Reading, Writing and
Organizational Tools for All
Students!
Sign in to be entered to win a free copy of
Read&Write Gold
About Us
Pamela Kancler
Jessica Coulombe
Assistive Technology Facilitator
Territory Sales Director
Windsor Public Schools
Texthelp, Inc.
M.S. Educational Technology
M.S. Special Education
5 years of experience in Assistive
Technology consulting.
Provide consult, training and access to
assistive technology for Windsor staff
and students to address IEP Goals and
Objectives
Assist schools in the Northeast to
define and achieve literacy
objectives with Read&Write
Solutions.
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(Back)
Agenda
•
Read&Write Gold Overview
•
Who does it help? Smarter
Balanced Alignment
•
Hands-on/Classroom Strategies
•
Questions
Your Current Situation
•
•Reading: grade level content
• Writing & Research: Organization, note-taking and
study skills strategies.
• Text: creating and providing accessible materials to
students
• Continuity: PC, Mac and Chromebooks. MS Office
and Google Apps for Education. iPads!
• Smarter Balanced: preparation for 2014/2015
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“Answer in complete sentences.”
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“Answer in complete sentences.”
Same
student after
using
Read&Write
for only 3
months!
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How do we make this happen?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Text-to-speech
Word prediction
Visual & talking dictionaries
Self-editing tools
Speech-to-text
Organizational tools
Brainstorming tools
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3 Platforms
DESKTOP
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CLOUD
iPAD
What is Read&Write Gold?
• A toolbar that integrates with other
applications.
• Each icon represents a powerful tool.
• These tools help students to read, write,
organize, and research independently.
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Smarter Balanced Assessment
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Reading- Let’s Get Started
• Natively reads in MS Office, PDF files, Internet
Explorer, Safari and Chrome.
• Demonstration/Hands-on reading a Word
Document, a website (IE), and an online
textbook.
• Presidents Website:
http://goo.gl/tFTQAq
• Pearson text
• Visual and Talking Dictionary can be accessed
anywhere a word can be highlighted.
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Research
• Text-to-speech with dual highlighting
can increase student comprehension
by two grade levels.
• Read&Write Gold’s writing tools
increased student writing
conventions by 276%.
Sources: Elkind (1998), Montali and Lewandowski (1996), Disseldorp and Chambers (2002).
Sources: Central Washington University Study (2007)
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Organizational Tools
• Collect Highlights with Bibliography
Information from Word or a Website
• Collect Highlights and create a Vocabulary List
with images and definitions.
• Presidents Website:
http://goo.gl/tFTQAq
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Writing Supports
•
•Word Prediction can be used in Word or
Google Docs to reduce keystrokes and
frustration by the student in producing
content.
• Word Prediction Comparison Research
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Writing Supports
“Accommodations aren’t cheating, and they don’t unfairly plant
ideas into anyone’s head. They simply remove the barriers
that prevent dyslexic students from expressing what they
already know - and that’s all. Appropriate accommodations
are often essential for students with dyslexia to develop their
skills as writers, and that unlocking of potential is ultimately
what education should be all about.”
“Not only do these programs help dyslexic students reduce
spelling errors, but when used consistently they actually teach
individuals with dyslexia to spell better.”
Source: The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain by Brock Eide
M.D.,M.A. & Fernette Eide M.D.
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Google Apps for Education
• Chromebook education market share
2012: .04%
2013: 20%
• In the US education market alone about 22%
of school districts have chromebooks.
• Why?
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Read&Write for Google
• Freemium: Text-to-Speech with dual
highlighting and the Translator for the Web
and Docs.
• Premium: Google Docs Extension includes
Word Prediction, Highlight, Vocabulary List
Builder and more. PDF, ePub and kes reader.
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Resources
• Toolmatcher: matches accommodations with
the student’s needs.
• Video Tours: located in the Read&Write Gold
toolbar and on YouTube.
• Webinars: Free monthly interactive webinars
• IEP, School and Single Licensing available.
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Thank you!
• Jessica Coulombe
j.coulombe@texthelp.com
Cell: 978-808-1627
• Pamela Kancler
pkancler@windsorct.org
860-687-2050 x155
Please sign the sheet for an opportunity to win a
copy of the program. The PowerPoint will be
provided to all attendees.
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