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Learning Academy (Snap&Read and Co:Writer)

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Learning Academy (Snap&Read and Co:Writer)

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Students & Teachers!... click here to enter the Don Johnston portal to bite size video tutorials and support materials.

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To help you in your student-led learning revolution, the Learning Academy allows students to take control of their learning, no matter their learning style.

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All in One Feature Overview of Snap&Read

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All in One Feature Overview of Snap&Read

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At just under 19 minutes long this one is more lunch size than snack.

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Text-to-Speech: Not Just For Special Education Students!

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Text-to-Speech: Not Just For Special Education Students!

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A short but sweet & impactful little article addressing the benefits of Text-to-Speech technology by ESL teacher Kristine Napper

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I'm a middle school ESL teacher who accidentally picked up a reputation for being "techy." But I'll tell you a secret - I'm not even that into technology. I kicked and screamed through my edtech class as an undergrad.

I am, however, a big believer in a concept I call "techquity." Instead of doing the same old things on new devices and getting the same results, I believe technology can be used to create more equitable opportunities for all students. (You can hear more about techquity and my own techquitable journey here.)

We all have students reading below grade level. Students with learning disabilities, developing English proficiency, poor instruction, low attendance, and other factors, share the struggle of being unable to navigate grade-level text. While there's no magical solutions to complex issues, text-to-speech (TTS) is a tool that I find makes a powerful difference for tasks that involve reading.

Accessing Content

The right to learn in school shouldn't be limited by low literacy. Some of my lowest readers are also some of my brightest students. They might not decode well, but they can memorize, comprehend, analyze, connect, evaluate, apply... In short, they can think! When students can't independently read a text about World War II, shouldn't they still get to learn about World War II? Low readers often starve for more information and depth than remedial texts typically provide. TTS breaks down barriers to content.

Stretching Text Endurance

Although most of my students have enough skills to at least slog through assigned reading, for many it's an exhausting process. They wrestle with each word, grasping for meaning.

Since making TTS available, I've noticed a pattern. Many students start an assignment reading on their own. As they fatigue, they pop in some headphones and continue reading with TTS. In a pre-techquity world, these same tired students would give up or turn into behavior problems. Now they're staying engaged with text for longer, and adjusting strategies to fit their own learning needs.

Easing Text Anxiety

Conversely, some reluctant readers use the same strategy in reverse. These are the students that say they're "too lazy" to start a task, which is usually covering up insecurity about their abilities. Using TTS sounds easier and less threatening, so they're willing to get started. Once they get into the text, they often turn off TTS, preferring to continue at their own pace without the robotic voice. The technology lowers their affective filter enough to gain some reading momentum. Then, if they don't need it anymore, they naturally stop using it.

Unlearning Helplessness

"Ms. Napper, what does this word mean?"

"Which word?"

"Co... cone.... cone-see-kwee...I don't know how to say it!"

"How can you figure it out?"

At this point, they listen with TTS, and the next thing out of their mouth will either be, "Consequence! Oh, yeah, I know that word," or "What does consequence mean?"

I'm so tired of students waiting for teachers to hold their hands. TTS allows them to be independent learners, using tools to get information. While I'll happily help my students when they need it, they have to put in enough effort to at least ask a good question. If they can figure out the answer themselves, even better! It's empowering for kids who are used to being spoon-fed.

Helps With Writing

For years I've told students to read their writing aloud before declaring it finished, but it's never been very effective. Kids either feel awkward and refuse to do it, or they rush through reading it the way they want it to sound, rather than as it's written. I'm seeing better results now that I tell them to listen to their own words via TTS. Kids who've never voluntarily used a period or comma in their life can hear how confusing the text sounds without punctuation. Those who can't see the need for editing, can often hear it.

But How Will They Ever Learn To Read?

Let me be very clear - TTS does not replace reading instruction. My original intention was solely to provide access to content. However, I'm finding that it also supplements learning to read - which makes sense. Does anyone ever worry that reading to a child will become a crutch, keeping them from learning to read? Of course not; we encourage it as a way to promote literacy.

Most TTS highlights as it reads, drawing the eye along. It allows students to have meaningful interactions with text throughout the day, instead of dedicating that time and energy to avoidance. I've met 6th grade students who I secretly expected to continue needing TTS forever. Two years later, I have the joy of watching them surpass my expectations, voluntarily reading out loud in class without any technology.

Dropping The Stigma

When I started experimenting with TTS, I only offered it to the one or two students in a class with the highest reading needs. It opened doors for them... when they actually used it. They were self-conscious about peers seeing them using something "special."

As I started imagining TTS benefitting more students, I changed my approach. Now I introduce it to the whole class as something we can all keep in our toolbox. "Some of our brains learn better by listening while we read. If that's you, this might help. Some of you will want to use it a lot of the time. Some might just use it occasionally, when the reading is challenging or you're tired. Some will find it too distracting. Do whatever works for your brain!"

Just like that, the stigma is gone! Kids easily accept that our brains learn differently, and that doesn't make one style better or worse than another. They've taken ownership of how, when, and if they use TTS, and they're handling the responsibility beautifully.

Explore some links to start finding the best TTS tools for you...

Chrome Extensions:

Web Based:

MacBook Built-In Tools:

Microsoft:

Chromebooks Built-In Tools:

iPhone/iPad Built-In Tools:

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Text-to-Speech: Not Just For Special Education Students!

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I'm a middle school ESL teacher who accidentally picked up a reputation for being "techy." But I'll tell you a secret - I'm not even that into technology. I kicked and screamed through my edtech class as an undergrad. I am, however, a big believer in a concept I call "techquity."

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This Product Resources page, along with the Learning Academy, is a great place to get you started!

This link will take you to the Snap&Read videos section of the resource page (... even though that preview image suggests it's the DeCoste Writing Protocol).

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Product Resources | Don Johnston How-To Videos and Printable PDFs

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Check our our latest Product Resources including How-To Videos, Printable PDFs and Quick Cards made to support your specific needs.

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Don Johnston inc shows you what it's got... and it's a lot more than just Text-to-Speech.

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Snap&Read offers the most complete reading toolkit available to meet the different ways students learn today.

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The Case Against AT: Does accessibility even matter? | Don Johnston

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We now know that AT or assistive technology improves student outcomes, and we have the data to back it up.

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Text-to-Speech Technology: Enhancing Reading Comprehension for Students with Reading Difficulty

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Text-to-Speech Technology: Enhancing Reading Comprehension for Students with Reading Difficulty

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This link doesn't give access to the entire article, but just have a look at that Abstract!
"...Reading comprehension was significantly higher for the TTS
versus No TTS condition..."

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Text-to-Speech Technology: Enhancing Reading Comprehension for Students with Reading Difficulty

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Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.

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Digital Supports for English Language Learners

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Digital Supports for English Language Learners

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This blog post addressing the benefits of TTS and other digital tools is from texthelp (the makers of Read&Write for Google).

All of the features mentioned are also available in the Don Johnston tools (Snap&Read and Co:Writer).

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The number of English Language Learners in the US today continues to increase rapidly. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an average of just over 10% of students in developed countries are learning in their second language. The US has almost double this number however. The disparity is even greater in many US schools where over 30% of the population is learning in a second language.

While Spanish is the top language spoken by English Language Learners in the US, this can vary widely by region. Learning in a language that is not your own and having little or no English speakers at home to help can cause a significant achievement gap. This gap only grows larger as the complexity of content increases. The purpose of this post is to provide a few technology options and add-ons that can help English Language Learners succeed in the classroom.

Below you will find five common supports that can assist English Language Learners in a variety of grade levels and content areas. While it is by no means an exhaustive list, it should provide you with a great place to get started:

Electronic Translation Tools - Having access to a translation tool is probably the most obvious support on this list. That doesn't make any less important however. Students who do not speak English as their primary language often understand the majority of English words. It is the content specific words that are rarely used in normal conversation that often cause confusion. Simple tools such as Google Translate can quickly provide translations on any web connected device.

Text-to-Speech - Learning to speak a language is not the same as learning to read and write in that language. Many times students learn to speak in English, but then struggle to keep up with all of the reading required. A great support that can help increase comprehension and reading speed for English Language Learners is Text-to-Speech.

Text-to-Speech (TTS) software reads digital text aloud. Proper TTS software should include the ability to highlight each word as it is being read aloud, in addition to controls for speed, volume and voice selection. Software such as Read&Write for Google Chrome and Read&Write for Windows/Mac also include a variety of foreign voices that students can use to have text read aloud in their native language. Text-to-Speech also helps students learn to pronounce words correctly.

Visual and Talking Dictionaries - Having access to the definition of a word you are not familiar with is always helpful. Unfortunately for students who speak English as a second language this is not always a comprehensive enough solution. Additional supports, such as dictionaries that include Text-to-Speech and/or a visual component can increase the likelihood that students will understand a word's true meaning. Simple tools like the Google Dictionary Chrome extension can provide the definition of any word and speak the word aloud to help with pronunciation. For the complete definition to be read aloud, a more advanced support such as the premium version of Read&Write for Google, which also offers a picture dictionary, can be used.

Word Prediction - Not long ago word prediction was considered strictly an assistive technology support used mostly by individuals with physical disabilities who had difficulty typing. Fast forward to today and most people use a form of word prediction everyday on their smartphone or tablet. Because the English language does not always follow the alphabet principle (meaning not all words are pronounced according to individual letter sounds), added confusion for English Language Learners can occur when writing. Word prediction can help.

Take "phone" for example... Learners who know the English alphabet would likely assume that phone would start with an "f" instead of a "ph". This would be incorrect however. Word prediction can help English Language Learners who spell phonetically make correct word choices. An added benefit is that most word prediction software allows the word to be read aloud. While smartphones and tablets can provide a certain level of support, advanced word prediction applications like those found in Read&Write have a number of improvements and options that can help even the most reluctant writers.

OCR Supports - For any of the above technology supports to be useful, students must have access to digital text. Text coming from websites, Word or Google documents, PDF files or other electronic sources work fine for the most part. Worksheets, printed textbooks and locked or inaccessible digital files will not work however. To overcome this files can be scanned and OCR'd using additional software. Some scanners may have OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software included. Otherwise supports such as Snapverter (an add-on for Read&Write for Google Chrome domain or group customers) can help to make content accessible.

Hopefully the list above will serve as a good starting point when looking to integrate more technology with English Language Learners. What additional supports, software or other EdTech related tools/resources would you recommend?

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Digital Supports for English Language Learners

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The number of English Language Learners in the US today continues to increase rapidly. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an average of just over 10% of students in developed countries are learning in their second language. The US has almost double this number however.

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A STUDY OF TEXT-TO-SPEECH (TTS) IN CHILDREN’S ENGLISH LEARNING

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A STUDY OF TEXT-TO-SPEECH (TTS) IN CHILDREN’S ENGLISH LEARNING

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Here's an interesting little study by Yi-Ching Huang and Lung-Chuan Liao (Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology) published in the journal Teaching English with Technology.

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Snap&Read: A Reading Toolkit for Supercharging Access to Textual Content & Meaning

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Snap&Read: A Reading Toolkit for Supercharging Access to Textual Content & Meaning

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Snap&Read: Supercharging Access to Textual Content & Meaning

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Audio-visual synchronization in reading while listeningto texts: Effects on visual behavior and verbal learning

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Audio-visual synchronization in reading while listeningto texts: Effects on visual behavior and verbal learning

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RWL (Reading While Listening) works!

"Studies investigating foreign language learning in adolescents and adults are
consistent with the above studies. RWL proved more helpful than RO for vocabulary
acquisition (e.g., Brown, Waring, & Donkaewbua, 2008; Webb & Chang, 2012), and for
comprehension and reading rate (e.g., Chang & Millett, 2015). As in the previously reported
studies in native language, students preferred RWL to the other reading conditions." - page 6

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From this page you can sign in as an Educator to access student data.

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Organization:
University, School(s), or School District

Add the ability to manage your entire organization.

Get everyone on the same page with access to shared data.

Make your life easy with optional domain & subdomain licensing.

Includes access to our deployment and support specialists.

Plans vary so get in touch!

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Read aloud (TTS) accessible and inaccessible text (OCR), simplify difficult vocabulary, and translate English into other languages.

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Here's another Summary Overview of Snap&Read

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Here's another Summary Overview of Snap&Read

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This is a really nice summary overview of Snap&Read that was created by the UDL Team at Albuquerque Public Schools.
Again, not so bite size, but at just 9m30s long you can't go wrong.

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Snap&Read How to Use the Read Aloud Tool in Chrome

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S&R How to Take Notes Using the Outline Tool in Chrome

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Snap&Read How to Use the New PDF Annotation Tools in Chrome

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Reading Non-English Language Text with Snap&Read

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Reading Non-English Language Text with Snap&Read

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Here's a little 2.5 minute video looking at the 2 different voice settings areas in Snap&Read.

TLDW?
Here's the trick:
If you're reading text in a language other than english (... and you DON'T need to have it Translated)... Set the primary voice to the Language your text is in.

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Snap&Read- How to Use the Translation Tool in Chrome

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Import Your Students Using Google Classroom

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Import Your Students Using Google Classroom

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Snap&Read How to Import Students Using Google Classroom

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Snap&Read Quick Card - Language Translation

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Snap&Read Quick Card - Language Translation

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If you don't need to translate, but want audio-support to read Non-English text, simply change the primary voice to the language of the text to be read.
(There's a video in the column to the right --> )

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Snap&Read Quick Card for Canvas in Chrome

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The Benefits of Speech-to-Text Technology in All Classrooms

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The Benefits of Speech-to-Text Technology in All Classrooms

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Though this article is primarily about Speech-to-Text... it also touches on the benefits of pairing audio with visual.
Have a peek!

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The process of vocalizing their ideas and watching their words simultaneously appear on the screen relieved much of the stress around writing. Students could watch their thoughts fill a page, proving for some that they were capable of doing so. They could then go through and revise their grammar and ideas, correcting anywhere the technology misheard them and getting practice editing their own writing.

The initial skill required of students wasn't spelling or grammar, but the ability to transfer their ideas to the page. Natalie Conway is a teacher who works with students with disabilities in grades Kindergarten through 3rd at a statewide online charter school in Oregon. She has been teaching online for seven years. She said that specifically identifying which standard is being assessed, and providing accommodations for the standards not presently up to bat, can help make school more accessible for all students.

"Those accommodations are going to benefit kids who are unidentified (in disability) and who just would enjoy learning that way," said Conway. "So if you make it available to everyone, it's not stigmatizing to anyone. And students are going to self-select what's going to work for them. They know themselves, too, especially the older they get."

Writing is Rewriting

Nahal eventually transitioned his students off speech-to-text, encouraging them to write phonetically in a subsequent phase but with the same initial indifference to spelling and grammar encouraged by a first draft from speech-to-text. Then, once the ideas were on the page, Nahal and his students could comb through their work, updating spelling and modifying their language to meet academic conventions.

"Through the process of correcting their work and typing, they've become better writers," he said.

He spotlighted spell check as a simple way students could see that they misspelled words, with the automatic underline quickly notifying students of a mistake. That helped make editing for spelling and grammar less difficult online. Speech-to-text technology accelerated his students' writing skills during virtual learning.

"These gains would have not happened had we been in person. I mean, it would have happened, but not so rapidly in my estimation," Nahal said.

Voice Practice

Conway spotlighted speech-to-text technology as liberating for kids with writing disabilities and fine motor needs. Beyond writing homework assignments, the technology can also be used for quick in-class responses. If a teacher asks all students to put an answer in the virtual class' chatbox, for instance, a student who might not feel confident in their ability to write their thoughts can use transcription software to still participate. And for chat boxes with microphone transcription enabled, they can participate even more quickly.

"It's giving students independence, instead of having to have a scribe all the time or having to have someone read to them all the time," said Kathleen Kane Parkinson, a diverse learner teacher in Chicago.

In the past, many students would only be able to practice their pronunciations in a classroom setting. Now, this technology and related technologies allow for pronunciation practice to be incorporated into at-home work. Some teachers, like Parkinson, may choose to continue using some form of voice-recognition software for out-of-class assignments moving forward.

Parkinson mentioned, however, that the technology does not yet fully accommodate students with speech and language impairments. The transcription of their speech may not accurately reflect what students said into their microphones, which can cause confusion and frustration.

Repeated Read Alouds

The related but inverse technology of text-to-speech, also known as read-aloud technology, helped Nahal's students improve their reading skills. The process of hearing text read aloud ensured that words or lines weren't skipped, improving comprehension. Students could also highlight new words to hear pronunciations or learn definitions, strengthening vocabularies.

For students who might not feel confident reading grade-level material, or who process information better when listening, read-along features for books and articles can be pivotal. Students with attention deficits might benefit from the ability to pause a story to process or take notes, and then press play to resume reading without losing their place.

"[For] kids who might have working memory deficits or trouble recalling information, the ability to listen to something over and over or listen to it as they read it, following along - that can be really powerful," Conway said.

Jodi Dezale, a speech language pathologist at Jefferson Community School in Minneapolis pointed to online books as a key resource brought about during virtual learning. The read-along audio feature provided students the autonomy to read books on their own. Tie-in videos from publishers like Scholastic gave students an additional level of engagement for books, encouraging new modes of interaction with familiar images and stories.

"One of the tools that we use to build comprehension is repeated readings of the same thing. So getting comfortable with seeing something in different ways and using it multiple times was very helpful," said Dezale.

Accessibility Opportunities

Engagement with both audible and visual modes of learning can also be achieved through closed captioning in class video software. Offered on both Google Meet and Zoom, closed captioning can have benefits for all students. It can make virtual classrooms that don't have sign language translators more accessible for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Students with unimpaired hearing can also utilize captions as a secondary cue for their minds, allowing for another way to perceive the material.

"You're pairing verbal input with visual input and it's just more likely to stick in your brain and make sense to you," Conway said.

Access to technology is an equity issue. Students gained technological skills during virtual learning that they might not have otherwise gleaned. Many schools engaged with new learning and accessibility tools they didn't have the bandwidth or funding to try during in-person learning.

Increased familiarity with online platforms and technologies may lessen the digital divide between the schools that had embedded technology before the pandemic and those that newly engaged with modes of digital education over the past year. This offered more students digital skills that may be needed after graduation.

"They've got to be computer literate," Nahal said. "It's a literacy issue for me."

Teachers who work with students with disabilities specifically can supply their students with tools and methods of enabling accessibility technologies that they can take with them into general education classes.

"When they're in, say, a humanities class or a science class, that's where those tools are going to come in handy. And it's a matter of teaching them how to use the tools," Parkinson said.

This not only makes education more accessible, it encourages students to take agency in their learning, spurring greater independence.

For teachers who work with students with disabilities, the instantaneous nature of online assignments' feedback saves time. Sandra Zickrick works with middle schoolers with disabilities. She shared that before virtual education, she would take each student aside to assess their skills and determine where additional support was needed. Now, she can have all of her students complete simultaneous virtual assessments and immediately receive the results, allowing her to spend more class time providing specific support or doing activities with the entire class.

Beyond the new technologies learned, a number of students with disabilities preferred learning online. For some, doing school from home induced less social anxiety, which led to increased academic confidence.

Attending school from home was less optimal for many students, with many facing challenges of family distractions, Wi-Fi connection issues or an inability to find a quiet place to work. Yet some students were better able to concentrate on schoolwork at home, whether from reduced distractions in virtual school compared to social classroom settings, or from decreased social stress. Online education can allow for greater control over a student's environment, which can limit external distractors or overbearing external stimuli, benefiting some students with autism, ADD and ADHD.

"A lot of the physical distractors that happened in a building, that happened in a physical classroom, aren't the same at home," Conway said.

Conway also pointed to the ability for students to revisit lectures, to rewind, rewatch and take their time, as another accessibility tool. The more methods teachers offer for students to access the material and demonstrate that they've learned it, the more accessible school becomes for all students.

When students can select how to best prove their knowledge - be it in an essay, video, PowerPoint, Google Doc or other tool - they not only take agency in their learning, but can unlock new creativity. This creativity will be an asset in higher education and in the workforce, Conway said.

"They now have skills to communicate in a variety of ways, collaborate with other kids and be creative and think critically about what they're doing and how they're doing it," she said.

The specific tools and technologies a school may take on during virtual education may depend on the school's location, technology team and budget. Yet the fact that more students received technological devices and more schools explored assistive technologies during virtual education helped in the movement to make education more accessible.

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The Benefits of Speech-to-Text Technology in All Classrooms - MindShift

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The process of vocalizing their ideas and watching their words simultaneously appear on the screen relieved much of the stress around writing. Students could watch their thoughts fill a page, proving for some that they were capable of doing so.

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Snap&Read - Student-to-Feature Match Map

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Snap&Read - Student-to-Feature Match Map

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This is a quick way to find the features in Snap&Read that may be most beneficial to individual students.

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Here's a little poster you can print off to hang up in your class to promote and normalize the use of Snap&Read in your classroom.

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Product Resources (Snap&Read and other Don Johnston products)

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Product Resources (Snap&Read and other Don Johnston products)

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If you didn't find it in the Learning Academy... you're sure to find it here!
This is where you go for the deep dive on Don Johnston resource supports.

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Check out our latest Product Resources including How-To Videos, Printable PDFs, and Quick Cards made to support your specific needs.

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Snap&Read: Fostering Independence in the Classroom

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Snap&Read: Fostering Independence in the Classroom

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Teacher Scott Berrier’s 5th grade classroom experience with Snap&Read

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Snap&Read: Fostering Independence in the Classroom