November 2009 Newsletter

 
  

Product News: Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 Installs and Runs on Windows 7

Windows 7, the newest version of the Windows operating system, was launched in late October. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 is compatible with Windows 7 and has earned the Windows 7 logo certification for compatibility. This means that if you’re planning a new computer purchase, or simply upgrading your existing operating system, you can continue to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 on a computer running Windows 7. (This includes both 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows 7.)

If you are using the latest version of Dragon, version 10.1, no upgrade is necessary to run your software on Windows 7. Please note, however, that versions of Dragon prior to 10.1 are not compatible with Windows 7. If you are using an older version of Dragon, you will need to upgrade to version 10.1 to run on the Windows 7 operating system. Learn more about version 10.1 and how to upgrade.

Improving Accuracy and Productivity: Customize Your Vocabulary

Individually adding unique words and phrases to your Dragon vocabulary will help improve Dragon’s recognition accuracy for words that you use regularly. But rather than add all of your unique terms (such as proper names, acronyms, and industry-specific terminology) one by one, you may want to consider Dragon’s “Add Words From Documents” wizard. This tool enables you to customize your vocabulary by adding new words collected from your existing documents. The wizard scans documents that you specify for review and then determines which words in your existing documents are not in the current vocabulary. It also analyzes the frequency and order in which words appear to better understand your word usage and writing style.

The process is simple:
Click Accuracy Center on the tools menu of the DragonBar. Within the Accuracy Center, click or say "Add words from your documents to the vocabulary." Within the dialog box that appears, specify the documents (or folders containing documents) that contain words you want to add. Use the Add Documents or Browse for Folder dialog box to select the document or folder containing the documents. If you want to view and edit the list of words in the document(s), select the "Preview new words before adding them to the vocabulary" box. (It’s a good idea to use Preview Words to make sure you don’t add any unnecessary words.) When you’re done, click Add Words. (If you make a mistake and do not want to add the words, exit Dragon. When you are prompted to save your user files, just click No and the words will not be added.)

Customizing the vocabulary is often overlooked, but it’s very important for accuracy, so we created several tools within Dragon to make it easier for you. We also have a whole section of our end-user workbook dedicated to this subject, with easy-to-follow steps, details, and tips. View the workbook for more information.

Customer Stories: Students with Learning Disabilities

Independence. That’s what Dragon NaturallySpeaking means to high school sophomore Skylar Mungar.

Diagnosed with dysgraphia (marked by difficulty expressing thoughts in writing) and other language problems at a young age, Skylar wasn't reaching his full academic potential. Since Skylar wasn't able to clearly communicate his thoughts for class papers and essays, his parents knew they needed to find an alternative way for him to write and communicate. But speech therapy, occupational therapy and other assistive technology tools simply didn't provide the help Skylar needed to excel in school.

The Mungar family had heard of speech recognition, and believed it could be a long-term solution, but they didn't know how to get started. That changed when Skylar enrolled at The Norman Howard School (NHS), an independent day school based in Rochester, NY, that provides individualized instruction to students in grades 5-12 with learning disabilities. Other students at the school were already using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and Skylar was introduced to Dragon in seventh grade.

"I can work faster and more independently with Dragon," explains Skylar. "It's easier for long writing, especially research papers. Now I don't need a scribe that can't keep up with me. I can get my thoughts out more quickly all on my own with Dragon."

Skylar uses Dragon every day for at least one or two classes. He dictates text beginning with the concept map, or plan for the written work, through the final written draft. He then relies on Dragon's text-to-speech feature, which reads text aloud in a computerized voice, to proofread his work. Although he still needs to think about what he wants to say before he says it, the frustrating challenges with spelling are a thing of the past.

"Now Skylar can communicate more clearly, using the words that he wants to use, because he can focus more on the content rather than the manual task of typing," according to Skylar's mother. "He actually enjoys writing now because he can complete work faster and he's not held back by his spelling and vocabulary. His writing now matches his intellectual level and we're seeing his true potential."

Tips and Tricks: Selecting and Opening Icons, Folders and Files by Voice

We often say that you can use Dragon for far more than just basic dictation. We encourage customers to utilize Dragon for complete command and control of the computer. One of the ways you can save your wrists and give your mouse a well-deserved vacation is to use your voice to “click” icons on your desktop and open individual files. To open a desktop icon, whether it’s an application or a specific file, simply say “open” followed by the name of one of the icons on your screen (for example, "Open My Documents"). If you want to select a specific file or folder by voice, simply say the name of the file or folder, and Dragon will highlight the selected item. Then say “open file” or “open folder” and the selected item will open.

You Asked, We'll Answer:

When I received my product there was a very small booklet describing version 10. I think it would be helpful to have a more comprehensive manual available.

A: We agree that additional resources can help customers become more productive with Dragon. We recently reworked the Dragon web site to provide more detailed instruction manuals, guides, “cheat sheets” and videos. We not only added new material, but we also made our existing resources easier to find so that you can quickly find the exact information you need.

If you’re just starting out with Dragon, go to our new “Getting Started” page where you will find a comprehensive collection of tools that will guide you every step of the way from how to install the software, to setting up your user profile, and how to train Dragon to achieve the highest levels of dictation accuracy. If you’re an experienced Dragon user, but still looking for ways to improve your experience, head over to our new “Beyond Basics” page. Here we’ve assembled a variety of tools that will help you bring your Dragon usage to the next level.