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TestimonialsSuccess StoriesAll Students Can Achieve Literacy Success! Over the years you have shared with us many stories about how your struggling readers and writers have achieved positive results. Here are some of your successes that continue to inspire us to bring you the best interventions for your students!
Write:OutLoud'I like this program it is raw.
Emanuel , 5th grade student
"It's tite (tight). More kids should start using this for they can hear what they writer. That's a lot better for kids."
Herman, Student
"A fifth grade student named Michael A. was being served through the Specific Learning Disabilities Program for reading and written expression. He used Write:OutLoud and Co:Writer 4000 to write an essay for the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program and won first place for his school!"
Assistive Technology Specialist
GA "We just had a tech from our school come and put in Co:Writer 4000 and Write:OutLoud V3 so our son can use it in school and at home to learn to read and write. It is one of the best programs I have ever seen." "I obviously love your product, Write:OutLoud. Over the years I've often said that I could do a commercial for Write:OutLoud because I love it so much. By now most people use a word processor, and Write:OutLoud is so simple that anyone could use it. I know you are a special needs company but years ago I wanted so much of your stuff for my own classroom because we all have children with special needs. I'm excited to share with you and hope that my insights about your product are helpful."
Patti
TX "This student is a sixth grade student who is dyslexic. Although very bright, he was just learning to identify beginning consonant sounds in words. He was beginning to be school phobic, and had developed an attitude when classroom tasks included reading or writing. He was referred for an assistive technology assessment. The assessment team created a story that was three paragraphs long and was followed by several fill in the blank questions about the text. These were typed into Write:OutLoud®. The student was then taught how to highlight a sentence, and have it spoken. He reached the end of the passage, had the first question read aloud and was able to visually match words in the question to words in the text, have that sentence read to him a second time; then copy and paste the answer into the question. As a 6th grade student this was the first time he had been able to fill in a worksheet in his school career. We then asked him where he was going for lunch, and sent him and his parents out to lunch. During his lunch we made sure that the Taco Bell menu words were all in Co:Writer. Upon returning, he was introduced to Co:Writer and asked to type what he had ordered for lunch. This student typed "t" and on the first list the word "taco" appeared. He was shown how to hear the words on the list, and how to choose them. We then broke the bad news, he had to write a complete sentence, one word was not acceptable. This student then typed (with help from Co:Writer) "For lunch I had 3 soft tacos, cinnamon crisps and a Pepsi." We were thrilled. The student then jumped up and ran out of the room. We heard him telling his parents that if he had these programs he could write a letter to Sissy. He had a sister away at college to whom he had never been able to write. These programs went with him to a small private school for students with learning disabilities, where he has flourished. Now in High School, this student is still not a proficient reader, but is able to independently complete assignments he would never have tackled a few short years ago."
Occupational Therapist
OH "I am a first grade teacher in a rural Appalachian area in southeastern Ohio. I have used technology in my classroom in some way for the past 18 years, ranging from simply recording my first graders' stories as they read them with a camcorder to creating multimedia presentations of different thematic units, but I would have to say that the way I incorporate my talking word processor into the curriculum has had the greatest impact on their learning. I use a program called Write:OutLoud by Don Johnston. I call the voice that is talking from the computer, Fred, and he has actually become an entity in our classroom. (We can do this in whole group because I have the image displayed on the TV as well as the monitor.) We do a variety of activities with Fred. Among them is our Show and Tell. Everyday one child brings in an item in our Show and Tell bag. The child's parents are asked to help write down three clues concerning the secret item in the bag. I type these clues on Write:OutLoud and then Fred reads them aloud. A typical Show and Tell text may look like the following: Joey's Show and Tell It is mostly white. It has keys. It makes music. At this point the child who brought in the Show and Tell item gets to ask for a volunteer to guess the item. When someone guesses correctly, Fred then writes: Jason said, "Is it a piano?" Joey said, "Yes." From this simple everyday activity a whole learning process is evolved throughout the year. In the beginning of the year, when Fred tracks by highlighting the text, children learn left to right transition, spacing of words, and capitalizing titles. As the year progresses Fred can target sight words. I have seen a dramatic change in the number of children who spell the word, 'said' correctly in their independent writing after I started using this talking word processor. 'Said' is a very difficult word for most first graders but most of my class consistently spells it correctly because of the repetition. I also saw a big change in my first graders' ability to use punctuation after I started using a talking word processor. They start to see quotation marks, commas, question marks used from the second day of school. In turn, the children use punctuation much more correctly in their own writing. Perhaps the most useful reading strategy that I teach my first graders is simply the power of re-reading. Fred displays this every time he says something to us. This simple use of a talking word processor has had a dramatic effect on my first graders mastery of sight words, punctuation, word parts, and respect for the reader. It is a way to tie children's love of the screen into their learning to read."
Teacher
Southeastern, OH I am very excited to start the new school year with such positive responses to the program from the students.
Teacher
WI I think the Write:OutLoud program is great. I think it works very well. I really like it because it will help students learn typing more. It will beep if you spelled it wrong. I also like how it repeats what you typed. I really love it.
Desiree F., 5th grade student
I like the Write:OutLoud program cause I can concentrate more on the keyboard. When I spell something wrong I hear a beep and I look at what I spelled wrong and I write it the correct way.
Matt, 5th Grade Student
"Last year I used Co:Writer 4000 and Write:OutLoud to prepare 5 third grade students how to write essays for ISAT testing. All 5 students scored a 24 or better on their scores. Two even scored a 32, the highest score you can achieve on the essay portion of the test. These students were proud to show off their writing skills. As an Assistive Technology Specialist, this truly one of my most memorable moments as a special education teacher. Thank You for creating such great programs for children to feel success."
Assistive Technology Program Manager
IL 'This new program is tite (tight). This new program could be good for people who can't read.
Fabian, 5th Grade Student WI Start-to-Finish Gold Core Content“Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator
Norman, Oklahoma "Thank you again for all you do! I coud never express the extent of the positive influence and empowerment your books and software provides to those with special learning needs." Inspiration 9
“You are interested in Educational Innovation—that all educators work with tools, methods, strategies, materials, in a different manner to support all learners. You are stretching ‘specialized instruction’ up the ladder and budging right into the world of general education….You are talking “education” not assistive technology.”
Special Education Lead St. Paul, MN Draft:BuilderSOLO has empowered many students in different education settings to become more comfortable with the writing process. They particularly like the drag and drop feature of Draft:Builder because they don't have to re-write their work. Using Don Johnston's software builds student confidence as they prepare for high stakes Virginia standardized tests. Co:Writer for Neo“Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator Norman, Oklahoma Start-to-Finish Literacy Starters“Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator
Norman, Oklahoma "My students have been so motivated to read the Early Literacy Starters books. The topics, realistic pictures and use of high frequency words helps them to be confident and engaged readers."
Assistive Technology Facili/SLP
Shaumburg, IL "Thank you again for all you do! I coud never express the extent of the positive influence and empowerment your books and software provides to those with special learning needs." I have used Literacy Starters and Start-to-Finish books extensively in my self contained L.D. class. They have proven to be of exeptional help in motivating students to practice fluency and comprehension skills. I have used them as independent practice as well as in guided reading sessions. The computer-generated text with the highlighting of words spoken has been a great visual aid for children with visual/motor issues. Literacy Starters and Start-to-Finish books have made my reading curriculum more effective for children with reading disabilities."
"Don Johnston's Literacy Starters would be a great addition to any classroom. The different level text (emergent, transitional, conventional) for each thematic topic provides teachers with the ability to differentiate instruction and further develop literacy skills. In addition, the early literacy skills checklists are instructionally relevant and useful tools that can be quickly administered with little preperation."
Special Services Teacher Schaumburg, IL Co:WriterSince our purchase of SOLO, students’ creative writing has come alive! A high school student is now able to write about his favorite football team while using the on-screen word prediction program, Co:Writer and the football topic dictionary. His writing has expanded from a 3-word sentence to 10-12 word sentences. Co:Writer has empowered his writing!
Beth B, Assistive Technology Resource Teacher
"A fifth grade student named Michael A. was being served through the Specific Learning Disabilities Program for reading and written expression. He used Write:OutLoud and Co:Writer 4000 to write an essay for the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program and won first place for his school!"
Assistive Technology Specialist
GA “Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator
Norman, Oklahoma "We just had a tech from our school come and put in Co:Writer 4000 and Write:OutLoud V3 so our son can use it in school and at home to learn to read and write. It is one of the best programs I have ever seen." "This student is a sixth grade student who is dyslexic. Although very bright, he was just learning to identify beginning consonant sounds in words. He was beginning to be school phobic, and had developed an attitude when classroom tasks included reading or writing. He was referred for an assistive technology assessment. The assessment team created a story that was three paragraphs long and was followed by several fill in the blank questions about the text. These were typed into Write:OutLoud®. The student was then taught how to highlight a sentence, and have it spoken. He reached the end of the passage, had the first question read aloud and was able to visually match words in the question to words in the text, have that sentence read to him a second time; then copy and paste the answer into the question. As a 6th grade student this was the first time he had been able to fill in a worksheet in his school career. We then asked him where he was going for lunch, and sent him and his parents out to lunch. During his lunch we made sure that the Taco Bell menu words were all in Co:Writer. Upon returning, he was introduced to Co:Writer and asked to type what he had ordered for lunch. This student typed "t" and on the first list the word "taco" appeared. He was shown how to hear the words on the list, and how to choose them. We then broke the bad news, he had to write a complete sentence, one word was not acceptable. This student then typed (with help from Co:Writer) "For lunch I had 3 soft tacos, cinnamon crisps and a Pepsi." We were thrilled. The student then jumped up and ran out of the room. We heard him telling his parents that if he had these programs he could write a letter to Sissy. He had a sister away at college to whom he had never been able to write. These programs went with him to a small private school for students with learning disabilities, where he has flourished. Now in High School, this student is still not a proficient reader, but is able to independently complete assignments he would never have tackled a few short years ago."
Occupational Therapist
OH "This is a seventh grade student who is reading at grade level, but who uses letter name phonics as his approach to spelling. His handwriting is poorly formed but legible, but his writing is not readable due to his spelling approach. When introduced to Co:Writer 4000, this student was able to quickly understand the program and could accurately answer one word, or short answer questions. He did not require a training period on the software. After using the program for several months I was approached by his intervention specialist/resource room teacher. Despite now being able to spell, this student could not compose a complete sentence. After four edits of a research paper, there were still sentences in the paper that had no subject. Because this student did not have access to technology supports early in his school career, he did not benefit from the primary grade instruction on how to write a sentence. He is now a Junior High student with very poor writing skills. The moral of this story is — continue to work on the areas of weakness, but at the same time give the student an opportunity to benefit from the other aspects of literacy instruction. Assistive technology is but one of the great ways to accomplish this."
Occupational Therapist
OH "Last year I used Co:Writer 4000 and Write:OutLoud to prepare 5 third grade students how to write essays for ISAT testing. All 5 students scored a 24 or better on their scores. Two even scored a 32, the highest score you can achieve on the essay portion of the test. These students were proud to show off their writing skills. As an Assistive Technology Specialist, this truly one of my most memorable moments as a special education teacher. Thank You for creating such great programs for children to feel success."
Assistive Technology Program Manager
IL "This student is a 4th grader who is reading and comprehending what she reads on grade level. She is a letter-sound phonic (early first grade) speller with performance anxiety that prevents her from putting anything on paper that is incorrect. Because of this, given a 20-minute session for writing in her journal, this student will write two three-word sentences. The words will be two to four letters in length. When asked to dictate a journal entry, during the same 20-minute time period, she will dictate 1½ pages of creative, comprehensive story telling. This student was introduced to Co:Writer® 4000 and given a three-week training period. At the end of the three week period, with Co:Writer® 4000 as a support, this student was able to produce three paragraphs of an average of seven sentences each, in a 20 minute period. The passage was legible, spelled correctly and therefore readable as well. In addition, by the third attempt at spelling "heart" "hart" this student had learned to place the "e" as the second letter in the word. Although students are not allowed to use this sort of assistive technology during state level proficiency testing, Co:Writer® 4000 enabled this student to participate in the full range of tasks necessary in the fourth grade, and to feel good about herself while completing tasks she previously could not perform."
Occupational Therapist
OH A high school student is now able to write about his favorite football team while using the on-screen word prediction program. Co:Writer and the football topic dictionary. His writing has expanded from a three-word sentence to 10-12 word sentences. Co:Writer has empowered his writing! Kidspiration 3
“You are interested in Educational Innovation—that all educators work with tools, methods, strategies, materials, in a different manner to support all learners. You are stretching ‘specialized instruction’ up the ladder and budging right into the world of general education….You are talking “education” not assistive technology.”
Special Education Lead St. Paul, MN Start-to-Finish Library“Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator
Norman, Oklahoma "Recognizing how a child learns is so important. Don's book is a reminder that as good parents and the first teachers of our children, we must remember that children learn differently and at their own pace. The earlier a child learns to be successful with his/her unique abilities, the more self confidence they will have. As a teacher's assistant, I will take Don's message to heart and continue to make time to observe and interact with each child to help them become self advocates for lifelong learning success. Thanks Don for sharing your story!" "Last year I met Jerry Stemach and several others from Don Johnston at the CSUN conference in Los Angeles. I told them that my daughter Jenny uses Ultimate Reader, Co:Writer 4000, Write:OutLoud and that she had read Grave Robber. Grave Robber was the first book that she was able to read and really feel good about. Jerry Stemach was kind enough to autograph three of my books for me to give to Jenny. He asked me to ask her to read them and let him know what she thought of them. She loves each of the books and is always sad to finish them as she always wants more. Jenny continues to use Don Johnston products and the school has recently agreed to upgrade to the current versions. Jenny wears her "Adapt the Computer Teach the Child" shirt (given to me at the conference and was signed by Mr. Stemach and the others that were at the conference) to her IEP's. The software and books have had such a positive impact on her attitude and education. Her regular education program this year includes the use of a laptop in the classroom and your software for class and home use. Thank you again for all you do! I could never express the extent of the positive influence and empowerment your books and software provides to those with special learning needs."
Susan
CA "Thank you again for all you do! I coud never express the extent of the positive influence and empowerment your books and software provides to those with special learning needs." When we first got our grant, the teachers involved looked over everything available and really liked the very first Start-to-Finish books. We built our project around the books. We have 13 fourth grade classes at 7 sites in the project. Participating students are scheduled onto the computers 30 minutes, four times a week. The students read two chapters per week, take the computer tests, take the paper multiple choice test, and do various activities associated with the story, such as making a character map or looking up related themes on the World Book. There are other components to the project, such as a strong teacher training component, regular technical support, an after school program which sometimes used Start-to-Finish books.
The students really like the books, and the teachers are enthusiastic about the interest the books generate and the students' ability to be successful with the material. We had miracle cases in which participating students increased their reading scores by dozens of percentile points, but it was the students' newfound enthusiasm, success, and generating an interest in school and technology that really made a difference.
Kris
CA I have used Literacy Starters and Start-to-Finish books extensively in my self contained L.D. class. They have proven to be of exeptional help in motivating students to practice fluency and comprehension skills. I have used them as independent practice as well as in guided reading sessions. The computer-generated text with the highlighting of words spoken has been a great visual aid for children with visual/motor issues. Literacy Starters and Start-to-Finish books have made my reading curriculum more effective for children with reading disabilities."
"I liked Don's book because we all struggle with bullies and some teachers do share information with other teachers about how we did the year before. I couldn't read well when I was little and was very shy. Everyone thought I was dumb. I became left-handed to compensate and kept falling behind in school. I hated to write and had a speech problem. My mom finally realized I had a lazy eye after taking me to several specialists and many meetings with my teachers. She started reading with me a lot. I have learned how to take notes better and play matching games to remember facts. It took a long time, but I am reading on grade level. I know how Don felt as a kid... that's the way I felt too."
Sadie, 16-year-old teen
PA "After my son and I read Don's book, I could relate to his learning struggles and to him as a person. I had more patience and could communicate with him in a meaningful way. Don's book is a familiar story in our house of how struggling learners cope and how some kids get stereotyped in school. Kids will relate to the things that happened to Don. It will inspire them take action around their learning to overcome their barriers and achieve their lifelong goals as Don has."
Judy, Parent, Educational Publishing
"Don was brave to tell his story. He made me think about my learning struggles, so I asked my teacher if I could take my tests in the hallway. It made a big difference in my test scores."
Alex F., seventh grader
IL This is really a terrific product. The more I see students use it the more I realize the veracity of the previous statement, and the more I appreciate companies like yours. You're all 'good guys' who wear white hats. Start-to-Finish Publishing"I was introduced to your series through a friend, and we have been working together recently to integrate the Orton-Gillingham method in our reading program at Edgewood School. When I told her how effective the Start-to-Finish series are with our kids, she encouraged me to let you know directly. We work with wonderful kids who have intense emotional difficulties and most often, learning disabilities as well. These are bright kids who find very little in the academic world engaging. But...not true with your series! They ask for reading now. One of our 13-year-old guys was recently hospitalized when he felt his life was too meaningless to endure. When we were designing his re-entry, trying to make it appealing and meaningful, he ask to be sure and give him time to "read on that computer program". Thanks for your sensitive, adventure-filled stories. It is making a huge difference for kids who really need it."
Melissa
CA WOW. Thank you so much for developing the Start-to-Finish Books and thanks for continuing to add to the titles of these published books. It is a stunning and welcomed relief to use some ready-made materials that meet my student's needs. Creating materials for bright, teenage students with multiple disabilities is time consuming and there have been so few valuable materials available. I am MOST impressed with the first Start-to-Finish book that I have presented. I usually purchase these items on my own so I am already saving for my next investment. Just wanted you to know how you made my day.
Julie
CA “Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator
Norman, Oklahoma "I like the voice they use. It sounds just like they are in the room reading to you. The voice they use really keeps me interested."
Student
KY "Last year I met Jerry Stemach and several others from Don Johnston at the CSUN conference in Los Angeles. I told them that my daughter Jenny uses Ultimate Reader, Co:Writer 4000, Write:OutLoud and that she had read Grave Robber. Grave Robber was the first book that she was able to read and really feel good about. Jerry Stemach was kind enough to autograph three of my books for me to give to Jenny. He asked me to ask her to read them and let him know what she thought of them. She loves each of the books and is always sad to finish them as she always wants more. Jenny continues to use Don Johnston products and the school has recently agreed to upgrade to the current versions. Jenny wears her "Adapt the Computer Teach the Child" shirt (given to me at the conference and was signed by Mr. Stemach and the others that were at the conference) to her IEP's. The software and books have had such a positive impact on her attitude and education. Her regular education program this year includes the use of a laptop in the classroom and your software for class and home use. Thank you again for all you do! I could never express the extent of the positive influence and empowerment your books and software provides to those with special learning needs."
Susan
CA "Thank you again for all you do! I coud never express the extent of the positive influence and empowerment your books and software provides to those with special learning needs." "I liked Don's book because we all struggle with bullies and some teachers do share information with other teachers about how we did the year before. I couldn't read well when I was little and was very shy. Everyone thought I was dumb. I became left-handed to compensate and kept falling behind in school. I hated to write and had a speech problem. My mom finally realized I had a lazy eye after taking me to several specialists and many meetings with my teachers. She started reading with me a lot. I have learned how to take notes better and play matching games to remember facts. It took a long time, but I am reading on grade level. I know how Don felt as a kid... that's the way I felt too."
Sadie, 16-year-old teen
PA "After my son and I read Don's book, I could relate to his learning struggles and to him as a person. I had more patience and could communicate with him in a meaningful way. Don's book is a familiar story in our house of how struggling learners cope and how some kids get stereotyped in school. Kids will relate to the things that happened to Don. It will inspire them take action around their learning to overcome their barriers and achieve their lifelong goals as Don has."
Judy, Parent, Educational Publishing
"I just introduced Jan, my longtime dyslexic adult student, to Start-to-Finish for the first time. I'd had the books for a long time but had thought that Jan read too well to need them. Well this week she noticed them on my shelves, so I gave her The Race Inside Me: The Story of Wilma Rudolph and was I ever surprised by the results! First surprise was that she did not read fluently with the book alone. She stumbled over names and some unfamiliar words such as whooping cough and hot toddy. So I put the computer disk in and she listened to the narrator read the first two pages and then read it herself with great expression and enthusiasm, clicking on words for occasional support. She continued through the rest of the chapter with great gusto. But that wasn't the best part! To appreciate this, you should know that Jan had quit school in the seventh grade because of the humiliation of not being able to read. Her dread of paper and pencil tests has kept her from attending adult school -she has trouble keeping her place on the page, going back and forth between questions and answers, word boxes and blanks, entry words and definitions, etc. So I approached the tests at the end of the chapter with some trepidation. But she breezed right through them (with no speech support) and got all the answers right. Was she ever thrilled! Then I printed out the next chapter's tests for her to use at home with the book and the audiotapes. She's also independently practicing the words on the Key Word table and nailing that new vocabulary!. What a confidence booster!"
Speech Language Pathologist
CA I have done several demos of your Start-to-Finish Books since the start of this school year.... mostly to small combined groups of teachers, parents and administrators. It never fails. Every time they listen to the voice that reads the text, they comment on how wonderful it sounds and how far voice technology has come in the past few years. Sometimes I think it is the icing on the cake that sells the product, the comments are that enthusiastic and that consistent. See what great judgment you have? It was absolutely worth it to hire a professional actor. I would never have guesstimated that it would leave such a large, positive impression. Although, I must admit, the guy does have a great voice. The second most frequently heard comment is usually by teachers who multi-task all day long. They are thrilled that their students can use the product so independently. And finally, the parents in my groups love that their children can bring the book and tape home, not only for reinforcement of learning but also to demonstrate and re-experience success at home. This is really a terrific product. The more I see students use it the more I realize the veracity of the previous statement, and the more I appreciate companies like yours. You're all 'good guys' who wear white hats."
Jan
IL "Don was brave to tell his story. He made me think about my learning struggles, so I asked my teacher if I could take my tests in the hallway. It made a big difference in my test scores."
Alex F., seventh grader
IL "Every educator should have a copy of Building Wings as a reminder of what one teacher can do to help a child reach their optimal learning zone."
Fairfax, VA
This is really a terrific product. The more I see students use it the more I realize the veracity of the previous statement, and the more I appreciate companies like yours. You're all 'good guys' who wear white hats. "Don Johnston's Literacy Starters would be a great addition to any classroom. The different level text (emergent, transitional, conventional) for each thematic topic provides teachers with the ability to differentiate instruction and further develop literacy skills. In addition, the early literacy skills checklists are instructionally relevant and useful tools that can be quickly administered with little preperation."
Special Services Teacher
Schaumburg, IL
"I can't tell you how much I enjoyed seeing some of the new titles
coming out with the Start-to-Finish books at FETC in Orlando.
I am the Literacy Lab Coordinator for a 6th grade Deaf Department at School for the Deaf and Blind. We have about 35 students who rotate through my lab on a daily basis for 30 minutes each day. I have 5 computers. The lab is designed to offer additional support in reading to our students in a small group setting (3-5 students). The students work on the computers with various reading and language software, participate in sustained silent reading, and work with me individually or in small groups increasing their use of various reading strategies or, in many cases, direct instruction in utilizing reading strategies. As you can imagine reading is a difficult task for our deaf/hard-of-hearing students. The impairment is often considered more of a language barrier. It's very hard to learn to read English if you have no or limited auditory abilities. American Sign Language is a visual language. A language in its own right, but not English. Your Start-to-Finish books have been a big hit in my room. I have never seen such interest in books with so few pictures. The students beg to use the CD's. Let me tell you how we started and what we did. We started with one of the first 3 Nick Ford Mysteries. I chose Grave Robber as our first book. Naturally, we worked a lot on pre-reading strategies. We studied the characters, and invented name signs for them in sign language, and studied the setting (lots of work on where is St. Louis, what is the Gateway Arch). We made predictions, studied vocabulary, learned a bit about the Civil War, AND we drank Mug Root Beer! We studied the idioms in the book, something extremely difficult for deaf students to understand. To aid in this pre-reading process, I enlarged the cover and back of the book on our copy machine, copied the pictures at the beginning of each chapter, and glued everything on colored tag board, laminated it, and made a display of the story on a cut in half science display board. It's looks so neat and I can use it again and again. The students mark each chapter read by putting a stamp next to their name on a chart on the board. No grades listed, just a stamp. It's an easy visual for me as they come in the room swearing it is their turn to use the CD. Everyone moves at their own pace. Many students are quite independent. Others need support and others, yet want so badly to read the story, but do not have the proficiency in reading, that I sign the chapter to them and then we work on the cloze test together. Others have been so excited to finish the CD, that they ask to read some chapters in the book and then the next day they will take the test on the CD. They love the bar graph! I have seen many, on their own, choose to read a chapter again because they didn't like the looks of their bar graph! I'm not kidding. I can tell you one thing for sure after previewing the new books. I noticed the difference in the teacher's folder where you have added the idioms and characters/names worksheets. WOW, I love it. I can't tell you how much time that saves me, and how much our kids need it."
Kathy FL Start-to-Finish Blue Library“Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator
Norman, Oklahoma "Recognizing how a child learns is so important. Don's book is a reminder that as good parents and the first teachers of our children, we must remember that children learn differently and at their own pace. The earlier a child learns to be successful with his/her unique abilities, the more self confidence they will have. As a teacher's assistant, I will take Don's message to heart and continue to make time to observe and interact with each child to help them become self advocates for lifelong learning success. Thanks Don for sharing your story!" "Thank you again for all you do! I coud never express the extent of the positive influence and empowerment your books and software provides to those with special learning needs." "I liked Don's book because we all struggle with bullies and some teachers do share information with other teachers about how we did the year before. I couldn't read well when I was little and was very shy. Everyone thought I was dumb. I became left-handed to compensate and kept falling behind in school. I hated to write and had a speech problem. My mom finally realized I had a lazy eye after taking me to several specialists and many meetings with my teachers. She started reading with me a lot. I have learned how to take notes better and play matching games to remember facts. It took a long time, but I am reading on grade level. I know how Don felt as a kid... that's the way I felt too."
Sadie, 16-year-old teen
PA This is really a terrific product. The more I see students use it the more I realize the veracity of the previous statement, and the more I appreciate companies like yours. You're all 'good guys' who wear white hats. Building Wings, the new autobiography Start-to-Finish book by Don Johnston, has enlightened my students about themselves as learners. They realize now that they just learn differently and can accomplish anything they set their minds to learn. Don's book has given them self confidence about their abilities and gifts.
Jennifer Fairfax, VA Read:OutLoud
“You are interested in Educational Innovation—that all educators work with tools, methods, strategies, materials, in a different manner to support all learners. You are stretching ‘specialized instruction’ up the ladder and budging right into the world of general education….You are talking “education” not assistive technology.”
Special Education Lead
St. Paul, MN "I have been a traveling resource teacher for students with physical disabilities and an Assistive Technology Specialist for students with a variety of learning disabilities for over 20 years. My students vary in ages from 4 to14 years and have a wide range of academic abilities. They are all in general educations classes or in special day classes, depending on their individual needs. Having the new SOLO software package available for these students to use makes adapting curriculum to their individual needs much easier. Some of the younger students use just one part of the programs such as Write:OutLoud to write daily journals or take spelling tests. Other students use Draft:Builder to start report writing and continue on with Write:OutLoud and Co:Writer. All of the students enjoy having text read to them in Read:OutLoud. One of the biggest advantages of the SOLO package is that students can use the sections of the program they need at the time and continue to use, learn and grow with the programs as they go on to high school and college. SOLO can work for students in kindergarten and has features that help students all the way up through college. This makes SOLO a very flexible and cost effect program for schools, students and families."
Itinerant Teacher
El Cajon, CA “Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator
Norman, Oklahoma "Read:OutLoud is such a versatile tool. It will provide teachers with an easy way to build student comprehension and thinking skills while using authentic, curriculum-based text."
Assistive Technology Specialist Fairfax, VA Start-to-Finish Gold Library“Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator
Norman, Oklahoma "Recognizing how a child learns is so important. Don's book is a reminder that as good parents and the first teachers of our children, we must remember that children learn differently and at their own pace. The earlier a child learns to be successful with his/her unique abilities, the more self confidence they will have. As a teacher's assistant, I will take Don's message to heart and continue to make time to observe and interact with each child to help them become self advocates for lifelong learning success. Thanks Don for sharing your story!" "Last year I met Jerry Stemach and several others from Don Johnston at the CSUN conference in Los Angeles. I told them that my daughter Jenny uses Ultimate Reader, Co:Writer 4000, Write:OutLoud and that she had read Grave Robber. Grave Robber was the first book that she was able to read and really feel good about. Jerry Stemach was kind enough to autograph three of my books for me to give to Jenny. He asked me to ask her to read them and let him know what she thought of them. She loves each of the books and is always sad to finish them as she always wants more. Jenny continues to use Don Johnston products and the school has recently agreed to upgrade to the current versions. Jenny wears her "Adapt the Computer Teach the Child" shirt (given to me at the conference and was signed by Mr. Stemach and the others that were at the conference) to her IEP's. The software and books have had such a positive impact on her attitude and education. Her regular education program this year includes the use of a laptop in the classroom and your software for class and home use. Thank you again for all you do! I could never express the extent of the positive influence and empowerment your books and software provides to those with special learning needs."
Susan
CA "Thank you again for all you do! I coud never express the extent of the positive influence and empowerment your books and software provides to those with special learning needs." This is really a terrific product. The more I see students use it the more I realize the veracity of the previous statement, and the more I appreciate companies like yours. You're all 'good guys' who wear white hats. Simon S.I.O.
“You are interested in Educational Innovation—that all educators work with tools, methods, strategies, materials, in a different manner to support all learners. You are stretching ‘specialized instruction’ up the ladder and budging right into the world of general education….You are talking “education” not assistive technology.”
Special Education Lead
St. Paul, MN “Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator Norman, Oklahoma Start-to-Finish Core Content“Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator
Norman, Oklahoma "Thank you again for all you do! I coud never express the extent of the positive influence and empowerment your books and software provides to those with special learning needs." Incite Titles
“You are interested in Educational Innovation—that all educators work with tools, methods, strategies, materials, in a different manner to support all learners. You are stretching ‘specialized instruction’ up the ladder and budging right into the world of general education….You are talking “education” not assistive technology.”
Special Education Lead St. Paul, MN Picture It
“You are interested in Educational Innovation—that all educators work with tools, methods, strategies, materials, in a different manner to support all learners. You are stretching ‘specialized instruction’ up the ladder and budging right into the world of general education….You are talking “education” not assistive technology.”
Special Education Lead St. Paul, MN Start-to-Finish Blue Core Content“Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator
Norman, Oklahoma "Thank you again for all you do! I coud never express the extent of the positive influence and empowerment your books and software provides to those with special learning needs." SOLO Literacy Suite"One of the biggest advantages of the SOLO package is that students can use the sections of the program they need at the time and continue to use, learn and grow with the programs as they go on to high school and college. SOLO can work for students in kindergarten and has features that help students all the way up through college. This makes SOLO a very flexible and cost effect program for schools, students and families." Since our purchase of SOLO, students’ creative writing has come alive! A high school student is now able to write about his favorite football team while using the on-screen word prediction program, Co:Writer and the football topic dictionary. His writing has expanded from a 3-word sentence to 10-12 word sentences. Co:Writer has empowered his writing!
Beth B, Assistive Technology Resource Teacher
“You are interested in Educational Innovation—that all educators work with tools, methods, strategies, materials, in a different manner to support all learners. You are stretching ‘specialized instruction’ up the ladder and budging right into the world of general education….You are talking “education” not assistive technology.”
Special Education Lead
St. Paul, MN "I have been a traveling resource teacher for students with physical disabilities and an Assistive Technology Specialist for students with a variety of learning disabilities for over 20 years. My students vary in ages from 4 to14 years and have a wide range of academic abilities. They are all in general educations classes or in special day classes, depending on their individual needs. Having the new SOLO software package available for these students to use makes adapting curriculum to their individual needs much easier. Some of the younger students use just one part of the programs such as Write:OutLoud to write daily journals or take spelling tests. Other students use Draft:Builder to start report writing and continue on with Write:OutLoud and Co:Writer. All of the students enjoy having text read to them in Read:OutLoud. One of the biggest advantages of the SOLO package is that students can use the sections of the program they need at the time and continue to use, learn and grow with the programs as they go on to high school and college. SOLO can work for students in kindergarten and has features that help students all the way up through college. This makes SOLO a very flexible and cost effect program for schools, students and families."
Itinerant Teacher
El Cajon, CA “Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator
Norman, Oklahoma "Thank you again for all you do! I coud never express the extent of the positive influence and empowerment your books and software provides to those with special learning needs." "Since our purchase of SOLO, students’ creative writing has come alive!"
Beth
Gillette, WI SOLO has empowered many students in different education settings to become more comfortable with the writing process. They particularly like the drag and drop feature of Draft:Builder because they don't have to re-write their work. Using Don Johnston's software builds student confidence as they prepare for high stakes Virginia standardized tests. "Don Johnston’s latest technology achievement, SOLO, is the solution that we have been searching for — a program that truly includes all aspects of the reading/writing continuum into one, comprehensive program."
Assistive Technology Specialist
CA “By adapting the assignments to scaffolded learning, SOLO allows educators to easily and efficiently differentiate learning supports to increase time on task and maximize learning. SOLO is also independent enough that if well taught, a student can utilize SOLO in a workstation/center to meet individual instructional plans.”
Lead Dyslexia Teacher
Pflugerville, TX "This is a seventh grade student who is reading at grade level, but who uses letter name phonics as his approach to spelling. His handwriting is poorly formed but legible, but his writing is not readable due to his spelling approach. When introduced to Co:Writer 4000, this student was able to quickly understand the program and could accurately answer one word, or short answer questions. He did not require a training period on the software. After using the program for several months I was approached by his intervention specialist/resource room teacher. Despite now being able to spell, this student could not compose a complete sentence. After four edits of a research paper, there were still sentences in the paper that had no subject. Because this student did not have access to technology supports early in his school career, he did not benefit from the primary grade instruction on how to write a sentence. He is now a Junior High student with very poor writing skills. The moral of this story is — continue to work on the areas of weakness, but at the same time give the student an opportunity to benefit from the other aspects of literacy instruction. Assistive technology is but one of the great ways to accomplish this."
Occupational Therapist
OH Today during a bathroom break and while all but one student was out of the room, I asked another student if he was ready to help me get our classroom organized better and set up a computer in a different place. After defining what organized meant, and cleaning the dust bunnies from behind the computer and my desk, we set up a free standing IBM computer on my teacher desk, turned my desk side ways so students could gather around it easily, and loaded SOLO onto it. Having a 5 min. crash course with Co:Writer, and playing around with a very old version of it that was loaded onto the computer a month ago, I figured we could figure this out. After assigning a friendship letter writing assignment to the class, differentiating the assignment began. One student had begun to cry as he was frustrated and overwhelmed. We had just talked yesterday about how when I was in CA at the conference, I was asking a lot of questions and learning ways to help me do a better a job at teaching reading and writing. He agreed to check out the writing software. We learned together. He was asked to tell three things about himself. He started to type: I....am ....a.... "d" (then clicked on all the choices in the word prediction, heard all the D words, then looked at me, I asked "What?" He said "These are all D words. “I asked him, " How can you fix it?" He went back and typed a "b" and found "boy". Then he typed, I.... said, "got", sounded out the g, clicked on the word choices till he found got, then typed .....nis...found ...nice....then typed....shuz.....then found shoes. As he smiled up at me, I was now the one about to cry. I asked him to type one more sentence describing himself, then to begin the next part typing about three things he liked. ....He was off and running, typing by himself. As I went across to room to support another student, I looked up and saw him independently writing...WOW!!! How powerful was that! Giving him a complement from across the room, "Hey! You like a business man working hard in his office. Check you out!!!" He tried hard not to look too proud and kept on typing. In 15 minutes, he had completed 4 sentences, and was ready to keep going! This afternoon I tutored another student. We sat down at the computer and she decided she wanted to type me notes and I would type back. She typed, "How was you trip to CA?" I wrote back about how it was fun, but that the most exciting part was learning cool and better ways to teach and that I really think this software will make reading and writing easier for her (and named all the other students in the class). She typed back "That is great, but what about the home work?" How awesome was that!!! "I have been using Don Johnston products for years and have found them to be an integral part of our student’s programs throughout our county schools. As a county that uses Mac products frequently throughout our programs, I work to integrate technology into our classrooms and homes for students who struggle in the area of reading and writing. Don Johnston’s latest technology achievement, SOLO, is the solution that we have been searching for – a program that truly includes all aspects of the reading/writing continuum into one, comprehensive program. I see students effortlessly using the supports that are automatically integrated into their products to succeed in projects that were never before possible. Utilizing the supports that Apple has put into their products with SOLO, I am excited to see this breakthrough for our teachers and students to structure writing into easy-to-understand components that help us to break down and dissect the process to be able to clearly see the area of difficulty and overcome learning barriers. I envision this product continuing to grow and expand to reach a wider range of students throughout the learning experience."
Assistive Technology Specialist
San Rafael, CA As I went across to room to support another student, I looked up and saw him independently writing...WOW!!! Incite
“You are interested in Educational Innovation—that all educators work with tools, methods, strategies, materials, in a different manner to support all learners. You are stretching ‘specialized instruction’ up the ladder and budging right into the world of general education….You are talking “education” not assistive technology.”
Special Education Lead
St. Paul, MN “Don Johnston Incorporated is uniquely different because the vision is like no other company. The ideas come from someone who has personal insight into student difficulties, thus making the products so valuable. The products and services differ because they seem to be more in-depth and have real application.”
Coordinator Norman, Oklahoma | |