[eType is another option for free word prediction that you may wish to check out. I wrote about it HERE.]

Last month I wrote about MyStudyBar, a suite of literacy tools for the PC. This loads as a floating toolbar so the tools can be available to the user from within any program.  The toolbar can be downloaded and run from a USB flash drive on any computer.  This week, Craig Mill of RSC, has announced the release of Version 2 of MyStudyBar.

In this post, I want to draw attention to the powerful free word prediction application, ‘LetMeType’, that is part of MyStudyBar.  I’ve long been eager to know of effective free word prediction; and this seems to fill the bill.  Word prediction is a tool that I believe ought to be introduced to all learners.  Typically, only individuals with identified learning difficulties are given the opportunity to use it, but there are many others who would find word prediction helpful!

I’ve embedded Craig Mill’s tutorial screencast about ‘LetMeType’ here because I couldn’t possibly do a better job of describing it. I recommend that you view the video in full screen mode.

BBC Dance Mat Typing This is a free online introduction to touch typing that targets children aged 7 to 11. The multi-modal instruction (auditory, visual, tactile) is engaging, systematic and clear. With its wonderfully corny themes and music, even the drills seem like fun. The course is divided into 4 levels, and each level into 3 stages. There is a different exotic and eccentric “teacher” to guide the learner through each of the levels.

As this is a resource from the BBC, there is no advertising on the site. If desired, there is a full screen mode for all of the activities. Although it isn’t nearly so engaging, there is also a non-flash version available. This is one of the best touch typing programs I’ve discovered to date. I’m a wee bit older than 11, but I’ve spent more time than necessary trying out some of the activities because they were so much fun.

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Here is yet another set of free but very worthwhile educational activities that have been put together with early learners in mind.

Childsplay (downloadable program) This is a suite of 14 high quality educational games designed for young children. The games have been carefully crafted and have considerable kid-appeal. The user interface is simple, uncluttered and attractive. At least three levels of challenge are available for most games.

Some games re-enforce the learning of letters or numbers. There are several types of memory games. More than one game provides practice in locating the keys on a computer keyboard. It impressed me that some of the games provide excellent practice in using a computer mouse. Childsplay also makes good instructional use of specific sounds in its activities.

Do not be alarmed if your screen resolution changes when you open Childsplay. This change is automatically reversed when you exit.

Childsplay is available for Windows, Linux and Mac. Don’t be confused when the website talks about the individual games operating as “modules” within Childsplay. At least for the Windows version, you can download a bundled installation file that includes everything.

The screenshots below give some idea of what to expect with Childsplay. You can click on a thumbnail to enlarge it, and use your browser’s back arrow to return.

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Today’s featured online resource has the potential to benefit almost everyone. Most of us have either Microsoft Office or Openoffice installed on our computers, but I suspect that relatively few of us are using any of the programs in these suites as effectively as we might. Although Inpics tutorials have been designed specifically for individuals with learning disabilities, they can be helpful for anyone using any of these programms designed for productivity.

[This is another resource I learned about from Kevin Jarrit at NCS-Tech! If you have any interest in using technology in education, his blog is definitely worth a look!]

Inpics.net (online resource) This is a set of completely free visual tutorials. Inpics systematically presents simple screen shots to teach and illustrate how to use of some of the most widely used software in the world today. This includes all the component programs of Microsoft Office 2003 (Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Word) and Openoffice.org 2.0 (Base, Calc, Impress, Writer). There are also tutorials for Dreamweaver 8, as well as html and css. The tutorials cover the basics as well as advanced applications.

In the research based design of their tutorials, the people at Inpics have had individuals with learning disabilities in mind. Potentially distracting clutter, colours, animation, and wordy explanations have been avoided. The focus is on tasks peformed by the programs rather than on features. Lessons are presented as mini-projects. Not surprisingly, these tutorials are also accessible and highly effective for people without learning disabilities.

Inpics says there will soon be tutorials for Office 2007, Photoshop, Fireworks, MySQL, and PHP.

The Screenshots below show the first steps in the tutorial on using templates in Word. (Click on the screenshot to enlarge and use your browser’s back button to return to this blog.)

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Here’s a free downloadable suite of activities to help learn and practice basic skills. This one is listed on the Content & Curriculum page.

Minisebran (downloadable program) This is another free suite of early learning activities by Marianne Wartoft, the same author who gave us SebranABC. Minisebran is intended for younger children (2-6). There are 8 simple activities that provide children with the opportunity to explore letters, numbers, colours and the computer keyboard. Three of the activities involve doodling with basic drawing tools. Minisebran can be played in French and Swedish as well as English. Minisebran can be downloaded at http://www.wartoft.nu/software/minisebran/ In order to run Minisebran, you must ensure that .NET Framework is installed on your computer. There is a link for downloading the .NET Framework at the Minisebran download site.

This program runs in Windows.

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Here’s a typing tutor with a difference.

TuxTyping 2 This free open source program offers several engaging activities to help learn and practice computer keyboarding. This is not a typical typing tutor. Most activities involve hitting a designated key, or typing a word before the letter or word reaches the bottom of the screen. There are two distinct modes, “Fish Cascade” or “Comet Zap”. The former provides a gentler approach with music to match. “Comet Zap” is a little more like an arcade game. Within both modes, practice exercises and activities are offered in multiple levels. This program can help anyone become more a more effective typist by becoming more familiar with the location of the keys! In the process, you can have yourself some pretty good fun. Tux Typing 2 supports multiple languages, and you can download it from http://tuxtype.sourceforge.net/.

This program is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

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Many of us can use a tune-up on our typing or keyboarding skills. Today’s new listing on the productivity page is a free downloadable program that can help. If you use this, and approach it with the right attitude, it can even be fun to improve your skill on the keybaord. Some of us also have opportunity to help make the learning and practicing of this essential skill fun for our students.

Bruce’s Unusual Typing Wizard (Downloadable Program) This is a full featured, and rather sophisticated, typing tutor. It offers introductory lessons, practice exercises, and games. Progress records and statistics can be kept for multiple users. There is also fairly extensive help available. This is an excellent typing tutor, but it is probably not appropriate for most younger children. Go to http://typing.qcalculus.com/ for more information and to download the program.

This program runs in Windows only.

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Today’s entry is from the Cool Stuff page, but it is really productivity software for individuals who need special access to the computer. Although the program is completely free, it is full featured and it functions well.

Click-N-Type (downloadable program) Click-N-Type is a versatile free on-screen keyboard. You can enlarge the keyboard, choose alternative layouts, and it will scan for switch users. Multiple languages are supported. For English, you can also add word prediction by downloading and installing a separate executable file. This program is from Lake Software.

This program runs in Windows only.

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This entry is really worth a look. Sebran’s ABC has been around for a while, but it offers an excellent set of learning activities for young children. I like Sebran’s ABC so much that I’ve listed it on my Cool Stuff page. It really belongs with Content & Curriculum.

Sebran’s ABC (downloadable program) This is a whole suite of free, open source, high quality activities that support early learning–literacy, numeracy, problem solving, and even keyboard (typing) skills. There are colourful images, catchy music (that can be turned off), and wonderful contrast. Check it out or download it from www.wartoft.nu/software/sebran/.

This program runs in Windows.

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The program I’m highlighting here is simple but effective if you need to practice your keyboarding (typing) skills. You can either download this as a stand alone program, or do the keyboard practice as an online activity.

SenseLang Typing Tutor (downloadable program and online resource) This is a free typing tutor program that you can download to your computer. Actually, you can either download the program or practice online at http://www.senselang.com/ It is easy to add your own text for practice keyboard exercises with this program. If you need to learn to type on a Hebrew keyboard, that is also an option with this program.

This program runs in Windows.