We love Google Classroom for its ease of use, blended-learning solutions, and opportunities for collaboration. So when we heard about these Google hacks that make the platform more inclusive for ALL kids—and can help increase reading scores, too—we knew we had to share.
The folks at Don Johnston offer a suite of tools that layer over Google for Education. The goal is to make Google’s platform more accessible for students with a wide variety of abilities, including non-proficient readers and English language learners.
The flagship tool, Snap&Read, helps students read ANY piece of text on the Internet.
How? By reading the text aloud, leveling the vocabulary, translating the text into 100+ languages, and removing on-screen distractions. It’s pretty incredible to watch in action.
It also means that students have access to more complex texts, no matter their reading ability. And that leads to gains in test scores and student confidence, too. As Carl Bencal, principal of Clarksburg Elementary in Maryland puts it, “[Snap&Read] changed the climate to be more inclusive. It’s a really difficult feeling to explain, of walking into a classroom and seeing students—ones who typically struggle in isolation—talk and provide their point of view. It’s powerful.”
In, the following webinar, Carl Bencal shares how three inclusive changes boosted benchmark scores at Clarksburg:
Want to learn more about these Google hacks and the rest of the learning tools Don Johnston offers? Click the orange button below to sign up for a free Access to Learning summit, brought to you by Don Johnston and Google and happening in 20 cities next year.