Latest Clicker news

Use the Word Pool to add words to Clicker’s Dictionary and improve the pronunciation of specific words.  Add common misspellings to improve Clicker’s suggestions, such as ‘fink’ for ‘think’.  Add user’s names to ensure correct pronunciation and ensure they do not appear as a misspelling. Use the pronunciation box to phonetically correct pronunciation. The Word Pool can also be used to prevent Clicker from reading unwanted vocabulary. 

Users can now hear a sample of each of Clicker’s high-quality voices from the Voice drop down menu. There is now a reminder if a user has not selected a high-quality voice.

Users can now send Voice Notes from a Clicker Board to the document. Select ‘Send to Document’ from the Clicker Board Menu. Turn on the switches for the content you wish to send. Voices Notes will appear in the Document in the order that they were recorded on the Clicker Board.

In the General Tab of Settings, users can increase the size of the font in Clicker Sets. Once selected, this will be the default font size for all Clicker Sets opened.

On iPad, chosen Settings and Word Pool content are saved by device. On Chromebook and Web, Settings and Word Pool content are saved with the user who has logged into Clicker Writer and will apply when the user logs into another device.

The on-screen keyboard has a new look. It is now much bigger, making it easier to add information to a Clicker Board. The keyboard will open by default on iPads. On web it will remain open if the user jumps between cells without closing the keyboard.

SuperKeys on Clicker Board is now larger, meaning our accessible keyboard is easier to navigate. For SuperKeys users, the predictor opens by default. Clicker’s predictor updates suggestions with each key or cluster selection on SuperKeys.

On Clicker Board, the predictor has a new home. When the keyboard is open, the predictor appears to the left, updating suggestions with each key press. The user can turn the predictor on or off using the icon on the keyboard. As with the predictor in the document, pictures and symbols can be used, as well as Clicker’s usual speech feedback.

Users can now lock cells in place using the ellipsis menu on the top bar. A padlock will appear to show cells that cannot be moved. Touch screen users will find this particularly useful when using busy Clicker Boards with lots of connecting cells.

On the new-look keyboard, you’ll see the dictation button available. Users can click the microphone to dictate directly into a cell on a Clicker Board, allowing plans to be quickly populated with ideas, ready for writing.

In the settings menu, turn off dictation from the Tools and Control tab. This slider now controls the dictation buttons on all on-screen keyboards as well as the ‘Dictate to Document’ feature.

When Picturizing the Document in Clicker Desktop, check the box next to Widgit Symbols in the ‘Picturize Document’ dialogue.  Alternatively, alter which images are prioritised by moving libraries up or down the list.

In Clicker Writer, choose which library to use to Picturize from in the ‘Picture’ menu.  If Picturizing words as they are typed into the Document, select your preferred library from the settings dialogue.

Add Widgit Symbols to Clicker Sets in edit mode.  To do this in Clicker Desktop, select Picture Menu > Picturize.  In the source tab, check the box next to Widgit Symbols, or alter which images are prioritised by moving libraries up or down the list.

In Clicker Writer, select which library to use from the ‘Picture’ menu in edit mode.

In both Clicker Writer and Clicker Desktop, you have the options to ‘apply to all grids’ and ‘ignore high frequency words’.  Quickly swap between CrickPix and Widgit Symbols or remove all pictures in the ‘Picture’ menu in edit mode.

To add a symbol to an individual cell, select the cell and click on the ‘Picture’ icon.  Search all your libraries or browse CrickPix or the Widgit Symbol library.

In Clicker Desktop, select Options > Pictures > Picturize.  Check the boxes to Picturize Predictor suggestions and spelling suggestions. Select or alter your preferred library from the box below.

In Clicker Writer, select Settings > Pictures.  Turn on ‘Picturize words in the predictor/spell checker’ and choose your preferred picture library from the drop-down menu.

When Picturizing, Clicker Writer will now recognise multiple words.  For example, when Picturizing ‘ice cream van’, Clicker Writer will choose just one image, from either CrickPix or Widgit Symbols.  This matches the Picturizing behaviour in Clicker Desktop.

The Dictate to Document button has been added to the Voice Input menu on the lower tool bar. This makes it easier to find this feature and allows users to view the Clicker Set that they are working on while dictating. As previously, users can also access dictate from the button on the onscreen keyboard.

The ability to print a Clicker Set has been added to Clicker Writer. From the Clicker Set menu, click on the print option and select print settings. The system print dialogue will open, allowing users to print Clicker Sets to a specified location.

The Grid Tabs have moved from the bottom to the top of the Clicker Set in this release. This aligns Clicker Writer with Clicker Desktop. There is also a new location for the ‘Edit Clicker Set’ button on the bottom right-hand corner of the Clicker Set.

Picturize has been added to Clicker Writer.  In the document view, click on the picture menu and choose ‘picturize’.  Pictures, taken from our extensive Crick Picture Library, will appear above words that the user has typed.  If the user wishes to remove the pictures, select this option from the picture menu. 

In the Pictures tab of App Settings, users can alter Picturize preferences and choose to add words as they type.  Users can also choose to Picturize the predictor and the spell checker. 

The autosave function in Clicker Writer has been improved in this release.  This makes links with Google Classroom and Google Drive smoother for the user. 

We have added new Neural Voices to Clicker, making speech feedback smoother and more realistic. You can choose your favourite voice from the drop-down menu next to the speaker button.

As always, you can choose your preferred speech settings in the options tab.  By default, your new voice will speak whenever you input a full stop, reading your sentence back to you.  However, some users prefer to hear each letter or word read aloud as they type.

Users can continue to right-click on words they would like read aloud in a Clicker Set and can click on the speaker button in Clicker Books.  The new voice will now read their chosen text with greater clarity.

Over 300 new images have been added to the Crick Picture Library, taking the total number of pictures to over 4500.  Older images in the library have been updated.

Clicker Analytics has a new look and feel, making it much easier for teachers and pupils to use. You’ll now find the Analytics button on the ribbon above the document. You can easily see which support tools pupils have used and identify any spelling issues.

With this more accessible Clicker Analytics, you can inform writing assessments, plan next steps and view writing progress more easily. Cloze Analytics lets you check your pupils’ understanding at a glance, giving you a chance to quickly address misconceptions.

In edit mode you can now Picturize all grids in a Clicker Set. To do this, select Picture Menu > Picturize > Apply to all Grids.

You can now also remove all pictures in a grid or in the whole Clicker Set. To do this, select Picture Menu > Remove Pictures.

(WIN / MAC)

In Display > Display Options > Fonts, click on ‘Maximise cell font size’ and use the arrow keys to click or drag the number on the font slider up or down to the size that you want. This is a great way to make activities more accessible for visually impaired learners.

A slider has also been added to the options in Edit View for the writing grids, allowing for more precise font size changes to individual grids or sets.

(WIN / MAC)

You can now send Voice Notes that you have recorded as part of your Clicker Board into your Clicker Document. This option has been added to the ‘Send to Document’ menu alongside ‘Diagram’ and ‘Text’.

(WIN / MAC / IPAD / CHROMEBOOK)

Our Spell Check tool is also now available in Clicker Board. When you’re editing a cell, if a word is spelt incorrectly, you’ll see the familiar red squiggly line - right-click on it or tap to bring up your Spell Check menu of potential corrections.

(WIN / MAC / IPAD / CHROMEBOOK)

Click on the three dots in the blue left-hand menu bar to reveal new objects that you can add to your Clicker Books. These include ‘page turner’ buttons for moving forwards or backwards through the book, which can be added anywhere on the page, and easily enlarged.

Another useful object that we’ve added here is the ‘link’ object. This enables you to add links to your books that learners can select to ‘jump’ to another section of that book.

(IPAD / CHROMEBOOK)

You can now add your own Word Banks or Picture Banks to Clicker Books on iPads and Chromebooks. Open the Page Settings for the Book, then select the + in the Text Boxes and Picture Boxes tabs to add vocabulary or images. These can then be applied to different pages in the Book to provide support to learners making their own Books.