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I used Kurzweil 3000 as part of a project called the Laptops Initiative. The software is used with Junior Cert English class.  There are twelve in the class.  The majority of the group are studying for the Ordinary Level English paper.  Because the students all work independently, it is suitable for use with students of mixed ability.

I work in the room with the English teacher.  A second adult is needed for a group of this size as there may be ‘glitches’ with the computers, or someone doesn’t fully understand what to do.

This is an extract from a Junior Cert English paper, which is scanned in and saved onto the network.

The text is read for the student.  The meaning of the highlighted words can be found in the dictionary, synonyms can be found; the words can be broken into syllables.  The word list is given on a handout also, so that students can write in the meaning and have it to study at home.  The important point to stress to them is to make sure that they find a meaning that they understand themselves.  Having read through the passage, found the meanings, they can go ahead and answer the questions. 

Text from Science, History or any theory-based subject can be handled in the same way. 

While in theory students could scan in the text, in practice I found it easier to scan the work before the beginning of the lesson. Having scanned in the text it is easy to activate the read function.  Students with special needs can manage the basic functions of the software easily.

The advantage of it is that it allows students to work at their own pace.  A good reader can work ahead.  A slow reader isn’t stopping and starting, thereby losing the context of the passage. 

Kurzweil 3000 Exemplar

d2952.PDF