Digital Literacy Learning Space Supplemental Resources

Read&Write is a literacy support tool that offers help with everyday tasks like reading text out loud, understanding unfamiliar words, researching assignments and proofing written work. 

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE READ&WRITE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY TOOL

• Do your students need help studying for tests, writing papers, or completing homework assignments? What about everyday tasks like reading text out loud and understanding unfamiliar words? 
• Central Piedmont students can download the free Read&Write browser extension to make it easier to complete their work and be successful. Faculty and staff can, too.
• Available in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Email Disability and Access Services with questions. 

Features - at a glance

	Text-to-speech: Read what I type including individual words, passages, or whole documents aloud with easy-to-follow dual color highlighting.
	Text & Picture Dictionaries: Provide definitions and display images to help with word comprehension.
	Vocabulary List: Creates a list instantly into a new doc, including selected words, the dictionary definitions, images from Widgit Symbols, and an editable notes column.
	Check It: Reviews writing for incorrect grammar, spelling (phonetic), capitalization, punctuation, verb tense and more.
	Audio Maker: Converts selected text into an audio file, and automatically downloads.
	Talk&Type: Turns the spoken word into text (unavailable for Read&Write for Mac users).

What is 'EquatIO'?

EquatIO is an assistive technology (AT) mathematics accessibility tool. This powerful equation editor program allows you to create digital, accessible math equations easily. EquatIO enhances learning and classroom success by saving time, lowering stress, and eliminating frustration for those not proficient in math. Equatio: https://academy.texthelp.com/equatio/introduction/ 

OrbitNote: https://academy.texthelp.com/orbitnote-classic/introduction/

OrbitNote allows you to transform and interact with PDFs in a completely different way.

Orbitnote is available as a browser extension for Google Chrome & Microsoft Edge. Simply sign in with your @trentu.ca credentials and it's ready to use!

OrbitNote makes PDFs accessible & actionable and it includes many features that can assist your learning when working with PDFs:

• Text to Speech: Reads words, passages, or whole documents aloud with easy-to-follow highlighting.

• Text: Lets you type & annotate text on top of the PDF. 

• Pushpin: Ideal for making notes, creating study guides or adding instructions or other helpful hints to a PDF document or assignment

• Freehand Drawing: To scribble and draw on your PDF to complete assignments or highlight important information.

• Shapes Drawing: For creating circles, rectangles and lines with customized lines and fill colours.

• Text and Voice comments: For collaboration, showing understanding and giving feedback

• Highlighters: Collect highlights from text in documents or the web for summarizing research and to create bibliographies.

HOW TO PRINT (RELEASE) ON EVERY CAMPUS

How to Print Files from a Browser

1. On your computer, open Chrome and input the following address:https://printanywhere.cpcc.edu/MyPrintCenter/
2. Click Upload button then select file to upload.
3. Go to CPCC Multi-Function Printer (MFP). 
4. At printers you will need an ID & Password
5. Bookmark this page and choose to Show Bookmarks bar

MICROSOFT 365 TEXT TO SPEECH (DICTATE TOOL)

DICTATE RESOURCES

Dictation lets you use speech-to-text to author content in Office with a microphone and reliable internet connection. Use your voice to quickly create documents, emails, notes, presentations, or even slide notes. 

MICROSOFT (OLDER) SPEECH RECOGNITION

TURNING ON SPEECH
1. Windows search, type 'Ease of Access Speech'
2. The Speech window opens. Make sure the Speech Recognition button is turned on. Make sure you have a microphone connected to your device.

TRAINING YOUR COMPUTER TO YOUR VOICE
3. You will have to train your computer to recognize your voice
4. Say "start listening" or click the Microphone button to start the listening mode.

6. Open the program you want to use or select the text box you want to dictate text into.

Say the text that you want dictate.

GOOGLE DOCS VOICE TYPING (Video Tutorial Link)

Type with your voice

1. Check that your microphone works.
2. Open a document in Google Docs with a Chrome browser.
3. Click Tools. ...

1. When you're ready to speak, click the microphone.
2. Speak clearly, at a normal volume and pace (see below for more information on using punctuation).
3. When you're done, click the microphone again.

HOW TO COPY AND PASTE TEXT

Shortcuts:

1. Select the text you want to copy and press Ctrl+C.

2. Place your cursor where you want to paste the copied text and press Ctrl+V.

Tip: Use Ctrl+Shift+V to paste text without formatting. This feature is available for Office Insiders using Word for Microsoft 365.

COPY AND PASTING TEXT
https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/office2000basics/cut-copy-and-paste/1/

VIDEO DEMONSTRATING COPY AND PASTING TEXT
https://youtu.be/sOqaakHHSQY

In Microsoft Word, there are two primary ways to create a PDF:

1. Saving as PDF: This is generally the recommended and most straightforward method as it preserves your document's formatting, images, and other elements more reliably.
   • Open your Word document.
   • Click on File in the top left corner.
   • Select Save As.
   • Choose a location to save your PDF (e.g., your desktop).
   • In the Save as type dropdown menu, select PDF (*.pdf).
   • Click Save.
2. Exporting as PDF: This method is equivalent to "Save As" for PDFs and XPS (XML Paper Specification) documents.
   • Open your Word document.
   • Click on File in the top left corner.
   • Select Export.
   • Click on Create PDF/XPS Document.
   • Click on Create PDF/XPS again.
   • Choose a location to save your PDF and give it a name.
   • Click Publish. 

Considerations

• Online/Web Version of Word: If you're using Word Online, you'll find the option to Download as PDF under the File > Export menu.
• Formatting: While both methods generally preserve formatting, it's always a good practice to open the generated PDF and review it to ensure everything appears as intended.
• Advanced Options: Both methods often offer an "Options" or "Change" button where you can customize aspects like optimization for high-quality printing or smaller file size, or choose whether to include non-printing information like comments

WHAT IS A PDF?

A PDF, or Portable Document Format, is a file format used to present and exchange documents reliably, independent of software, hardware, or operating system. Essentially, it's like a digital version of a printed document, preserving the original formatting and layout. PDFs are commonly used for read-only documents like ebooks, application forms, and scanned documents. 

Here's a more detailed explanation:

• Security features: PDFs can be password-protected and even digitally signed, enhancing security. 

• Interactive elements: PDFs can include interactive elements like forms, buttons, and links. 

• Versatile: PDFs can contain text, images, graphics, and other multimedia content. 

• Open standard: The PDF format is an open standard maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). 

• Widely used: PDFs are a popular format for sharing and distributing documents, especially in business and educational settings. 

• Preserves formatting: PDFs ensure that a document looks the same on any device, regardless of the software used to create it. 
• Read-only format: PDFs are typically used for documents that need to be viewed and printed but not easily edited.