Using with different learners

Young learners

For younger learners, consider creating a limited initial vocabulary and/or reducing the number of predicted words.

Confident writers/typists

In the workplace

More than one user

Any number of people can use WordQ and it will learn and remember the different ways each person uses it. Each person must choose a vocabulary and save it with a unique user name. Whenever WordQ is closed it will remember the current user vocabulary. That vocabulary will be used the next time you run WordQ. If this is not your vocabulary, then choose Open User... from the Options menu and choose your own vocabulary.

Getting the best predictions

Expanding your vocabulary

It is a good idea to add personal words (family, friends and special words) or phrases to your WordQ vocabulary such as the names of family and friends.

You can quickly expand your vocabulary by having WordQ learn words and their usage from existing documents.

Focusing your vocabulary

You can emphasize words in the prediction by using topics. A topic is a list of words that are part of your vocabulary that will be predicted faster.

When you first use WordQ, a sample baseball topic is available for you to try out.

Starting off with new WordQ users

Even though WordQ is very simple to use, it is a good idea to actually train your learner(s) to use it. Time spent at the beginning going through the basics is generally time well spent. You may want to offer a series of 4 or 5 mini-sessions (5 – 10 minutes) in order to maintain interest and focus.

Setting up a user name and saving

First ask the learner to open WordQ then:

1. Find and click on the Options button (far left of WordQ's tool bar).
2. Click on menu item "New User."
3. Choose a vocabulary, such as "Canadian Intermediate" and then click on Next.
4. Type in a name (overtyping *.wdq") such as the learner's own name making sure it is spelled correctly.
5. Now ask them to click Save to save this user file, either onto the default location presented on the computer, or a flash drive/memory stick if you use one. If the learner saves their vocabulary on a flash drive/memory stick make sure they put this into the computer before using WordQ the next time.

You may want to practice this again, so that your learners begin to do this automatically.

If you are using WordQ with a class you can encourage some interaction and/or competition by asking questions, e.g.,

Choosing font sizes and styles

The font size and style set by default is designed to suit most people in most circumstances. If you feel your learner(s) would not benefit from experimenting with fonts, then skip this section!

Depending on your learners , you might want to discuss what a font is, where they can find different ones, how many different ones there are in the classroom, their book(s), etc.. Some learners may know the names of some fonts. They may be able to talk about styles they like and dislike, even if in a very general way, e.g., "I don't like squiggly kind of writing because it's difficult to read. Newspaper type writing is boring."

1. Open WordQ if it is not already running.
2. Go to Options, find and click on Predictions...
3. Click on the Font button
4. Ask the learners to choose a size and style they prefer.

Choosing a voice

1. Open WordQ if it is not already running.
2. Go to Options, find and click on Speech Feedback...
3. Let the learner(s) try the various voices. They can hear an example sentence read by pressing the Try button. Note that WordQ will show all voices installed on the computer, but not all may work work properly with WordQ. In particular, do not use any IBM ViaVoice voices.
4. You could ask the learner(s) to compare which voice they thing is funniest, weirdest, easiest to understand, before finally settling down to choose the voice they prefer. The default Acapela "Heather" voice or "Microsoft Mary" are recommended as being the clearest.

Moving the Prediction Box

1. Open a word processor, such as Microsoft Word and then open WordQ
2. Go to Options, find and click on Predictions...
3. Click on the leave in place radio button
4. Ask your learners to type a few letters, e.g., “he”

Now ask your learner(s) to practice moving the prediction box by clicking on its titlebar and dragging it. Have them try out different locations to find one that they like best. The bottom right-hand corner of the screen is a common preference.

Practice predicting words

This means that the more you use WordQ, the better it gets at predicting what you want to say.

Ask your learner(s) to:

1. Open a word processor, such as Microsoft Word and then open WordQ if not already running.
2. Open their own WordQ user file (Options>Open User...) if it does not open with their file (which may be the case in a classroom with multiple students sharing WordQ on a computer. WordQ will show the current user file in its titlebar.

Now ask your learner(s) to type a word (prepare a list of words that commonly cause confusion e.g., friend, symbolic, beautiful, etc.)

Now ask your learner(s) to:

1. Type one letter at a time and look at the word lists that appear.
2. How long does it take to get to the word?
3. Ask the learners to select the word
4. Now ask them to type the word again, and watch the prediction box again.
5. How long does it take for the word to appear this time?

Repeat the process again – and show your learner(s) how WordQ is 'learning' this word for them. This is what it will do with all of their words.

WordQ Tips

Getting learners to use subject-specific vocabulary

It can be difficult for learners to use specific, relevant vocabulary (“rotate” instead of “go round”, “evaporate” instead of “go away”, “step, stride or tiptoe” instead of “walk”).

With WordQ you can encourage your learners to develop their vocabulary in this way, so satisfying the requirements of the curriculum for relevant, subject-specific vocabulary.

And it’s easy to do!

1. Go to WordQ’s Options button, find and click on My Words...
2. Click on the Topic tab
3. Click on the New button and give your topic a name (e.g., Rocks and Minerals Grade 4, The Respiratory System Year 8, Story 1 Ms. Jones Group 3)

Usage examples for confusing words

Using the new WordQ 2 usage examples feature is helpful when words are easily confused. While WordQ includes usage examples for many confusing words, it does not cover the entire dictionary. You may wish to create examples for specific words.

For example, if you are doing a unit on volcanoes and you have created a topic in the way described, with relevant “Volcano” vocabulary (e.g. erupt, magma, lava, etc.) you can create a usage examples for “lather” and “lava” which are commonly confused.

Focusing on the prediction list

Editing work

One of the best uses of WordQ is as an editing, or proofreading tool.

We have all had that experience of remarking on how much easier it is to correct someone else’s work than our own. The whole process of writing means that we often think that what was in our heads is the same as what is now on paper. Asking someone else to look through what we’ve written is normally essential if we care about the reception our piece of writing might receive.

In schools this is obviously true too. But learners typically hate having to review or edit their work – partly because they’ve done it once already and once seems plenty, and partly because they just don’t see their mistakes anyway, so what’s the point?
WordQ can really help with this.

Ask the students to write their work as usual, using WordQ to predict and select appropriate words. When they have finished, ask them to go through their work paragraph by paragraph (or section by section).

Ask them to highlight the paragraph or section, and then select the Read button. WordQ will now read this section aloud to the learner. Listening to it in this way is like having someone else read it and the learners will often hear the mistakes they didn’t see. If there are no periods, WordQ just keeps on reading, if there are periods where none should be, WordQ reads the phrase as if it’s a sentence – in other words WordQ reads exactly what is written, with the corresponding intonation. Learners can then spot their mistake themselves- without being made to feel embarrassed or irritated about their mistake. The joy of the perfectly non-judgmental computer!

When the learners have made the changes they feel necessary, ask them to highlight their whole text and have it read to them again, for one final revision.

One of our customers was particularly impressed by this feature:

Repetition

“My daughter finds it really helpful to hear things repeated often so what I do is type up some of the facts she has to learn, historical facts for example. Then she opens WordQ, hits the read button and WordQ reads it and reads it and reads it- as often as she likes. That's the joy of computers, they never get bored! We’ve now started using WordQ French too and it’s really helping her French."

SpeakQ Tips

Complete the (fun!) speech recognition training

In SpeakQ, speech recognition training is almost fun!

You know how important it is to train a speech recognition program to recognize your voice. However, the training is one of the biggest drawbacks to using speech recognition for some people. With SpeakQ, the training is very different. The program has a special training module that really supports people who might otherwise have great difficulty with speech recognition training. In SpeakQ, you hear the words read by text to speech (TTS), see them highlighted as they are read, and then repeat them. As you say the words, they appear on the screen as if you were dictating them. If the training program doesn’t recognize what you say, it will repeat the words as often as needed. (Be sure to read the Help File in SpeakQ to learn more about this.)

So how can the training in SpeakQ be fun? There are at least three ways:

1. You can put any text into the training module you want, so that when you are training you can read something you really like, even something you wrote yourself! The instructions for adding a text to the training files are located in the SpeakQ Help file, and they are also copied below.
2. You can use the training as a pre-writing activity. You can put vocabulary words into a training file to review them before you need to use them in writing about a topic. This could just be a list of words or a set of words and their definitions. You can also add a summary of the material you will be writing about, or other kinds of prompts, to help with the writing. This summary could come from a chapter summary in a textbook, written by a teacher, or whatever source makes sense.
3. You can use the training module with texts you have added yourself, simply as a prompted reading environment. Simply add a text that you want to read and load it through the SpeakQ training, and you will have an environment in which you will hear the words, see them highlighted as they are read, and then repeat them. It is a terrific support for learning, even if you are not planning on using speech recognition at all!

You will probably be able to think of other ways to take advantage of SpeakQ’s excellent speech recognition training module to support use of speech recognition, writing, and learning through literacy.

Finally, any time you use the training module in SpeakQ in ANY way, it will improve the speech recognition file for your potential use if and when you decide to try to use it.

Don’t forget: It is also important for you to learn HOW to talk to the program, as described in the following tips, so that it has the best chance to recognize your voice.

Creating your own training files

You can create your own training text files from samples of your own writing or from any other source. Training texts are simply text files, created in the word processor of your choice, using text characters only ( i.e., no numbers) and simple punctuation. These are then saved in text-only format with a “.txt” extension.

1. Find or write your piece of text. Press Enter after each sentence to separate it from the next.
2. Break each sentence into ‘chunks’ (5 or 6 words per chunk is a good average but you can choose how many or how few you have).
3. Type out your text, inserting the # symbol after each chunk.
4. This is an example of how a training text file might look:

   Introduction to Speech Recognition
   Please repeat what the computer says.
   Speak clearly in your normal voice.
   Do not talk too fast,# or too slowly.
   After you speak,# the computer will write down# what you have said.
   If you do not speak everything,# do not worry.
   The computer will speak# any remaining words again.
   This speech training# will help the computer# better recognize your voice.

5. Save your training text in a text-only format in a folder under ...\Program Files\WordQ2\Training
    

Choose the best speech recognition option for your use

In the Speak and Select mode, the dictated word(s) do not appear directly in the document, but in the word choice box. You can look at the recognition choices offered and listen to them with text-to-speech before selecting one. Speak and Select offers a much more supported environment for dictating and is a good place to start in a couple of situations: if you are unfamiliar with speech recognition, or if you are helping a writer who is younger or has greater difficulty with literacy. This mode supports a slower dictation style and dictating in shorter language segments. In addition, you have the ability to review and confirm the recognized words before entering them into the document. You may find this mode offers the greatest support for writing through dictation.

In the Speak Continuously mode, the software operates more like standard speech recognition software—i.e., you speak and the recognized words appear directly in the document. This can be disconcerting for less experienced writers or those who struggle with literacy. However, since Speak Continuously is integrated with word prediction and text-to-speech, even this mode still offers unique supports for reviewing text and correcting recognition errors.

Do not speak as if having a conversation with the computer

Enunciate words clearly

Dictate in shorter chunks

Think of dictating as “typing by voice”

Think first before dictating

Set a dictation pace that allows you to attend to the above

Take frequent breaks when dictating

Preview and train any new content words or proper names to be used

MS Works 5.0, 6.0

MS IE 4.01, 5.0, 5.5

MS Outlook Express

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