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Research into RSVP is still controversial though it is clear that it can help some people read much faster than they would normally. Most PDAs have very small screens in comparison to desktop computer monitors. Using a smaller screen means that the text is often smaller than usual. Reading from the screen requires much more eye movement since the eye must make the 'return carriage' style movement more often due to the smaller displayed sentence width. Users with a visual impairment or specific learning difficulty may find reading from a PDA screen more tiring than from a paper copy. The other problem with the small screen is that the user loses their relative position in the entire text; this is particularly true for those with a memory problem and/or spatial awareness difficulty.
When reading using RSVP the user does not use Sub-vocalization or pronounce words in the head whilst reading. Sub-vocalization can be hard to stop when reading normally but when using RSVP it forces the reader to avoid this occurrence due to the speed. RSVP can help some people with specific learning difficulties and the method induces increased concentration. Finally it may help to increase overall reading speeds. 'Reading from a Palm Pilot Using RSVP' research from Wichita State University Psychology Department
This application allows simple RSVP to be used on the Palm. The user can read text from Palm Doc files and files imported via the Windows Conduit. The program can be used to directly open the Palm Mail application and read emails. The application has two views, one of the text with word selection and then a resume facility to continue the RSVP presentation from that word. The other interface is the RSVP screen for making a a choice of three font sizes (chosen from the previous interface preference menu selection). The RSVP screen consists of a black background speckled with grey dots and the flashing text in yellow. To adjust reading speeds, the hardware page up/down keys are used. Each press of the "Up" arrow increases the reading speed by 25 wpm; each press of the "Down" arrow decreases the reading speed by 25 wpm. The current speed is displayed in a little window in the lower left corner of the screen. Taping on the RSVP screen pauses the text and returns the user to the other display. When Rapid Reader is paused, these keys are used for document navigation and have no effect on reading speed.
This is a highly customisable RSVP program for the Pocket PC. The user can set the colour of the text and background. The application allows specific adjustments to the time delay given after each punctuation mark (and long words) to aid comprehension. The user can also adjust the speed of the display, pause and navigate back and forth through the text on the main screen. The main screen of the application shows a dialog box that shows the context of the word being presented within the text. The word within the dialog is also highlighted so that the user can track the location of the words being presented. This could be useful in training users to read at a specific (or higher than normal) pace when reading text from paper. Below the RSVP text there is a Colour-Bar that will gradually change colour as each word in the sentence is displayed, giving the user a sense of the word's location in the sentence. The application can read from text files and anything that has been copied and pasted from the clipboard.
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Student benefit from being able to produce their own reference materials and for those with disabilities, having choices about how this work is presented is vital. The materials can be made from lecture notes, copied textbook entries, quotes and references, subject-specific dictionary definitions, memos, old essays etc.
Reference Database - TomeRaider (Shareware)
This application runs on Palm OS, Pocket PC and Windows. Many freeware database files are available in the TomeRaider format from Memoware. The TomeRaider interface is easy to use and consists of two main views (the list of file names and the open files). The application allows the users to search quickly through the entire database via a keyboard or stylus. Bookmarks can be added. The TomeRaider files are text only but have some RFT formatting. In Pocket PC and Palm OS with a choice of three fonts. The TomeRaider format is highly compressed and can be used uniformly through all three platforms.
The PDA versions are Read-only and do not allow the user to make or add files on the go. However the windows application allows for the creation of personalised databases.
Free form databases mean that searches do not need to be field specific so a student with dyslexia who finds it hard to remember where he or she as stored ideas does not have to remember specific file names or folders and only partial names need to be typed into the search boxes.
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Dictionaries can be extremely useful to those with a specific learning difficulty if they encounter a word they do not know the meaning of. Thesauruses can provide a way of find out word of similar meanings with intricate difference that a person with a learning difficulty might not be able to remember.
Palm OS has no native dictionary or thesaurus though many are available as additional applications.
BDicty Dictionary Reader
(Shareware)
This is a simple to use application that is available in a freeware and shareware version. With the version you can lookup words from within any other application, user dictionaries, foreign language dictionaries, and a variety of dictionaries databases are available (at extra cost) of differences sizes and for specialist content. The dictionary for a has a high data compression which take les memory space. The application interface has two view modes with adjustable display panes and adjustable font sizes. The application also supports memory card using VFS.
This American dictionary has definitions for over 100,000 words. With phonetic spell correction to help the user find words even if you don't know how to spell them. Inflection technology allows the user to type in any form of a word and find its root entry, e.g., typing "has" will bring up "have". Wildcard search capability allows for the use of prefixes, suffixes, and other common word elements.
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The Pocket PC platform has an in-built spell checking database but no dictionary reference material.
This application provides full dictionary definitions including parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb). The dictionary can also be used to spell check words or to refine your use of a word such that a similar word can be looked up in the dictionary.
Multi-lingual Dictionary (Shareware)
Pocket Thesaurus is a 55,000-word dictionary providing synonyms for frequently used words. The dictionary can also be used to spell check words or to refine your use of a word such that a similar word can be looked up in the dictionary.
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