Where It's AT: Mrs. DiChiara's Technology Blog: Friday "Appy" Hour: Easy Spelling Aid

Friday, December 15, 2017

Friday "Appy" Hour: Easy Spelling Aid

Although this year I was unable to attend the IDA (International Dyslexia Association) Conference, I did use the power of social media to keep up with some of the highlights being shared by my Twitter PLN (Personal Learning Network). As a sidebar, if you are unsure of what a PLN is or the immense benefits of being connected on social media, please read by previous Where It's AT post "Getting Connected".

Amongst the Twitter highlights from IDA, I happened upon a post regarding an app called Easy Spelling Aid. After doing some quick reading, my interest was peaked and I needed to see firsthand what this app was all about.

As with my first encounter with Epic!, my initial thought was.....how did I not know about this app sooner? As a technology specialist, I immediately thought of the many students who require ongoing spelling support, and Easy Spelling Aid app does just that! Not only is this app suited for students and adults with learning difficulties, but also for those learning to read and write or others looking for a translation tool to and from English?

The Easy Spelling Aid app is the perfect tool to help children learn how to spell and write any word at home and at school. This app can spell words or phrases instantly by utilizing superior speech recognition, finely tuned to pick up on your child's voice.
Key Features...

Improves literacy performance and spelling, helps with comprehension and vocabulary and develops recognition and correct spelling of words in their appropriate context
Reduces blocks in the creative thought process when users stumble across a word they cannot independently spell.
Provides a way to easily and quickly find out how to spell the word without having to wait for a parent, teacher or assistant to help them.
Boasts superior, accurate and incredibly fine-tuned speech recognition
Supports 22 languages, including regional US English
Includes writing styles US D'Nealian Manuscript and US D'Nealian Cursive.
Also includes the Open Dyslexic font displayed in a choice of 6 background color combinations, as a means to accommodate users suffering from dyslexia and improve readability.
No ads, in app purchases, externals links and profanity is filtered

How It Works...

Step 1: With an easy-to-use interface and seamless user experience, users are presented with a clear blue user-friendly interface. The instruction "Touch mic & talk" is displayed above the circular mic symbol. On touching the symbol, you will be prompted to "Talk". By pressing "Done", the app will begin processing the word or phrase dictated.

Step 2: Upon pressing "Done", the app will proceed to produce your input displayed in your chosen writing style.

Step 3: The chosen writing style can be changed in the Settings, which are also easily navigated to from the main screen. Additionally, within the Settings, you can change between multiple languages, select translation language, reverse translation, select a background, select a dyslexic option, display upper and lower case letters and turn off speech output if you wish.

Cost...