11 Ways to Increase Technology Usage on Campus
23rd March 2016 -Too often in the EdTech world we spend the majority of our time finding the right technology, getting funding approved, installing, etc., but much less time promoting technology to ensure that it is actually being used by students and staff. This “getting the word out” is especially difficult in the university setting, where students are more independent and scattered about on and off campus. In addition, much of the technology available for students is not a requirement but an optional support for those who know where and how to access it.
To help, we’ve collected some tips from universities across the country who have had success getting students to use newly adopted software. Not only can this help to justify the cost of technology purchases, but also to increase the retention and achievement of the students who use those purchases. While these tips come from those in higher education, many can also benefit others, including K-12 schools and corporations who are looking to get the word out about technology.
Continue ReadingFree Speech to Text in Google Docs
3rd March 2016 -Ever wish you could speak your thoughts into a document instead of writing or typing them? Doing so may be easier than you think. Speech-to-text technology has been around for decades in one form or another. It was made popular by technology companies such as IBM, the Department of Defense, and medical offices.
In this post we’ll take a look at how speech to text technology is used in classrooms, and how you can access it for free in Google Docs.
Continue ReadingPDFs are now even more accessible with Read&Write for Google Chrome
25th February 2016 -Read&Write for Google Chrome™ helps make PDFs more accessible by allowing users to hear text read aloud, see and hear definitions with talking and picture dictionaries, create and collect highlights, look up facts and more.
Today we released a new update to our PDF Viewer that includes some of our most popular feature requests from customers. This includes the addition of both Word Prediction and Speech Input for our Typewriter Annotation tool, and a few other improvements that you’ve been asking for.
Check out the quick video below, and read on for more details.
Continue ReadingEducational Technology and Protecting Student Privacy
25th January 2016 -Everyone is talking about Data Security and Privacy these days - and rightly so. The fantastic benefits that the Cloud and Chromebooks in particular have brought to education also have their trade-offs, and CIO’s need to be sure that suppliers are taking their responsibilities with your District and Student data seriously.
I thought it would be useful to help schools who are going through this transition by creating a checklist - A list of questions to ask your software supplier to help manage your risk, and ensure the safety, security and privacy of your data.
Remember, under FERPA it is the District’s and School’s responsibility to look after the data - Schools need to satisfy themselves that their data is being treated properly if they entrust a software provider with it.
Continue Reading4 Ways to Teach Reading after 4th Grade
21st January 2016 -When we speak of “teaching reading,” often we think that should occur for students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. For students in grades 4 and up, “teaching” reading means supporting student meaning making through higher level thinking tasks. The following four teaching suggestions will help you to ensure students understand information that’s contained in academic reading.
Continue ReadingRead&Write for iPad Now Available in French
8th December 2015 -Read&Write for iPad provides support tools like text to speech, word prediction, dictionaries and more, built right into an iPad keyboard and a web toolbar for Safari. And Texthelp is excited to announce that Read&Write for iPad is now available in French!
This is especially good news for our friends in Canada, where French is an official language that’s used heavily (and often exclusively!) in many classrooms throughout the country. Read on to learn more and check out some screenshots.
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