 |
|
Home | What's New | Articles Archive | Washington Archive | Resources Archive | Positions Archive | Reviews Archive | Links | Conferences | About Us |
|
|
Home | What's New | Articles Archive | Washington Archive | Resources Archive | Positions Archive | Reviews Archive | Links | Conferences | About Us |
Texthelp
100 Unicorn Park Dr.
Woburn, MA
888-248-0652
www.texthelp.com
Read and Write Gold Mobile
I have already had the pleasure of reviewing Read and Write Gold both for the Mac and Windows version. Now I have had even more fun with the Mobile version. Since the Mobile version is first and foremost what it claims to be, MOBILE, I was able to take it around with me and show it off to my AT friends. I have also been able to do something that I could never do before and that was to loan someone some AT to use on site, rather than having them try it for a few minutes on my laptop computer.
For those of you who may be new to R & W G, it is described as a literacy support program that is particularly beneficial for students who struggle with reading and writing. The previous versions that I had reviewed were stand alone copies installed on laptop computers. The Mobile version is a USB flash drive that plugs into any computer. I found that the Mobile version of Read and Write Gold was very easy to use. It installed quickly and without any problems on several computers in the school where I was trying it out and needless to say, it is extremely portable. I was concerned about issues of network security blocking it out, causing the computer to freeze when I plugged it in, but it was accepted by the computers without any adverse issues. The best part of trying out Read and Write Gold Mobile was the smile on the face of the young man for whom it was brought in for a test run. After scanning in a few pages of a book that the kids in his 4th grade class were all reading, we had him put on the headphones and listen to the read back. His eyes lit up as he watched the text on the screen being highlighted in sync with the readout. After he had listened to a few pages I asked him what he thought about the possibility of using something like that for reading. He beamed, saying “Cool, now I can read any chapter book I want.”
While Read and Write Gold is recommended for students who have difficulty with reading and writing, I believe its features can benefit all students, even old ones like me. I used the program earlier this year in preparing a literature review for a project that I was working on. I located articles that I had to read using my computer; most of them were available as PDF files that can be read by R & W’s “PDF Aloud” feature. While I read most of them myself, I did use the highlighter feature to emphasize the salient points, later extracting them into a summary document. I found the program great for organizing the information; later on in the process, I used it in conjunction with a voice recognition speech to text program to add in my own text, moving things along even more quickly. I have to say that I found the features very helpful and was glad that I had the program available to me.
Read and Write Gold Mobile is compatible with PC’s running Windows 2000, XP and Vista. It has all of the same features of Read and Write Gold with the exception of the ability to log student progress, a feature found in the PC version that gets loaded into the hard drive. The only drawback to the program is the very feature that makes it so versatile; since a person can take it anywhere, he or she can also leave it anywhere, so hand it out with some discretion. I’m guessing that leaving it at the soccer field or sending it through the washing machine in the pants pockets are probably not covered in the warranty. That issue aside, I found that the Mobile version solved far more problems than the one it can potentially succumb to. Used in the school setting with appropriate monitoring it can enable a student to have instant access in any classroom, and when necessary, can solve the dilemma of how to provide technology for home. It also solves the problems associated with moving a program from one computer to another when networks and platforms are changed or upgraded. Looks like Texthelp has come up with yet another version of an already great program, Read and Write 8.1 Gold Mobile can help keep our students moving along.
© 2007 ConnSENSE Bulletin