Reviews

Literacy in words and pictures
Ability, Spring 2000

Dr John Hegarty, director of computer applications to special education at Keele University, reviews a BETT 2000 award winner:

Clicker is an award-winning, and frequently used, software package which is designed to give writing support to people, such as younger children and those with special needs, who have difficulties with writing. They may have problems because of physical disabilities (for example, holding a pen or pencil, or in using a keyboard) or in expressing themselves. In fact, Clicker was originally intended to aid access to writing for switch users, but has now evolved into a sophisticated writing support package for peo­ple at different levels of literacy.

Clicker has two main components, seen in the upper and lower parts of the screen. The upper part is a word processor ‘Clicker Writer the lower part displays ‘grids’. The principle of the software is that the teacher, alone or in collaboration with stu­dents, creates a grid for a particu­lar purpose.

Grids contain cells, each of which contains a picture or a word. When the grid is finished, children can click on individual cells, and the contents are then placed in the word processor. When the child has finished writ­ing the result can be printed, edit­ed, saved or (in Clicker 4) emailed. In this way the phrase ‘I like to eat fish and chips’ can be written and printed by someone who needs access help — such as children with severe cerebral palsy or those who need help with spelling. Equally, children asked to write about a more advanced class topic, perhaps on the Egyptians, can see grids with a range of appropriate, spe­cialist vocabulary which they might like to include in their writ­ing assignment.

A range of options in Clicker 4 allows this basic principle to be flexible and sophisticated. For example, the computer can speak aloud words and pictures in cells if it is fitted with an appropriate soundcard. Different sizes of grids can be created and cells can be colour coded (helpful, perhaps, to prompt children about syntax). Depending on the picture files a word can automatically add a picture to it.

Clicker 4 has an extended range of features, including easy-to-use templates, such as ones for creating your own multimedia books, cell adjustment and file management, multimedia fea­tures with graphic and text boxes, and the possibility of linking to video and midi files.

Clicker Writer has been com­pletely re-written and all docu­ments are now written in html for web access and email. It also has its own powerful spell checker with speech and picture support. A particular feature is that it can be tailored to individual children’s errors. This makes it possible for the spell checker to show only some words as mis-spelt, prevent­ing the possible demotivation of being told most of them are wrong. The spell checker can also be used as an in-built thesaurus suggesting optional synonyms for children who frequently use the same word.

Clicker 4 extends this well-known software which has become an educational standard. It can be used in many different ways and can be customised to individual children’s par­ticular curricu­lum compo­nents. It can also be used collaboratively with children, aiding awareness, creativity and language expression. This latest version has additional features, but introduces spell checking and modern multimedia capability for the first time. The ability to send documents by email will be very attractive to teachers and children alike, as will the possibility of publishing children’s own work as books or on websites.

Crick’s website is worth a visit. As well as product information it contains examples of grids you can download, free resources for hard-pressed teachers or students.

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