Inspiration 9

Inspiration can be of particular benefit to people who prefer to think visually. It enables you to create a picture of your ideas in the form of a diagram or mind map. You can build, refine, add detail and organize it to produce a structured, logical plan which can then be converted into a Microsoft Word document.

Further information about how to use it, is available from Inspiration, via Atomic Learning, and at YouTube.

Mindview 6

MindView is a professional mind mapping software that allows you to visually brainstorm, organize and present ideas:

• Brainstorm your project plan in a mind map
• Export to Word and PowerPoint
• Apply task information and resources
• Built-in gantt chart and project timeline
• Integration to Microsoft Project
• Export and synchronize tasks with Outlook
• More details are available via this video over at YouTube.

Screen Readers

TextHelp Read&Write

From reading on-screen text aloud to researching and checking written work, Read&Write makes many everyday tasks easier:

• Hear web pages and documents read aloud to improve reading comprehension, with choice of natural voices
• Understand unfamiliar words with text and picture dictionaries
• Develop writing skills with word prediction
• Support independent student research with valuable study skills tools

Watch TextHelp videos [via YouTube].

TextHelp Quick Reference [PDF, 311KB]

Read and Write Quick Reference Guide [PDF, 218KB]

ClaroRead Pro

ClaroRead is a text to speech screen reader software, to assist with reading and writing. It includes the following features:

• The ability to read out loud on-screen text, including pdfs and word documents, or read aloud even as you type.
• Visual tools to colour, highlight, and focus on text as it is spoken.
• Converts scanned books and documents to text which can be saved to word or audio files.
• Enhanced homophone and spell check, with a thesaurus and speaking dictionary.
• Predictive text to help with writing.
• Tools to help you collect and organise your research materials.

For more information on how to use ClaroRead, please watch the ClaroRead video guides [via YouTube]

ZoomText Magnifier/Reader

Is a fully integrated magnification and screen reading program that enlarges, enhances and reads aloud everything on the computer screen. Features crystal clear xFont magnification, customizable enhancements to on-screen colours, pointers, and cursors, complete screen reading, and easy to use document reading tools.

ZoomText Guide [PDF, 1.8MB]

ZoomText in brief [PDF, 976KB]

Dragon Pro

Dragon enables fast, accurate dictation and transcription with the right level of customisation. Create, edit and format documents by voice – quickly and accurately.

Watch the Dragon Pro instructional video [via YouTube]

Dragon Quick Start Guide [PDF, 950KB]

Jaws Pro

JAWS, Job Access With Speech, is a popular screen reader, developed for computer users whose vision loss prevents them from seeing screen content or navigating with a mouse.

JAWS Quick Introduction [Word Doc, 51KB]