Blog Post #5: Adaptive Technology Resource
Immersive Reader - Adaptive Tool
The week’s readings about accessibility resonated
with me. I just finished reading, The
Silence Between Us (The Schnieder Family Book Award 2020 Teen Honor Winner)
by Alison Gervais, which tells the story (in first person) of Mya who is deaf. She must transition to a “hearing school” for
her senior year and the book details her experiences and interactions with
others. I also have a co-worker at my
school who is deaf. What would it be like
to live in a world where I could not see or hear (or had some other disability)?
Recently, these aspects have made me want to learn ASL one day. Additionally, it has also made me reflect on
my current practices and as a future school librarian. What technology features could I use to help
my students with disabilities?
While searching for helpful adaptive tools, I stumbled upon “immersive
reader”. What is it? It is a tool that helps students by dictating
text to speech. This tool is useful in
k-12 education and classroom settings for those who are struggling readers, students
with visual impairment, ELL learners, dyslexic students, or students who prefer their text to
be read aloud. Some educational
technology is already embedded with this feature (like Flip Grid, Wonderopolis,
and Canvas). This is my first year
implementing the Canvas Learning Management Systems and I did not know that
this feature was available and look forward to accessing this tool via Canvas.
Microsoft's Immersive Reader: What is it?
Microsoft's Immersive Reader: Benefits?
|
Features |
Proven Benefit |
|
Enhanced
dictation |
Improves authoring
text |
|
Focus mode |
Sustains
attention and improves reading speed |
|
Immersive reading |
Improves
comprehension and sustains attention |
|
Font
spacing and short lines |
Improves
reading speed by addressing “visual crowding”
|
|
Parts of speech |
Supports
instruction and improves writing quality |
|
Syllabification |
Improves word
recognition |
|
Comprehension
mode |
Improves
comprehension by an average of 10% |
Hi Richelle! I enjoyed your post on Immersive Reader. My post was on WordTalk, which is very similar. I am so impressed by these new technologies. I wonder how many classroom teachers know about resources such as Immersive Reader; I certainly didn't - and it would have been very useful when I was teaching! So much exists to help students, I just wonder how to best reach teachers who could really use them. Perhaps this is something school districts should dedicate more time to researching, or maybe Technology or Resource teachers should spearhead researching and sharing resources such as these. Teachers are already overwhelmed, so they don't need tons of resources, but something like Immersive Reader could be so helpful, it's a shame for teachers (and students) to miss out. - Janna Palliser
ReplyDeleteHi Richelle--
ReplyDeleteThe immersive reader is a wonderful tool to use with all children. It is amazing how this adaptive tool was right there under my nose and I did not even know it. I already know that the children would love to have the text read to them. They would learn how to pronounce hard to read words and figure out specific speech sounds, meter, and beats. This is tool that children can use at home. It is definitely a plus during this time of virtual learning. It is not a substitute for a teacher, but it can definitely support the learning of all children across the curriculum. I am ready to introduce this tool to parents and I already know they will be pleased to know that this tool is right at their fingertips.