Quick Tips For Getting Started With Herbi Writer
Herbi Writer Version
2.5
Herbi Writer is a tool to help people develop their handwriting skills. It works
on any computer running Windows XP or Windows Vista, and is most useful when the
computer has a stylus as the input device. (For example, on a Tablet PC, an
Ultra-mobile PC, or a SmartBoard.)
The software development has been managed by Guy Barker, and is based on
feedback from Occupational Therapists who have used the Herbi Writer software
with their students. It is freely available for anyone to use, and can be
downloaded from the http://Herbi.org. Details about some of the features
mentioned below can also found at http://Herbi.org.
Special thanks go to Susan Thompson, (http://handylearning.com), for all her
feedback during the development of Herbi Writer, and for supplying sample
letters shown by the software.
Please send any feedback or questions to Guy Barker at Barker@Herbi.org. Based
on your feedback or requests, the Herbi Writer software can be improved to be
more useful to you and your students.
Stained glass window of Herbi
Setting up the Herbi
Writer software
Herbi Writer requires the Microsoft .NET Framework version
3.0 or later to be installed on your computer. If this is not available
when Herbi Writer is run, an error message will appear describing a problem with
a speech-related feature. If you see this error message, you can download the
.NET Framework for free at
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=333325fd-ae52-4e35-b531-508d977d32a6&DisplayLang=en.
You may find that the Herbi Writer software does
not run if you are logged on to the computer as a different user from the user
who installed Herbi Writer.
Using the Herbi Writer software
When you run the Herbi Writer software, a sample letter will be shown being
written on the screen. Your student then writes that letter in their own area on
the screen. If the Herbi Writer software considers the student's letter to be a
close enough match to the sample letter, then the student's letter moves up to
the upper right corner and the Herbi cartoon character smiles. If the letter is
considered to be too different from the sample, then the student's letter is
moved off the left side the screen.
You can press the "Start game" button to have the Herbi Writer software show all
the letters in the alphabet presented, and to keep track of how many letters
were evaluated as correct on the first attempt in the game.
Tips
1. Use the "Student" settings to have the student's name shown on the screen.
2. If the student is consistently having their letters evaluated as being
correct, use the "Evaluation" settings to change the evaluation level from
Beginner to Intermediate. Once the letters are consistently being evaluated as
correct at the Intermediate level, change the evaluation level to be Advanced.
(Please note that at the Beginner level, Herbi Writer does little more than
check that the letter written by the student is roughly the same size at the
sample letter.)
3. You can use the "Layout" settings to change where the things on the screen
appear. For example, you can move the area where the student writes to be on the
left hand side of the screen for left-handed students. SmartBoard users can move
the lines where the student writes to be near the bottom of the screen so that
all students can reach the lines.
4. Herbi Writer can make sounds when the student's letter is evaluated. You can
specify whatever phrase you'd like to be spoken. For example, you can have the
software say "Great Job!" when a letter is evaluated as correct, or "Try again"
when it is evaluated as incorrect. Or if you have a sound file of applause on
your computer, you could have Herbi Writer play that sound file when a letter is
evaluated as being correct.
5. Add a message showing the student's name and score which will appear when
they complete a game.
Advanced tips
Some of the advanced features below are in their early stages. They can be
improved to be more useful and easier to use based on your feedback.
1. Use the "Letters" settings to restrict which letters are shown to the
student. For example, show only the letters "abcd" or only the letters from the
student's name.
2. You may find that the Herbi Writer program is evaluating a student's letter
as being incorrect when the letter should have been evaluated as correct. If so,
use the "Feedback" settings to send the letters to Guy Barker for checking, and
so help improve future versions of Herbi Writer.
3. You can change what the sample letters look like to match what you students
are used to by using the "Customize" settings.
4. You can also create your own sets of letters.
5. A report can be created to show which letters were evaluated as being correct
and which incorrect in the student's session. This can help draw attention to
which letters need to be practiced.