Talking Dictionaries Prepare Learners for Computer Use

Product: Franklin KID-1240 Children's Talking Dictionary and Spell Corrector


Price: $35-$50


Available: online from retailers like IndependentLiving.com and amazon.


What I like: 

• clear computerized voice (students can begin getting used to the type digital voice that they will encounter when they begin computer training)
• letter keys are arranged like a computer keyboard and say the names as you type so learners can teach themselves the location of the keys (also good preparation for future computer use).
• The price is right.  Many students are able to afford a dictionary at this cost or State Services counselors are often willing to pay for one.
• It has a headphone jack so that learners can work independently without disturbing other students.
• definitions are simple enough for high beginning and low intermediate learners to begin to understand.

What I don't like:

• There are no tactile marks on the keys to guide learners.
• The built-in vocabulary and spelling games are largely unaccessible for visually impaired students.

How I use it:

• As a stepping stone to future computer use.  Blind learners who have not yet attended computer training in an Adjustment To Blindness (ATB) program are not able to use computers during English class.  Instead, I provide those learners with a talking dictionary. Their first task is to teach themselves the location of the keys and how to enter words and listen to the definition.

• As reinforcement for spelling and vocabulary.  Learners will use it initially to practice typing words they know and listening for the definition.  If it is a word from a spelling or vocabulary list that we are studying, I might ask them to listen for and write down the correct definition. The dictionary often gives multiple definitions for a word.