Thinking Beyond Averages in the Classroom
3rd April 2017 -If you’re an educator, help out in classrooms often, or simply have kids of your own, you probably know that no two students are alike. They come in all shapes and sizes, abilities, strengths, and interests.
Even though most everyone agrees with the above statement, we still tend to focus on “averages” both in and out of the classroom however. And this isn’t always be the best metric for measuring progress.
For example, If you were to calculate the average height of a class, or look at the average score on a test, you’d likely find that few if any students were the average height or had the average test score. Instead you’d find that several students scored below (some possibly way below) average while others scored above. So while the average does tell you something about the class as a whole, it doesn’t account for how diverse classrooms have become.
So what’s the alternative? Let’s take a look…
Continue Readingg(Math) just got smarter - and lots more fun!
4th November 2016 -g(Math) is a Google Add-on that I started developing back in 2013 that makes it quick and easy to create equations, graphs, stats displays and math quizzes to insert in Google Docs, Sheets, and Forms. Earlier this year, g(Math) became the newest addition to the Texthelp product suite. As such, Texthelp’s expert developers and I have improved upon my original design to create a more simple and intuitive tool for creating digital, accessible math. Just like your students who have already grown so much since the start of the new school year, so has g(Math).
Continue reading to see all of the latest and greatest updates we’ve made to the g(Math) Add-on, along with some short demo videos you can use to share these updates with your students and colleagues.
Continue ReadingPractice Reading Aloud with Read&Write for Google Chrome
6th October 2016 -A few weeks ago we announced several new features and enhancements to our literacy software Read&Write for Google Chrome™ just in time for back to school. In both our blog post and webinar we also hinted at some additional updates coming soon.
We’re happy to announce that the first of those updates, a new Practice Reading Aloud feature, is now available.
The Practice Reading Aloud feature lets students select any text from a Google Doc or the web, practice and record themselves reading it aloud, listen to their recording, and even share it with their teacher! And it’s a completely free feature - the first new free feature to be added to the toolbar since Read&Write launched!
Keep reading for additional details on how it works, as well as a short overview video.
Continue ReadingSupporting students with dyslexia in an increasingly tough GCSE playing field
15th September 2016 -This week’s guest blog comes from Malcolm Litten, a member of the British Dyslexia Association New Technologies Committee. Malcolm continues to teach English to individuals who experience literacy difficulties, having enjoyed over 40 years as an English teacher. He spent over half of that time working with pupils affected by dyslexia. Here, Malcolm discusses the latest set of GCSE results and what the implications could be for students with dyslexia.
Continue ReadingRead&Write is Back to School with New Features
8th September 2016 -At Texthelp, we’ve been busy over the summer adding some much requested features to Read&Write for Google Chrome just in time for the new school year. We have lots of new things to share with you about this release, including new capabilities for existing tools you know and love (like the ability to work in Google Slides!), and completely new features like our new Screen Masking tool.
Continue reading for the details, along with some videos and screenshots you can use to share these great updates with your students and colleagues.
Continue ReadingRead&Write has been given a new medical boost!
1st September 2016 -This week, we have some really exciting news to share! From September 1st, Read&Write for Windows will now have the capability to spell check and conduct word prediction with an additional 98,000 medical, and 8,000 pharmaceutical words (UK spellings only at present).
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