Give Customized Feedback Using Google Forms
26th November 2014 -Last week I spent some time with a colleague showing teachers how to provide customize feedback to students using Google Forms. Typically Google Forms are used to create simple surveys or quizzes. The form results are then dumped into a spreadsheet that can be reviewed anytime. However, with just a few additional tweaks you can really take advantage of what Google Forms can do in the classroom.
Continue ReadingSpeech Input, Simplify and Summarize Now Part of Read&Write for Google Chrome!
9th September 2014 -The 2014 school year is now well underway for most schools in North America and what better way to start the new year than with a new Read&Write for Google Chrome update! New premium features including Speech Input for Google Docs, Highlighting and Vocabulary support for web pages, and a new Simplify and Summarize tool for the web are now available. Continue reading for details (and videos!).
Continue ReadingRead&Write 6 Gold for Mac Now Available!
29th May 2014 -Today Texthelp released Version 6 of Read&Write for Mac. The software has been completely re-written from the ground up and is now faster and contains many new features and enhancements.
Continue Reading5 Tips for Using Highlighting Tools in the Classroom
1st April 2014 -Last week I wrote about Google’s new Add-Ons for Docs and Sheets and demonstrated how to find, install and use Texthelp’s Highlighting Tools in Google Docs. This week I am sharing a few tips I wrote for using the Highlighting Tools Add-On in the classroom. While these tips were written specifically for using the Add-On within a Google Doc, they are just as relevant for students using Read&Write for Windows, Read&Write for Mac, Read&Write for Google Chrome™, or even regular old highlighters and a notebook.
Continue ReadingNew Google Add-Ons for Docs!
24th March 2014 -In case you haven’t heard, Google recently announced the availability of Add-Ons for Google Docs and Sheets. You can find the official announcement on Google’s Blog.
Continue ReadingWhat's Universal Design for Learning?
11th February 2014 -The term Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, continues to appear across the field of Assistive Technology. At the ATIA conference alone this year there were five sessions that integrated Universal Design into their title. While the topic is an important one, I find that confusion still exists about what exactly Universal Design for Learning is (or isn’t). For example, when asking people to define UDL, answers range from a software program to a variation of Differentiated Instruction. The purpose of this post is to not only define Universal Design for Learning, but to also provide suggestions on where to start when integrating it into your setting.
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