Exploring Assistive Technology
Dictionary & Thesaurus Built into Mac
Have you ever been reading works and come across a word you do not know the mean of? MacIntosh computers have a dictionary application built into the computer.
OR
Have you ever been writing a paper and find yourself using the same adjective over and over again? MacIntosh computers also have a thesaurus built into the computer.
How to Find this Assistive Application?
Follow These Steps and Picture Below to Assist You in Finding the Dictionary and Thesaurus Applications:
- Locate the 'Finder' on the Menu Bar
- Find the Menu Bar on the Left
- Click on 'Applications'
- Click on 'Dictionary' OR
- Click on 'Thesaurus
Use Either Application, as Both are at Your Fingertips
Anything Else I Need to Know?
Below is a video that will show you some short cuts regarding how to use the dictionary tool in a MacIntosh computer.
How to use the dictionary on a Mac (OSX)
How Can this be Used in the Classroom?
Paperback dictionaries and thesaurus' were used in the classroom all of the time, and some classrooms still use them. This application just allows for the same functions to be used in a more simpler form, at the students' and teachers' fingertips.
The Dictionary and Thesaurus Application Can Be Used in the Classroom in the Following Ways:
- Students can look up definitions of unknown words while they are reading online articles
- Students can use the thesaurus tool to enhance and presentation or paper
- Students can use the dictionary application to spell words correctly (if auto-spell does not catch the word, etc)
- Teachers can use both the thesaurus tool for enhancing any webpage, blog, flyer or paper, etc
- Teachers can also use the dictionary to check their spelling, just as students would