PRODUCT REVIEWS
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Technology & Learning Magazine, May 2007 Issue, SOLO Reading and Writing Products Review by Jaime Keller |
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Learning and Leading with Technology Magazine, February 2007, Writing Tools for Differentiating Instruction by Sean J. Smith, Kylie Stewart and Diana Greer (PDF Format) |
TESTIMONIALS
Dear Mr. Johnston, I just finished reading your autobiography Building Wings. It was so good that I finished it in one day. I couldn't put it down. I read it through recess and snuck peeks in during all of my classes except resource because I had to read it to test Dragon. See I really liked your book because I felt as if I had a best friend that had the same reading disability and that understood what is going through. Also I want to thank you for creating both Cowriter and Write out Loud. I use both for homework and stuff I find on the Internet things that I can't read. Before I used , Cowriter and Write out Loud, I struggled in every class I felt . Everyone could read or write or could do a lot . I got picked on. Then my special-education teacher Ms. Craig, told me that I qualify for an alpha smart and maybe a program called Write out Loud with Cowriter so I could do more of my assignments for all my teachers. After I got used to Cowriter and Write out Loud, I had to go to middle school I thought that I would not be able to use all of the technology that I had gotten in elementary school. When I got to middle school my special education teacher Ms. Corwin, told me that I would still be able to use my office more and a new program called Solo. Now I use Solo all the time. And I don't use an alpha smart more but a fusion writer. And I'm training with Dragon. Well I just have one favor to ask you could you please send me and autographed of your book.
Sincerely Annabel
“My daughter uses Co:Writer and Write:OutLoud and has been a junior counselor for two years at the Fairfax Summer “Write-On” Camp. She spoke at the Washington Press Club in 2006 to share her learning successes. Recently she received her 6th grade VA SOL test scores with a Pass/Advance in reading, math and history and was recommended for honors classes. These successes have given her great confidence going into Middle School! This is a strong validation to the power of combining skillful teaching with quality technology tools. What a difference you make in children’s lives!”
Sincerely,
Mrs. MaryAnn Gaughan,
Fairfax, Virginia
“I am an assistive technologist and recommend word prediction when a student needs strong support for spelling, when more typical supports, such as the spell check feature in Microsoft Word or an electronic dictionary, are not sufficient in helping the student edit his or her spelling. Co:Writer specifically helps students who are phonetic spellers. It is beneficial for students who need auditory support since they cannot recognize the correct word in the prediction list or because they do not pay attention to what they have typed and need the auditory feedback to recognize when they have made a spelling or word error. Students with learning disabilities will appreciate this linguistic word prediction tool!”
Jodie Hulden, Assistive Technology Specialist,
Special Services
Sweetwater Union High School District,
Chula Vista, CA
Steven L. Wood wrote… “We saw results with our special education students that are amazing! Students who had difficulty putting phrases together are now writing complete sentences. Students who struggled to write more than one sentence are now writing good paragraphs. Our star students who already mastered writing good paragraphs are writing short, informative compositions and loving it! I give Co:Writer a qualified thumbs-up overall. It's a tremendous teaching tool for challenged writers!”
Math Help for Special Needs Students Online: Co:Writer 4000 Review by Steven L. Wood, 2003
“Without Co:Writer and Write:OutLoud my students’ work is simplistic and limited due to the words they know they can spell or use. With these programs, their writing comes alive with new vocabulary and a liberated sense of self-expression”. Annie, Santa Fe, NM
"After using Don Johnston writing interventions, many fifth-graders identified as very poor writers passed our Standards of Learning Assessment—we owe much of this success to strong supports in the writing interventions used throughout the year". Cheryl Temple, Ph.D., Coordinator, Assistive Technology Services, Fairfax County Public Schools