For All Students Using Technology to Support your Studies

Mind Mapping

If you struggle to get your ideas down on paper or get overwhelmed by the process of planning and structuring your work, then consider using a visual tool like mind mapping.

Mind mapping can help you brainstorm and structure thoughts, and document ideas quickly. You can then restructure and re-organise the content at a later stage.

Mind maps can be used when planning a presentation, writing an assignment, planning research, or revising for an assessment.

Mind maps are simple to create and edit in Microsoft Office. You can convert your mind map into a Word document or PowerPoint presentation, complete with headings, sub-headings, bullet points, paragraphs, and references.

Here you can access a range of mind-mapping programs:

• MindView
• Lucidchart
• Inspiration
• MindMeister
• MindGenius

When planning or writing an assignment, there can be a disconnect between what you intend to write and what appears on the page. Some students even avoid using academic language because they try to avoid spelling words they are not comfortable with.

Dictation software allows users to use voice commands rather than a mouse or keyboard and can be used for navigation, text composition, and text editing.

It allows the user to verbalise their ideas, converts them to text, and enables them to express exactly what they want to write in the academic language they intend to use, without worrying about the spelling. This provides a truer reflection of their ability.

Here, you can access a range of dictation software:

• TalkType
• Dragon Naturally Speaking
• Google Voice Typing
• Apple Dictate
• iOS - on iPhone or iPad, anywhere the keyboard appears, there is a microphone button that will allow you to speak the text rather than type it.

Reading and Writing

If you need help with reading text, several programs and features within programs can assist:

• Fonts can be changed in size and colour, and background colours can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
• Text can be read aloud with highlights to help you follow on screen as it is being read. Word documents, PDFs, emails, web content, eBooks, and journals. Anything text-based can be read aloud.
• You can even convert printed text in books or handouts to digital text that can be read aloud.

The main assistive technologies are summarised here:

• Optical Character Recognition (OCR): Converts scanned documents, books, and handouts to a readable Word document or text-based PDF.  It can convert an image to text so that it can be edited and read by the screen reader.
• Screen reading (text to speech): Text and documents can be read aloud. Low-vision users can use a screen reader to navigate menus and web pages, with the content read aloud.
• Screen magnifiers: Third-party magnifiers usually include the ability to enlarge text, change fonts, and adjust colour contrast between the text and the text background.
• Spellcheckers and text analysing features: These can help you check your work for misspelled words, words used in the wrong context, or words that are often confused (e.g., there, they're, their). You can access dictionary features to define a word and provide examples of its usage in context, making it easier to determine if you are using the correct word.

Proof Reading

When you have finished writing your work, you can use the screen reader to help proofread it by listening to what you typed and following the highlights on the screen as you go. This can make it much easier to spot any errors you may have.

OneNote offers many of the same features as Microsoft Word, including an Optical Character Recognition feature.

• More information on OneNote reading features
• More information on OneNote OCR

Ally is an extension to Blackboard Learn that creates alternative and accessible versions of content items uploaded in your Blackboard Learn modules.

It can provide content items such as HTML for improved reading on mobile devices, EPUB files for reading as an e-book on a mobile device or other e-book reader, or an MP3 audio file to listen to for learning on the go.

You can download the alternative formats anywhere you see Ally's alternative formats download icon:

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More information about how to access and use Blackboard Ally can be found on the Ally for Students information pages