Introduction to IntelliTalk Macintosh Tutorial

Transcription

1 Introduction to IntelliTalk Macintosh Tutorial About IntelliTalk IntelliTalk is an easy-to-use talking word processor that can be made to speak letters, words, sentences, or any combination of the three. When used with Overlay Maker and IntelliKeys, IntelliTalk becomes a powerful tool for communication. IntelliTalk is useful for beginning readers, people with a visual or learning disability, people who need a simple communication program, and people for whom English is a second language. About this Tutorial Using the tutorial you will explore IntelliTalk s unique read and delete features. You will learn how to customize features such as speech and text to create an accessible, multisensory writing environment. You will also learn how to make a template file that can be saved and used many times. Special features of the template include using color cueing and fill-in-the-blanks to highlight key student work areas. IntelliTalk is available for the Macintosh and Windows. Listed below are the materials needed to do this tutorial. Materials Needed TUTORIAL Introduction to IntelliTalk Tutorial SOFTWARE IntelliTalk OVERLAYS Standard overlay set (comes with IntelliKeys) HARDWARE IntelliKeys and cable Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Page 1 of 10

2 Introduction to IntelliTalk Macintosh Tutorial IntelliTalk is a talking word processor that allows students to hear each letter, word, and sentence as they type. The program can be used with IntelliKeys and standard or customized overlays to provide mouseless access to all menus and features. IntelliTalk has specialized speech, read and delete features that promote independence for students. Using the mouse, or keyboard commands, students can have words, sentences and paragraphs read out loud to facilitate comprehension and access to the text. Mouse and keyboard commands can also be used to delete single words, sentences, or paragraphs. The IntelliTalk Workshop Tutorial guides you through the program s special access features and curriculum applications. It focuses on one extremely useful application - teacher-made templates. As illustrated below with the poem One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, the teacher creates the initial model and saves it as a read-only file. Students can then access the file, rename it, and save their work individually. Step 1: The poem is typed into the computer and printed as a model for the students. The poem file is saved. Step 2: To turn the poem file into a template, the teacher removes the last few words in each line and leaves only the number words as sentence starters. He or she chooses a different font color and leaves a small underline for students to begin their writing. The file is then saved as a read-only file to be used as a template. Step 3: Now students can use the template to create their own poems. They save their work as a new file and the original template can be used again and again. This electronic worksheet has advantages over the pencil and paper kind. As students type in the underlined area, it expands to accommodate whatever is written leaving just the right amount of room for their answer. This helps all students feel successful. Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Page 2 of 10

3 Introduction to IntelliTalk Macintosh Tutorial Exploring IntelliTalk IntelliTalk is an easy-to-use talking word processor that becomes a powerful communication tool when combined with Overlay Maker and IntelliKeys. IntelliTalk offers two menu options: Picture Menus (for early learners) and Standard Menus. Most commonly used commands can be executed in both Standard or Picture menus. Picture Menus Picture Menus use pictures to illustrate what each selection does. (See examples from the File and Edit menus on the right.) You can also make selections using keystroke equivalents. 1. Exploring Picture Menus Open the application IntelliTalk. If you are in Picture Menus there will be pictures under several of the menus to illustrate what each selection does. Notice the pictures under the File and Edit menus on the right. If you are not in Picture Menus, select Apple menu on the top left of your screen. Select Picture Menus. Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Page 3 of 10

4 2. Type and Listen Go to the Speech Menu and select Speak Letters, Speak Words and Speak Sentences. A check appears when the item is listed. Type the sentence: I like to write. Notice that IntelliTalk speaks each letter and each word. It speaks back the sentence when you type the period. Double-click on any word. Notice that IntelliTalk reads the word back. This helps students become more independent readers. Go to the Speech Menu. Turn off the Speak Letters item. Type another sentence of your choice. Notice that the program only speaks after you type each word. You can also use keyboard equivalents: 11, 1 2, 1 3 and 1 4 to select speech options. Hold down the Command (1) key and press 1. Command (1) 1 turns off the speech function. Go to the Speech Menu and select Read. Notice that the entire page is read to you. You can also select this feature by typing 1R. 3. Exploring the Size Menu Go to the Size menu. Notice that the font sizes have names instead of point sizes. This helps students choose tiny, small, giant or huge. Change the size of the font. Notice how IntelliTalk automatically changes the font size of your entire document. Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Page 4 of 10

5 4. Exploring the Color Menus Go to the Color Menu and change the color of the font. Notice how IntelliTalk automatically changes the color of all text on the page. 5. Exploring the Voice Menus Go to the Voice Menu and choose a different voice. Go to the Speech menu and select Read or press Command (1)R. Notice that each word is highlighted as it speaks. IntelliTalk ships 13 'regular' voices, and 16 'novelty' voices. Standard Menus 1. Exploring Standard Menus Standard Menus use words and keystroke equivalents to identify menu selections. Select Apple menu on the top left of your screen. Select Standard Menus. More choices are now available in the menus. In Standard Menus, text must be selected in order to change its font, style, size, or color. The keyboard equivalents will also work in Picture Menus. Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Page 5 of 10

6 2. Exploring the Speech Menu Go to the Speech menu. Select Speak Words and Speak Sentences. A check appears if the item is selected. Type the sentence: Students can choose to listen to each word, sentence or paragraph. Go to the Speech menu and select Read. Notice you can choose to hear words, sentences, paragraphs or the entire page. Select Sentence. Place your cursor on any word. Hold down the Command(1) key and the letter r. Press the letter w. The word next to the cursor is read aloud. For keyboard equivalents for the Read menu, hold down the 1 key and press r. Next select an option by its first letter. i.e.: w for word. 3. Using Edit Pronunciation IntelliTalk has a pronunciation dictionary containing 3,000 of the most common words that elementary school children use. Type a name or foreign word that is not pronounced correctly. i.e. 'Baja'. Go to the Speech menu and select Edit Pronunciation. Notice that a box comes up for you to enter the correct spelling of the word and the phonetic spelling. Type the correct spelling and the phonetic spelling into the respective boxes. IntelliTalk will always remember your new pronunciation. 4. Changing Text and Background Colors In Standard Menus, when you select a new color it affects only the selected text or the next character typed. Select a word of text. Go to the Color menu and change the color. This feature can be useful to cue targeted words. Go to the Color Menu. Select Background Color. Move the slider bar to the left to view the background color choices. Select a color. This feature is useful to provide high contrast for people with visual impairments. Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Page 6 of 10

7 5. Special Delete Features The Delete command allows the user to quickly delete words, sentences or even entire paragraphs. This feature is extremely powerful when used after entering whole words and sentences with an IntelliKeys overlay. Type any sentence into IntelliTalk. Go to the Edit menu and select Delete. Notice that you have a choice of deleting by word, sentence, paragraph or the entire page. Select Word. Next we will explore keyboard equivalents which will be used when you create overlays using Overlay Maker. Hold down the Command (1) key and the letter d. Press the letter w. This is the keyboard equivalent to delete the word next to the cursor. 6 Using Capture Defaults For students who always need a specific font, size, style etc. you can set the default so IntelliTalk will always open to your specifications. Select a text font, size, and color that you like. Go to the File menu and select Capture Defaults. Click on Proceed. Quit IntelliTalk and then re-open the program. Notice your new set-up. For this tutorial, return to the File menu and select Capture Defaults. Click on Restore Original Defaults. Close all open files. Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Page 7 of 10

8 Creating a Template A template is a file that can be saved and used many times. The template file always opens as Untitled. Students can use the template to do their own work which can be saved as an independent file. You will practice making a template that uses color cueing and fill-in-the-blanks. Notice how the blank line expands to accommodate the student's answer. Problems that come up during a pencil and paper activity, such as legibility or having enough space for the answer are no longer a concern. 1. Creating the File Go to the File menu and select New to open a new IntelliTalk File. Make sure you are in Standard Menus. Type the poem on the right. Select Save and name your file One, Two Poem. For this tutorial we will save the file to the desktop. If you close this file and open it again, it will open as One, Two Poem. This is your original. 2. Creating the Fill-in-the-Blank Lines Go to File and select Save As. Rename your file One, Two Template. Save your file on the desktop. You will modify this version. You will replace some words with a red line. This is the target where students will create their sentence endings. Click and drag to select the words Buckle My Shoe in the title. Delete these words. Go to the Color menu and select Red. Go to the Style menu and select Underline. Press the space bar eight times or so to create a red underline. This is the target. Delete the words after the first two number words in each line of the poem. Repeat the steps above to create a red underline after each phrase. Select Save and close the file. Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Page 8 of 10

9 3. Using the Finder Menu to Select Get Info Close all open windows so you can clearly see your desktop. Go to the desktop and click once on the One, Two Template to select it. Be careful that you do NOT open the file. Go to the File menu and select Get Info. 4. Making your File into a Template To create a template you will use the Finder to change your file into a Stationery Pad. This lets you open the file as Untitled every time it is used. When students use the file they select Save and name their own file. The original remains unchanged and can be used many times. Click on the word Stationery pad in the lower right corner of the Get Info window. Close this window. The lower right corner of the icon changes its appearance and this file will now be opened as a template. When a template is opened, the menu bar will now say untitled. Saved as a file Saved as a template Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Page 9 of 10

10 5. Using a Template Open up the One, Two Template. First save the file to give it a name. Use your name followed by One, Two Poem (i.e. Mary's One, Two Poem). This makes it easy to locate each student's copy of the poem. Place your cursor in the center of each red underline and create a new rhyme. two four six eight ten you roar tricks late Arjan new snore picks great hen zoo store licks fate pen flew score fix freight men knew pour mix mate ten screw seashore kicks bait yen blue more bricks gate Zen through gore chicks hate again grew floor clicks trait children moo soar candlewicks slate ocean drew war ticks plate women Sample list of rhyming words. Mary's One Two Poem Go to the Speech menu and select Read and All, or you can press 1 r a. When you are done you can quit IntelliTalk. Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Page 10 of 10

11 Appendix A. IntelliTalk Feature Highlight Sheet B. Workshop Outline for the Trainer Suggestions for incorporating the IntelliTalk tutorial in a workshop format Five-Pac and Multi-User Pricing Available. Call for information. Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Appendix

12 I n t e l l i T a l k F e a t u r e H i g h l i g h t s IntelliTalk is a talking word processor that allows you to hear what you type as you type it and to read back what you have written. Two Different Modes of Operation Change by going under the ð menu: Picture Menus Standard Menus Picture Menus Select this to go to Picture Menus: Menus have pictures Clear and simple menu choices Entire document is affected when changing the font, size, style or color of text Double-click on a word to hear it read Standard Menus Select this to go to Standard Menus: No menu pictures displayed More choices displayed in each menu Text must be selected in order to change its font, style, size or color Features regarding Voices and Speech Choose from a variety of voices Edit the pronunciation of a word Edit any Voice to change the rate of speech or pitch Four Ways to hear speech read within application None (11) Speak Letters (12) Speak Words (13) Speak Sentences (14) Four Ways to Delete Text Delete All (1da) Delete Paragraph (1dp) Delete Sentence (1ds) Delete Word (1dw) Four Ways to Read Text Read Paragraph (1rp) Read Sentence (1rs) Read Word (1rw) Read All (1ra) Additional Features Customize insertion point Capture defaults (font, size, style, color, voice speech menu, background color and insertion point width) To interrupt IntelliTalk while reading, click on the mouse or press escape Four Shortcut Keys to move quickly 1-[LEFT ARROW] Move cursor back a word 1-[RIGHT ARROW] Move cursor forward a word 1-[UP ARROW] Move cursor back a sentence 1-[DOWN ARROW] Move cursor forward a sentence Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Appendix A

13 Introduction to IntelliTalk Workshop Outline for the Trainer Estimated time: 1 hour If you are using this tutorial as part of a workshop on IntelliTalk, this section will help you prepare the materials and equipment you will need as well as provide you with a suggested workshop outline to follow. Please feel free to duplicate the IntelliTalk tutorial for distribution at your trainings as well as any of the files referred to in the tutorial. INTELLITALK WORKSHOP OUTLINE Introduction to IntelliTalk minutes Overview of Program How IntelliTalk works with Overlay Maker â as a talking communication tool Introduction to IntelliTalk Tutorial minutes (Follow printed tutorial) Menus minutes Create a template One, Two, Buckle My Shoe minutes Rev. 12/8/98 Phone: , Fax: , info@intellitools.com Appendix B