Products
Product: Read&Write 10 Gold (Windows)
4/1/2011 By:
www.texthelp.com Retail price: Single user, $645. Site license, five-packs, and
volume discounts available.
By Carol S. Holzberg
Designed for students who struggle with reading and
writing, the latest version of Read&Write Gold from
Texthelp Systems offers a feature-rich assistive-technology
tool kit that benefits all students, not just the at-risk or
learning disabled.
Quality and Effectiveness: What distinguishes this
product from other assistive-technology software is that
all its tools are accessed from a floating toolbar. The
toolbar groups reading, writing, research, and study-skills
options according to function. It works with Microsoft
Word, Adobe Reader/Acrobat, and other common, everyday
applications and with popular Internet browsers, like
Firefox, Internet Explorer (32-bit only), and Safari. It also
works with third-party applications such as Study Island,
NWEA MA P assessments, Accelerated Reader, and DAIS Y
Reader books.
Unfortunately, highlighter options for online Web pages
do not work with Firefox or Safari. Finally, Read&Write Gold
does not work with Arc90’s Readability, an important free
Web tool that removes advertisements, pop-ups, and other
distractions from Web pages.
Ease of Use: Read&Write Gold
is packed with helpful tools.
Read&Write Gold has a built-in
Spelling Checker; it also assists
with writing by integrating a
word-prediction tool that makes
helpful words and phrases pop
up. There’s a talking calculator
for basic math operations and
a picture dictionary for visual
reinforcement of meaning. Other
useful tools are a Verb Checker
to aid in conjugating verbs, a
Sounds Like tool to help with puzzling homophones, and
a Fact Finder that uses the Search tool designated during
program setup to locate more information about a
particular keyword.
Creative Use of Technology: The software has many
tools, so users will appreciate that the program lets you
display as many or as few as you need. Another important
built-in option is a PDF Aloud tool, which lets you open
PDF-formatted files so Read&Write Gold can read selected
text aloud. A text-to-speech Speech Maker tool turns as
many as 20,000 characters of selected text into a WAV or
MP3 audio file.
Suitability for Use in a School Environment: The
program is costly, but its accommodations
for struggling learners
can also benefit mainstream students.
For example, it makes curriculum
materials available not only
in print form but also electronically,
with text-to-speech access, dictionary
options, supporting visual
illustrations, and the ability to turn
the materials into audio files for
outputting to the Web or a handheld
device. These features give
students more flexible control over
what and how they learn.
Top Features
¦ Product is available for both
Mac and Windows.
¦ The feature-rich application is
multipurpose, offering tools for
all students, not just those with
special needs.
¦ A Teacher Toolkit allows
teachers to tailor features and
settings to a wide range of
individuals or groups.