Updates to Read&Write

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Latest Updates for Read&Write are LIVE! 

Read&Write is a dynamic Chrome Extension Available for all members of Hall County Schools to support literacy.  The tool can help with everyday tasks such as reading text aloud, understanding unfamiliar words, and even researching assignments.

In July 2024, Read&Write added additional features to their product that include:

  • Co:Writer Prediction: This will provide the strongest, and most accurate word prediction available on the market. It includes a simple-to-use word prediction engine, specifically designed to free up ideas so they more naturally flow into writing – helping to overcome writer’s block and word recall issues.
  • Topics: With Topics, students get topic-specific vocabulary at their fingertips – no more struggling with complex terms. Just a few clicks or keystrokes unlock content-specific words, boosting writing efficiency.
  • To ease the transition and cater to individual preferences, Read&Write will offer three different toolbar modes:
    • Horizontal Mode: The familiarity of the current Read&Write toolbar, with a few small changes. Toolbar sits at the top of the screen and is fully customizable.
    • Vertical Mode: Toolbar is docked on the right hand side of the screen. It’s customizable too, so students can add icons from Read&Write toolbar as desired.
    • Writing Mode: Ideal for students who primarily need writing support and may get overwhelmed with a toolbar with many different features.

The Read&Write Feature Tour is a great resource for teachers and students that shows videos of how to use each item on the Read&Write Tool Bar.

To find additional training guides and webinars (live and on-demand), please visit the Texthelp Academy .

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Using Book Creator with Canvas

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Did you know Book Creator revamped their Canvas integration early in 2024?

Prior to 2024 the Book Creator / Canvas integration was primarily just single-sign-on.  The features below are now included in the new integration:

  • Create Book Creator assignments in Canvas:

  • Let students turn in Book Creator books directly from Canvas:

  • Read and grade student work from Canvas:

Read all of the details of how to use Book Creator with Canvas here and how to improve your Canvas/Book Creator workflows here.

Also, the video below provides an excellent view of the new integration features as well:

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Don’t Flop over Flip, Try VoiceThread!

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VoiceThread – Group Interaction For All Students

Flip is no longer available as a standalone platform. Microsoft, the owner of Flip, has decided to integrate its functionality into Microsoft Teams for Education, leading to the discontinuation of the Flip website and app. As a result, all Flip content is now in read-only mode, and users have until September 30, 2024, to download any content, including student responses, from Flip.

Voicethread is the closest alternative to Flip that HCSD recommends and supports. It is a multimedia presentation and group interaction tool that accommodates various media types, including images, videos, audio (via microphone or phone), and text annotation. Similar to Flip, Voicethread centers interaction around a central piece of content, and then allows users to “thread” their responses. Importantly, Voicethread integrates seamlessly with Canvas  and allows for connections to the gradebook.

So what exactly is VoiceThread, and how can you get started using it?  Take a look at these videos and the resources below:

 

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2024-2025 BLaST Beginning of Year Information

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Below is a list of resources and tools to help you update your staff.

BLaST Back to School Video Chapter Links:

 

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Google/Microsoft File Transfer for Seniors

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Congratulations HCSD Senior!  You have made it, and we wish you the best in all of your future endeavors!   Months after graduating, many seniors discover that they may need access to their HCSD Google and Microsoft files. For this reason, we strongly encourage all students to either download or transfer their data so that they can access these resources even after their HCSD accounts are no longer available. 

 

Google:

Google has made the process to transfer files quite simple. You can choose to download files via Google Takeout or you can copy your Drive to a personal Google account via Google Transfer. 

 

Google Takeout allows you to create an archive of your resources from your HCSD Google Account in one zip file that you can download. You can then extract and upload these resources to another Google account or open them locally on your computer. Google Takeout Directions

 

Google Transfer allows you to copy your Google Drive Files from your HCSD Google account into a personal Google Account. All of your resources will be copies of the original content. Please note, if you have a large amount of data in this account, you may be required to purchase additional storage in your personal account in order to transfer the data. Google Transfer Directions 

 

Microsoft:

Most students have less than 100MB in their OneDrive account. A small jump drive can be used to download your files.  Another option is to use the Mover Transfer Wizard.  

 

Mover Transfer Wizard allows you to transfer several files to your personal OneDrive. Mover Transfer Wizard Directions

 

Additional Resources:

Access Google Takeout

Access Google Transfer

Access Mover Transfer Wizard

 

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