be very beneficial to certain students, I just don't think the software could be easily used in a regular classroom setting. I also wondered at what age would students not be interested in this type of software. I can see my seventh graders really liking it, but what about juniors in high school?

6. In your journal or blog, write about how you can implement assistive technology at your school or library.
I can really see a software product like the Kurzweil 3000 being really helpful to my RSP students. It would be amazing to have the students on a computer, reading along to The Call of the Wild, and using the Kurzweil dictionary. However, I do not have access to the Kurzweil program, or enough computers to accommodate these students. If I was in the library in a perfect world, (with an unlimited budget), I would load all of my computers with the Kurzweil software and invite the Special Education and Reading Departments into the library.

7. Using the rubric you created or downloaded, write a review on each of the software packages above and add this to your journal or blog.
Inspiration - Prior to this module I had never even heard of the Inspiration software. After playing around with Inspiration, I was fairly impressed and can see how the program could be very helpful to many students.
Kurzweil 3000 - This program could be a really great tool for students who struggle with reading and students who are interested on working with computers. Many of the options aren't as impressive as Kurzweil makes them out to be. A lot of the options aren't new and are available on many other basic computer programs.
Infoeyes - I think this is a great idea, but needs a lot of work. I thought it was a bit ironic that the site claims to be a "question and answer service for people with visual impairments", but in order to talk to a live librarian or email a question, a user has to type their contact information into little boxes. I don't see how this could be easy for a visually impaired person.