A common issue for students with learning disabilities is load capacity, a cap on the cognitive energy that students use to sustain their attention when learning. With accessibility features such as text-to-speech, students are able to access the information they need without draining their load capacity. For students at Sagonaska, tools like Google Read & Write are used every day as a compensatory strategy alongside their remedial reading programs that teach them reading strategies.
Optical character recognition technology allows a reader to take a picture of the text (i.e. page(s) of a novel) they wish to read, and for it to transfer into an editable text. Readers can then use the accessibility features on their device to read it to them.
Students can go a step further when listening to the text-to-speech as they could use the 'look up' tool for any words they are unsure of. The student will have access to an editable form of the original text as well, which can lead to many more writing opportunities too.
Independence using OCR
Developing student independence with OCR technology takes time. Since OCR happens in many platforms and devices, show students how to use OCR using their preferred device is necessary, and possible now. Decide which way works best for them. Allow them time to experiment. Practice within lessons.
Here are 4 ways to use OCR:
[Google Drive]
[Google Keep]
[Office Lens]
[Seeing AI]
Just another addition to our students' toolbox!
