Speak on Dwell in WriteOnline

To have word read just when the mouse pointer hovers over a word (e.g. in a word bar) instead of using the right mouse click, follow these steps
1. Open the Options menu and select User Access
2. Under Access Method, choose Mouse Pointer
3. Check User Mouse Dwell
4. Click Edit Settings
5. Check Speak on Dwell
6. Click Close then OK

Additional info on WriteOnline available on the HIAT Quick Guide page.

Converting Bookshare to Kindle for eligible students

It's very simple to get books from Bookshare on the Kindle. At first I thought you had to do it through sending the file to kindle and having them convert the document, but it's MUCH easier than that...
 
1. Open the Bookshare book (which usually opens in a web browser)
2. Copy and paste the text you want into Microsoft Word
3. Save the document as nameofbook.txt (not as a .doc. ALSO if this is in the newest version of Word 07, it's going to save the document as a docx by default. THIS WILL NOT OPEN ON THE KINDLE.)
4. Once you have saved the document as a .txt, plug in the kindle. You'll see the kindle icon on the desktop, or in My Computer.
5. Open the kindle icon and open the documents folder
6. Copy and paste the book (the .txt version) into the documents folder of the kindle
7. Eject the kindle and it should be on there when you turn it on!

Formatting Text Fields in Adobe PDF Forms

If you are using Adobe Professional to create fields that students can type into, you have probably been frustrated by the formatting. Specifically, you may not like it that as students' writing fills the provided width of the text field, the font size begins to get really small. You can change this by:

1) Open the PDF in Adobe Pro (*not* Adobe Reader)

2) Select "Forms" and "Add or Edit Fields"

3) RIGHT click on a Text box you have added and select "Properties"

4) Choose "Options" tab

5) Uncheck "Scroll Long Text" and check "Multi-line" - this stops the font from decreasing and allows the writing to fill the size of the box you create.

6) You can now re-size the Text box by clicking and draging the corners of the Text box to the width and height that you want to accommodate the potential answer.

Digital Worksheets in MS Word - Self-paced Training

The following is an organization of resources that can give you an introduction to features in MS Word 07 that can be used to create more flexible worksheets for students.


Steps:

1. Download the following example worksheet. This is the example you will use to add the features to that are demonsrtated in the following videos. Click to open the page and then download the file to your computer: SunWorksheet.doc - click the Back Arrow to come back to this page after you download the document.




2. Choose which introductory features you would like to explore. Click on a video link below to have tasks demonstrated to you on the screen and then try for yourself on the SunWorksheet.doc worksheet. Replay videos if needed. Click the Back Arrow on your internet browser to come back to this page after you are done with each video.

• Introduction and Using Highlights


• Text to Speech Support to Read Text Aloud


• Images to Support Comprehension and Higher Level Thinking


• Hyperlinks to Create On-demand Supports


• Recorded Voice Comments for Teacher Prompts and Student Response (this feature not for schools with Windows7 or TM11 schools)


• Guide to Locating More Resources on Flexible Digital Worksheets

Some Helpful Links to Resources for MS Word and Adobe Worksheets:

Graphics, Videos and Sounds HIAT Quick Guides
MS Word HIAT Quick Guides
MS Word HIAT Help Blog Posts
Adobe Reader HIAT Quick Guide and Video on Read Aloud Feature
Adobe PDF HIAT Help Blog Posts