Kurzweil 3000 A new form of assistive technology coming your way!

Meeting the Needs of All Learners Information and communication technology should be integrated within inclusive classrooms, …where a wide variety of learning experiences ensures that all learners have equitable opportunities to reach their potential. NS Department of Education – The Integrations of Information and Communication Technology Within the Curriculum (p.4).

What is Kurzweil? Assistive Technology – Scans – Reads – Study tools – Writing tools Kurzweil 1000 and Kurzweil 3000 – Vision impaired – Variety of reading and processing learning disabilities

Does it meet schools’ needs? Is the product versatile and flexible? – Multiple technologies vs. Adaptable technologies Can the product be used with any curriculum, across grades? – Adaptive Is the product usable? – User-friendly = more independent learners Is the product supportable? – User assistance

Does it meet students’ needs? Can the technology access all kinds of print text? Does the product offer a multi-sensory approach? – Auditory, visual, etc… Are study skills tools included? – Highlighters, text notes, dictionary, etc… Does the product provide instant access to writing support tools? – Auditory feedback, thesaurus, spell-check, word prediction, etc… – Ken Elkind, Choosing Assistive Technology for Teaching Reading and Writing. Media & Methods, May/June 2004

Kurzweil for Teachers & Students There are actually 2 main types of the Kurzweil 3000 program: – Kurzweil 3000 Professional production of documents (ex: scanning of books, text, and other readings to create digital versions of the documents) – Kurzweil 3000 Learning Station reading the Web and documents that are already in digital format – can be used on desktop or laptop and does not allow scanning of documents.

Uses of Kurzweil Reading Writing Note-taking Focus questions from teacher as students read Test-taking

Now let’s explore…

General Pros & Cons PROS Alleviates reading insecurities. Assists in verifying accuracy of information transferred from brain to paper. Adjustable voice and speed rate Reads the web CONS Takes time to access Doesn’t always read the web properly Shaded areas of text don’t always scan properly Scanning and preparing can be very time- consuming

Student Identified Pros & Cons Pros Transfers to disk or iPod Reads the web Right click reveals main toolbars Definitions, spell-check, etc… Follow through high school and university Cons Takes time to access Tests frustrating due to time constraints and correct placement Sometimes skips a page/ section or the page is scanned upside down Headphones

Questions?