Week 4

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    Students in the 21st century are lucky to have a wide variety of technological tools to support their reading. Throughout this week's discussions, class meetings, and readings, I have been able to learn more about these different tools and their advantages. Two of the technological tools that stood out most to me were Raz-Kids and Google Read & Write. Both of these programs, I have experience using throughout my education journey when I was a student, and I recall finding them engaging and especially useful. 

Raz-Kids is an online program that assists students (usually K-5) with reading by providing online books that match the students' reading level, as well as comprehension quizzes, interactive activities, and awards students with points, to keep students engaged and motivated. Students who may be struggling with reading will be able to read books that better suit their level, and they will be provided with tools that can assist them, depending on what their main struggle is. Once they have read ten books of the level they are placed in, they are given a quiz, and depending on the results of this quiz, they either stay at the same level (with different books) or continue onto the next level. This information is also given to the teacher/educator, so they are able to have insight into their students' progress. For children who need the story to be read aloud, Raz-Kids provides that for them. They can also record themselves reading for reference or for the teacher. Although these different aspects are wonderful for working on a student's reading, my favourite part about Raz-Kids is how motivational it can be. As I recall, using it the most in the fifth grade, my classmates and I were always so excited to use it. We were always trying our best to read as many books as we could and complete all of the comprehension quizzes to the best of our ability, so we could be awarded points. These points could be used to customise your Raz-Kids avatar and spaceship. With this award incentive, students become inspired to practice their reading using Raz-Kids inside and outside of class. 

The second assistive technology tool for reading I have chosen is Google Read & Write. Google Read & Write aids students with reading passages, understanding unfamiliar words, proofreading, and can even provide images to assist in literacy learning. With Google Read & Write, you are able to highlight words and passages, which makes it easier for some learners to read, especially larger bodies of text. Students are able to download this program for free on their own personal laptops, and I believe the biggest benefit from this program is that it can assist students outside of school. Whether that be reading digital textbook pages for homework, helping re-read and proofread homework assignments, or even just getting an assignment read out loud to allow for better understanding. If every student is told to download the program onto their laptop, the students who need and want to use it to support their reading will feel less embarrassed and less that they are 'behind' compared to their classmates. 

Assistive technologies can be so beneficial, especially for students who may be struggling with reading. It is important to share these tools that can not only benefit their growth in these skills but also keep them motivated and engaged.

Read&Write for education - reading, literacy & assistive software. (2021). Texthelp. https://www.texthelp.com/products/read-and-write-education/

About Raz Kids. (n.d.). www.raz-Kids.com. https://www.raz-kids.com/main/AboutRazKids/

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