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Jennifer Gonzalez: Cult of Pedagogy- 4 Ways Microsoft is Making Learning More Accessible- April 15, 2018

This week Jennifer Gonzalez shifted her focus from Google to Microsoft. Microsoft has added ways to make it easier to use their tools for all learners, especially learners with visual impairments or English learners. There are four ways that Jennifer highlights that Microsoft is allowing educators to personalize learning experiences for their students.

1. Learning Tools: This was designed originally for students with reading difficulties, however, these tools are free and allow students to improve their reading and writing.  The tools appear under "Immersive Reader," allowing students to highlight words, change font sizing, have the text read to them, etc.  Jennifer suggests using learning tools in the classroom to allow students to break apart text in a way that works best for them.

2. Dictate: Dictate is an "add-in for Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook."  It allows users to speak in over 20 languages and accurately recognizes speech to the point of capitalization and punctuation. Jennifer suggests using dictate to allow learners to speak to get their ideas on paper before going back to revise and edit.  This would also be great for English Language Learners!

3. Editor: This is located in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.  Microsoft has moved past only utilizing spell check and now allows users to have a word read aloud or to choose synonyms of words. Jennifer suggests this as a great Microsoft tool for English Language Learners and students with dyslexia.

4. Translator: This tool translates PowerPoints into any language. This happens in real time, while the teacher is presenting their PowerPoint, which allows the students to read the translated version on the app on their phone.  This tool is powerful for English Language Learners in the classroom and can also be used to engage parents as well.

This blog post provided me with great ideas for using Microsoft to engage learners in my own classroom.  I am especially interested in the Learning Tools to allow my struggling readers to break apart any texts in ways that work best for them.  I am also curious to try Dictate, as I have a few students who struggle to write and I believe that allowing them to speak their writing may break down this barrier and build their confidence during writing time.  These two tools are on my list to try soon in my own classroom! I would be curious to know if anyone currently uses any of the four tools listed and what success you have had with them in your own classroom?

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