The Study Tool Bar

Exploring the Study Toolbar (Green)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPDN0bxPiTg

Highlighters   

There are yellow, blue, green, and pink highlighters that students can use to highlight important information. Highlighted information can be extracted under the file menu and you can create  vocabulary lists etc.

Highlighter Eraser

The eraser will erase any highlighting that you have all ready done. 

Sticky Note 

Add a yellow, easy to see note.  The note can be added by the teacher or the student. As you type in the sticky note it will read it to you. The note can be moved around and placed anywhere on the document.

Text note

Add a note, similar to the sticky note but it is not highlighted. This too can be moved around the document and placed wherever you like.

Footnote 

 The footnote allows you to leave a long note that is hidden until you double click on the number that is placed in the appropriate place in the text.  This can be extra information, instructions etc.

Delete

This button allows you to delete any notes that you have previously made.

Voice Button

The teacher or student can leave a voice note. You need to have a microphone and the student/teacher can listen to the note. The note is shown with the image of a small speaker.

Column Notes

Hitting the column notes button will automatically create a table with 3 columns: main idea, supporting ideas and other. Students can then drag text into the appropriate box. You can then save these notes. The columns can be renamed. This allows students to organize the   information in a useful way.

Hyperlink

This tool will allow you to add a hyperlink  to the text. This can take the student to additional information on the topic.

Bookmark

 Bookmarks allow a user to mark places in scanned or typed documents in order to return at a later time. Once bookmarks have been created you can click on the bookmark button and it will take you to a list and you can choose the appropriate bookmark.

Note Snippets

A Note Snippet is a floating window that displays the contents of a Column Notes file in read-only

mode, and in hierarchical format.



For more information:
http://www.indiana.edu/~iuadapts/technology/software/k3000/kurzweil_guide.html#book

Introducing the Main Tool Bar

Kurzweil has four main tool bars

The red bar is the main tool bar

The yellow is the reading bar

The green is the study bar

The blue is the writing bar


Please follow the blog below to discover the many use for each tool bar.

Exploring the main tool bar

Check out this great youtube tutorial to help you get started
http://youtu.be/ffIOR7xxJVw

As you can see it is at the main tool bar where you would open a document already saved, scan a new piece of text or open a clean page to paste text or write your own text. This is where you would also choose the green Read button so the computer can read your text to you.  

The web button is very useful.

If you would like a student to have access to reading anything on the web all you have to do is click the web button and the web will open in a new window with the reading button on the bottom of the page. Highlight what you would like to listen to and away you go.

The Back, Read, Forward buttons are what you use to read and move around in the text. You can also highlight the text and use the Read button to tell the computer to read you the highlighted area.  

For ESL students or students studying a second language the Translate option can be very useful. Here you can type or copy text in to the box and it will translate and read you the text in six different languages.

The Picture, Definition, Synonym, Pronounce, Syllables, and Spell buttons are really helpful for students who do not understand a word, have trouble with decoding, or need a prompted for how to spell or say a word they are not familiar with.

If you are still unsure how to use part of this program you can always use the Help button and ask any question.

How can Kurzweil be used

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3KSTxDShZo

Here is a great article titled What makes Kurzweil Effective

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/hiat/tech_quick_guides/Kurz_Effective.pdf

The Reading (Yellow) Toolbar

The Reading Toolbar - controls the speed and location of reading. Look at the Reading Toolbar as you read below. If the reading tool bar is not on the main menu click the yellow toggle on the left side of the main menu.

1. The Reading Voice

 There are several different voices that can be used to read the text. Paul and Kate  are most commonly used as they are the most human sounding.

2. The Reading Mode

There are three reading modes :

Continuous- in this mode the whole document will be read continuously.

Self-Paced- in this mode the reader stops between different reading units.
                          Word by Word: in this mode the reader stops at the end of each word.

3. The Reading Unit
There are several different settings under this button. It specifies how much text is highlighted. The default is set at a sentence, but you can shange it to hightlight a word, phrase, line, paragraph, heading or hightlight.

4. The Reading Speed
This button allows you to adjust the speed at which it reads. The slowest setting is 60 words/minute and the fastes is 600 words/minute. The average speed for most people 150 words/minute. The default setting is 160 words/minute. The varying speeds allow for a variety of individual learning styles.

5. The Zoom Level
This button allows you to adjust the size of the print on the screen. It will allow you to enlarge or shrink the screen. This is great for students who have vision issues. One thing to note with this feature is that when you change pages, the screen zoom goes back to the default setting and you must zoom in/out again.

6. The Page Function
This button shows how many pages are in a document and what page you are on. The arrows beside the windows allow you to navigate throughout the document.

7. The Page Thumbnail 
When you press this button, a thumbnail of the page shows up on the right hand side of the screen. This allows you to quickly browse through a page and go to the part of that page (i.e. a table, chart or picture) to gather information.

8. The Thumbnail View 
This button shows a thumbnail of all the pages in the document.


You should also note, all the features are available in the ‘Read” and ‘View’ button above the main toolbar.

Training Videos

http://youtu.be/WYDbk_jxxoQ

Writing with Kurzweil

Writing with Kurzweil

The Kurzweil program has many excellent features to support writing. The supports are vital for students who have challenges with reading or written expression, but the features are very

useful for everyone!

See how one teacher implements Kurzweil with his whole class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3xq32m_FZM

The Writing Bar

Click on the blue brick on the left side of the tool bar for the Writing Tool Bar. Hide other tool bars by clicking on red, yellow and green bricks. All the Writing Bar buttons can also be accessed through the Write and Tools dropdown menus.

To view a video of the Writing Tool bar demonstrating each button and its features, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp4Y-h9r

The Writing Bar Buttons:

Start Writing

This gets you started with a New Brainstorm, Outline or Draft Blank or choose from one of two dozen Templates. You go back and forth between the features by clicking on the icons.

The program will read each word and/or the whole sentence as you type which is great support for struggling readers and writers and valuable feedback for all. To choose the options, go to Options in the Tools menu and select the General Tab and the section Speak As Typing,

Brainstorm

This graphic tool visually organizes your thoughts and expands on them which is especially helpful for those who have a hard time getting started.

Use Quick Takes in the Brainstorm Palette to create shapes in which to type and edit. To link ideas, click Link, select the main idea, then the sub-ideas. Click Arrange to organize ideas neatly.

Outline

With this button, you can organize your ideas from the Brainstorm organizer into a text-based hierarchical writing plan. The Outline Palette buttons allow you to add ideas, move topics around, add notes and begin your draft.

Split Screen

This is an excellent feature to keep you on track and enable you to access and use information gathered to write more detailed, higher level work. It lets you see the outline or notes in the left pane while you write your draft on the right.

Draft

This allows you to see only the draft you are working on and eliminate visual clutter, but you can access your outline, split screen or other features with just a click.

Review Writing

To guide the revising and editing task, this button shows you a list of review tasks that can be checked off as you revise your document, or you can create your own task list. The right click button has more editing features.

Spelling, Grammar and Word Choice Supports

Spell Check

Simply click this button to check for errors or use the Spelling Corrections List by clicking the Right Mouse button. All words can be read with a click. A dictionary is also available within the Spell check dialog.

Word Prediction

For those have trouble with spelling, grammar and even typing, this feature is invaluable It offers a floating list of word choices that can be read with a click. To create a topic dictionary, click Train and follow the prompts to import words from a text file.

Word Lists

This button enables you to see a list of words as you type which can enhance word choice and expand vocabulary and ideas used. There are a variety of lists to choose from such as the Dolch List or Strong verbs, which can be edited. A topic dictionary that has been created can be included..

For a video demonstration of the complete Writing Path, view the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLaqCz4FlYA

To see how to use Kurzweil Writing supports like Spell Check and Word Prediction, check out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZf4sbxQc9c&feature=related

To walk you through an assignment from reading to revisions using the features of the Kurzweil program, download http://www.setbc.org/download/archive/pdf04/supp_wrt.pdf

Of course, the Help menu is a great reference for information on the whole Writing Path.

You'll want everyone to have access to this amazing writing tool!