Technology Corner

Accessibility Built-In

Platform(s): Windows, Mac/iOS, Android, ChromeOS

Websites:

• Windows: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/features?activetab=pivot_1%3aprimaryr2
• Mac and iOS: https://www.apple.com/accessibility/mac/
• Android: https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6006564?hl=en
• ChromeOS: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/177893?hl=en

Cost: Free, as features are built-in to the associated systems.

Features: For specific features, please visit the websites listed above.

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Any.do

Platform(s): Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Web

Website: https://www.any.do/

Cost: Free; Premium subscriptions from $6/month or about $35/year

Features:

• Create task and shopping lists with reminders
• Calendar allows viewing of events and related lists
• Lists and calendars sync across a large variety of devices and services

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Apple Notes

Platform(s): iOS

Website: Built in to iOS. App Store Preview: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/notes/id1110145109

Cost: Free

Features:

• Basic note app that lets you type or handwrite notes (or drawings)
• Create checklists, scan documents, insert photos, and videos
• Can organize with folders and sub-folders as needed
• Searchable and backs up to iCloud
• Can create notes with Siri

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CamScanner

Platform(s): iOS, Mac

Website: https://www.camscanner.com/

Cost: Free; Premium subscription: $4.99/month

Features:

• Use your mobile device to scan documents by taking pictures of them
• Can convert images to editable text
• Sync with cloud storage (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)

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Coffitivity

Platform(s): Web, Mac (offline)

Website: https://coffitivity.com/

Cost: Free; Premium $9/year

Features:

• Online ambient sound generator to help boost productivity
• Different options available to choose from (more available with premium)

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Cold Turkey

Platform(s): Windows, Mac

Website: https://getcoldturkey.com/

Cost: Free; Pro $39 (a student discount is available through Cold Turkey’s Support page)

Features:

• Customized blocking for websites, applications, the whole internet, or your entire computer to focus and be more productive
• Set timers for how long blocking lasts
• Scheduler allows creation of recurring periods of time for blocking
• Statistics feature helps track where you spend your time

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Dictate for Office 365

Platform(s): Windows, Web

Website: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/dictate-your-documents-d4fd296e-8f15-4168-afec-1f95b13a6408

Cost: Free with Office 365 (MSU Denver students have access to Office 365 for free)

Features:

• Speech to text built right into Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and OneNote)
• Functions much like dictation on a smart phone, no training required
• Requires a microphone to use

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Evernote

Platform(s): Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows

Website: https://www.evernote.com

Cost: Free; Premium subscription: $7.99/month, Business subscription $14.99/month

Features:

• Searchable notetaking editor that syncs across platforms
• Sort and organize by date, title, or tag
• Insert PDFs, Images, and other documents
• Ability to share notebooks with other people

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Glean

Platform(s): Android, iOS, Web (Chrome browser only)

Website: https://glean.co/

Cost: Free for Access Center students

Features:

• Type text and add lecture slides in a cloud-based note taking workspace.
• Capture audio from your mic or from video in your web browser.
• Catagorize your notes as you go to find important points faster
• Create a printable copy of notes, or copy/paste them easily into a word processor

To get started with Glean:

• Check out the “Getting Started” video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Kzfxgvo-JY
• Contact Ione Priest at [email protected]

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Google Keep

Platform(s): Android, iOS, Web

Website: https://keep.google.com

Cost: Free

Features:

• Basic note app that lets you type or handwrite notes (or drawings)
• Create checklists, scan documents, insert photos, and videos
• Can organize with labels and colors
• Searchable and can be accessed on any device
• Can create notes with Google Assistant
• Can add collaborators to notes

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My Study Life

Platform(s): iOS, Android, web

Website: https://www.mystudylife.com/

Cost: Free

Features:

• Academic planner app with reminders that helps track classes, homework, and exams
• Syncs across connected devices

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Office Lens

Platform(s): Windows, Android, iOS

Website:

• iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-office-lens-pdf-scan/id975925059
• Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.officelens&hl=en_US

Cost: Free

Features:

• Scanning app that allows you to take pictures of documents with your mobile device to scan them
• Has simple OCR capabilities to make text editable
• Can be saved to cloud-based storage (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)

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OneNote

Platform(s): Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows

Website: https://www.onenote.com

Cost: Free

Features:

• Content can be organized by pages, sections, and whole notebooks
• Tags and highlights can help identify important info within notes
• Can type, handwrite, and draw anywhere on page and move it as needed
• Can insert images, documents, and audio files
• Saves automatically, and can sync across multiple devices
• Can share and collaborate

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Otter

Platform(s): Android, iOS, Web

Website: https://www.otter.ai

Cost: Free; Pro with Student discount: $50/year or $5/month

Features:

• Records audio and transcribes in real time, automatically identifying different speakers (up to 40 mins per recording and 600 mins per month total on the Free plan)
• Automatically generates keywords from recording
• Text is searchable, editable, and can be highlighted
• Can export recordings to save or share

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Read&Write

Platform(s): Windows, Mac, Google Chrome

Website: https://www.texthelp.com/en-us/products/read-write/

Cost: Free for all MSU Denver students

Features:

• Check It – A proofreading tool that checks for spelling, grammar, homophone, and confusable word errors.
• Text-to-Speech – Reads text aloud with dual color highlighting and natural-sounding voices. Works in Microsoft Word, PDFs, and on the web.
• Audio Maker – Converts text into MP3 audio files using the text-to-speech settings.
• Screenshot Reader – Converts inaccessible text to accessible text through OCR.
• PDF Reader – A built-in reader that includes the ability to enable Text-to-Speech via Click to Speak.
• Highlights – Allows users to highlight and color code sections of text on a page, to facilitate summarizing, categorizing, and higher order skills.

Below are video playlists comprised of several short videos demonstrating how to use the different features of Read&Write.

• Read&Write for Windows Playlist (22 videos)
• Read&Write for Mac (22 videos)
• Read&Write for Google Chrome (39 videos)

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SoundNote

Platform(s): iOS, Mac

Website: https://www.soundnote.com

Cost: $4.99

Features:

• Type or handwrite notes (including doodles)
• Records audio to sync with written notes (tap notes to play audio from that time frame)
• Ability to share notes and audio via email

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VoiceDream Reader

Platform(s): iOS

Website: https://www.voicedream.com/reader/

Cost: $19.99

Features:

• Extremely similar to Read&Write
• Text to speech with synchronized highlighting
• Can access a wide variety of file formats, including PDF and Word
• Customize display to make reading easier visually

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