Clicker 7 Arabic: Assistive Technology for Literacy Development

Mada Assistive Technology Center seeks to support
80% of students with disabilities in Qatar in
accessing quality mainstream education by the end
of 2018 by providing the latest innovations through
the Mada Innovation Program. The program aims
to encourage innovators to create and increase
the number of Arab technological solutions for
persons with disabilities through three types of
grants. The grants are given to individuals and
institutions that provide services and innovative
technological products in Arabic. These awards
include competitions, entrepreneurship support
and technology localization, and the Arabic version
of CLICKER 7 was the latest of its achievements.
Mada collaborated with Crick Software to come up
with an Arabic learning solution to improve writing
and reading skills among students with learning
disabilities. In 2016, Mada Center localized Clicker
5 and provided licenses for (54) schools and (4)
specialized centres in Qatar.
In 2017, Mada Center adopted and supported the
localization of “Clicker 7”, and in GREAT 2018,
Crick Software launched the Arabic version of
Clicker 7.
What is Clicker 7 Arabic?
Clicker 7 is an award-winning, innovative reading
and writing tool designed to help students of all
abilities to achieve rapid and permanent gains in
their literacy skills. It is aimed at children from 5 –
11 years old, and those with special needs. Clicker
is developed by Crick Software a UK based company
specializing in developing ICT based literacy
solutions for students with disabilities.
Clicker 7 Arabic includes an assistive word
processor. While most word processors are
designed for literate adults, Clicker 7 Arabic is
designed for children who are learning to read and
write.
Children benefit from acclaimed Clicker support
features including:
Speech feedback – Each time a sentence is
completed, it is automatically read aloud.
Word prediction – Clicker’s predictor enables
children to give their full attention to what they
want to write and encourages them to use more
adventurous vocabulary.
Voice Notes – this tool enables pupils to record
their audio notes before they write. It
allows them to rehearse their
sentences, and offers a powerful way to capture
their initial thoughts and ideas.
Clicker Sets – give students point-and-click
access to whole words, phrases and pictures,
helping them work more independently. Clicker
Sets include Talk Sets, Clicker Books and grids
for writing support which is as follows:
Talk Sets – helps develop speaking and
listening skills.
Clicker Books – promotes reading and allows
the user to write their versions of the
books.
Sentence sets, Connect Sets and Word Banks
– takes the user on a journey from creating
their first sentence to writing advanced
compositions.
Grid creation tools in Clicker 7 Arabic allow
practitioners to swiftly create resources to
support the user. The brand-new Clicker Board
allows the user to organize ideas – the vital
first step in the writing process. Clicker Board
provides a built-in planning tool to help children
prepare for writing.
Universal Design for Learning
Clicker 7 Arabic uses the principles of Universal
Design to cater for all learners – including those
who cannot use a keyboard and mouse? Clicker
7 Arabic is switch accessible, touch-screen
enhanced and has been optimised for use with
Eye-Gaze systems.
The Impact of Clicker 7
Research shows that use of Clicker 7 results
in a significant drop in grammar and spelling
errors in students’ work. Students using
Clicker 7 worked more independently, with less
reliance on additional teacher support.
Clicker 7 won a prestigious British Educational
Training and Technology Show (BETT) Award
in 2018 – the judges commented “Clicker 7
sets the standard for inclusive software. It can
be used by any pupil including those with a
the diverse range of learning difficulties. It is highly
versatile, offering support tools that enable
pupils to work independently at an appropriate
level right across the curriculum.”
Clicker 7 makes the curriculum more
accessible, engaging and achievable for
students with special educational needs, and
makes lesson planning/resource creation
much easier for teachers.
Through such innovation initiatives, Mada helps
to offer the latest accessibility solutions to
the disabled community in Qatar and the Arab
region. With the release of Clicker 7 Arabic,
students with disabilities in Qatar can benefit
from this innovative tool to support their
learning needs in both English and Arabic.