Handwriting and Typing Apps - West Virginia Department of

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Handwriting and Typing AppsAnne Cronin, Ph.D., OTR/L, ATP, FAOTA

West Virginia Capacity Building InstituteAugust 1, 2019

Division of Occupational Therapy Department of Human Performance and Applied Exercise Science

Anne Cronin,Occupational Therapist Link to handouts

http://bit.ly/WVCBI• Occupational therapists and

occupational therapy assistants help people of all ages participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations).

• Occupational therapy helps people function in all of their environments (e.g., home, work, school, community) and addresses the physical, psychological, and cognitive aspects of their well‐being through engagement in occupation.


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Handwriting and Typing Apps

“This session will provide an overview of app assessment and exploration of current apps, including the selection feature specific to the child.”


Difficulties with writing

• Writing is a complex process that involves both the sensorimotor aspects of writing, language abilities and the cognitive components supporting the creating or composing written material.

• The focus here is on early literacy/language and the sensorimotor aspects of writing.


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Written ProductivitySensorimotor aspects:

• Hand skills for holding and managing the paper and writing utensil

• Visual perception for visually guiding the hand, envisioning letters and letter formation, as well as forming words.

Cognitive/Self‐regulation aspects:

• Attention and persistence

• Impulse control

• Error detection/correction

• Frustration tolerance


Difficulties with writing

• Early writing difficulty is often seen in copying letters (visual perceptual/visual motor deficits)

• Once the letters are learned a common error is in transcription of words (orthographic coding deficits) and spelling (orthographic plus phonological coding deficits).

• Deficits in self‐regulation and executive function can also contribute to difficulties


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Written Productivity

Literacy and writing are interconnected.

Early supports for writing are also supports for literacy


Low Incidence AT Implementation:Individual level


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High Incidence AT Implementation:Building, School, and District level


Handwriting and Typing Apps

In general, handwriting and typing apps are best suited to the high incidence type students.

• Hard to customize

• Programmed to advance quickly

Any use of apps should be supported by an evaluation of written productivity.


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AT Written Productivity Evaluation Process

1. Referral Process 2. Data GatheringResource Exploration

Feature MatchingEquipment/Strategy Trials

Identify functional outcomes

Report/Action PlanAssess outcome data and client needs


AT Written Productivity Evaluation ProcessData gathering‐ Students

Abilities• Physical

• Visual Perceptual

• Sensory Processing

• Social emotional

• Cognitive

• Organization

• Vision/hearing/tactile….


Environmental Considerations

• Student to adult position

• Teacher expectations

• Amount of supervision/support

• Number/type of settings where skill is needed

• Lighting/Noise/Clutter

• Physical accessibility

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AT Written Productivity Evaluation Process

Writing Task Expectations

• Amount of writing

• Expected time to complete writing

• Structure of tasks

• Reading requirements

• Format for writing


AT Written Productivity Evaluation Process: Feature MatchingThink in terms of a flow chart or “decision tree” that summarizes the range of possibilities to consider. Flexibility is paramount, and initial strategies can be tried, abandoned, or modified as the Client’s needs change.

Two primary “branches” for consideration:

• Does the client present with a physical and/or sensory (e.g., visual) issue that impedes writing?

• Does the client present with a learning, language, and/or cognitive issue that impedes writing?


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Assessment of Written

Productivity

Has physical or sensory issue and cannot write well

Has learning, language or

cognitive issue and cannot write well

Consider keyboarding rather than handwriting

Consider Speech Recognition*

Consider alternate/custom access to computer

Consider keyboarding rather than handwriting

Consider Spell‐check and read‐back options

Consider word prediction

Consider word prediction

Consider visual supports and graphics

Consider teaching supports

Consider Apps

Speech (Voice) RecognitionConsider the STUDENT'S SKILLS:

Is there a gap between the student's current writing skills and the curricular expectations?

Can the student Learn the skills needed to functionally use speech recognition?

Generally. speech recognition works well for students who can express thoughts and ideas better verbally than in writing.

It has a good chance of working if the student can learn or already has the following skills:

• Consistency of enunciation, volume and pitch

• SyntacticaL speech patterns

• Ability to inhibit "uhms" and "ahhs"

• Ability to express ideas in verbal language

• Attention to auditory and visual details

• Ability to multitask

• Ability to edit

• Ability to problem‐solve

• Ability to self‐monitor

• Ability to tolerate frustration

• Motivation to use technology as an alternative writing method


From Cochrane and Kelly, 2014

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Speech (Voice) Recognition

This term refers to software that converts auditory speech to visual text—so called “voice‐to‐text” software that has these features: • Include vocabularies and recognition models for a variety of natural languages

• Create and share documents containing text converted through voice recognition

• Provide updates to language models and allow users to improve vocabularies

• Deliver adaptive features to allow the transcription of noisy speech

• Capture information by telephone, handheld recorders, or mobile devices



• Speech recognition is usually NOT the only writing strategy in a student's toolbelt. • Consider it along with other tools that match specific writing tasks and environments


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Speech Recognition Tools with Good Reviews

Windows based Computer or

Tablet

Dragon [~$150]

Google Docs Voice Typing [free in G

suite]

Windows 10 Speech

Recognition [free]

Braina Pro [$49/year,

Windows only]

Speechnotes[browser based

$10]

Smart Phone

Dragon Anywhere

[~$150]

GBoard

Apple Computer or tablet

Dragon [~$150]

Apple dictation [free]

Speechnotes[browser based

$10]



VoiceIn Voice Typing

• This speech‐to‐text extension allows the user to dictate text for any text box or text entry portion of a web page.


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Speech Recognition

Sounds good but it takes hours of training and practice for fluency:

• Inaccuracies common (especially with young people’s voices) Client needs clear, consistent speech articulation and lots of patience to self‐correct as you go.

• Not usually well accepted by younger students, better with high school and adult


Word Prediction

Word prediction is the type of software program in which you type a letter, various word choices pop up, and you pick the one you want. These programs are used with a word processing program

• Can be effective for:• Clients who are poor spellers (but who recognize the correctly spelled word)

• Clients with fine motor difficulties and type slowly (generally less that about 10 words‐per‐minute)

Co:Writer (Don Johnston) and Word Q 2 (Quillsoft) are some of the most commonly used programs.


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Word prediction

• Built in to some keyboards and word processors

• Co:Writer Universal• Good for phonetic or invented speller

• Topic related vocabulary prediction

4http://vimeo.com/104430354

Why (and when) to use an app for handwriting?• There are many game‐based apps for young children that teach the alphabet and letter forms• Research supports that the best way to support handwriting skills is through handwriting……


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Why (and when) to use an app for typing?• There are many game‐based apps to teach and practice typing

• There are word‐prediction and grammar support apps

• There are “voice over” apps that say aloud what you type


To use an App or Not?

The use of an app compared to completing a task without an app

4 3 2 1

Engaging A high level of engagement in the task results from the use of the app.

A moderate level of engagement in the task results from the use of the app.

The same level engagement in the task results from use of the app.

Less engagement in the task results from use of the app.

Efficient A significant savings of time and/or resources results from use of the app.

Some savings of time and/or resources results from use of the app.

No savings of time/and or resources results from use of the app.

Use of the app requires additional time and/or resources.

Effective A significant improvement in the learning outcome results from using the app.

Some improvement in the learning outcome results from using the app.

No improvement in learning outcome results from using the app.

Use of the app had a negative effect on learning outcome.


Rubric by Cleary and Persch

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How to Choose?List of Lists of Apps


How to Choose? Learn from others

Join a blog or twitter feed, Pinterest….

Professional meetings…


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Finding out if the app is useful….

1. Download a free lite version

2. Check it out on YouTube

3. App Store Reviews

4. Trial and error

5. Use a Rubric…


Three E Technology rubric – or should I use this App?

Efficient?

• Does it save time, energy, or resources?

Engaging?• Is a person more likely to engage in activity (increase time on task or volition)?

• Engaging alone is probably not sufficient to justify use.

Effective?• Does it produce ‘better’ learning outcomes?


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Does it do something you cannot do otherwise?


Does it do something you cannot do otherwise?


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The Rubric!

App Previous Method

Engaging

Efficient

Effective


Other rubrics: Evaluation Rubric for IPod Apps (Walker, 2010)


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Other rubrics: Mobile Application Rating Scale(MARS) App Classification

Generally considered the “gold standard”, it is designed to score apps on the criteria of engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality.

Reference: Stoyanov, S.R., Hides, L., Kavanagh, D.J., Zelenko, O., Tjondronegoro, D., Mani, M. (2015). Mobile app rating scale: a new tool for assessing the quality of health mobile apps. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth,

Volume 3:e27.


Other rubrics: Mobile Application Rating Scale(MARS) App Classification • The MARS scale is a well‐known standardised tool developed by the Queensland University of Technology by which health apps can be compared. It is designed to score apps on the criteria of engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality. The MARS scale is attached as Appendix A.


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Handwriting Apps for Early Childhood Reviewed


Developmental Progression of Keyboarding Skill

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Typing Apps Reviewed


Ethical, Legal, and Boundary Issues with Apps

• Client Confidentiality and Internet Security

• Communication issues with clients in transition

• Licensure issues with TeleHealth and TeleEducation

• Access to Wi‐Fi networks

• IT supports required

• Help clients make choices about intellectual property and ‘on‐task’ behaviors


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https://sites.google.com/a/nssed.org/supporting‐learners‐in‐chrome/writing‐tasks


Common AT Software Supports for Students when Apps are not enoughProduct Description

CoWriter, Word Q Word Prediction Software

Clicker 5/PixWriter Picture Supported Writing Software

WYNN / Kurzweil Optical CharacterRecognition/Electronic Study Aids

Read Out Loud Text To Speech

Dragon Naturally Speaking Speech to Text

Kidspiration, Inspiration, Draft Builder

Graphic Organizers/Concept Mapping

Classroom Suite Switch Accessible Program for Academics


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Anne Cronin,Occupational Therapist Link to handouts

http://bit.ly/WVCBI• [email protected]


Documents

Handwriting and Typing Apps - West Virginia Department of