Kurzweil 3000 Tutorial

1. Introduction & Basic Overview
2. Sign on to Kurzweil 3000
3. Toolbars
4. Getting Around K3000
1. Shortcuts
2. Options Window
• General Tab
• Reading Tab
• Text Tab
• Image Tab
• Magnifier Tab
• Study Skills Tab
• Scanning Tab
• Test Taking Tab
3. Reading
• Fit
• Zoom
• Rotate
• Placement
4. Hear the Voice You Wish

5. Customize Highlighting Colors
6. Easy Reference Help
7. Inserting Annotations
• Add Typed Notes
• Add Sticky Notes
• Add Text Notes
• Add Voice Notes
8. Using Annotations
   • Opening an Annotation
   • Speak Notes Automatically
   • Edit a typed, sticky, or text note
   • Moving Text Notes
   • Moving or Resizing Sticky Notes
   • Deleting an Annotation
9. Using Highlights
10. Using Bookmarks
11. Viewing Annotations
12. Extracting Notes and Highlights
13. Magnifying Word Read by Kurzweil 3000
5. Other Features of Kurzweil 3000

Introduction & Overview   

One type of Assistive technology appears in the form of Kurzweil , a text-to-speech program that enables the scanning of documents and the conversion of text in audio form that can be read back to the student. In addition, it has reference features that allow the student to easily look up (and hear) definitions, synonyms, spellings, and pronunciations of words. Furthermore, it offers study skills tools that offer the capability of highlighting and bookmarking the electronic text, and creating marginal, voice, sticky, and end notes.

Return to Top of Page Sign on to Kurzweil 3000  Return to Top of Page

When opening K3000, you will be prompted to create and enter a username at a pop-up window. Any name you choose maybe entered at this point. Select Yes when prompted to add file. This action will create a specific user account that will save individual user documents and program settings in the following path:

My Documents/Kurzweil Educational Systems/Kurzweil 3000.

Return to Top of Page

Toolbars    Return to Top of Page

Toolbars provide a very user-friendly way of navigating the majority of functions in K3000. There are four main toolbars, all providing unique and important functions. A user may easily add/remove or change the size of toolbars by right-clicking a blank space on any of the toolbars on screen. This will bring up a short menu in which you can enable or disable each toolbar by simply clicking the name (main toolbar, reading toolbar, writing toolbar, study skills toolbar).

Main Toolbar
- scanning, reading, file management tasks



Reading Toolbar
- choose reading mode and unit
- page view options. size, thumbnails, etc.



Writing Toolbar
- format text. font, size, style, alignment, spacing, etc.



Study Skills Toolbar
- highlighting tools, annotation tools, bookmarks

Return to Top of Page

Getting Around K3000    Return to Top of Page

The Menu System contains all of the commands and actions available in Kurzweil. Most users will feel very comfortable with the system, as it is the same format used in most windows based program. File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Tools, Table, Window and Help are the available selections. The commands available can be accessed using a mouse, mnemonics, and shortcuts.

Mnemonics
- access menu system with the ALT key
- there is a mnemonic for each menu item. F to select File, C to select close, etc.
- mnemonic is underlined in text of menu selection

Shortcuts    Return to Top of Page

The following is a list of shortcut commands that can be used instead of accessing the Menu System.

- CTRL + N. New text file
- CTRL + O. Open
- CTRL + F4. Close
- CTRL + S. Save
- CTRL + P. Print
- CTRL + Z. Undo
- CTRL + X. Cut
- CTRL + C. Copy
- CTRL + V. Paste
- CTRL + A. Select All
- CTRL + W. Change Spoken Word
- CTRL + F. Find
- CTRL + H. Replace
- F9. Start New Scan
- CTRL + F9. Scan Repeatedly
- F2. Back
- F3. Start Reading
- F4. Forward
- F11. Increase Reading Speed
- F12. Decrease Reading Speed
- Shift + F5. Add Note
- Shift + F6. Close Note
- Shift + F7. Add Voice Note
- CTRL + D. Definition of Selected Word
- CTRL + Q. Synonyms of Selected Word
- CTRL + Y. Syllables of Selected Word
- F1. Help

Right Mouse Click

A right mouse click can be used when working in a document to perform basic actions such as zoom, read, cut, paste, etc. As noted earlier, it can also be used to edit toolbars. You may customize the functions of the right mouse click by selecting "customize right mouse click" in the Tools System Menu.

Options Window    Return to Top of Page

Appearance and behavior settings can be accessed through the Options tab in K3000. Access the options tab by opening the Tools menu and selecting Options. The following is a summary of the different options available under each of the eight tabs in the Options menu.

General Tab    Return to Top of Page
- Toolbar Controls (same as available through right click)
- Ruler Controls
- Audible Typing Controls
- General User Aids



Reading Tab    Return to Top of Page
- Reading Voice
- Reading Speed
- Reading Language (ESL version only)
- Language Tabs (ESL version only)
- Reading Aids



Text Tab    Return to Top of Page
- Text and Highlight Colors
- Font Settings
- Highlight Mode
- Text Preview



Image Tab    Return to Top of Page
- Reading/Selection Colors
- Image Display Controls
- Caret (cursor) width



Magnifier Tab    Return to Top of Page
- Magnifier Colors
- Magnifier Font
- Preview
- Enable Image Display in Magnifier



Study Skills Tab    Return to Top of Page
- Highlighter Captions
- Indents for Extracted Text



Scanning Tab    Return to Top of Page
- Scanner Brightness
- Page Orientation on Scanner
- Seconds Between Repeated Scan
- Advanced Scanning Tools
- Recognition Language (ESL version only)
- Recognition Engine



Test Taking Tab    Return to Top of Page
- Enable/Disable Reference Aids and Password

Reading    Return to Top of Page

Page View The Way You Like It


The page view of any document you are working on within Kurzweil 3000 can be adjusted for your preference. There are four components to the page view feature of K3000. Fit determines how a scanned page fits in the K3000 window. Zoom shrinks or enlarges image size. Rotation turns the scanned page in the K3000 window. Placementshifts the image view.

Fit    Return to Top of Page
- Open View menu
- Use Fit to submenu to adjust page fit


Text Width - longest test line fits in window
Text Height - height of test lines fit in window
Width - Left/Right margins fit in window
Height - Top/Bottom margins fit in window
Page - Entire page fits in window




Zoom    Return to Top of Page
- Zoom box on reading toolbar, select preference. or;
- Zoom submenu on View menu. or;
- Zoom menu on right mouse click



Rotate    Return to Top of Page
- Open View menu
- Use Rotate submenu to rotate current page

Right - Turn Page on Right Side
Left - Turn Page on Left Side
Invert - Turn Page 180 degrees




Placement    Return to Top of Page
- Use scrollbars. or;
- Use page thumbnail image. Enable page thumbnail by clicking the Page Thumbnail button on reading toolbar.
- Use compass arrows underneath page thumbnail to navigate.

Hear the Voice You Wish    Return to Top of Page

You may choose from a number of different reading voices. The voices are generated by speech engines, which read the text under a scanned image. Jennifer is also included with K3000. Jennifer is a much more human and friendly voice to listen to than the other basic voices included, and also takes a substantial amount of extra memory to function.

Change Reading Voice

- Open Tools menu and select Options
- Click Reading Tab
- Use Speaker list to choose a reading voice
- Click Test Speech to listen to a sample of the voice you have selected. Click Stop Speech to end the test.
- Use Speed control to set the speed of reading
- Click Apply or Okay to save the changes.

Customize Highlighting Colors    Return to Top of Page

The colors that K3000 uses to highlight words and units as it reads can be changed according to your preferences.

Scanned Document

- Open Tools menu and choose Options
- Click Image tab
- Use Reading list in Colors section to choose the highlighting combination you wish to use.




Typed Document

- Open Tools menu and choose Options
- Click Text tab
- Select highlighting colors you wish to use from the Colors section. Use the Word list to choose the color for word highlighting, use the Section list to change colors for unit highlighting.
- Click Apply or OK to finalize changes

Easy Reference Help    Return to Top of Page

K3000 provides an extensive reference suite including a dictionary, thesaurus, syllable and pronunciation display, spelling tool, and Encarta encyclopedia look-up (must have Encarta installed on your computer, not included in K3000). These tools can be applied to words within a scanned document, or words that you type into the program yourself.

Look up a word in a document

- Click in word you wish to look up
- Click Definition, Synonyms, Syllables, or Spell button in the toolbar to see the corresponding information.
- The dictionary and synonyms window can be read by clicking the Read button in the toolbar.
- Reference tools can be applied to any word in a dictionary window.




Look up any word

- Open the Reference menu and choose Look Up Word 1 Type, the Dictionary Lookup screen appears.
- Type word you wish to lookup in the Word: box, then click Definition, Synonyms, or Syllables button according to the desired reference.

Inserting Annotations    Return to Top of Page

K3000 has the ability to allow the user to keep questions, ideas, and references with a document. There are four kinds of annotation: typed notes, sticky notes, text notes, and voice notes. Notes placed in a document are marked with an icon. Double-clicking annotation icon once inserted in the document will allow the user to access the note.

• Typed notes are represented in a document by an anchor icon. Double-clicking the anchor icon allows the user to see the note text.
• Sticky notes are yellow and remain visible in a document. Sticky notes are only available on scanned documents.
• Text notes appear as colored text on top of an image. Text notes are only available on scanned documents.
• Voice notes store and play a dictated annotation.
  
  Add typed notes to a document    Return to Top of Page
  
  - Click place in document to add note.
  - Click Note button in study skills toolbar, a note window will appear in bottom half of K3000 window.
  - Type into note window.
  - When done typing, click Close Note button in study skills toolbar.
  
  

  

  Add sticky notes   Return to Top of Page
  
  - Click Sticky Note button in study skills toolbar.
  - Click and drag note onto image, in location desired. Clicking and dragging outer edges of note will change sizing.
  - Type into note window appearing at bottom of K3000 window.
  - When done typing, click Close Note button in study skills toolbar.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Add text notes    Return to Top of Page
  
  - Click Text Note button in study skills toolbar.
  - Click in scanned image at point to attach the note. A note window will appear in the bottom half of the K3000 window.
  - Type into note window.
  - When done typing, click Close Note button in study skills toolbar.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Add voice notes   Return to Top of Page
  
  - Click place to add voice note.
  - Click Voice Note button in study skills toolbar.
  - Use Record (microphone icon), Play (triangle icon), and Stop buttons to record your own voice note, or use Open button to import a pre-recorded sound.
  - When done, click the OK button.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Using Annotations    Return to Top of Page
  
  
  Once annotations are added to a document, a user can:
  - Open them to hear them read or played back
  - Edit contents of typed, sticky, or text notes
  - Remove the annotation from the document
  
  
  Opening an annotation  Return to Top of Page
  
  - Double-click on note or voice note anchor, sticky note, or text note. The contents of the note will appear in a window at the bottom of the Kurzweil window. K3000 can also be configured to read notes automatically. Opening a voice note
  causes the play back to begin automatically.
  - Click Close Note button in study skills toolbar to close note. Double-clicking on note anchor, sticky note, or text note will close the annotation. Pressing Escape key will also close the note.
  
  
  
  
  Speak Notes Automatically   Return to Top of Page
  
  - Open Tools menu and choose Options
  - Click Reading tab
  - Check Read Notes When Opened button in the Extras section
  - Click OK
  
  
  
  
  Edit a typed note, sticky note, or text note    Return to Top of Page
  
  - Double-click on the note anchor, sticky note, or text note. Contents will appear in note window.
  - Edit text in note window.
  - Click the Close Note button in study skills toolbar to close note.
  
  
  Moving text notes   Return to Top of Page
  
  - Click on the text note. The note will change color, and the cursor will change to a compass arrow.
  - Drag note to new location
  
  
  Moving or resizing sticky notes    Return to Top of Page
  
  - Click on sticky note. Note will change color.
  - Move or resize the note
  
  Move note by clicking near center of sticky note and dragging to new location
  Resize note by clicking on the edge of the sticky note and dragging until the note is the size you wish.
  
  
  Delete an annotation    Return to Top of Page
  
  - Click on note anchor, sticky note, text note, or voice note anchor. They will change color when selected.
  - Click Delete Note button in the study skills toolbar. A screen will appear asking whether to delete the note.
  - Click Yes
  
  
  
  Using Highlights    Return to Top of Page
  
  

  highlighting in k3000 gives users the ability to associate text with different concepts by utilizing four different colors. Highlighted text can be extracted and analyzed with great organizational powers.
  
  

  Adding highlights
  
  - Click any of the four different colored Highlighter buttons in the study skills toolbar.
  - Click where you would like to begin highlighting. Drag the cursor over all the text you would like to highlight.
  - Stop highlighting by clicking the Highlighter button again
  
  
  
  
  Delete highlighting
  
  - Click Erase button in study skills toolbar
  - Click and drag over all highlighting you want to remove
  - Stop erasing by clicking the Erase button again
  
  
  
  Using Bookmarks    Return to Top of Page
  
  Bookmarks allow a user to mark places in scanned or typed documents in order to return at a later time.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Adding bookmarks
  
  - Click the place you'd like to add the bookmark
  - Click Bookmarks button in study skills toolbar. Bookmarks screen will appear.
  - Type a description of the bookmark in the Description field, then click Add. When a bookmark is added to a scanned document, a marker appears at the selected location. When a bookmark is added to a text document, the text closest to the mark changes to cyan, underlined text.
  
  
  Jump to a bookmark
  
  - Click Bookmarks button in study skills toolbar. Bookmark screen will appear.
  - Click on description of bookmark you would like to go to, click the Go To button. Cursor will be positioned on the page and at the position you chose.
  - In the Bookmarks screen, the bookmark list can be sorted in either Alphabetic or Reading order. Reading order is the order in which the bookmarks appear in the document.
  
  
  Delete bookmarks
  
  - Click the Bookmarks button in the study skills toolbar.
  - Click on bookmark description, the click the Delete button.
  
  
  
  Viewing Annotations    Return to Top of Page
  
  
  Anchors, highlighting, and markers can all be shown or hidden within a document. Hiding these annotations does not remove them.
  
  
  Select annotations to view
  
  - Open View menu
  - Use the Show Annotations submenu to choose which annotations you would like to see, and those you would like hidden.
  
  
  
  
  
  Extracting Notes and Highlighting    Return to Top of Page
  
  
  A new document can be opened that contains the text of any note or highlighting within a document.
  
  
  Extract typed notes or highlighted text
  
  - Open File menu
  - Use Extract submenu to choose extract notes or highlighted text.
  - Click on Notes to separate all text notes into a new document. Included in the new document will be the text of all notes, as well as the page number the note is on and the kind of note (sticky, text, typed)
  - Selecting Highlights will create a new document showing all of the text that has been highlighted in a document.
  

  It is possible to set indent values for all highlighted text, and different values for each of the four colors. In order to do this, open Tools menu and choose Options. In the Study Skills tab, the user will find Indent fields which can be used to set different values for each color. This allows a user to see each color (that can be associated with different and concepts) ideas in a hierarchy, making specific information easily retrievable.
  
  
  
  
  

  Magnifying Words Read by Kurzweil 3000    Return to Top of Page
  
  K3000 has the ability to magnify each individual word the program reads. When magnification is selected, a small window appears on top of the document displaying the word(s) being read.
  
  
  Show words being spoken
  
  - Open View menu and select Magnify Spoken Word. The magnification window appears. When you use the Read
  command, the words K3000 speaks will appear in this window.
  - The slider on the right side of the magnification window will adjust the number of words visible in the window at any one time. Moving the cursor upward displays fewer words in the window. Moving the cursor downward displays more words in the window.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Set text appearance in Magnifier window
  
  - Open Tools and select Options
  - Select Magnifier tab
  - Lists are available for Colors and Fonts. Selections can be made in the drop-down menus. The Preview box displays the effects of your selections
  
  Show Image When Magnifying Image Files allows the user to see the actual scanned image in the Magnifier
  window.
  - Click Apply or OK to apply the changes
  
  
  

Other Features of Kurzweil 3000    Return to Top of Page

K3000 provides you with a valuable way to have the World Wide Web read to you. All that is required is an Internet connection, and a version of Microsoft Internet Explorer. When a web page is active, Kurzweil utilizes the same reading tools available in text or scanned documents to read the web. Adjustable voices, dual highlighting, and reference tools are all available while on the web. Accessing this function is as easy as opening the Read menu and selecting Read the Web. This selection will automatically open Internet Explorer and position the Read toolbar at the bottom of the IE window. This toolbar functions much the same way as the Read toolbar outlined earlier in this text.







K3000 also includes a very functional word processor. This function allows page manipulation such as moving, inserting, deleting pages. It also gives the user the ability to zone edit a document and edit underlying text. When working with text documents, K3000 becomes a full-featured word processor capable of text addition, text formatting, and cut and pasting. In order to take advantage of these functions, you must open the Edit menu and choose Enable Editing.

Adapted from the Adaptive Technology Center Indiana University - Bloomington