Writing-Word+Q,+Speak+Q

__**[| Word Q, Speak Q]**__
This product is designed for any age! According to the product website, “Our users include students from primary school to college, CEOs of major corporations, journalists and many more. How they use it is completely personal to their needs. Fortunately, WordQ is flexible enough to adapt to those needs.” Additionally, it was designed for people with disabilities such as LD, ASD, ADHD, Dyslexia, etc. The technology can support reading and writing skills and removed the laborious process out of composing a written message. It can check for spelling, grammar and punctuation while reading it back to you. Additionally, it helps with fluency as the person reading the message is modeling a fluent passage. The program allows word prediction, spoken feedback and speech recognition Word Q: Provides word prediction and text to speech technology. A box will pop up on the document and provide a list of words while reading it back to the user. Speak Q: is a dictation software that allows the used to speak into a microphone while the computer recognizes and types the message.

According to reviews documented on [|Wikkipedia], “PC Magazine reviewed this software in early 2011, giving it four stars out of five, and calling it "one of the simplest, most useful, and least expensive options" for helping with the mechanical processes of writing. The review found that WordQ was most useful for students and struggling writers, and noted on Software's targeted licensing towards the education market, in particular the free home copies that are given to students. Some limitations with the software include: Word Q with Speak Q is limited to Windows only. Word Q is available for Mac OS X. Many schools may be limited to Mac computers, thus this program would not be a good choice for students. With Speak Q, you have to train the program to recognize different voices. This is limiting and time consuming to a user. But most software that offers this option must be trained. This can also be a strength for people who struggle with grammar, as the program automatically includes this when producing the written piece. Some strengths of the software include: The program is a very simple program and user friendly, yet you can use it in other applications such as Web pages, instant messages and email. After using the program, I found out that you can turn grammar and spelling on and off. For example you may have a student taking a written test, but you want them to type it without having their errors being corrected. So you can turn it off to allow the student to provide an accurate sample. Word Q is available in English, French, Spanish and German.

To download a 30 day free trial click here: [|Word Q, Speak Q 30 Day Free Trial]

In my classroom we will be using the programs below to draft and edit daily writing assignments on the computer. Additionally, students will be using Word Q, Speak Q may be used for students who need more assistance with writing.

To view a tutorial on YouTube of how Word Q works click play on the video below: media type="youtube" key="2pqaI-k9EBs" height="349" width="425"

To view a tutorial on YouTube of how Speak Q works click play on the video below: media type="youtube" key="5bIpAz8_dLc" height="349" width="560"