A blank page can be intimidating to writers at any level — especially beginners with disabilities such as autism, dyslexia, etc.
Crick Software’s Clicker guides students through the writing process word by word. They can build a sentence via predictive text, which is a great starting point for getting a writing rhythm going. If they type “T,” for instance, “the” pops up as an option. Next, let’s say they type “m” and Clicker predicts “man” as the subject. “The man” could be the start of a great story!
Students can also use the Sentence Sets feature, which presents a sentence like a box of puzzle pieces they have to click into place.
Once a student punctuates a sentence, Clicker reads it back, allowing the user or their teacher to ensure the sentence makes sense.
The overarching goal of Clicker is to give students the confidence to write in the way that best fits their needs. Take Jade, for example.
“Jade has Down Syndrome and is not yet able to write with a pencil and paper,” her mother, Jen, said. “Clicker gives Jade an opportunity to access an education in writing without delay and for this we are so incredibly grateful. We love making Clicker Sentence Sets with Jade about things we do as a family. Jade loves sharing the stories she’s written with family and friends. Jade has learned quite a few sight words as well! Thank you, Clicker!”
In addition to sentence sets and word banks, students can build sentences through Talk About prompts, which allow them to speak on and record what they know about a topic to prepare for writing about it. As the Crick Software website states: “For learners who struggle to express their ideas in writing, this offers the perfect opportunity for them to demonstrate their understanding using an alternative method.”
For more information, visit www.us.cricksoft.com/clicker or check out our Monday Tech Tip video.
Images courtesy of us.cricksoft.com.
That helps me a lot in improving my slope writing.