Written by the Kurzweil Blog Team

In the world of academia, writing is an integral component of the skills it takes to be successful in K-12, postsecondary, and beyond. Writing is expressive, communicative, and essential to developing critical thinking and comprehension skills. For struggling learners who are living with dyslexia, English Language Learning (ELL), or a blind or visual impairment, developing the writing techniques that are necessary for success can be challenging. As an educator, how can you provide the support tools that these students need in order to unlock their potential? Integrating assistive technology into your classroom offers many benefits that help strengthen the writing process and boost the confidence that learners have in this essential skill!

Allows Students to Better Organize their Writing Ideas
A fundamental part of the writing process is organizing thoughts prior to starting. Students who see a beginning, middle, and end to their work can better fill in the gaps and build the skills needed to effectively communicate their ideas. Educational technology, like kurzweil 3000, offers learners writing support tools in the form of note taking, graphic organizers, split-screen views to compare drafts, and more. Being able to visualize their process from start to finish with the help of assistive technology boosts confidence in their abilities and the assignment at hand!

Gives Learners the Opportunity to Better Use Vocabulary
Word choice is imperative for the tone of a piece of writing. Whether you’re working with students who are just beginning their academic journey or are seasoned learners, if they are living with dyslexia or another form of a learning disability, keeping up with the appropriate grade-level vocabulary can be tough. Assistive technology gives students the opportunity to use better terminology through word choice lists that provide them with specific options to elevate their writing and meet classroom standards. Word choice lists also eliminate the added stress that some struggling students may feel when completing writing assignments that are challenging.

Provides the Tools for Writers to Self-Regulate their Work
Revising and self-editing written work is an important skill for students to gain in the classroom. For individuals who are learning with a disability, it can be hard to self-regulate work. Assistive technology provides tools, like Kurzweil Education’s Speak as Typing feature, so that learners can hear their writing read aloud as they are creating it. This gives students the opportunity to listen to the flow, cohesiveness, and correctness of their work, and address any revisions that they may not have caught without hearing their writing out loud.

Help unlock your students’ writing potential by integrating assistive technology into your classroom. These educational tools will help learners with the writing process, from start to finish, by providing them with the organizing, word choice, and revision support they need to make their work a success and keep up with grade-level standards.

If you’re looking for more ideas to improve students’ writing, watch videos and webinars in the Kurzweil Acadamy.

Are you ready to take it for a spin?

Sign-up for a 30-day free trial or contact us for a guided tour.