CyndiLJ Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 We are planning to purchase software for our son, but are wondering which would be the best value. We will spend whatever it takes to get the best program for him, but don't want to overspend if one is not really any better than another. So far we are looking at Ghotit, and WordQ. Any comments on those or any other suggestions? Thanks! Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Write Out Loud and Co-writer have made a HUGE difference here. I haven't heard of the ones you have listed, but I would definitely check out the Don Johnston Solo 6 series. Ds is younger fwiw, but I am amazed at the difference in his writing since he started using Co-writer with his MCT writing assignments. ETA: Are you looking at text-to-speech? Neither of the above are text-to-speech, but they will read the writing aloud to the student, define words, and predict spelling and grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ofer Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 My name is Ofer Chermesh, and I'm one of Ghotit founders. Although I'm one of Ghotit founders I'm afraid there is no easy answer to your question due to the simple fact that no two people are the same. There are a number of independent test that shows that Ghotit is the best spell and grammar checker available for people with dyslexia, but I need to be modest, and I can't say, it is the best one for your son (every person writes differently and the results of those test depends on the text the tester are using) in addition, in my opinion, a good spell and grammar checker is the one that helps the user chose the correct word, Ghotit does so by providing the user with a definition for suggested words and a text to speech option. Ghotit Real Writer has a great word prediction, but once again I cannot say it is the best one for your son due to the reasons above. What I'm trying to say is in order to find out if Ghotit works for you will need to try Ghotit (this is the reason why we have a 30 day money back guaranteed policy). If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me from Ghotit contact form on Ghotit web site http://www.ghotit.com/contact-us/. Hope I have helped. Ofer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 We are planning to purchase software for our son, but are wondering which would be the best value. We will spend whatever it takes to get the best program for him, but don't want to overspend if one is not really any better than another. So far we are looking at Ghotit, and WordQ. Any comments on those or any other suggestions? Thanks! Cindy Please update and tell us what you decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamonaQ Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) What you are inquiring about are programs that will assist with spelling, in the writing process, and potentially word retrieval (in the case of WordQ). I am familiar with both programs. WordQ will suggest words, much like CoWriter. We have used CoWriter, and stopped because it was very unstable, often deleting entire paragraphs due to a wrong key stroke, although initially ds liked the program. WordQ also has text-to-speech. I would expect WordQ to be a bit more stable. So, when ds spelling was unremediated, he used something similar to Ghotit, which was Ginger. Both are context specific spell checkers. These worked very well for ds, allowed him to type entire paragraphs, and then spell check later. I really liked these types of programs because they did not disrupt his working memory while he searched for a word, as he did in CoWriter. (Now ds just uses a regular spell checker and uses Dragon for longer multiple page projects). I think both types of programs (context specific spellcheckers or word selection programs) will get you were you want to go. It just depends how you want to work--stopping to select the word or editing at the end of work (kind of what the creator of Ghotit was suggesting). You may want to consider other assistive technology-- text-to-speech and speech-to-text-- to assist in other areas of the writing process. If you are on a Mac, you can have text-to-speech in pretty much any window. And, if you have upgraded to latest OS you can have speech-to-text (ala Siri...kinda crude compared to Dragon). If you are on Windows, depending on version and program, you may or may not have text-to-speech and speech-to-text (it is worthwhile figuring out). If you don't there are free programs that will text-to-speech. I am mentioning these because both these functions are really helpful in the writing process: Text-to-Speech is really helpful for editing work and hearing the mistakes; Speech-to-Text allows transcription through verbal spoken word. Edited November 5, 2012 by RamonaQ Re-arranged text for logic and clarity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobymummy Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 There is also a product called word q and speak q which is quite good - and they offer a 30 day trial (the others just offer 30 day refund guarantee). I think this is important. I've trained kids on various assistive techs and I think it's really tricky to figure out which one will click for them without trying them out first. One note - assistive tech is only useful if well supported. In ONtario, the school boards threw tons of money on software and gave the kids a few hours of training and then seemed to expect it to solve the kids' learning issues. They need a lot of support. For my ds (11) I've stuck to scribing for now. I'm going to try word prediction for really small tasks this year, but the bulk of his writing will still be scribed. I likely won't introduce dragon until he's older (he has a stutter and self-edits a lot --- I have a hard time keeping up, let alone a machine lol). That all being said, he has almost no written language at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyndiLJ Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 Thank you all for your very helpful input! The WordQ and speak q combined are the ones we are leaning toward, but they are expensive and Ghotit also looks great...but lacks the speech to text that we might want. It does have text to speech though (not repeating myself, they are two different things for someone only glancing). I have not looked at Co Writer yet, but based upon the comment about instability, I think I'll pass on that one. My son is quite techie, and adapts amazingly well to technology. He is on the edge of high IQ, though his writing doesn't reflect that at ALL! Hahaha! But I have no doubt that he could quickly get up to speed in any program we pick. My biggest concern is that I want the one that does the best job of punctuation and grammar support. Spelling is important, but his spelling is more easily "fixed" because he does recognize what the correct spelling is when he sees it. He can NOT see his sentence fragments/run ons/etc. at all. Can anyone share what they know about Word Q/Speak Q or Ghotit, constrasting their grammar and punctuation fixes? You'd think this would be easier, but they are not cheap and I'd rather buy it once than make a mistake. Thanks for all your input! Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Write Out Loud and Co-writer have made a HUGE difference here. I haven't heard of the ones you have listed, but I would definitely check out the Don Johnston Solo 6 series. Ds is younger fwiw, but I am amazed at the difference in his writing since he started using Co-writer with his MCT writing assignments. ETA: Are you looking at text-to-speech? Neither of the above are text-to-speech, but they will read the writing aloud to the student, define words, and predict spelling and grammar. Does Write Out Loud or Co-writer require you to log into their server each time your child types and edits an assignment? Thank-you.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamonaQ Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Can anyone share what they know about Word Q/Speak Q or Ghotit, constrasting their grammar and punctuation fixes? You'd think this would be easier, but they are not cheap and I'd rather buy it once than make a mistake. No program that I am aware of does grammar/ punctuation. Word gives you a green squiggly line (sometimes, in certain instances) for grammar but certainly not run-ons. That is where text-to-speech comes in handy. If a traditional word processor can correct his spelling, and you are wanting to start cheap, then perhaps you should just start with trying text-to-speech. I would check to see if you already have it in your OS/programs (some versions of Word have it). If not there are some free / very cheap options available (on Windows, which I have been guessing is the platform you are using based on your selection of products) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyndiLJ Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 You all are really, really helping me sort through this! Thanks for all your wonderful, thoughtful comments. Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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