I have students in my class who struggle with handwriting, typing, and the effects of dysgraphia, so I started looking for ways to help them be more successful in my class. This is important both in daily assignments and those that we create and submit using Google Apps for Education. After conducting some research via the blogs I follow, I discovered a solution.
Using funds I earned from my middle school lesson plan sales, I purchased a Logitech headset with microphone from my local Wal-Mart (you can order it from Amazon).
I brought it to school, and asked one of my students, who is smart, but struggles with completing his work because of dysgraphia, to test the device and let me know how it worked for him. This is his response:
I would like to make a personal thank you to Mrs. Waters and Mrs. Waters’ English for allowing me to use this technology. It has changed my life, and in such a massive way. I feel honored that I’m the student that was used to test this program, and I am ecstatic that other teachers will learn they can use it for their students, that I helped other students with my same disability overcome these problems with this device. I am very grateful for using this incredible software to improve my grades and my outlook on learning.
I believe there should be some great award that is what she should get for changing my life and possibly changing the rest of world by just simply going out of her way to help out one of her students. She has single-handedly been able to do something nobody else has been able to do until my junior year and I am so grateful I know it sounds like I’m repeating, but I’m just ecstatic because my voice can finally be heard. Even with the small act of kindness, I cannot express how much it has changed my way of learning.
You can learn more about using Google Voice Typing by watching the following video: