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Dragon Naturally Speaking was used with two students in a withdrawal context. Each student was allocated three classes a week to work through the training programme and tutorials. Two students used Dragon Naturally Speaking, one was in first year and the other in second year. Both students have a specific learning difficulty (Dyslexia) and have a particular difficulty with writing and transferring what they know onto paper. They both attend mainstream classes but also receive four periods of learning support per week. I made the decision that both of these students had the potential to benefit from the software.

Dragon Naturally Speaking was used to help students with Dyslexia develop better writing / typing skills central to the Junior Certificate English curriculum. Such areas include letter, reviews, reports and essay writing skills. Dragon Naturally Speaking could also be used to support students in subjects that require a lot of text heavy project work.

Some students with Dyslexia have an unusual difficulty with typing. This seems to have some link to coordination and dexterity. In this case this programme would be very beneficial to these students by eliminating the need to learn to type. A lot of students with Dyslexia have poor handwriting skills so the option of completing homework and class work on laptop via Dragon Naturally Speaking would be very useful

Once the student has finished ‘general training’, including all the tutorials and the program has learned how the student speaks, it is then quite easy to use and effective. The main feature of practical use to students with Dyslexia is that it can be an effective tool to help them complete school work without having to depend on paper and pen.
 
A normal class period was forty minutes which allowed students to complete part of the training programme and to discuss or raise any problems encountered. The programme also gave users the option of saving or pausing training during use.
Following general training and tutorials students were required to produce work via Dragon Naturally Speaking. This included a formal letter and a review or report. It took both students a number of attempts to complete the letter to a satisfactory standard but this was an essential part of becoming fluent in programme use.
 
Dragon Naturally Speaking would not be suitable for mainstream classes because of the need for students to speak out loud. However as a personal support tool to be used at home and in learning support it could be very beneficial in the curriculum areas outlined above

There is no exemplar available at this time.