Kurzweil 1000 in an Educational Environment Benefits of Kurzweil 1000 in Education In the education world, Kurzweil 1000 benefits both students and teachers alike. Students gain both independence in accessing information and access to tools that help them read, write and study. For teachers, the need to demonstrate success in the classroom with all students has never been more important, especially in K-12 grades influenced by state and federal initiatives such as No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Kurzweil 1000 helps teachers provide needed material in accessible formats for students who are blind or have low vision, enabling them to work more independently and not require human readers or other specialized resources. About Kurzweil 1000 Kurzweil 1000 is award-winning software that provides accessibility and tools that enhance the reading, writing, researching and learning experience for people with severe visual impairments. Kurzweil 1000 offers access to virtually any printed or electronic publication by making text audible; document creation and editing capabilities; and study skills tools for note taking, summarizing and outlining text. In addition, Kurzweil 1000 provides access to a variety of online books, magazines and encyclopedias, along with the ability to send files to Braille note takers, embossers or MP3 audio files. Above all, Kurzweil 1000 is designed for ease of use for beginners, yet is powerful and flexible enough for advanced users. Access Printed or Electronic Text - Students can scan or open electronic files or read homework assignments or pleasure reading, giving them the freedom to read what and when they want.Whether it is printed or electronic text, teachers have the tools to provide all students with equal access to the same curriculum material. Read Text with Voice Options - Kurzweil 1000 has a number of reading voice options, including both male and female voices, that make reading easier to hear and adjustable to suit individual needs. Also, students have full control over the rate of speed, whether they want a fast voice speed for skimming or reviewing material, or a slower speed for more difficult text-book material. Expand Vocabulary with Online Dictionary and Thesaurus - While reading, students always have ready access to a dictionary and thesaurus within Kurzweil 1000 in order to get definitions or synonyms for words that they do not know. Scan and Read Multiple Languages - Teachers can make Kurzweil 1000 part of a language learning curriculum as it can scan and read aloud a number of languages (Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, UK English, US English, Finnish, French, German, and Italian). Also, with Language Identification, Kurzweil 1000 automatically chooses the appropriate language voice for the text read, so students can focus on what they are reading, instead of making manual language setting changes. Learn Effectively Using Study Skills Tools - Students can maximize their learning potential in the most effective manner through a powerful collection of study skill tools that includes: - Browsing - Quickly previewing a document before reading by browsing the first sentence of each paragraph, the last sentence of each paragraph or both the first and the last sentence. - Note taking - Taking notes while reading with the Create a Note feature to synthesize sections in their own words or raise questions to answer later. - Bookmarking - Marking passages for later review, navigating through a document, and creating outlines, tables of contents, and study guides with the multi-level Bookmarks feature. - Summarizing - Saving time and getting to main ideas quickly with the Kurzweil 1000 Summarization feature which allows the user to produce an overview of a document, based on keywords or user-specified bookmarks in a document. Review Complex Documents - Students can find important parts of a book or article, such as headings or subheadings, by searching and recognizing formatting, such as bold, italicized or bolded text. Apply Versatile Writing Tools to Daily Writing - Writing and editing are much easier for students with Kurzweil 1000 as it includes an easy-to-use audible text editor, dictionary, thesaurus and prioritized spell checker. Unique features, such as Part of Speech search, reduce the number of dictionary and thesaurus results to a specific part of speech, such as an adjective, adverb, noun, verb, or even etymology, giving the student a more focused answer. Take Information On-the-Go - Students gain more flexibility in their schedule by taking reading on the road whenever they want because Kurzweil 1000 provides the ability to transfer file information to many portable devices, including Braille note takers and MP3 players. Access Tools for Media Preparation - Teachers can provide more possibilities for their students when using Kurzweil 1000 tools for preparation of media. Tools for scanning, editing, downloading online books, creation of large print, Braille and MP3 audio materials for texts, handouts, tests and more can be done quickly and easily for use inside or outside the classroom or resource room. Expand Reading Possibilities with Electronic Information Access - Both students and teachers benefit from virtually instant access to a world of online electronic books, magazines and encyclopedias. With Kurzweil 1000 and an Internet connection, students can download required reading texts or research class assignments, while teachers also gain the benefit of not having to scan required books that are available online. Online resources (some require subscriptions) include sites such as Bookshare.org, NLS Web Braille, AccessWorld,Talking Newspaper Association of the UK, and online encyclopedias such as Columbia Encyclopedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica Student and Wikipedia (English, French and Spanish versions). In addition to online resources, Kurzweil 1000 includes a Classic Literature CD that contains hundreds of electronic texts including: literary classics for adults and children, reference materials and historical manuscripts. Complementing this wide access to information, Kurzweil 1000 provides other useful features, such as the ability to search simultaneously in many book or magazine Web repositories, or browse sites using the Look through the Bookshelves feature. What Kurzweil 1000 Users Say: “Kurzweil 1000 allows me to do my school work independently without assistance from anyone else since I am able to scan my assignments. I really like the online encyclopedias as they are very useful for doing reports, such as the last one I did for History. Also, the links to other information guided me to interesting related topics, so I learned much more.” John Pastorius, 8th Grade Student, Smithfield Middle School, Smithfield,Virginia “Kurzweil 1000 was a tremendous help to me as a college student and continues to be very helpful to me now as a working adult as it not only reads books and documents aloud, but with the extensive online search and retrieval capabilities, I can also research information for whatever my purpose. And the best part of all is, I can transfer text and MP3 files to portable devices, like Book Port, and take my reading with me wherever I go.” Vince Tomassetti, Assistive Technology Coordinator, Assistive Technology British Columbia (ATBC), British Columbia, Canada For more information on Kurzweil 1000, please contact Kurzweil Educational Systems or a local Kurzweil 1000 reseller, or visit our website. 14 Crosby Drive Bedford,Massachusetts 01730 T: 800.894.5374 T: 781.276.0600 F: 781.276.0650 www.kurzweiledu.com © 2005 Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. All other company names and products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.