Home Library Product Reviews

Author:	Gerry Kennedy © May 2009
Software:	Read&Write V9 Gold and Mobile versions
Category:	Literacy Support
Company:	by Texthelp Systems Ltd, Northern Ireland
Available for:	MS Windows 2000, XP and Vista (as well as MAC OS X – Version 3)
Web Sites:	www.Texthelp.com; www.spectronicsnoz.com

Download this document as an MS Word .doc file

Some software programs lead the market in their respective genres. Read&Write has been one of the innovators over a long period of time and has just been improved with some excellent new features in Version 9. The software has always offered high quality text-to-speech (TTS) options. It now voices ANY text that appears on the computer display, as highlighted or selected text in MS Word, emails and on web sites, as menus items and content of dialogue boxes (using screen reading), in open or even locked PDF files and even from graphics or formerly inaccessible text! The new Screenshot Reader will speak text that is ‘captured’. It is a total solution! The male and female voices, Karen and Lee are very close to human quality sound. Users can select other voices as well (e.g. Tim or Tina) to read their own work, or third party text from other sources.

Voiced output drives the entire application. The phonetic spell checker, dictionary, homophone checker, word prediction and all other features offer voiced feedback. This support is critical for some users, an added benefit for many users and some fun for others. The ability to have something voiced back to a user is extremely accommodating. Every student or user can benefit from hearing text:

• To help in identifying spelling mistakes, poor grammar, added or missed words and overly short or long sentences
• To self appraise text that has been created by the users
• To assist in study and research, especially challenging passages and content
• To read web sites, emails and to functionally use in composing and accessing Blogs, Wikis, Twitter and chat sessions
• To alleviate fatigue when reading large amounts of text
• To clarify and provide auditory cues in order to hear the function and use of punctuation

Read&Write 9 Gold is essentially a literacy support tool. It is designed to assist users of all ages in writing, reading and research when using applications on the computer. Students frequently need extra assistance when reading or composing text in a number of different contexts – not just in literacy classes. This powerful and flexible software provides continuity by supporting students throughout education from primary through to tertiary level and into the workplace. Various versions are available that cater to a variety of situations, including three options:

• On a USB thumb drive: Read&Write 9 GOLD Mobile for anywhere, anytime access for an individual user
• On Disk: Read&Write 9 GOLD Single for standalone computers at school or home use or on a student’s Notebook
• On a school, TAFE, University or workplace network: Read&Write 9 GOLD Site Licence

 

 

Read&Write 9 GOLD offers support with features and functions that are not always available in mainstream MS Windows applications. In addition, it provides a number of very useful and practical study features to assist users with research and composition. As all of these tools can be quickly accessed from one program, the consistency and ease of use is paramount for many users. It looks professional. The toolbar can even be ‘hidden’ and only revealed when it is required.

 

Floating Toolbar

Read&Write V9 is a floating toolbar. It can also be ‘locked’ into a position at the top of the screen display. Features sets can be assigned and used in different contexts or classes, including reading, writing, maths, research, exams etc. It is totally customisable and each feature can be configured to meet individual, small group, class and year level needs. The Teachers Toolkit application provides scope for full configuration and establishment and editing up of accounts with very specific settings for one, or many users.

 

Benefits and Application

People use computers for literally millions of tasks. In education, students require a variety of supports to enable them complete their school and homework in all topic, subject and curriculum areas. Assistance and direction from teachers, school support personnel, peers, siblings and parents is often required. Read&Write provides degrees of independence. It helps promote self-sustaining strategies and engenders confidence. Less reliance on others creates a sense of well-being and accomplishment.

The tools embedded in this dynamic software allow students of all abilities to maximise their potential. It is neither a cure nor a panacea. Moreover, Read&Write provides levels of support that makes learning achievable and enjoyable. For some students, it assists in maintaining and/or improving their grades and allowing them to complete their work with little or no extra assistance.

Students with learning difficulties and dyslexia rave about their successes with Read&Write as it has all of the necessary tools that help them overcome their difficulties. They are more confident and in control.

 

Features

Students can read text aloud from emails, websites, atlases, encyclopaedias, PDF documents, MS Word documents, Open Office programs, spreadsheets, databases, graphic editing programs, course notes, fact sheets and any other text onscreen. Text can be read back by each word, sentence, and paragraph or as selected. Text can also be spoken as it is typed from the standard QWERTY or onscreen keyboard (i.e. directly from Interactive Whiteboards as well). Selection of adjustable voices is available with pitch, volume and speed. Words can be highlighted as they are spoken for audiovisual reinforcement, increasing word recognition levels. Screen reading of onscreen text, menus and icons is also available and Read&Write 9 GOLD now comes with new Texthelp UK voices – Tim and Tina.

The phonetic Spell Checker will identify words that are approximated, even when typing unusual combinations of letters. Users and teachers can adjust the way it locates and determines spelling errors. The software also tracks errors and provides a log of attempts – with day, date and time! This ensures that parents, speech pathologists and educators have the opportunity to monitor individual user’s progress over a determined time frame. By clicking on the ABC icon, a word, passage of text or entire document can be checked. In addition, spelling can be checked as a student types.

It is far more powerful than mainstream spell checkers and will ‘intelligently’ learn how a student spells. New words, place names, proper nouns and local words (e.g. indigenous words) can be added to a customised spelling list. Specialised dictionaries are included and these can also be edited and modified to meet specific or generic requirements.

Each word is defined with an associated context. Everything can be voiced at any time as all spelling suggestions and dictionary definitions can be spoken. A great deal of time, expertise and effort has been expended over many years by the software developers at Texthelp to refine and perfect this spelling ‘engine’. A new feature allows a user to hear the spelling of a word, letter by letter. Background, foreground and highlight colours can be selected for students who require scotopic combinations or those who suffer from Irlen Syndrome.

The word dyslexia is associated with a variety of reading and perceptual disorders. Irlen Syndrome is a form of perceptual dyslexia. Symptoms include poor spelling, writing, inefficient reading, sore eyes, and headaches, glare sensitivity and depth perception difficulties. Irlen Syndrome is not an optical condition. For some, it can co-exist with non-related visual acuity conditions. For many, perceptual distortions are caused by the brain (not the eye) mis-processing light and glare.

Colour coded identification of spelling errors helps students to identify mistakes by themselves. Read&Write‘s spell checker assists users of all abilities in correcting the most complex of errors. A new feature in Version 9 is the improved ability to suggest the word that a user is trying to locate and identify. As with all dialogue boxes, the spelling window is resizable and colour definable.

Word Prediction provides lists of words that are likely to be correct. A small dialogue box appears after a set number of keystrokes. Based upon frequency and recency, words appear with or without Function Keys in a list. As more letters are added, this list modifies and promotes words that a user might need. They can be voiced, with additional supports including dictionary definition and also homophone definition. Users can create word prediction banks from lists of words (in text files) or more quickly from the clipboard.

Numerous word prediction options can be selected to assist users who have physical disabilities, learning disabilities or those users who wish to customise the tool to meet very specific needs. It can be set to learn new words as they are typed and also check words from the spell checker before learning them. The prediction context sensitivity can be modified to act upon context or better suggestions. Prediction writing styles include Adult, Arts, Applied Sciences, Basic Words, Beliefs, Books, Children’s English, Commercial, Imaginative Writing, Intermediate Words, Leisure, Natural Sciences, Periodicals, Social Sciences, Teenage, UK Common English and World affairs. With ten of these made active on my PC, there were 155,073 active phrases in my dictionary!

 

 

The prediction window can be adjusted to resize according to the number of words in the list, number of columns and rows, the number of total words displayed, colour preferences, voiced support and other factors. Words can be either entered into the active working window (e.g. MS Excel) when clicked, or voiced. The list of words can be spoken automatically one at a time before a selection is made. As with the spell check engine, it conforms to the rules of English following a phonetic map. This involves the syllable and potential replacement (e.g. af could be ‘augh’ or new as ‘pneu’).

The Dictionary tool can be set to a basic, advanced or web based level of complexity. The Word Wizard tool assists in identifying words and their meanings. It can also be very helpful in locating a more challenging or complex word by using associated words that a user can confidently spell (e.g. locating the word outstanding by typing ‘great‘). The dictionary has been enhanced (from previous versions) to include more words and improved definitions. Each word in the dictionary has a description and a sample sentence, all of which can be spoken aloud.

The handy homophone support will help identify and highlight those confusable words. As there are only about 18,500 common words, it is a necessary tool that will alert users to possible choices. Words such as stature, statue and even statute sound similar but have very different contextual meanings and definitions. Users can add words that can be confused as well into this feature. The ‘Show Homophones‘ will highlight words in blue (as the default) in MS Word.

Three homophone English versions can be selected – Australian, UK/Canadian and American. Edit Homophones will allow a user to customise this tool. Users can now analyse a word, a section of text, or the entire document and correct misused words.

Homophones will not be ‘picked up’ in programs such as word processors as misspelt words, as they are real words! Students often misuse certain words and place them in incorrect contexts or are often confused as to their correct meanings (e.g. access and excess) as they might look or sound similar.

The talking Standard and Scientific Calculators can be resized, optimised for colour differentiation, voice options and functionality. Students can hear each number or operation and also hear the result of a computation. Other practical functions include the Conversion tool, including length, mass, velocity, time, temperature and volume as well as the Evaluate in Document function.

 

 

 

The popular and widely acclaimed Speech Maker tool is highly regarded by students as a very useful and amenable feature that ‘makes sense’ to them. In simple terms, it translates the text on screen to a sound file. The most commonly used sound file format today is MP3.

To accomplish this task, a student needs only to select or highlight a section or page of text. Then by clicking on the Speech Maker icon, the text is saved to the computer and/or copied to an external device (i.e. USB drive, iPod, MP3 player, hard drive, mobile phone or PDA). The text is voiced using the user’s preferred voice with pitch, speed and volume presets. Students can use this technology to

• Appraise personal writing composed at the computer
• Listen to and practise the parts of a play, a poem or lines of text
• Repeatedly listen to instructions and directions
• Listen to a book, by page or chapter
• Listen to a web article (Blog, Wiki or newspaper article)
• Listen to text in order to improve the content or structure
• Enjoy an eBook from an online source (e.g. www.gutenberg.org, http://www.baen.com/library/ or http://www.bookshare.org/)
• Listen to sections of resource CDs and DVDs
• Listen to contents of emails
• Share MP3 and other sound files with family, friends and colleagues

Of course, the aspects and implications of copyright need to be recognised and attributed appropriately.

The Pronunciation Tutor assists some users in breaking words into syllables. This facilitates the easy recognition of syllables in a word. An onscreen moving mouth assists in the development of more accurate speech. Pronunciation is enhanced by use of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Many speech pathologists recognise this tool as being very helpful, as do educators of the deaf.

The DAISY Reader provides access to the increasingly popular and emerging DAISY format. Read&Write 9 GOLD (not the standard version) contains Daisy Reading technology and allows students to read Daisy Books while working within the Read&Write program. This format has traditionally been devoted to accommodating vision impaired and particularly blind users of computers with access to books, study notes and other texts. DAISY (is evolving and becoming more mainstream in functionality and usage. Any text can be more easily navigated and the user can set numerous bookmarks.

Digital Accessible Information System, or DAISY, is a standard based on XML. Using this framework, “ …a talking book format is presented with enabled navigation within a sequential and hierarchical structure consisting of (marked-up) text synchronised with audio. DAISY assists people who for different reasons have problems using regular printed media”.

Scanning text using a hand held scanner, a flatbed model or a photocopier reproduces a document as an image. By performing OCR (Optical Character Recognition) the text is identified and reversioned into MS Word, a PDF file or as HTML file by employing specialised software (i.e. Abbyy Fine Reader). This is all automated and conducted in the background. It is fast, elegant and avoids the many steps that this process usually requires when performed manually.

In essence this means that the printed text that was formerly on a piece of paper or in a book is now fully editable and printable text! Users can re-edit it, braille it or add more text, diagrams, maps and photos of their choosing. It can be voiced – quickly or slowly. The font style and size can be altered as well as background colour.

This technology opens up many opportunities for students who are print disabled, have physical disabilities that preclude access to books and newspapers, journals and other printed media as well as to vision impaired and blind users. As the text can be ‘captured’ by camera, TWAIN devices and other scanning devices, students can access the required information or article and work with it electronically and then use all of the other features in Read&Write.

 

Additional Features

The Web Highlighting feature of Read&Write GOLD allows users to experience dual colour highlighting with audible feedback in HTML documents. This particularly caters to users with literacy difficulties or visual impairments when they are accessing information online. It also aids a user’s concentration and comprehension. Web pages are easier to navigate and one click voiced access improves research and study opportunities. It caters to students with poor mouse and/or keyboard control and it just saves time and effort – for any user!

The Study Skills toolbar is an additional toolbar where sections of text can be highlighted and collated together to produce study notes. A Summarise tool is also included on this toolbar. Users need only highlight the text they want to summarise and then click on the Summarise icon, choosing what percentage of the text they want in their summary.

PDFaloud enables users to listen to any PDF file on any computer or network (i.e. provided the file’s security settings allow for text copying). PDF (or Portable Document Files) present a number of problems for people with reading difficulties as they rely on the computer to voice text. PDF files normally need to be opened up in the Adobe Acrobat Reader program or other PDF reader programs. These files can’t be read aloud easily with programs like Texthelp Read&Write because the text in them can’t be highlighted (or selected with the mouse).

However, when Texthelp Read&Write GOLD is installed, an extra toolbar is added into any copies of Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat on the computer. This toolbar is able to read any PDF file page instantly; even reading documents with thousands of pages.

Read&Write 9 GOLD uses Microsoft’s own speech input engine integrated with UK English spellings, which is suitable for use in Australia. Speech Input allows you to convert a person’s speech to text. Students can simply talk to their computers and it will convert voice into text in a chosen document or program window. There are certain restrictions and impediments in using Speech Input and research needs to be undertaken first to guarantee successful implementation. A more robust and highly regarded solution is usually provided when using Dragon Naturally Speaking software (i.e. another separate inclusive technology product). A microphone is not included in this software. Users may acquire or purchase a headset model, free standing mike or hand held/lapel style model depending on the needs and preferences of the user.

The Fact Folder is a handy and user-friendly study and/or research tool for organising a user’s thoughts and ideas. Users can capture text from ANY application (including the Internet) then quickly and efficiently classify it and attach pictures, bibliography information and then record its source. When research is complete, a user can convert these facts to a text document at the click of a button, or download the text to a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or convert it to HTML or turn the text into a slide show. This has many advantages and is an excellent mechanism for revision as well as for increasing skills in organising and planning.

 

 

The Fact Mapper has been further enhanced in Version 9. This feature offers users the ability to produce a visual representation of collected facts and ideas onscreen. It is particularly useful when users are brainstorming, revising and drafting work. With the Fact Mapper in Read&Write 9 GOLD students can use images and colour to help remember key facts when revising. Visual reminders such as key images or photo or symbol can also be used. Students can brainstorm ideas or outline the key concepts when drafting work and then publish to MS Word, a favourite DTP program or create a presentation in MS PowerPoint or Open Office Presenter.

Students and other users who have dyslexia or other related literacy difficulties find information on the Internet confusing, too busy and competing with superfluous data; including video, pop up boxes, scrolling text and animated graphic content. Reading the most relevant information is often challenging – if not impossible! Frequently, a dyslexia sufferer will fail in his or her search for information due to unique spelling patterns. A user will enter incorrect URL addresses or misspell search details. The Read&Write GOLD Fact Finder is a web search tool that performs a search on a selected word through a default search engine. The student or educator can set this default. Additional default web addresses can be added or deleted at any time.

This is a quick and easy way of conducting research or gathering information for reports and essays. By simply clicking on a term or word, a web browser will search for that data, students can now search the Internet safe in the knowledge that their spelling is correct. Internet searches through portals such as Ask, Yahoo or Google can be completed directly from Microsoft Word. The selected term or word is guaranteed to locate useful and appropriate information – as long as they have the right spelling before they search.

The Study Skills Toolbar is an additional toolbar where sections of text can be highlighted and collated together to produce study notes. A Summarise tool is also included on this toolbar. Students need only highlight the text they want to summarise and click on the Summarise icon, choosing what percentage of the text they want in their summary. It creates opportunities for appraising text in an abridged or modified version and more time efficiently and gathering passages of text.

Read&Write 9 Gold’s Translator tool provides easy access to one-click translation of English words into Spanish, French, German or Italian. The tool works with any digital content, onscreen selections, accessible applications, website content or digital textbooks. It does not read and translate whole passages of text, though. An online presence is required with access to the Internet for this feature.

 

Meeting Individual Needs

Read&Write has been a market leader in the literacy support field for many years and is one of the pioneers in this genre of inclusive software. It caters to the needs of individuals, more so now with the advent of the Mobile version. Having a solution that can be carried in a student’s pocket on a USB thumb drive or attached to a key ring is empowering and flexible in that it can be accessed and used on any MS Windows computer, at any location, whenever required. The Mobile version provides anywhere, anytime access to the necessary literacy supports for success, for anyone, in any context.

Alternatively, a student can purchase a Single licence copy and install it at home or on a notebook. By having the Notebook available, they have all of the necessary tools and supports with them as they surf the web, conduct research, compose text, and work on assignments and projects. The software features and preferences, once configured and established, go with the student!

 

Changing School and Higher Learning Culture

It needs to be introduced by schools as a global software solution for all students – thereby assisting in helping a large number of students and staff. Educators need to realise that it is not JUST for students with learning disabilities! It is for everyone. Universities, schools and training institutes are slowly beginning to realise that literacy impacts on all facets of learning. Read&Write provides equitable and sustainable outcomes for every user and can accommodate a number of different needs and help students meet daily challenges. By changing the attitudes to difference and by empowering all students to participate at their own level, educators can be assured that everyone is accommodated. A less feature packed version and Version 3 for MAC OS is available as well.

 

Extra Support

Texthelp as a company in Northern Ireland, produces and distributes demo CDS. There is a 30-day fully working copy of Read&Write V9 Gold, another resource that contains all of the Video Tours (which are also included in the demo and full program) as well as Fact Sheets, User Guides, Technical Support documents, program patches extensive and web page content.

Spectronics in Australia and New Zealand have additional material for users in Australia, including licence information and costs, (http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/search/product) as well as articles, reviews and fact sheets (including this article!) and other relevant information. Spectronics will post kits to anyone requesting them – anywhere in Australia. Educators need only to ask.

Other companies and support groups such as SPELD offer training and advice. I have been demonstrating, presenting and training users using Texthelp products for over 14 years! Read&Write, as one of Texthelp’s programs on MS Windows or MAC OS, is extremely well supported; users only have to make enquiries.

 

In Summary

In Australia, we predominantly use English as our first or preferred language. It is complex and difficult to learn, albeit to master and speak, write and read well. Educators know that a significant cohort of students struggle with text, particularly reading, writing and comprehension. Tools such as Read&Write exist. If hey are not being identified, purchased, implemented and introduced into places of learning, then we as a society are failing our students and should therefore be held accountable.

Cost, of course, is a major consideration in many instances. Other competing technologies and budgeting for software is an ongoing issue. But… cost alone should not be the deciding factor! Accommodating students at risk, in an era where technology is deemed to be so important in providing learning opportunities, is an imperative – not an option.

Why purchase more and more computers, if schools and colleges do not provide students with the means by which to be independent, productive and confident users of that technology? The mainstream software programs provided are not enough. Handing out more PC’s only continues an old paradigm and perpetuates the myth that more ‘boxes’ will solve all of our problems. Engagement using relevant, pertinent and appropriate tools helps promote learning to disillusioned and struggling students.

Education is for life. It should cater to people of all ages, gender and ability. No longer can we bury our heads in the sand and say that struggling students, disadvantaged students and students with difference do not exist in our schools, training centres and colleges. They do. We must assist and direct them. Literacy tools and other inclusive technologies make a significant difference to their lives and give them opportunities to shine. Please share this article and promote inclusive practices. In 2009, this should just be a given!

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Useful Resources

A useful and apt article: http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/article/helping-students-with-literacy-difficulties
Background and other useful links: http://www.dyslexic.com/read-write
For comparison to other products: http://www.techmatrix.org/findProductByProducts.aspx
For other articles on access to text in general: www.spectronicsinoz.com/library/universal-access-fact-sheets-by-gerry-kennedy

 

System Requirements

Technical Specifications – MS Windows. The following are the minimum requirements needed to operate Read&Write 9 GOLD on an MS Windows computer – desktop or Notebook or Ultralight model:

• Pentium 4 1.8 GHz Processor
• Windows 2000 SP4, XP Home or Professional, Vista (including 64-bit editions)
• 512 MB RAM, (Note: 1 or 2 GB is recommended on Windows Vista)
• 1.2 GB Free Disk Space
• Sound Card and Speakers (or headphones)
• Microphone for Dictation
• Internet Connection (for the Fact Mapper and Translator)
• DVD Reader (for install purposes only)

Tested scanners for Read&Write 9 GOLD include:

Canon LIDE 90	Epson V350	Epson 4490	HP Scanjet 5590
Canon MP210	Epson Stylus SX400	HP Laserjet 3250	HP Photosmart C5280
HP Officejet 6310	Epson GT-2500	Fujitsu 4220	Fujitsu 5220
Kodak I40	Kodak I1420	Panasonic 1025C

Note: This article was written using MS Word 2003 on Windows XP using the Mobile version of Read&Write V9 Gold

 

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Email: specmelb@bigpond.net.au Ph: 03 9894 4826 Mob: 0411 569 840Read&Write Gold – www.texthelp.com Author: Gerry Kennedy © 2009