What is Assistive/ Educational Technology?
Increasingly, technology plays a central part in teaching and learning at Maynooth University for all students. However, some technology helps with the difficulties you may have as a result of a learning difficulty or disability. This technology is usually referred to as 'assistive technology'. The staff in the Disability Office will help you identify the right technology, show you how to use it, and arrange for the technology to be available to you when you need it.
Educational Technology
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The Assistive Technology Centre
Turn your essay into audio. Have a computer type what you say. Use colours, shapes, sound and links to make your notes come alive. When you register with us, you have access to the Assistive Technology Centre, where you can use computers to work on your assignments, research online, access your email, print, scan or use learning technology.
Located in the Student Services building on the North Campus, the Assistive Technology Centre (ATC) is a computer lab open to students who are registered with the Disability Office. It is equipped with a range of Assistive Technology software and hardware packages. The primary purpose of the ATC is that of a technology training centre and a portion of each week is given over to Technology+ training hours. When Technology+ trainings are taking place, students are advised that the nearest PACRs are in the Callan Building, the Arts Building and the Library.
All PCs across campus have the TextHelp Read&Write Gold, Audio Notetaker, Verity Spell and Inspiration software packages installed on them.
Information about the AT service is disseminated via the Access and Disability Office Website, the various Virtual Learning Environment Moodle spaces, university publications, University Open Days, the outreach initiatives, the Library Information Skills Training sessions and through nominated MAP Academic Advisors within academic departments.
ATC Opening Hours:
Monday - Friday: 9.00am-5pm
For more information contact the Assistive Technology Centre at (01) 708 6722 or atc@nuim.ie
Free Education Technology for Reading
MyStudyBar is a useful free tool that helps overcome common problems that students (or anyone) can have with studying, reading and writing. The tool consists of a set of portable open source and freeware applications, assembled into one convenient package.
Examples include: Xmind for planning and organization; T-Bar for customising font and colour backgrounds; Lingoes for when you need a talking dictionary; LetMeType for help with text input, and Balabolka for converting text to audio. And if all that’s not enough, there’s even a speech-to-text app which allows you to talk to your computer. You can use MyStudyBar straight from a USB stick (if, for example, you are using a machine that is not your own) or you can install it directly to the desktop.
Download MyStudyBar for Windows XP
Download MyStudyBar for Windows Vista/Win 7
- SpokenText can convert an entire block of text, document, webpage, or email. You’re able to choose through many premium-quality voices and select the voice speed and volume. SpokenText also gives you the option to send an email to you when your recording has been processed. User registration required.
- Read the Words is a free online way to create speech recordings in English, French or Spanish in seconds. User registration required.
- vozMe converts text to MP3 format. No registration is required and you can immediately download and save your text to speech recordings, in English or Spanish.
- NaturalReader is a free Text to Speech software with natural sounding voices. This easy to use software can convert any written text such as MS Word, Webpage, PDF files, and Emails into spoken words. NaturalReader can also convert any written text into audio files such as MP3 or WAV for your CD player or iPod.
There are also various add-ons for Firefox that will read aloud to you from the web including FoxVox and Text to Voice. Install either by clicking on the relevant links above or open Firefox > click on Tools > Add-Ons > Get Add-Ons. Then search for FoxVox and/or Text to Voice to install them. After installation, you can highlight text on a webpage and right-click it to play aloud text with either Add-On.
- Select & Speak – is a handy extension for Google Chrome that allows users to listen to text from almost any website.
- Speak It is another Google Chrome extension that enables you to have the text on most webpages read to you.
- Announcify is a free text to speech application that is available as a Chrome browser extension and as an Android app.
Low Vision
LowBrowse Firefox Add-on creates a new frame in the top part of the browser that, on hover over, presents the text in a single line with configurable text size, font, color contrast and letter spacing without having to zoom in and out.
Readable Firefox Add-on and Readability Chrome Add-on transform text on any website using fonts, colors, and layouts that you choose.
NoSquint Firefox Add-on lets you adjust the font size and color as well as customize the overall page look and feel.
Make Address Bar Font Size Bigger Firefox Add-on makes the URL Address Bar font size bigger.
Screenreaders do more than read selected text aloud. They read the contents of menus and other metadata. Thunder is a free screenreader available for download in 12
languages.
Free Education Technology for Writing
Inputting text
Take a typing test to find out your typing speed, then set a target for yourself at Good Typing where you can learn how to type correctly in just a few hours using all your fingers.
- Try some simple typing lessons for standard keyboards on Power Typing
- TypingWeb is a free online typing tutor & keyboarding tutorial for typists of all skill levels.
- TypingLessonsOnline is another web based touch typing program that helps you to learn touch typing online. It provides free and interactive typing lessons and exercises.
- For ways to keep practising your typing, you can race against other learners online on Type Racer or try to keep up with songs on Typing Karaoke. Another fun game is like space invaders where you have to hit the correct keys to shoot falling words, called ZType.
- For a range of other typing games, try the Rapid Typing Zone.
If you still find that your typing speed is not where it should be, dictating text may be an answer worth investigating. The biggest challenge for dictating your thoughts into a computer or mobile application is that you have think about what you’re going to say before you say it. If you speak in full sentences and at a normal speed, you will improve the recognition accuracy.
You can try out dictation as part of the Windows 7 Ease of Use tools. Alternatively, the following websites may be useful: Online Dictation and Talk Typer (both require access via the Google Chrome browser). You may also want to try PaperPort Notes for the iPad.
Planning
Getting your ideas out of your head and organised can be a challenge. Mind mapping allows for free form brainstorming followed by structuring of notes, assignments or presentations, using images, colours and links.
Bubbl.us is a mind-mapping product aimed towards literally anyone who needs help organizing their thoughts or any untidy information.
Gliffy creates professional-quality flowcharts, diagrams, floor plans, technical drawings, and more.
Mind42 is a browser based online collaborative mind mapping application.
Mindmeister is a browser based online collaborative brainstorming and mind mapping application.
Coggle is a browser based online tool to unleash your creativity.
Researching
The Research Paper Wizard is designed to help you work through the research steps of writing your paper and meet your assignment deadline.
To locate material, try Sweetsearch, the search engine for Students and Google Scholar, the educational side of googling
To keep track of what you've found for your bibliography, try EasyBib or Mendeley.
Proofreading
After the Deadline is a language checker for the web that checks for Contextual Spelling, Advanced Style, and Intelligent Grammar. It is a free download for most browsers and platforms that uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing technology to find writing errors and offer smart suggestions. It even explains the error and why it may be incorrect.
Hemingway makes your writing bold and clear. Put in text and see where you can simplify your prose