Our latest thoughts from the world of technology in education & the workplace

Texthelp Blog - Our latest thoughts from the world of technology in education & the workplace

Blog

The causes of reading challenges are often varied and complex. While not a silver bullet, digital tools can provide alternative methods to try with students in large, small and individual settings. Here are some significant ways that technology can help your struggling readers:

Technology can be a really good motivational tool for a struggling reader. He or she may prefer digital text and engaging in multimedia reading activities. One method to spark enthusiasm for reading is through “teaser” videos. The Book Trailers for Readers website offers a collection of teacher and student-created “commercials” for highly-recommended books. You and your students can make your own recordings using tech tools such as Animoto, Adobe Spark and iMovie.

Creating community around books can also boost student interest. The “Global Read Aloud” project connects classrooms around the world that are reading the same book to share responses. Another exciting method is video conferencing. Platforms such as Google Hangouts and Skype can connect students with authors and other classes to discuss what they are reading.

Additional opportunities to build background knowledge

One factor that influences reading comprehension is the background the reader brings to the text. Through technology students can access images and other content to help expand their knowledge of time periods, locations, and contexts. For example, before reading the novel The Outsiders, students can see pictures from the 1960s showing clothing teenagers wore, types of cars they drove, and scenes from Oklahoma to deepen their understanding of the story.

For students reading independently, teachers can place QR codes in books that link to related media. Students can scan the code with a mobile device to learn more about the book. I have inserted a QR code on the book Al Capone Does My Shirts that links to a video tour of Alcatraz, showing the exact places described in the story. (A free tool I use to generate QR codes is www.qrstuff.com.)

There are different ways for students to engage and interact using technology, offering more opportunities to overcome reading challenges. Readers may listen to an audio version of a book and follow along with printed text. Digital text on a computer, tablet, or smartphone can be spoken aloud. A challenging word on a page of a website or ebook may be selected and pronounced. Settings are adjustable to ensure that the speed of the spoken text and voice type are comfortable for the child. Read&Write, a literacy toolbar from Texthelp, provides students with many of these features (and more).

Many apps and websites provide alternatives for students to experience text. Another great example of this is the site My Shakespeare. This site offers interactive text versions of plays accompanied by media such as interviews with characters, performances and pop-up notes that appeal to a 21st century learner. Digital products like this give students additional channels to understand, experience, and enjoy difficult text.

Readers of digital text have customizable options not available in paper-based print. Supports can be used with various platforms and websites to remove barriers when engaging with text. These features enable students to develop skills independently and avoid having to interrupt their reading when they need help. 

The ability to adjust the way text is presented on the screen can make a huge difference for a struggling reader. It’s simple to change the font size and style to find something more readable. Students with dyslexia, for example, might benefit from switching to the Open Dyslexic typeface. The platform Newsela provides over 1,000 articles on a wide variety of topics that can be modified by reading level. Each article is offered at five different Lexile levels, allowing teachers and students to access the version of the text that best meets the needs of the reader.

Enhanced ways to connect and interact with text

Technology can support readers through the added tools and features accessible with digital text. One available option is digital sticky notes to annotate text. These can be color-coded for purposes such as text evidence, inferencing, analysis, etc. In addition, students can use a digital highlighter. A student can choose a color and specific text to be highlighted on a page. This can help indicate a place where he or she struggled. The teacher can encourage the child to highlight particular words or passages based on a skill that they are working on. The Read&Write toolbar has a digital highlighter feature that can also be used to organize research or create vocabulary lists.

No matter what challenges your readers face, digital tools can provide options and supports to try. What have you found helpful for your struggling readers? Does technology have a big part to play? Please comment below!

The causes of reading challenges are often varied and complex. While not a silver bullet, digital tools can provide alternative methods to try with students in large, small and individual settings.

Five reasons why struggling readers benefit from using technology

This guest blog post comes from Kristine Scharaldi, an education consultant and instructional coach with a specialization in the fields of educational technology, Mind-Brain-Education, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and 21st Century Skills/Global Education.

With over 20 years of experience providing customized professional development and training for educators, we turned to Kristine to hear how technology can benefit struggling readers.

If you want to support your struggling students through the help of education technology, you won't want to miss Kristine's post!

 is a software toolbar with literacy support features designed to help teachers deliver inclusive, personalized learning experiences to all students - and assist every member of the class in meeting their full potential. 

For educators, it is a time-saver, making curriculum materials accessible to suit every student’s personal learning style. It also helps teachers ‘Reach Every Learner’, providing tailored multi-lingual support for high achievers right through to students with specific literacy challenges.

In an independent, year-long study of children in their first year of secondary school, conducted during the 2017/18 academic year, 66% of Read&Write users improved their reading age and confidence levels over the course of the year, compared with 27% of non Read&Write users. In addition, whilst significant pressures of the first year of secondary school can push students' reading and writing into decline, the study found the measurable quality of writing improved by 3.5% amongst Read&Write users.

Commenting on the award win, our CEO, Mark McCusker said: “For one of our leading products, Read&Write, to have won best International Digital Education Resource is an important milestone for Texthelp. This is an accolade that we have been working towards for several years, and it is really exciting to receive the recognition for the impact Read&Write has on learning outcomes. The anecdotal feedback received from users, and the findings from an independent study into the efficacy of the products, shows Read&Write has a significant impact on learning outcomes. 

Read&Write makes files, documents and the web more accessible on a wide range of devices and platforms, including Windows, Mac, Google Chrome, iPad and Android. The intuitive toolbar sits on top of applications like Microsoft Word and Google Docs to help students whenever needed with a wide range of literacy tasks - from reading and understanding classroom materials to coursework and independent study. Translation support is available in almost 100 languages and growing, whilst Read&Write’s toolbar interface is accessible in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Dutch and Portuguese.

We were also shortlisted for best ‘Classroom Aids For Learning Teaching and Assessment’ for WriQ - a Chrome extension for Google Docs that automatically marks papers digitally. 

If you would like to explore our winning Read&Write toolbar, teachers can install it for free - for life - through our Free for Teachers program. Simply click on the image below or follow this link to fill out the form.

We are thrilled to announce that we have won best 'International Digital Education Resource' in the UK's BETT Awards 2020 for our flagship Read&Write product!

A New Milestone: Read&Write wins BETT Award 2020!

A New Milestone: Read&Write Wins BETT Award 2020!

We are thrilled to announce that we have won best 'International Digital Education Resource' in the UK's BETT Awards 2020 for our flagship Read&Write product! 

It’s those lightbulb moments when students ‘get’ a new topic; those times when students are motivated, and those times when they simply achieve success in their own unique way. Those are the times that remind us that students are the center of everything and those are the times when we realize that our goal is to see them progress, to help them be the very best they can be and, ultimately, unlock their full potential.     

Achieving this requires recognition of the huge diversity in every class we teach; the recognition that every student is different, and the understanding that their approach to learning is as individual as their personalities.

Every class has an incredible mix of students - those high achievers that need stretched and challenged and those with individual needs. The quiet students that work consistently, those who struggle for motivation, those that are articulate to those that ask for help and those that don’t. When we recognize and understand this great diversity, we need to start focusing on true inclusion and planning teaching around a model that can reach every learner. Differentiated learning is hard in the busyness of a classroom, so perhaps we need to start thinking differently.  

We can look towards redesigning learning spaces, or perhaps problem based learning. Focusing on the pedagogy of scaffolded learning or trying new and innovative practice. These things also take time. But time, as teachers, is never on our side.

So perhaps there’s something more immediate we can do, and that is to provide students with choice and voice. Giving them the flexibility of what they learn, when they learn and how they learn it. Helping them build on passion, and prior knowledge, and allowing them to choose the tools and supports that are right for them. Tools that build on their strengths and support their challenges. On their terms.

Unlock & Unleash the potential of technology

All of these tools are available to us now as educators. Tools that can provide multiple approaches to learning and multiple methods to express learning. Tools that can be personalized for each students uniqueness and help create bespoke learning for all. 

It’s time to unlock and unleash the potential of this technology. To embrace it and to engage with it. By doing so we can start to provide choice and voice to our students, and ultimately unlock the potential in each and every one.  

So let’s choose the right technology tools that empower students to learn. Let’s create the opportunities to use these tools, and let’s succeed at achieving what motivates us all and drives us forward  - putting learning and most importantly the students at the center, and heart of everything we do. 

If you'd like to find out about Texthelp tools to help empower your students to take charge of their own learning, then check out our products. 

How using technology can minimize teacher workload and maximize student potential

Texthelp at FETC 2020: minimizing teacher workload

FETC 2020: minimize teacher workload and maximize student outcomes

For educators, there’s one thing that’s the reason we do what we do. Our students. At times frustrating, they have an uncanny ability to inspire and motivate us. So, despite the challenges of the job including endless marking and reporting, the demands of parents and management and the seamlessly endless list of duties that contribute to our workload, we find ourselves driven and committed to help them succeed.

Find the right assistive technology tools for concentration, expression and alternative formats

From Education to Workplace:  Assistive Technology for all stages of life

Technology has changed the face of education. And for many students with disabilities, it has leveled the playing field amongst their peers and enabled them to realize their true potential.

LDR Spotlight: The Meaning and Place of AT Leadership, Today and Tomorrow

Speakers: Mark McCusker, Luis Perez, David Banes, Cynthia Curry

State Testing Panel: Accommodations, Accessibility, and Resources for You

Speakers: Joy Zabala, Jason Carroll, Ruth Ziolkowski, Trisha Klein, Jan McSorley

Strand: Education & Learning: Early Intervention – 12

Engaging 3 R’s [Reading, Writing, Arithmetic] in a Digital Classroom

Strand: Mainstream & Web Accessible Technologies

Assistive Technology Feud: PATINS v.s. FDLRS

Speakers: Christopher Bugaj, Kelli Suding, Mia Laudato

At Least 50 Ways to Enhance Literacy/Learning the UDL Way

Speakers: Sally Norton-Darr, Judith Schoonover

Empowering the Reader Through the Dynamics of Text-to-Speech

Speakers: Sarah Wood, Nanci King Shepardson, Jennifer Keelor

Speakers: Elisa Wern, Mike Marotta, Karen Janowski, Christopher Bugaj, Brian Wojcik

CollaborATe: Succeed with Your District’s Rollout Plan

Speakers: Scott Richards, Rhianon Gutierrez, Mary Marcella

HRED Spotlight: Keep C.A.L.M., AEM Higher - Digital Accessibility Campaigns and Outreach

Rethink Literacy with Apps and Extensions

Speakers: Leslie DiChiara, Hillary Goldthwait-Fowles

Math-tastic: Accessible Math for All Learners

Google Apps & Extensions-Your Essential Toolkit for Diverse Learners

Special Education Technology Research: New Advances in 2019

Goodbye Expert Model- Hello Collaborative Assessment!

Speakers: Julie Bassett, Teresa Clevidence

Do you plan on attending any of the above sessions? Are there any others you’d recommend? Share your thoughts in the comments below! And if you’re attending ATIA, don’t forget to stop by Booth #504 to say hi to our Texthelpers and share some of your key learnings from the sessions. We look forward to seeing you there!

Are you heading to ATIA this year? Whether it’s your first time attending or your an ATIA pro, there’s a lot to take in over the course of the conference. To help, we’ve put together this guide of recommended sessions.

Where to go and who to see at ATIA 2020

Are you heading to ATIA this year? Whether it’s your first time attending or you're an ATIA pro, there’s a lot to take in over the course of the conference. To help, we’ve put together this guide of recommended sessions. And if you find yourself needing a break from the sessions, be sure to stop by Booth #504 during the Exhibit Hall Hours to chat with our group of Texthelpers!

Providing feedback to students has been the bane of a good teacher’s existence for as long as education has existed. The story goes something like this: If the teachers spends ten minutes “marking” a paper, the student will spend ten seconds looking at and taking in the information. There are few arguments to the contrary . . . students, generally speaking, are not using teacher feedback that is presented in writing to improve. 

There was a year of my teaching career when I had to make a deal with myself, and I hope you’ll think about making it with yourself, too. Here’s the deal . . . 

“If it won’t get me fired, and it doesn’t help students learn, I’m going to stop doing it.”

When I made this decision, it was both freeing and terrifying. It meant that I had to stop “grading” the mounds of essays that came my way weekly, after all, I could not justify the time. I knew that, by and large, the marks were not helping students learn. So, what would I do instead? That question led to months and then years of searching for ways to leave feedback students would use to learn while spending a commensurate time in the process. 

And, after all these years, I think I have some ideas that might help, so, without further ado, here are my top 5 ways to provide meaningful feedback for students that won’t break your weekend plans . . . 

#5 Use Bitmojis of yourself to create “Doc Stickers” that you can drag and drop into/onto a student’s work. If students are working through Google Docs, use Google Keep to see all of your feedback Bitmojis saved in Keep from the side panel. 

#4 Save comments with instructional links to Google Keep so that you can easily pull over all the information a student needs to understand the error and correct it; THEN, require the student to understand and correct only a few types of errors per assignment. For a struggling student, trying to correct ALL forms of errors at once is probably not effective for learning and integrating new knowledge. 

#3 Use Screencastify (my personal favorite screencasting tool) to give feedback with your voice and even a video of yourself for added personality. There’s a little example below; if you don’t teach writing; don’t despair, students can turn in any image of their work so that you can give feedback with video. For example, in math, have students work out one problem showing ALL their work so that you can talk to each of them individually about where things might have gone wrong.  Screencastify is free for educators with some limitations: Each video can be up to 10 minutes long (go for 3 minutes or less) and you can make up to 50 videos per month. However, the best news is, you can get premium Screencastify for only $29/year as an individual educator or much less if your whole school subscribes. 

Example Feedback with Video

#2 Use your voice to leave feedback with the free teacher premium version of Read&Write from Texthelp. This amazing feature lands at #2 for its ease of use AND totally free price. Students will need the free student version (which they’ll have after 30 days of Read&Write premium expires. Install it here; apply for the free teacher premium version here so that after your premium subscription expires, you will retain this feature!

Texthelp Read&Write Voice Comment on a Student's Essay in G Docs

#1 AND the number ONE way to leave feedback for student writers is through a new tool also from one of my favorite companies, Texthelp, called WriQ. For this one, you’re just going to have to watch the video because otherwise, I honestly don’t know if you’d believe what this tool does . . . 

Using WriQ to Score an Essay

I sincerely hope you’ve learned some new ways to provide feedback to your students that will both save you time and increase absorption for students. If you like this article, please don't forget to share it through your social media channels, and encourage fellow teachers to learn along with you. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Learn more about how WriQ can help you to close the feedback loop quickly by providing instant feedback on students' writing assignments. 

Top 5 ways, from guest blogger Amy Mayer, for providing meaningful feedback for students that won’t break your weekend plans . . .

Top 5 ways to provide meaningful feedback for students

This is a guest blog post written by Amy Mayer, founder of friEdTechnology, and was originally featured on friedtechnology.com.

Blog

Five reasons why struggling readers benefit from using technology

A New Milestone: Read&Write Wins BETT Award 2020!

FETC 2020: minimize teacher workload and maximize student outcomes

From Education to Workplace: Assistive Technology for all stages of life

Where to go and who to see at ATIA 2020

Top 5 ways to provide meaningful feedback for students

Categories

Education

Solutions

Products

Workplace

Solutions

Products

Resources

Resource centre

Events

Learn & Support

Company