The tutorials I navigated were on assistive technology software called Write Outloud and Co:Writer. Some of the Write Outloud files that could be used are called Text To Speech and Reading e-Text. These both assist struggling readers with reading and writing, giving them a multisensory approach to guided learning. Co:Writer tutorials helped with sentence structure, and forming grammatically correct phrases and paragraphs. The teacher can designate a specific vocabulary bank to focus on a content area topic. The technology can predict words, minimizing the number of key strokes. This may also help students choose better words if a dictionary is set before hand.
Students that have disabilities in the area of reading, writing, autism, speech/language, would all benefit from these technologies. They assist with expressive language, and can reduce anxiety/frustration with skills they already struggle with. Students that have these disabilities have a hard enough time getting their thoughts on paper. Their last concern is how to put a sentence together. Their expressive language could be dramatically improved if they first learn how to appropriately use the software, and have it structured in a way that the outline and expected outcome are given ahead of time. It may also motivated students to write if they know they will face minimal difficulties along the way.
