Windows 7: Part One

So, Windows 7 is an operating system, right.  Oh, it's so much more.  We have a deaf student, and the paraprofessional working with him only has a couple of ASL classes, so this student has no one to communicate with in our entire school, and only one person who can sort of communicate with him.  I have been racking my brain with how to help him fully understand what teachers and other students are saying.  Last week,  I came up with a plan.  I think it's brilliant.  What is this plan, you say?  Let me tell you...

1.  I ordered a wireless microphone from Amazon.com (the Microsoft LifeChat ZX-6000 Wireless Headset), which came on Friday.

2.  This morning, I trained the computer to my voice, using the built in voice-to-text option that comes with Windows 7.  How to get there?  Simple.  Control Panel--Ease of Access--Speech recognition--Start speech recognition.

After half an hour of training, I would say that it is 90% accurate.  I just open up Word, turn on the microphone, and start speaking.

So, doing this has helped to create a closed captioning system for this student to use in class.  He just has to bring a laptop to class, the teacher puts on the wireless microphone, and voila, he has a written transcript of everything that the teacher is saying in class.  Cool.

3.  We have students with ADD/ADHD, that are Hard of Hearing, and with Learning Disabilities, and all of them require adaptations that involve the use of an FM amplification system.  We have a few in the school, but they're broken, don't work that great, or need new recharagble batteries.  Have you seen the cost of one of those systems?  An FM system runs from $1500-$2500.  Well, every classroom has a laptop and speakers.  Could this wireless microphone also be used as an amplification system?  You bet.  Go to Control Panel--Hardware and Sound--Sound--Manage Audio Devices--Recording--Right click on the microphone icon--Properties--Listen--and check Listen to this device.  Voila, the microphone now works and can be heard through the laptop (or external) speakers! 
I took the laptop and gave the wireless microphone to the Chemistry teacher for him to try.  We hooked it up to his speakers and displayed the text on his SmartBoard.  It was so awesome to have his voice coming through the speakers in his classroom and have what he was saying appear up on the SmartBoard.

So, just using Windows 7 and a cheap wireless microphone ($30!!!!), I was able to create a closed captioning and amplification system for teachers to use.