High-Tech Tools

About Concept Mapping Software (Inspiration and Kidspiration)
About Text-to-Speech Software (Write:Outloud)
About Word Prediction Software (Co:Writer)

**About Concept Mapping Software (Inspiration and Kidspiration)**

Concept mapping tools help students to represent information graphically. Two tools in particular, Kidspiration (for grades K-2) and Inspiration (for the higher grades through adulthood), both published by Inspiration, Inc., are highly effective for brainstorming, organizing, outlining, and writing. For example, students can use them to create story maps, cause and effect diagrams, and flow charts. These software tools allow great flexibility in moving elements, making revisions, and switching back and forth between the diagram and outline views. Features such as these help students develop a greater sense of the structure of ideas and information. In particular, students who are visually-oriented learners may have many good ideas but have difficulty creating an organizational structure for them. These tools can help them with brainstorming prior to generating text. For ideas about how to create group and individual activities for students, see www.inspiration.com.

Suggestions for Classroom Use:

Have students illustrate and layout the sequence of their narrative piece using a storyboard structure. For each event in the storyboard, ask the students to add a specific number of details.
Have students brainstorm and organize their ideas into a semantic web. Ask students to attach details to each idea in the web. For example, you could use a "Spider Map" where the main idea is in the center and subtopics and supporting details branch outward like the legs of a spider.
Provide students with a two-column chart. In the left-hand column, have students select two of the following "Ws": when, where, why, what, or who. In the right-hand column, have the students give three details, expanding on each "W" they choose.
Have students fill in a story map prior to writing. The map should contain spaces for the title, setting, characters, problem, events, supporting details, and solution.
Using a specific topic (e.g., the desert), have students fill in a five senses graphic organizer, providing details about what they see, smell, touch, hear, and taste.
In a four-column chart, have students generate headings about a topic of their choosing. For example, if the topic is "seasons," the headings might be "fall", "winter", "spring", and "summer". Under each heading, have students add descriptive details.
Give students a large diagram of an ice cream cone with several scoops. Have them place the main idea on the cone and add details in order on each scoop.
To help with revision, have students divide their drafts into a graphic organizer that identifies the beginning, middle, and end. Then have them add two details to each section.
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**About Text-to-Speech Software (Write:OutLoud)**

Write:OutLoud is a simple talking word processor published by Don Johnston, Incorporated (www.donjohnston.com). As a student types, the program speaks the words out loud, enabling the student to see and hear if the writing requires correction and/or revision. The program also features a talking spell checker that beeps when a word has been misspelled, and then pronounces a list of suggested words.

Users can easily control the program by selecting large buttons at the top of the screen. The program can be used fully without accessing menus. To make it easier for students who rely on keyboards or alternate input devices, Write:OutLoud has extensive keyboard shortcuts. And because of the immediate speech feedback, students can have satisfying writing experiences even if they have difficulty seeing the screen. For additional support, the interface can be set to speak out loud the function of each of the buttons.

Suggestions for Classroom Use:

Import electronic or scanned text into the program so that struggling readers can hear the text spoken aloud.
Students who have difficulty with verbal communication can use Write:Outloud to present a written piece to the class.
Teachers can create template files that can be saved and used many times. The original file is customized to meet individual needs or for a specific project and then saved. The file always opens as “Untitled.” These files can include built-in structures and prompts to help move a student through a lesson. Students can listen to any instructions that are typed into the template.

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**About Word Prediction Software (Co:Writer)**

Word prediction software, such as Co:Writer (published by Don Johnston, Incorporated, www.donjohnston.com), helps students who have fine motor problems and difficulties with grammar and sentence structure. After a few keystrokes used to enter text, a menu of words appears on the screen. Based on grammar and spelling, the software has “predicted” which words might occur next. Students can select the correct word from the list by choosing a number. If needed, Co:Writer also provides auditory support by speaking the text and choices out loud. The program has the ability to “learn” an individual student’s personal vocabulary. It then begins to include those words in the list of choices.

Suggestions for Classroom Use:

Co:Writer can be used in conjunction with a number of word processing programs. After completing an individual sentence using Co:Writer, the text is sent to the word processor. If it is a text-to-speech word processor (e.g., Write Outloud), then the student can hear the text read back.
Co:Writer allows teachers and students to create topic dictionaries to support units of study. For example, a teacher could create a dictionary for an upcoming unit on weather that contained words such as cirrus, cumulus, and stratus. Students could then access the dictionaries and practice using the words in context.
If a student tends to spell words phonetically, teachers can turn on the FlexSpell option. FlexSpell lets students use the approach that works for them on a word-by-word basis—whether spelling words phonetically or cueing initial letters.
Teachers or students can adjust the color of the background, text, and cursor in Co:Writer. Students with visual impairments might find a combination that is easier to read or less strain on their eyes.

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