I use Read to Go all the time with students. Once a student is registered on Bookshare, they are listed in the Read to Go app. Students have listened to a variety of books and followed along with the printed words. It works great and the books download amazingly fast. Next year when we are on the one-to-one initiative with iPads, it will be even better for students to use Read to Go. However, there is a fee to the app. Once purchased, it stays with the student forever just as their Bookshare registration. I’ve also downloaded librivox and its ok, but I can’t get it to ‘hold’ a place in the book as easily as Read to Go.
I think the one-to-one initiative on I-Pads would be great! The downloads I have made to an individual I-Pod has made the technology more user friendly and I imagine the individual I-Pads will too. Mary Schreck
Mary Schreck I use Read to Go with a number of my students, both on the I-Pad and download to their I-Pods. I have downloaded textbooks for student use in the resource room and this has worked quite well. More recently, the downloads have been on the I-Pod for individual use. There is a feature where students can set up their own account to download their book choices. This is a wonderful tool to make students more independent in their reading, especially those with significant reading disabilities.
After reading recommendations on the dyslexia association website, I also downloaded Voice Dream. It's not free, but it reads from web pages with the browser built into the ap, Dropbox, Google Drive, Pocket, Instapaper, Evernote, or Bookshare.
I have a non-verbal student that has "Tap to Talk" downloaded on his I-Pod. He is still learning to use this. We just recently added some new phrases and I think starting the school year with phrases that "fit" his classes, activities will be a key.
I have a student who uses text to speech and speech to text on a regular basis on his iPad. He enjoys being able to read the same books that the class is reading and he likes being able to take his own notes and answer his own questions. I think both are very beneficial.
I agree that both are beneficial, and will continue to be very beneficial throughout the course of his educational career. The more posts I read on this blog, the more I’m amazed by the opportunities new technology is allowing our students to experience. I can’t imagine the impact some of these same things would have had on the people that I went to school with.
I haven’t used these app extensions yet, but one of my interrelated teachers has and just loves them for read aloud accommodations. You actually might have received an email about them a couple months ago. If you didn’t though, here’s the information… The 2 apps are called ‘i speech’ and ‘SpeakIt!’ She uses them on the school’s chromebooks, and notes that both apps need to be downloaded in order for everything to work properly. Then, all you do is highlight what needs to be read and click play or click on the play button (black megaphone symbol on the right side of the URL menu bar). The volume, voice, speed, and various other settings are all customizable. She notes that the apps are free on the chromebooks, user friendly, simple, and work better than the accessibility spoken feedback feature that comes preloaded on the chromebook.
I use Read to Go all the time with students. Once a student is registered on Bookshare, they are listed in the Read to Go app. Students have listened to a variety of books and followed along with the printed words. It works great and the books download amazingly fast.
ReplyDeleteNext year when we are on the one-to-one initiative with iPads, it will be even better for students to use Read to Go. However, there is a fee to the app. Once purchased, it stays with the student forever just as their Bookshare registration.
I’ve also downloaded librivox and its ok, but I can’t get it to ‘hold’ a place in the book as easily as Read to Go.
I think the one-to-one initiative on I-Pads would be great! The downloads I have made to an individual I-Pod has made the technology more user friendly and I imagine the individual I-Pads will too.
DeleteMary Schreck
I think Bookshare works great with I-Pads.....not as easy with Chrome books unless someone has more information than I do.
DeleteMary Schreck
ReplyDeleteI use Read to Go with a number of my students, both on the I-Pad and download to their I-Pods. I have downloaded textbooks for student use in the resource room and this has worked quite well. More recently, the downloads have been on the I-Pod for individual use. There is a feature where students can set up their own account to download their book choices. This is a wonderful tool to make students more independent in their reading, especially those with significant reading disabilities.
I think this sounds like a great program, especially with older students!
DeleteAfter reading recommendations on the dyslexia association website, I also downloaded Voice Dream. It's not free, but it reads from web pages with the browser built into the ap, Dropbox, Google Drive, Pocket, Instapaper, Evernote, or Bookshare.
ReplyDeleteI have a non-verbal student that has "Tap to Talk" downloaded on his I-Pod. He is still learning to use this. We just recently added some new phrases and I think starting the school year with phrases that "fit" his classes, activities will be a key.
ReplyDeleteI have a student who uses text to speech and speech to text on a regular basis on his iPad. He enjoys being able to read the same books that the class is reading and he likes being able to take his own notes and answer his own questions. I think both are very beneficial.
ReplyDeleteI agree that both are beneficial, and will continue to be very beneficial throughout the course of his educational career. The more posts I read on this blog, the more I’m amazed by the opportunities new technology is allowing our students to experience. I can’t imagine the impact some of these same things would have had on the people that I went to school with.
DeleteI haven’t used these app extensions yet, but one of my interrelated teachers has and just loves them for read aloud accommodations. You actually might have received an email about them a couple months ago. If you didn’t though, here’s the information… The 2 apps are called ‘i speech’ and ‘SpeakIt!’ She uses them on the school’s chromebooks, and notes that both apps need to be downloaded in order for everything to work properly. Then, all you do is highlight what needs to be read and click play or click on the play button (black megaphone symbol on the right side of the URL menu bar). The volume, voice, speed, and various other settings are all customizable. She notes that the apps are free on the chromebooks, user friendly, simple, and work better than the accessibility spoken feedback feature that comes preloaded on the chromebook.
ReplyDelete