Reading can be challenging for students who have vision impairment or difficulty with language processing, among other disabilities. There are various resources and technology to help these students succeed in reading.
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Shmoop: For students who struggle with reading comprehension, the reading guides available at Shmoop.com are a great resource. The language used is very easy to understand, but the content is still rigorous. The reading guides include summaries, themes, analyses, and essay guidance that goes way beyond what is typically found on an on-line guide. There are also “ShmoopTube” video reviews of literature, which are entertaining and ask students to think critically. Guides are available for most 6-12 reading.
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StudyHive: For students who have trouble retaining information they have read, StudyHive.com offers a web-based interactive flashcard tool. Students and teachers can make and share decks of flash cards and keep track of their study habits (there are options to study "gradually" or "cram"). StudyHive is a great tool for studying vocabulary, reviewing literature, and building memory skills. Students can access flashcards from a computer, phone, or tablet.
Text Compactor: TextCompactor.com is a free on-line text summarization tool. This is a great resource for cognitive rescaling because students/teachers can choose what percentage of the text they want to keep in the summary. Reorganizing text makes it easier to read for students who have difficulty with reading comprehension.
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Bookshare: The National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standards (signed into law as part of IDEA 2004) require that all instructional materials be accessible digitally to students with print disabilities. Under NIMAS, publishers can produce source files in specialized formats such as braille, audio books, or enhanced text size to support a group of diverse learners. To find materials in electronic format, you can visit Bookshare.org, a repository of all published text books from 2004-present.
Cennamao, K., Ross, J. D., & Ertmer, P. A. (2014). In Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standard approach (Chapter 6 Customizing Student Learning Activities). Belmont: Wadsworth.
Watson, J. (2013). Text compactor [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkXcIDAKzPE
Watson, J. (2013). Text compactor [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkXcIDAKzPE