Current Issue Report #2

Portable Reading Device Lynne Bailey, July 16, 2006 Current Issue Report #2 Article: A Scanner-Reader to Take Along Anywhere http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/technology/13blind.html?ei=5070&en=8876b42f023eff93&ex=1153540800&emc=eta1&pagewanted=print Author: J. D. BIERSDORFER, New York Times, July 13, 2006 Additional Article: Device reads printed words to the blind Dallas: Breakthrough innovation is talk of conference this week Wednesday, July 5, 2006 By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-blind_05met.ART0.North.Edition1.23ed512.html Check out the video: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/videoPlayer.php?vidId=73785&catId=104 Summary: What do you get when you combine a digital camera, a PDA, OCR (optical character recognition) and text-to-speech software? ... the biggest hit at the National Federation of the Blind convention in Dallas last week - the Kurzweil-National Federation of the Blind Reader - a handheld text reader. It snaps a picture, scans the text and reads it aloud. Weighing in at 15 oz, it can go anywhere. Using this device, blind people can now 'read' menus, mail, food labels, recipes, receipts, posters, newspapers, magazines and more books without assistance from another person. Information processed by the device can be saved for later use. Just introduced, the portable Reader costs about $3,500, including a removable 1GB SD card and headphones. Importance/Relevance of Topic: How great is this? For someone who is blind, it's phenomenal. While there are some drawbacks, it's a momentous step forward for the visually impaired. What's particularly novel is that you don't need another computer to use it, though you can use a computer to access additional files for the device to read. The data is captured with the camera/scanning device. It is also a great example of the evolution of technology, with the convergence of serveral technologies into a single device, this time to meet a very specific need. The availability of portable text readers became a reality with MP3 players. If you can save the audio file, or capture the text-to-speech output, it can be played by an MP3 player. A portable talking/recording PDA, the Voice Mate AND a talking MP3 player, the BookCourier can be found athttp://www.accessableworld.com, and these cost about $500. FYI.. Kurzweill also has two software products, Kurzweill 1000 and Kurzweill 3000 (for Windows and MAC) and this new handheld gadget capitalizes on their OCR and speech synthesizer expertise. Reflection on Personal Practice: While looking at the fact sheets for this device, I become more and more aware of the reading software available and wonder why I have not seen this technology used in the high schools I have taught in. Perhaps there is the assumption that most high school students can read and write higher than a 6th or 8th grade level? (excepting ELL) It has been my sad experience to find that many students do not, and have great difficulty summarizing information they just read, or asking questions about what they are learning. In class one can read aloud, and have students read aloud, stopping along the way to identify new words, summarizing and asking questions about the text. But still, many struggling students aren't prone to take notes either. Would it be good idea to record the classroom texts as well, for students listen to as they read along or to review at home? MP3 players and interchangeable memory cards open up that possibility, having the cool factor over older and bulkier audio cassette tape.

This device in particular is so expensive a) because it's new and b) because of its ability to capture and interpret printed materials outside of the classroom and away from computers. I would hope to see more portable devices at lower pricepoints that have direct Internet connections offering text-to-speech and podcasts without needing a computer. Schools could conceivably provide such devices for students with language difficulties who could benefit from this type of learning enhancement. Even if you need a computer to assemble files, the memory cards could be loaded and loaned to students for later review.