Free Resources from the Net for EVERY Learner

Supporting Universal Access and Universal Design for Learning

Monthly Archives: February 2009

February 28, 2009
by Paul Hamilton
6 Comments

Embedit.in

I believe there may be no Web 2.0 tool more versatile or valuable than the wiki.  The range of potential  wiki uses is limited only by the creative imagination of the user.  Among the countless possibilities, I love the way a wiki can be used to store and showcase portfolios of student work, or teacher resources, or just about anything.  Today I’m looking at an application that I think lends itself beautifully to this kind of wiki use.

embedit.in offers a convenient way of embedding web pages or uploaded documents that you wish to share on your own website, wiki, or blog.  The service could not be easier to use. You upload a file or or enter the URL for a web page, and are then provided with the html embed code to paste wherever you wish.  I have embedded a URL from CAST for the example below, but I could just as easily have embedded the pdf file itself.


Once a document or web page is embedded, there is a convenient slider bar to zoom in for a better look.  Or, it can be viewed “full screen”.  There is supposed to be a download button, but this does not seem to be avaiable at the moment.  You can, however, print an embedded file.   Most common file formats can be uploaded and embedded, and each file may be up to 20 Mb in size.

Although I haven’t yet had opportunity to try this, I love the idea of using embedit.in on a wiki to help create porfolios of student work.

February 25, 2009
by Paul Hamilton
3 Comments

Vocaroo (online resource)

There are many possible uses for the online application I’m highlighting today.  One use that springs immediately to my mind would be for an individual facing any kind of challenge with writing.  The challenge might be the result of a physical limitation or a so called “learning disability”.

Vocaroo calls itself a voice recording service, and that is exactly what it is.  With a very straightforward  interface, the user can record his or her voice.  The recording may then be shared via email, embedded on a web page, or downloaded to the QuickTime player on a computer.

Since there is no limit to the length of a recording, the potential uses of Vocaroo are also unlimited.  It can be used to answer questions on a test, to tell a story, to describe how something works, to communicate via email, to recite poetry, or to sing a song.  Vocaroo can even be used by a blog writer to share his voice with the blog’s readers.  Click on the button below, and you should hear my personal greeting.  (You may need to click the button twice and then pause for a moment while Vocaroo loads in a new window or browser tab.)


If you have a microphone handy, you can use the Vocaroo widget below to make a recording of your own just for fun.

Powered by Vocaroo

February 22, 2009
by Paul Hamilton
7 Comments

WordTalk 4.2 (free add-on for MS Word)

It is nearly two years since I first wrote here about WordTalk.  Since then, I have worked hard to promote this powerful free text-to-speech plugin for Microsoft Word.  WordTalk turns the Windows version of Microsoft Word into a talking word processor that highlights text as it is read.  It includes a  wonderful talking spell checker, and it can be accessed either with a mouse via icons on a toolbar, or with keyboard shortcuts.

I believe the learning supports provided by WordTalk ought to be available to ALL learners.  So, I was delighted to learn yesterday from Karen Janowski that a new more feature rich version of WordTalk has been released recently by CALL Scotland.  (Communication, Access, Literacy and Learning).

[Sadly, WordTalk works only in Windows versions of MS Word, and I have been unable to find a Mac alternative for WordTalk.  If you are aware of anything that conveniently provides text-to-speech in any Mac word processor, please leave a comment here.]

WordTalk 4.2 is a free add-on for Microsoft Word that povides convenient text-to-speech.  This offers powerful editing support for writers who can listen to what they have written.  The talking spell checker is extremely helpful for writers who have difficulty identifying the correct spelling of a word from those listed in a typical spell checker.

WordTalk reads aloud any file open in Word, and it works in all versions of the program from Word 97 through Word 2007.  I have successfully used free OCR software to scan text into Word in order to have it read aloud with WordTalk.  With one of the new features in version 4.2, WordTalk will also convert text to  either .wav or mp3 audio files, for use on audio players away from the computer.

WordTalk’s features can be accessed via buttons on a toolbar or with keyboard shortcuts.

Toolbar in MS Word 97, 2000, and 2003

Toolbar buttons, or associated keyboard shortcuts, allow text to be read continuously, by paragraph,  by sentence or by individual word.  Any selected text can also be read.  The user can choose from a range of preferred settings–colour of highlighting as text is read, reading rate and volume,  and whether or not WordTalk will echo letters/words/sentences as they are typed.  Now there is also the option of having words spoken when double-clicked and of spell-checking a word with a right-click.

Some of the options mentioned above are new in Version 4.2.  Also new is the ability for a user to save his or her settings. It is noteworthy that the new version is a little easier to install than the original. WordTalk offers extensive and very helpful documentation and online support.

So far, I have been unable to load version 4.2 of WordTalk into MS Word 2007 running on XP.  I believe that the issue is that I am not running 2007 in Vista; and I am hoping that this glitch will be resolved soon.  The screenshot below shows the WordTalk toolbar in Word 2007, where it opens from the ‘Add-Ins’ tab.

February 11, 2009
by Paul Hamilton
7 Comments

Voice Comment (built-in resource)

There are learners in classrooms everywhere who cannot express themselves effectively in writing.  For some of these learners, voice recognition software has provided an alternative “keyboard” that has made writing possible.  Unfortunately, voice recognition is not a magic bullet.  In my experience,  complete success with voice recognition is rare among school age children, including learners at the secondary level.

I have not seen research on the subject, but I believe that immature voices, challenges with thought processing, articulation issues, and inadequate support by teachers/teaching assistants are critical factors that mitigate against success.  THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THERE IS A FREE ALTERNATIVE that may be effective for anyone who has access to Microsoft Word.  This offers learners a means of showing what they know and of telling their stories without writing and without using voice recognition software.

Voice Comment is a “hidden” feature of Microsoft Word that I believe teachers and parents everywhere need to be aware of, so they can make it available to the learners they support.  With this feature, a digital recording can be inserted easily into any Word document.  The recording shows up on the page as an audio icon.  A  teacher, parent, or friend can listen to what has been recorded simply by double-clicking on the icon.

[For learners who face challenges with both reading and writing, I suggest combining the use of Voice Comments with WordTalk, the free add-on that turns MS Word into a talking word processor, complete with an extremely helpful talking spell checker.  For more information about this, please visit UDL4ALL, a wiki where I have collected resources to support the installation and use of WordTalk.]

Here’s what the Voice Comment icon looks like on the “Quick Access” toolbar in Word 2007.

To place the icon on the toolbar, you must follow the steps shown below. (To download instructions for MS Word 2003, click HERE.)

1.  Open the drop-down ‘Customize Quick Access Toolbar’ menu which is found to the right of the toolbar, and select ‘More Commands’

2. In the dialog box that opens, click open the drop-down menu under ‘Popular Commands’ and select ‘All Commands’, as shown below.

3. Scroll down to ‘Voice Comment’, select it, and click on the ‘Add’ button to add the icon to the Quick Access toolbar.


February 1, 2009
by Paul Hamilton
2 Comments

Button Beats (online and downloadable resources)

Most honest observers would agree that I am NOT really a musician, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t have fun making “music”.  It’s never been easier for a non-musician like me to be musically creative than it is now in our digital age.  Here’s a little Monday morning goodness for anyone who wants to have some creative fun.  If you support learners, I suspect some of them would appreciate knowing about what I’m sharing here today.

Button Beats offers a variety of music making options–for embedding on your own blog or website, for downloading to your computer, or even for playing as portable apps from a USB flash drive.  I’m not going to make any effort to review what’s available at Button Beats.  In an effort to whet your appetite,  I’m just going to embed a couple of options for you to play with.  There really is much more!


ButtonBeats.com


ButtonBeats.com


ButtonBeats.com