Google Tools Day 5- Read & Write

Read & Write works from a toolbar within Google Docs and provides tools that are useful for all learners, including a robust dictionary, image dictionary, fact finder, translator, and text-to-speech tool.  This is a great tool for students on IEPs, but this assistive technology can be beneficial for all students!

Thoughts

The dictionary in Read & Write will read the word and the definition out loud.  The picture dictionary will show images to make the definition understandable.

Students can use the "text background color" to highlight information.  Students can choose different colors to highlight different ideas and the Read & Write tool will extract the highlights in a pop-up window and sort by color or order, students choice.  The highlights can be copied and pasted wherever the student chooses.  As I type this I can see us using this when we do CAR (Close and Analytical Reading) including highlighted reading.  Teachers can upload any document into a Google Doc to be shared with students.

Students can set the voice and speed for the speech aspect of this tool.  Students can have any part of the text read to them.

Students can highlight words from the document and click on the Vocabulary button on the Read & Write toolbar and it will create a list with definitions and pictures!  ( I can just see my students using this while reading a science text!)












This tool seems to trump the Google dictionary and image dictionary but it costs money. You can add it to a Chromebook for a free trial but the full version has to be paid for, which seems to have a lot more to offer like a speech recognizer (students speak into the microphone and it writes their words for them).  I did use one but to have it embedded into Read & Write would be great! Our district has money in the bond for apps and I hope this is added to the list. (I plan to give my suggestion to the powers that be :)

How I Have Used It

Since I found this tool later in the school year, I have only used it with a few students, mainly students with IEPs.  They used their headphones and had the text read out-loud to them.  They also used the dictionary for help with unknown words.  It also helped for them to hear what they typed out-loud.  Sometimes hearing what we write helps in the editing process. I hope to use it more next year, especially the extracting of the highlights, that looks very interesting and helpful.  And that vocabulary list?!?! WOW!!!

Becoming more of a tech geek everyday,

Jen