The logistical demands of teaching can take up time that, frankly, most teachers these days don’t have.
We get it.
So at Propello, we’ve made it our mission to help teachers reclaim some of that time. We know that so many teachers spend hours looking for, designing, building or figuring out resources in addition to their lessons to help kids be successful - and often on their own time outside of contract hours.
And while we can’t add more time to the clock, we can alleviate some of the things that take up that precious time. One way we do it is by providing tools that are ready to go and student-centered, designed to incorporate into a teacher’s existing practice while giving kids ownership of their learning.
We know that providing support, scaffolds and accommodations for students with unique learning needs is a critical component of good practice. We also know that creating, finding, and incorporating those supports in lessons for each individual student takes- you guessed it- a lot of time.
Enter the Immersive Reader.
The Immersive Reader feature of the Propello platform helps teachers get back time by providing supports and scaffolds within the platform and available at a click.
Ranging from audio and visual to translation supports, the Immersive Reader is a student learning and teacher’s trusted assistant. Here are some highlights of how it works and what it looks like within the Propello content.
In the Immersive Reader, students can change the text size, line spacing, font and color theme of the text, making it easier to see.
The Immersive Reader gives students control over how they view text.
Students can change fonts, color, text size, spacing and more.
For many students (and let’s be honest, a lot of adults too!), seeing a page full of text can be overwhelming. In the Immersive Reader, however, students have the power to control how many lines of text they see at one time, allowing them to “chunk” the reading into smaller, more manageable pieces. From one line at a time to single paragraphs, this feature puts the power and the scaffolding into the students’ hands, giving them ownership of how they process that content.
Students can isolate text, helping to increase focus and ease of view.
Every subject has words that are unfamiliar to students. From newly taught vocabulary to non-content specific words they may not be familiar with, it can be annoying to stop what they are doing, and Google a word to see what it means.
In the Immersive Reader, there’s no need. Students need only to click on an unfamiliar word, and a photo with an audio pronunciation will immediately appear.
The embedded visual glossary shows images and an audio recording of unfamiliar words.
For students who are learning English, translation support can help them master content as they are learning English at the same time. Propello’s Translation feature gives students the power to translate by the word (for more advanced English learners), and by the page for students who are just starting to learn English.
With more than 100 languages available, your language learners will have comprehensible access to the content, giving them more capacity as they learn English at the same time.
Translation features help make content accessible to students who are learning English.
One of the most powerful benefits of the Propello platform is our Read Aloud feature. For students who require audio support, the green button at the bottom of the page will read the content to the student automatically.
Even if the content is translated into another language, the feature will read the content in the student’s chosen language. For example, if a student has had the page translated into Arabic, the Read Aloud feature will read the content in Arabic.
Students also have the option to change the voice of the reader, and the speed of which the content is read to them.
Students have control over text-to-speech function, from type of voice to reading speed.
With Propello’s Immersive reader, teachers and students have embedded access to accommodate the curriculum to meet a variety of student learning needs.
From text appearance and translations, to visuals and audio text-to-speech, students can feel supported and in control of their learning and teachers have the peace of mind knowing that first-class accommodations and supports are available without having to spend time they don’t have looking for and/or creating them from scratch.
To check out Propello’s Immersive Reader, as well as all the other resources we have available, sign up for a free account here!