Customizing with UD Features: IntelliTalk

Index

Overview

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1. Multiple Representations of Information

Easy-to-use picture menus are available in addition to standard menus.

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Students can use either standard menus or picture menus for menu selection. This will aid younger students and students with developmental disabilities in learning the menu items typically found in a word processor.

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2. Multiple Options for Expression and Control

Students can control the visual presentation of their document both on screen and when it is printed.

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Students can choose multiple fonts, styles, sizes, and colors to support their writing and its presentation. Since children's stories are often displayed on classroom bulletin boards, a student may print a story using large text and colored backgrounds to create an interesting visual display.

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3. Multiple Options for Engagement

Children who have difficulty with writing may find listening to their finished product to be rewarding. While using text-to-speech can be motivating for these writers, they will also hear any mistakes they need to correct along the way.

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Students who are nonverbal can choose to use different voices to read their stories to classmates and teachers. For example, a deep voice might be used for a serious essay, while a high-pitched voice might work better for a fairy tale.

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Customizing Tips

• For students with visual impairments, select the appropriate font style, text size, and color combination. When appropriate, encourage these students to learn the keyboard equivalents or use the talking button ribbon instead of reading items from the menu bar.
  
• For younger students, set up template files with the appropriate settings and have each student launch the program from a template file with their own name. Each student's new file will start out with the right size text, colors, and text to speech settings. Remember to use "Save As" instead of "Save" when saving each new story or document.
  
• For students with motor disabilities, use the IntelliKeys modified keyboard with IntelliTalk.
  
• For students who are learning the alphabet or learning the keyboard, set IntelliKeys to read letter-by-letter.

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Universal Design Wish List

• Add talking dialog boxes so that all they will be more usable by students who rely on text-to-speech output.
  
• Add the ability to paste in pictures from other sources so students can incorporate images into their stories and other writings. (Note: This will be available in IntelliTalk II.)
  
• Add a talking spell checker. (Note: This will be available in IntelliTalk II.)

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Feedback

How do you customize your students' learning with IntelliTalk? We would like to add your ideas to our Web site, space permitting. (If we use your submission, we will give you credit.) Submit your Customizing Tips and UD Wish List items via e-mail to udfeedback@cast.org.

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Product Information

For more information about IntelliTalk, see the Teaching Tools section of this Web site.

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Disclaimer

CAST does not necessarily endorse this product or consider it fully universally designed. CAST applauds the inclusion of universally designed features in this product and wishes to illustrate some of those features for educational purposes.

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