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Does Voice Recognition Replace The Need For Typing?
by: Pam Connolly
A few years ago we thought typing was pass. We would no longer have to struggle with typing. And our children may not have to learn how to type anymore. My aged mother was thrilled because she never learned to type and thought this was the answer to her prayers. Typing, at last, was on the trash heap of technology, because of this "new and improved" invention ... Voice Recognition Software.
Did voice recognition come to pass? Well not exactly! In fact, voice recognition technology has been a great disappointment.
If you have ever used voice recognition software on cell phones, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Not only do you have to train the cell phone to recognize your voice but you have to interface with the name in your address book as you say it.
It hasn't been very dependable. The success rate of this feature has been less than steller and for the most part very frustrating. Often you have to repeat (or yell) the name over and over to initiate the call (most times resorting to dialing it yourself).
Similarly, voice recognition software for the computer promised to be a panacea to those who were "keyboard challenged" but it too has fallen short of the promises.
Most doctors thought that voice recognition would eliminate the need to outsource medical transcription. Not so! Most don't have the time nor the patience to "train" the voice recognition software. If you are tempted to try it, expect a long learning curve.
If you would only use your computer in a closed silent room, never have a cold or other voice altering condition, and don't have an accent, voice recognition software would work and be fabulous most of the time. But how often are you in that situation? The conditions in my life are never perfect for voice recognition. I am either talking on the phone with my children or husband, or in the room with the radio or TV. Thunder, lighting, hail and petulance, there is always something disturbing my silence. When working at my laptop I maybe at Starbucks, the airport or a restaurant, all very noisy places affecting voice recognition software.
The ability to type quickly and accurately is crucial for everyday life. Typing speed will affect how fast you can do research, surf the Web, write papers, and save time in school and the rest of their life! Every job requires typing skills.
Typing is important for school work starting as early as elementary grade level. Life will be a lot easier for your children if they learn correct typing techniques at a young age. Did you now that typing has been shown to improve spelling, writing, language skills, and grades. Maybe in the future someone will perfect a voice recognition system that can be used in our noisy livesbut now HAPPY TYPING!
Copyright 2005 Pam Connolly
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A Good Memory Will Change Your Child's Life
by: Pam Connolly
Would you like to help your child develop an amazing memory quickly and easily? Have you ever envied someone because of his or her incredible memory? Did that person seem to learn and remember everything ... effortlessly? Chances are that your answer is...Yes!
As children begin their education and face the mountains of facts and formulas ahead of them, they will need tools to simplify their learning and master subjects. A good memory will change your childs life. You can help them develop a good memory .. and have fun doing it!
These are tried and true techniques I have used throughout my life - with different types of learners, different ages of students, and differing subject matter. You, too, can make them a part of your childs life and education (and your own).
I received my primary education in a religious school, where I was expected to LEARN. I was forced (yes-forced) to memorize by rote every day. This ranged from multiplication tables to Robert Frost, but every day "it" was something. Worse, every day we had stand up in the front of the class and recite the lesson. The performance anxiety was intense. It was pure torture at the time. Little did I realize, from that perceived trauma, that I would develop techniques that would supercharge my brain power.
Later in college, I majored in the History of Art, which required memorizing thousands of seemingly random facts. It was nothing to be expected to know 200 dates, artists, objects of art, and the history surrounding them for one exam. Wow, so much stuff and so little time!
I never dreamed that my "shortcuts" were so special, that theyd be the keys that would catapult me to the top of my class and give me the edge over my classmates.
I thought everyone used them. Whoa... was I wrong! When my classmates were struggling, cramming, and panicking, I slid through the curriculum and exams with ease.
For the last 30 years, I taught my memory techniques to my students (as an elementary school teacher). It was wonderful watching the "skulls full of mush" develop into eager learners.
Recently, I have branched out into studying why and how learning and memory occur. I have been focusing on the brain, how we learn, and how we remember.
The brain is a miraculous thing! Train it properly once and you are its master for life!
Here's the first step: Encourage your child to look at the world around them. Yes, LOOK .... (I told you it was easy.) Just look and talk and talk and talk to your child, almost non-stop, (no matter what their age) about what you see. Emphasize colors, textures, positioning of objects in your surroundings. Point out how various items interact. Ask why and how questions. Something as simple as how the egg you're frying "interacts" with the pan - how it spits, congeals, gets crispy, etc. Notice the little things. Use your senses; use your adjectives. Call attention to cause and effect.
This gets children interested in all things around them. Depending on the age of your child, elicit input... anything... Help your child to develop his or her natural curiosity about the world.
Encourage participation.
It is critical that they get the gist of this without too much prompting. Take as long as your child needs to develop this new attention! This attention is the foundation to ALL memory, so perfect it now! Make this heightened awareness a normal part of your conversations with them. This is the first step in developing your child's memory. Make sure each child gets a grasp of this concept before moving on. I guarantee they will enjoy this "game" and never realize they are developing skills that will serve them their whole lives.
A world class memory is fundamental to all learning.
Copyright 2005 by Pam Connolly
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Getting My Child The Additional Help In School He Or She Needs
by: Noel Swanson
The British government promised "that a child with special educational needs should have their needs met" (sec. 1.3, SEN Code of Practice, 2001). Even though it's printed for all to see, they won't be able to keep the promise, as they don't have the resources.
The British government has promised that "a child with special educational needs should have their needs met" (sec. 1.3, SEN Code of Practice, 2001). This is a pretty rash thing to promise, since there is no way that they have the resources to back this up. However, there it is, in black and white!
So, how do you make sure that your child with special needs gets the help they need in school? First, understand how your school is set up. Second, even with governmental promises, there is still a limit to the resources. You need to develop a good working partnership with your school so you can state your concerns and be confident that they will be resolved.
Typically, a child's educational needs can be met in the normal classroom (commonly called mainstreaming). If it does become evident that the child is not making progress as expected, the school has the responsibility to take some action. Progress delays are evaluated in the following areas:
If you have concerns about your child's educational progress, talk to her teacher and/ or the SEN Coordinator (SENCO) at her school. If they think she's having problems, they will add her name to the Special Education Needs Register, if they haven't already done so.
If you have concerns about your child, discuss them with your child's teacher and/or the school's SEN Co-ordinator. If they are in agreement with your concerns, they may place his or her name on the Special Educational Needs Register. In fact, they may have already done so.
If the school does determine that there are special needs present in your child, they have the responsibility to meet those needs. This can be done in a variety of ways, but the most important thing is that everyone (parents, teachers, and school staff) should have clear and realistic goals that your child can achieve.
The goal-setting process is usually accomplished through the development of an IEP (Individual Education Plan).
On this IEP certain targets are identified and worked on, with these targets being reviewed every six weeks or so. These targets might be academic such as reading or writing, or there may be behavioural such as putting a hand up to ask a question, they might be social such as getting along with other children at play time or indeed they may be physical if the child has any particular physical or medical needs or disabilities.
Parents are normally involved in the IEP process - both in drawing up and reviewing IEP targets. Most children gain the most when their parents are involved because they can reinforce the concepts and skills in the home.
Occasionally it will become apparent that the school alone does not have sufficient resources to solve the problem. In that case, outside experts are brought in to assist. Often times this will consist of an educational psychologist or some other type of professional. These experts may extend their advice to the school, which is called "School Action Plus".
Finally, if even this is not enough, then either the school, or you, may apply to have a Statutory Assessment of SEN, which is done by the Local Education Authority (usually the county council). If they agree that the needs are severe, they may issue a Statement of SEN which spells out just what the needs are, and what the school (and others) are legally required to do to meet those needs. If the LEA refuses to do a statutory assessment or issue a statement then you, as a parent, have a right to appeal.
Just because the LEA grants a statement, that doesn't necessarily mean that the school will receive any extra money to do provide the services as indicated in the statement. The school will continue to be put in an awkward position of determining how to divide up their limited cash amongst all the SEN children in their school.
This is why close co-operation between home and school is essential The school is not your enemy, so fighting with them is unlikely to get your child the help she needs. Do try to be polite and friendly, and listen to what they say about your child. At the same time, don't be afraid to speak up if you are worried that something is being missed or not dealt with. After all, if you don't speak up for your child, who will?
Hopefully, if the educational needs can be appropriately identified and targeted, then your child should find school to be a less stressful environment and, therefore, be more settled, not just in school, but also at home.
The SEN Code of Practice can be ordered, free, from 0845 602 2260
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Baby Your Baby -- And Give Birth To A Big Reader
by: Blake Kritzberg
There are a lot of options out there when it comes to helping your baby's development along, including piping Mozart to your child in the womb or teaching her to sign shortly after she's born. But you're still giving your baby a great start just by providing her with the building blocks she'll need to learn to read.
Just about all the important things that modern science suggests when it comes to helping your baby's brain develop have been practiced by parents for millennia. Now as ever, these steps are important:
Sing to your baby. Babies and toddlers love rhyme almost as much as they love the soothing sound of your voice.
Talk to your baby. Even when your baby is tiny, talk to her as if she already understands what you're saying. Use gestures, body language and tone of voice to keep her attention and dramatize your message.
Imitate your baby. When she makes those first experimental sounds, make them back to her. Your baby will feel how important she is to you, and get excited by the effort of language.
Play "where's the?" games. Ask your baby, "Where's your toes?" "Find" her toes and touch them, then switch the playing field to her fingers or nose.
Touch your baby. Whenever possible, hold your baby in your lap and cuddle her while you talk or sing to her. Even when she's much older, she'll still associate the warmth and coziness of this early experience with language.
Start out with books. Even as early as six weeks of age, you can start introducing books to your baby. Pick bright, tactile books with clear pictures of things your baby might recognize, like puppies or cribs. Sturdy books they can touch or pet are ideal; look for classic "touch-and-feel" titles like Baby Animal Kisses or Pat the Bunny. The classic fabric "Quiet Book," with its embroideries, braids, buckles and buttons, is an unbeatable way to interest a slightly older baby. Cuddle your baby in your lap and read for short periods of time, so it never becomes arduous for either you or her.
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Chore and Reward Systems That Work
by: Brook Noel
Chore and reward systems are one of the most important keys for managing the busy household. A good system can inspire children while teaching them responsibility and discipline not to mention easing your own commitments.
The basics, a chore and reward system is a visual tool that lets children perform household tasks in order to earn something they would really like.
Make a list of what you need help with. If you had it your way, what would you delegate around the house? Perhaps cooking or cleaning up after dinner? Does laundry or dusting make you cringe? What about taking out garbage or mowing the lawn? Write down any responsibilities youd like to delegate that are age-appropriate for your children.
Next, ask your children to tell you something they would really, really like. Find a picture of this item and place it on a piece of construction paper. Using your list of tasks, create a road that leads to the item. As they complete each task, initial it, and once they work through the road they get their requested item.
Chore and Reward Systems with Toddlers, chore and reward systems can work with children as young as two! True they wont be very efficient at vacuuming but there are ways they can help make the days go smoother.
I used a system with my daughter that models the above. Using a piece of construction paper I made twenty 1x1 inch squares. At the bottom I made one large square and put a picture of an Elmo helium balloon. Each time she cleaned up her toys, was a good listener for the day, got dressed without a fight, went to sleep without a fight or went to the bathroom on the potty, I let her choose a sticker to place on a square. (The stickers were all her favorite characters and animals, dinosaurs, Barney, butterflies, etc.)
When the sheet was full, we made a special adventure out of purchasing her balloon. We went to the store and bought only the balloon, taking great care to pick one out.
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