Using Technology To Enhance
Literacy Instruction
By: April Smith Technology Facilitator
How can we ensure that we
support all readers?
• As educators we should seek ways to support
the learning of all students in the classroom
How can we support all learners?
 With devices and Assistive Technologies
 Text-to- Speech Technology can increase
fluency and comprehension.
 Creating videos to explain and show learning
What does the Research say
• Text reader software creates a level playing field for
students who do not decode or comprehend well
enough to read (Hasselbring & Bausch 2005)
• Literacy is one area in which well-applied assistive
technologies can act as a lifeline to students with
learning disabilities. As many as 8 of 10 students with
learning disabilities have reading problems so
significant that they cannot read and understand
grade-level material (Hasselbring & Bausch 2005)
Apps for Text to Speech
• Apple products offer the "voice over option that reads
everything on the screen.
• Speak it (highlights words as they are read.)
• Voice Dream (supports PDF, can connect Evernote
and Pocket)
• Speech Magnet (copy and paste text)
• Web reader HD (works on webpages has speed
settings)
• Dragon (great for both speech to text and text to
speech)
Learning Behaviors
• Students are more likely to listen to a
story again if it is read to them. Thus
increasing comprehension.
• Students that regularly listen to fluent
readers become fluent readers
Lesson with online text
• Online books that can be used with the web reader
http://www.wegivebooks.org/
• Guided Reading Summary Lesson
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzfQeltkGRL9Z215U
UFlT1dyWEZBd3R3Mlh0NS1YM3RMUm9F/view?us
p=sharing
• Guided Reading Character Traits Lesson
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzfQeltkGRL9Vk5ka
G9HQ0pLSEk/view?usp=sharing
Product of Learning
• Create a Summary of the story using a story
board on paper then film the summary
- or –
• Create a scene in the story that shows a
character trait. Write a script to show the
scene then explain the character trait
Summary
• Summarize a story Graphic organizer
http://www.scribd.com/doc/86965253/Retelling-RopeStudent-Page-and-Poem
**In lower grade just use pictures but older grades use
words instead of pictures
• Example video http://youtu.be/_mqgnkbtTuY
• Rubric
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=Print
Rubric&rubric_id=2447573&
Character Trait
• Character Trait Graphic Organizer
http://notebookingfairy.com/pixiedust/languag
e-arts/character-analysis.pdf
• Examples video http://youtu.be/bkCIMKim4Ps
• Rubric
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?scree
n=PrintRubric&rubric_id=2447573&
Citation
• Scholastic Character traits list
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/topteaching/2012/11/bringing-characters-life-writersworkshop
• Character Trait Graphic Organizer
http://notebookingfairy.com/pixiedust/languagearts/character-analysis.pdf
• Rubric
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=PrintRubri
c&rubric_id=2447573&
• summarize a story
http://www.scribd.com/doc/86965253/Retelling-RopeStudent-Page-and-Poem
Please take
a few
moments to
evaluate
this
session!
Your
feedback is
important.
http://www.cvent.com/d/hrq907/3B