Don Johnston

Don Johnson?

Oh, Don Johnston.

Don Johnston is a software company specializing in assistive technology. We use many of their products in our schools, most notably the SOLO 6 software package. SOLO 6 includes Co-Writer, Draft Builder, Write Out Loud and Read Out Loud.

I used Co-Writer as a compensatory technology with several different students while teaching in a Learning Centre last year. One of the most helpful aspects of the program is the customizable topic dictionaries and word banks that can be placed so it is always viewable while the student is typing. The student or teacher has the ability to control how many words appear, if nouns, verbs, adjectives, or all words are visible, the size of the font, etc. This video explains how to do that. 


I liked having the word bank visible for students while they were writing so that they could get some ideas from it and they knew the key words to include in their writing piece.

Draft Builder is another great writing tool. It breaks the writing process down into three steps - brainstorming, note-taking and writing the first draft. It is especially useful to students who need help with organization. Here is a product demo:

The Don Johnston website also has demonstrations of their other products on the website. The link to donjohnston.com can be found under Sites of Interest on the right side of our blog.