Student Support Services
Mariana Ryan - Differentiated Support Coordinator
Helping Year 7 Students Unlock Assistive Technology
Last week, Student Support Services ran some assistive technology workshops with our Year 7 students during their Humanities classes. Led by our Differentiated Support Coordinator, Mariana Ryan, in consultation with the school’s Speech-Language Pathologist, Kirsty Knight, the workshops aimed to introduce students to the tools available in Microsoft Word to support their learning.
Students explored speech-to-text (dictation) and text-to-speech (reading aloud) features, which can help with writing, reading comprehension, and overall engagement. These tools are useful for all learners but are especially useful for students who find writing and reading a challenge.
How can you support at home? Ask your student to show you how these features work! Practising at home will help them become more confident and independent in using assistive technology. You might even find these tools useful yourself.
Attached are some helpful sheets to serve as a prompt should your student need some guidance.