[Trainer-Talk] Fwd: Typio Initial Impressions and Review

[Reginald George]

>   I am currently on my first day of a 14 day unlimited free trial of the typing software Typio available from a company I was not familiar with called Accessibyte.  The web site is http://www.accessibyte.com
>  
> I do feel this program could be a reasonable alternative to Talking Typing Teacher for many students, particularly in a supervised environment in case the person gets stuck.  It is a 32 bit program, and the  manual claims it will run on almost all versions of Windows.  The software is delivered as a download, and must be registered and activated.  Once you purchase, a license code is sent that you enter into the program.  It’s only about 8 MB, compared to the several hundred megabyte bloatware that is TTT which is nice. 
>  
> The overall experience is not quite as polished as TTT.  For example, sometimes they forget to verbally tell you to press a key to continue, or that you need to press the space bar after each fraise to move forward in the lesson.  For $100 I was somewhat disappointed that it did not come with it’s own  voices.  Instructions are clear, and typing rate is adjustable.  If you are using Windows 8 and above this is not really a problem as Microsoft David is an extremely clear SAPI5 voice. 
>  
> All commands are handled with enter, the arrow keys, and escape.  The progressive mode takes you through all 45 lessons consecutively, and as you achieve adjustable bench marks in the program it let’s you  move forward to the next lesson.  If you get tired of that you can choose the practice typing mode and go to any lesson you wish.  Results from the main menu will read out all your current stats.  You can press the control key to repeat an audio prompt you might have missed.  The manual is an accessible PDF,  and has been copied below.  The program automatically closes whatever screen reading or magnification program is running when you launch it with enter, then reopens it when you choose exit.  It really is very well thought out.  I would encourage others in our agency to download and work with this program.  Then provide feedback to the AT Team and the OTC, as well as the developers of the software for possible future changes. 
>  
> Pros: Simple interface that works out of the box
> The fully functional 14 day trial.
> Designed by teachers for TVI’s, and doesn’t talk down to the user.
> Easy to follow instructions
> Very little unnecessary banter.
> Program appears to be under active development, and developers are open to suggestions.
> Notification of updates from the main menu of the program.
> No need to load directly from CD.
> Course appears quicker to get through, but will likely take multiple repetitions raising the speed goals in order to get the student up to the target level. 
>  
> Cons:
> Not quite as many bells and whistles as TTT
> Less overt emphasis on things like technique and posture.
> No ability to set up passwords for users, not really important in my opinion.
> All lessons use synthetic speech.
> Only email support.
> No specific option for games, practice,  and drills beyond what is included directly in the lessons.
>  
> Accessibyte currently makes three other products including a flash card creation tool for teaching, a text to audio conversion program, and a sweet of accessible games  that sound pretty fun. 
>  
>  
>  
> Typio Manual.pdf
> TYPIO
> BY ACCESSIBYTE LLC
> OVERVIEW
> 1. Forward
> Thank you for using Typio! The intent of Typio is to teach touch typing to students in the most accessible and distraction-free way possible. Users can
> customize the program functionality, audible cues and visual presentation. Rely on the professionally-crafted typing progress mode to advance through the
> entire keyboard in a thoughtful order, easily create customized typing lessons yourself or copying and paste text from preexisting sources! Whatever works
> best for your student, Typio is here to help you along the way.
> Happy typing!
> -Accessibyte
> 2. System Requirements
> Typio is intended to be used on a wide variety of Windows computers without taking up much hard drive
> space or system resources. If you are running a Windows machine, it is likely Typio will operate as
> intended. If you are in doubt, visit
> www.accessibyte.com
> and try the Typio demo program before
> purchase.
> Visually, Typio can use various font sizes in order to make text easier to see. Due to the wide array of physical display sizes, software resolutions and
> program text sizes, you may need to experiment with different font sizes to find what works best.
> Of particular note are the voices which Typio uses to audibly dictate typing lessons. Typio utilizes standard SAPI TTS voices. By default, Windows operating
> systems include SAPI voices, though quality of these voices is low on operating systems prior to Windows 8. Additional, higher-quality, voices are  available
> from various vendors. Search the web for “TTS voices” or “SAPI voices” for products from other software companies.
> Important Note:
> Typio must be run as administrator. This is the default setting for this program and no action should need to be taken unless your system has certain administrator
> privileges restricted. No data is collected by Accessibyte while running Typio and no changes are made to your machine outside of files solely affecting
> the Typio program.
> If you are experiencing issues, please report this issue to the IT professional for your facility. If you are still experiencing issues, you may contact
> Accessibyte at support at accessibyte.com.
> 3. Outside Accessibility:
> Typio features built-in accessibility controls, including screen reading capabilities and visual enhancements. This design choice was made in order to
> allow as many users as possible to benefit from the software on as many computers configurations as possible. It is recommended that outside screen reading
> or magnification software be disabled while using Typio.
> If you are using outside accessibility software, Typio will launch a notification screen which will advise that you disable the outside accessibility software.
> You will be provided with three options:
> 1. Disable your outside accessibility software manually, then press escape to continue with Typio.
> 2. Press the enter key to have Typio disable your outside software for you. If you choose this option, when you later choose to exit Typio from the internal
> Typio system menus, you will be taken to a screen which notifies you that your outside software is being re-launched automatically.
> 3. Press Alt+F4 to close Typio altogether.
> 4. Demo Mode
> Prior to registering Typio, you will have a fully functional 14-day trial available to you. After your 14-day trial has expired, Typio will run for 5 minutes
> at a time, then close.
> 5. Registration
> To register Typio, choose “Registration” from the main menu. You can navigate that screen with the mouse or with the tab key. You will be asked to fill
> in the license number you were granted at time of purchase. Your license is good for a single installation.
> 6. Updates
> If there is a software update for Typio, you will hear a tone at the Main Menu. Additionally, after hearing the standard verbal prompt for the Main Menu,
> you will be verbally notified that there is an update. You will then notice an additional Main Menu option, titled Update, between Registration  Details
> and Exit. Pressing the enter key on this option will close Typio and take you to the Typio update website where you can download the most recent version
> of the software.
> Once the installation file has completed downloading, open the file and proceed with the installation. Your registration details and user settings will
> not be affected by installing the Typio installation.
> 7. Main Menu
> Use the up, down and enter keys to navigate the Main Menu. The Typio main menu is the central hub which consists of options which do the following:
>  Select Profile: Opens a menu where you can select a user profile and begin typing.
>  Settings: Opens a menu where you can select a user whose settings you can change.
>  Registration: Opens the registration menu where you can view your license, in addition to checking for software updates.
>  Exit: Close the program.
>  Pressing the F12 key on the Main Menu will cause Typio to read how much time the program has run.
> 8. User Menu
> After choosing Select Profile from the Main Menu, you will be able to choose a user. After choosing a user, you will be taken to that user’s User Menu.
> That user’s settings will take effect at this point. The user will not be able to return to the Main Menu, in order to prevent students from accidentally
> disrupting the program while the instructor is not present. The User Menu consists of the following:
>  Progress Mode: The primary component of Typio.
>  Lesson Practice: A mode where users can practice typing lessons from Progress Mode or custom lessons of your own creation.
>  Free Type: An open typing field where users can type without preset prompting.
>  Results: A listing of the each completed lesson’s scores, in addition to the overall average score.
>  Exit: Close the program.
>  Pressing the F3 key at the User Menu will return you to the Main Menu. This key was chosen as it’s less intuitive than escape, preventing students from
> dabbling with other user’s progress or changing important settings.
>  Pressing the F12 key on the User Menu will cause Typio to read how much time the current user has used the program.
> 9. Progress Mode
> Progress Mode is the focal point of Typio, which guides users through the process of learning the keyboard. Throughout Progress Mode, user progress will
> be saved, allowing users to quickly pick up where they left off. Once a lesson is completed, the user will be presented with the next lesson in the learning
> sequence. Lessons are considered complete once a user meets their preset WPM and accuracy goals, each of which is chosen in the Settings Menu.
> Each lesson will begin with an introduction and a guided tutorial of how each key should be pressed. Once the tutorial is complete, the lesson will begin.
>  
> While typing, the user will be presented with a prompt which they are required to type. An audible tone will play when a typo occurs. The user cannot progress
> the phrase until the correct keys have been pressed. Once a prompt has been correctly typed, pressing either the space or enter key will progress to the
> next prompt. When the lesson is complete, the user will automatically be brought to the lesson results screen.
> Lesson results are comprised of the user’s words-per-minute (WPM), accuracy and combo scores, in addition to a brief narrative on the current typing session.
> It is worth noting that during the lesson the WPM timer will not be in effect while the prompt is initially being read or after pressing the control key
> to re-read the prompt. Once the user begins typing, the timer will begin. It will end again once the current prompt is completed. This allows the student
> ample time to interpret the visual and audible typing prompts without that time negatively affecting their score.
> Controls:
> o Once the lesson is loaded, type the prompts as they are presented.
> o Press enter or space to cycle through prompts. 
> o Press control to hear the prompt again.
> o Press Escape to return to the User Menu.
> 10. Lesson Practice
> Lesson Practice is listing of each lesson from Progress Mode, in addition to any custom typing lessons you have created. This is a great way to have guided
> typing practice without the restrictions of Progress Mode. At the end of each lesson, the user will be presented with their statistics. If a lesson from
> Progress Mode is selected and the user receives a better score than they have on record, the better score will replace the old one.
> Controls:
> o Use the up and down arrow keys to navigate and press enter to load a lesson.
> o Once the lesson is loaded, press enter or space to cycle through prompts.
> o Press control to hear the prompt again.
> o Press Escape to return to exit Lesson Practice and return to the User Menu.
> 11. Free Type
> Free Type provides a blank typing template and does not rely on prompting from typing lessons. This allows the student to either type freely or type prompts
> from their instructor. This mode provides a realistic sense of the user’s typing statistics.
> This mode will last for either 3 minutes, 5 minutes or an infinite amount of time until the escape key is pressed, as dictated by the Free Type setting
> in the Settings Menu. Upon any of those triggers, the student will be taken to the results screen. It is worth noting the WPM and CPM timer does not begin
> until the user starts typing.
> There is no combo statistic for the Free Type mode.
> Controls:
> o Regardless of the time limit, pressing escape will advance to the results screen.
> 12. Results
> Typio provides detailed reports of each user’s typing progress. There are two primary reports which Typio provides, which are as follows:
> Free Type: Each time a user uses the Free Type mode, a report is saved. The report is titled “Free Type, followed by the sequential number and date of
> the typing lesson. The report is located in the “My Documents\Accessibyte\Typio\USER NAME\Reports\” directory. which contains the following statistics:
>  
>  Name
>  Date
>  Typing Time
>  Accuracy
>  Net WPM
>  WPM
>  Word Total
>  CPM (characters per minute)
>  Character Total
>  EPM (errors per minute)
>  Error Total
>  Student Typing (the actual typing the performed during the lesson)
> Results: When visiting the Results screen for a given user, a report is generated which contains the date the report was created, the average scores across
> all lessons and the detailed scores of each lesson. The report is titled “Report.rtf” and located in the “My Documents\Accessibyte\Typio\USER NAME\Reports\”
> directory.
> 13. Settings
> Settings can be selected as an option from the main menu screen. After choosing the Settings option, choose a user whose settings you would like to change.
> Pressing the enter key toggles each setting between its various options. Hold shift while pressing enter will cycle through the settings in reverse order.
>  
>  BG Color: Cycles through the various background colors.
>  Divider Color: Cycles through the various divider colors. The divider is the horizontal line which divides the prompt on the top half of the screen from
> the user’s typing progress on the bottom half of the screen. Additionally, the Divider Color affects the colors for progress meters on the various results
> screens.
>  Font Color: Cycles through the various colors for on-screen text.
>  Font Size: Cycles the size of the on-screen text. As is the nature of large font sizes, fewer characters will fit on the screen with large font sizes.
> Small fonts will also allow for more text in each prompt. If each prompt is too long for your student, try a larger font size.
>  Font: Pressing enter on the Font option will bring up a separate listing of all fonts available on your system. Use the up and down arrows to navigate
> through the fonts and press enter once you’ve found the one you’d like to use.
>  Voice: A listing of all available SAPI voices installed. Choosing “None” will not mute system menu voices but will cause Typio not to verbally announce
> each new typing prompt. If your student is using the software visually and is also a quick typist, it is recommended that you choose “None” as the voice
> in order to avoid any type of key lag if they begin typing before the prompt has been read completely.
>  Speech Rate: Cycles through the options for how quickly the voice will speak.
>  Speech Pitch: Cycles through the pitch at which the voice will speak.
>  Spell Phrase: Toggles the automatic spelling of prompts as they are presented. This can be useful for students who are having spelling difficulties which
> hinder their typing instruction.
>  Test Time: Changes time limit of Time Test mode between 3 minutes, 5 minutes or an infinite amount of time (Esc). “Esc” will require the escape key to
> be pressed to end Time Test mode.
>  Quick Key Read: When Quick Key Read is turned on, typed keys will be read quicker than normal. This can be useful for quick typists.
>  WPM Goal: This is the threshold the student must reach in order for Progress Mode to progress to the next lesson. This setting is also used when calculating
> results for Practice Mode and Free Type. It is recommended to start with a lower WPM goal and increase it later. Increasing WPM may require the user to
> backtrack within Progress Mode, in order to meet the new WPM goal for previously-completed lessons. This can be a useful teaching tool.
>  Accuracy Goal: Much like WPM Goal, Accuracy Goal is the threshold a student must reach in order to progress to the next lesson in Progress Mode, in addition
> to being a factor for calculating results in Practice Mode and Free Type. This setting can be changed at any point in the student’s training,  requiring
> them to complete previous lessons or allowing them to progress to the next lesson more easily.
>  SFX: Typio includes various sound schemes which keep typing fun. Each student can choose a sound scheme which works best for them. Sound Schemes alter
> the confirmation, typo, lesson completion and result sound effects.
>  Reset Progress: Choosing Reset Progress will not erase a user’s settings altogether, though it will reset their current progress in Progress Mode. You
> will be asked if you are sure before progress is reset.
>  Delete Profile: This option will completely remove a user’s profile. You will be asked if you are sure before a profile is deleted.
>  Exit: This will exit Settings and return to the Main Menu.
> 14. Advanced Settings
> Typio contains a hidden advanced options page. Most users will not need these settings. It is not recommended you use the advanced options unless you require
> the features offered by advanced settings. If you run into issues after altering advanced settings, clear out all fields within the Advanced Settings menu.
> Pressing escape will exit the Advanced Settings menu and close the program.
> Typio Users Directory:
> This setting allows you to change the default directory where Typio user profiles are stored. This can be useful if you have unique network setup. It is
> not recommended to change this setting unless absolutely necessary. If you do require this setting, paste the complete directory path into the field.
> Program to launch on exit:
> This setting allow Typio to launch an external program on exit. This can be useful for students who require specific accessible software to operate outside
> of Typio. If you require this setting, pate the complete directory path, including program name and extension, into the field.
> 15. Statistics
> The following terms and factors are used to calculate the statistics provided by Typio:
>  Time: The time taken to type the lessons. In all modes this time is only counted when the user is typing a word, not when the audio prompts are read.
> In Free Type this time begins counting when the user starts typing, and ends when either the time limit is reached or the escape key is pressed.
>  Words: The total number of words typed. Words are not counted as actual words. Instead, every 5 characters is considered a single word. This is standard
> among typing test calculations and is derived from 5 being the average letter count of words in the English language. This calculation prevents inequality
> between short words, such as “he”, and longer words, such as “chrysanthemum”.
>  WPM: Words Per Minute is calculated by dividing total words by total time.
>  Characters: Each keystroke is considered a single character and is added to this total.
>  CPM: Characters Per Minute is calculated by dividing total characters by total time.
>  Errors: Errors are counted different between Progress/Practice Modes and Free Type.
> o Progress/Practice Modes Errors:
> Each incorrect keystroke, compared to the typing prompt’s required keystroke, is counted as a single error.
> o Free Type Errors:
> Each misspelled word is counted as a single typing error. Individual mistakes within a single misspelled word do not count as multiple errors.
>  EPM: Errors Per Minute is calculated by dividing total errors by total time.
>  Accuracy: Accuracy is calculated differently between Progress/Practice Modes and
> Free Type mode. This is required due to the difference in error calculation between the two modes, seeing as Progress/Practice modes value individual characters,
> while Free Type values whole words.
> o Lesson Test Accuracy: (Characters/Errors)*100
> o Time Test Accuracy: ((Characters/(Errors*5))*100
>  Net WPM: Net Words per Minute is calculated by subtracting errors from WPM.
> 16. Creating Typing Lessons
>  Progress mode includes 45 typing lessons, covering the entire keyboard!
> Typio allows for creating custom typing lessons so you can customize your student’s training or provide them additional practice. Typing lessons must be
> the standard .txt format and be placed within the My Documents > Accessibyte > Typio > Typing Docs subfolder. By default, Typio includes a set of example
> files to demonstrate how to create a typing lesson.
> These lessons will show up alongside the 45 default Typio lessons while in Practice Mode. You cannot use custom typing lessons in Progress Mode.
> Follow the directions below to create custom typing lessons.
> Method 1:
>  In Windows, navigate to the My Documents > Accessibyte > Typio > Typing Docs subfolder.
>  Right click in the open space within the folder and choose New > Text Document.
>  Type your lesson in either list format (pressing enter after each word), paragraph format or a mix of the two.
>  Save the file.
> Method 2:
>  In Windows, open Notepad.
>  Type your .txt file.
>  Save your txt file with the My Documents > Accessibyte > Typio > Typing Docs subfolder.
> Some .txt files may not properly work when loaded with Typio. Be sure to create new files, rather than saving files of different extension formats as txt
> files. Additionally, some text copied from the internet may have invisible markup script within it which may cause errors when Typio loads the file. Best
> practice is to either type or paste text into a newly created .txt file, as instructed upon below, in order to avoid errors.
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