How to use Technology to Read for Me “When my teachers create papers and hand them out to the class, I sometimes have a hard time reading all that text. In the past, I had to have another person read the text aloud to me to “get it.� Now there is a solution at school, which helps me be more independent. I know, the computer voice does sound a little bit like a computer. But, I got used to it pretty quickly. I love that I can read documents more independently now.� Here’s an example: The computer can read printed text in an electronic format like WORD or EXCEL. Using Universal Reader, I can pick the voice that the computer uses to read a document “live� to me in the classroom or computer lab. Any document can also be converted to a sound recording of the computer reading the words. Using Premiere text-to-audio converter, a document can be converted to an MP3 sound file that I can play at home on my ipod or on my computer on the default sound player. The computer usually has a sound player installed and it comes up automatically. To get the mp3 file home, I would need a thumb drive. To install the sound file on my iPod, I would need the iPod cord or docking station. The cords usually come in the box with the iPod. “This is a great solution for me in most cases. I love if for History, Science, and English classes. Math is another story. It works best in math for longer word problems that are written in sentences and paragraphs. It doesn’t read numbers and formulas very well. My teacher still has to help me decipher those sometimes. Occasionally, the computer does read words differently than they are written. For example Did I read it? Yes I read it. But I can ask if I’m confused by that. The context usually helps me figure it out. I can also repeat it as many times as I want to.�