Kurzweil Window Overview
Your name(s):
______
Examine Toolbars and Change Toolbar Set
· Click the colored brick-like bars to show and hide different toolbars.
· Right click on any toolbar area, find Apply Toolbar Set, and choose between different toolbar sets.
***The following features may require you to open a sample Kurzweil Kes. Document.
Change Reading Options on the Reading Toolbar
· Click the Speak button to read a text.
What do you notice? Can you change voice? What voices do you like? How are these different voices helpful?
· Find out what changes as you change the Reading Unit (word, phrase, line, etc.) by clicking the Reading Unit list.
Reading: Self-paced vs. continuous
· During self-paced reading, Kurzweil 3000 pauses after each reading unit.
What’s the function of self-paced reading? What does it do for a reader?
Reading Speed
What’s the speed you’re most comfortable with? What about the students you teach? Estimate the speed or find out from the speed arrows. Write down the numbers: ______
Look up Words (Read)
· Highlight the word. Click “Definition” button. Click “Read” to hear the definition.
· Alternatively--Look up a word by typing it. Go to the Reference menu & choose “Look up Word I Type.”
· Have Kurzweil speak each syllableàSelect a word; then click the Syllables button (You may need to choose Fluency Toolbar Set by right-clicking on the toolbar).
· See a picture for a wordàSelect a word; Click Picture.
· Pronounce button: hear the human voice for a word.
How are these features useful? Think of a couple of situations where you’d like for your students to use one of these features:
Use Highlight in Study Skills Menu (Study Skills)
· Find highlighters in Study Skills Toolbar.
· Extract Highlights to pull the highlighted text into a study document. Here’s how:
o Mark a main idea in yellow. Click the yellow highlighter and select the text.
o Add some sub-ideas in Green.
o A few details in Blue
o Click the highlighter again to exit the Highlight mode.
o Go to the beginning of the textàon Read menuàRead UnitàHighlight (Or use the read drop down list)
o Another way to study the notes is to extract the highlighted text into a study document.
o FileàExtractàExtract Notes and Highlights
o In the dialogue box, make sure the Highlights box is selected and make sure the colors you want to extract are also selected.
Give an example of how to put this feature in use. Be as specific.
Work with Column Notes
· FileàExtract Highlights to Column Notes
· Then, choose to open a New Notes File.
· The Column Notes window opens containing the highlighted text at the bottom.
· Main Ideas, Supporting Ideas; The 3rd column
· As you put some notes in 3rd column, you can use Word Prediction and other formatting features as well.
· If you Right Click your mouse button, you can hide the 3rd column.
· Save Column Notes as a file. Save it anywhere on your system. They are saved as .K3C format.
· Open an existing column note by clicking on the Column Note button in the Study Skills toolbar.
· Whenever you’re ready to begin writing from your Column notes, you can Extract Column Notes to Outline under File menu. [You must put your cursor in the column notes, not the document itself.] Then, go from Outline to Draft. Then, expand the notes to prose in the text document.
Brainstorm on ideas of using Column Notes and Extract to outline functions. Think of a classroom activity that can be made easier through these functions.
Create Sticky Notes and Text Notes (Study Skills Toolbar)
· Go to Sample Documents, Click the Sticky Note button and click the document where you want to place it.
· Click the Text Note button and click in the document to place it.
What’s the difference between Sticky Note and Text Note? How can they be used according to their unique characteristics? Share a few examples of how you use these two features in the sample text.
Writing Path (Writing Toolbar or Write Menu)
· This toolbar contains many buttons that allow you to carry out functions similar to those in Inspiration/Kidspiration. I’ll let you find out!!
· Open a new blank document to try this out.
Share: What are some examples of using the writing toolbar? Jot them down below.
Where can you find some templates for different types of writing?
What are the functions of Review Checklist? Create a modified checklist and share in the box below. (You need to go to Tools\Option\Review Items to customize the checklist.
How can use Word Lists? Share ideas below:
Did you notice Quick Takes feature in the Writing Path’s Brainstorm View? What does it remind you of in Inspiration?
Use Writing Supports: Spell Check & Word Prediction
· Right click to correct misspelled words
· Choose Word Prediction first and then type words.
Experiment with the red pushpin on the Word Prediction window. What do you find? Also tell two ways to choose the word from the suggested words list and put it into the text.
Magnify each word that Kurzweil 3000 speaks
· View menuàMagnify Spoken Word
· You can drag and resize the magnification box.
Picture Dictionaries
· Kurzweil 3000 comes with the Kurzweil 3000 Picture Dictionary in English and in Spanish of over 1300 illustrations and photos, as well as a sample set from the Mayer-Johnson PCS library.
· You can install and add other picture dictionaries, clip art or image libraries that are in Kurzweil 3000-supported image formats, including bmp, gif, ico, jpg or jpeg, tiff, and wmf.
o click any highlighted word
o Click the Picture button in the Main toolbar
Notes Snippets
· A floating window that displays the contents of a Column Notes file in read-only mode, and in hierarchical format
· Click the Note Snippets button in the Study Skills toolbar or select Note Snippets from the Tools menu.
· In the Open Note Snippet dialog, select the name of the Column Notes file you want to display in Note Snippets. Click Open.
· Copying and Pasting Text from Note Snippet Window
· Dragging and Dropping an idea and its Details from Note Snippet Window
Hyperlinks
· Web URL or a File or a Link within the Same Document
o In the document, go to the location where you want to link to, and click.
o Add a bookmark. Choose Bookmarks from either the Tools menu or from the Right Mouse Button menu. You can also press CTRL+F12. Specify a Bookmark description.
o In the same document, go to and click where you want to place the hyperlink or select the text for which you want to add the hyperlink
o Open the Add/Edit Hyperlink dialog.
o The Description box should contain the text in the document closest to the location of the cursor where the hyperlink is to be placed.
o Select the Link within this document option.
o A Locate button appears next to the Link To box.
o Click Locate, select the Bookmark description you want to link to.
o Click Add.
Word Lists
· Show several word lists (Confusables and Homophones; Dolch)
· Word Lists options box
Word Prediction
· You can select a word in a number of ways: by clicking it, by pressing the Control key plus the word number, or by pressing the number on the numeric keypad.
· Resize the WP box to show more of fewer word choices.
· Click the red pushpin to display the pin point, you can have the dialog box move with the cursor, providing instant Word Prediction feedback as you work.
Save Documents as Audio Files
· File
· Audio FilesàCreate Audio File
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If Time Allows, You Can Explore the Following Features~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Take Tests
· Students can take several different types of tests:
o Multiple Choice
o Fill in the Blanks
o True or False
o Essay Response
· They can also:
o Adjust reading speed.
o Answer questions using either text or spoken notes.
o Mark answers using either Color Highlighters or Circle Tools.
o Proofread by hearing the test read back.
o Drag and drop answers.
o Respond to Bubble Note questions.
· Open Sample Documents folder (FileàOpen)
· Open Test Taking
· Open Time Travel Quiz
· ToolsàCustomizeàApply Toolbar SetàTest Taking
o Use text note on the toolbar to write on blanks.
o Use Circle tool to circle the answer to multiple choice questions. Or you can use highlighters to accomplish the goal.
What do you like about test taking feature so far?
Read the Web
· OptionsàGeneralàReadingàRead the WebàInternet Explorer or Firefox
· “In order to use the Mozilla Firefox browser, a small extension, named KESIReader, must be added to it. Do you want to add the extension?” Click Yes or No.
· The Firefox has to be lower version than 7.01.
Find out more about Kurzweil 3000 v.12 at its website:
http://www.kurzweiledu.com/kurzweil-3000-v12-windows.html
http://www.kurzweiledu.com/educational-resources.html
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