Educational Technology Innovation and Impact/Assistive Technology/PDAs to support Dyslexic Students

People with dyslexia have difficulty with words as the brain process deals with language differently than non dyslexic sufferers. Dyslexic people often lack the skills required when learning how to read and write. Students with dyslexia often have problems with spelling, keeping appointments and managing their time which can be very stressful particularly around exam times. For further details please visit The British Dyslexic Association. One tool on the market for Dyslexic students is a Personal Digital Assistant (P.D.A.). A PDA is a personal organiser usually of pocket size that come or (can be purchased) with a variety of software programs that will aide dyslexic students overcome some of their difficulties that they encounter when studying. As technology advances so do PDA’s with many on the market now having wireless network facilities allowing easy access to the Internet and email facilities. This article will provide an account of how this tool can be used for students with dyslexia in their everyday lives and what features are specifically useful to them rather than a description of the technological capabilities of a PDA.

PDA’s provide some easy options for organising and planning your work. The built in organiser functionality is an electronic diary that will allow the user to set reminders similar to using post-it notes and have screen savers with alarm setting using built in sound devices. Dyslexic sufferers are often prone to short term memory loss and this is just one of the features that will help them. Students can record lesson and exam timetables and even include locations as the organiser has a scheduling option similar to Microsoft Outlook. If the user is familiar with using Microsoft Office applications this software can also be installed and used on a PDA.

Using a PDA for taking notes is extremely useful as they come with a built in keyboard. You can use a Stylus (electronic pen) to tap in your notes; however, there are several keyboards available that can be attached to the PDA if the user plans to input a lot of information. The note taking and word processing software come with spell checker functionality which will be invaluable to the dyslexic student. Dyslexic suffers often have difficulty with organising their thoughts clearly and if students like creating ideas using images then using mind maps is a useful tool to aide them. Mind-mapping software is readily available on the market and can be installed on a PDA.

One major advantage of using a PDA is its synchronisation capability. Synchronisation allows the user to update information from a PDA to a Personal Computer keeping it current and making it easily accessible wherever and whenever required. Synchronisation is an easy way to install programs and transfer files from one device to the other thus making it quicker and avoids duplication.

In conclusion, PDAs have a lot of valuable features that will help dyslexia suffers to overcome some of the difficulties they face when studying.