Skip to content
Menu
sd41 Fast ForWord
  • Home
  • Program
    • Research
    • Getting Started
  • Interventions
    • Foundations I & II
    • Elements 1 / Elements 2
    • Reading Levels – Reading Comprehension
    • Reading Assistant Plus
  • Words Their Way
  • Assistive Software
  • Forms
sd41 Fast ForWord

Quick Start

Interventions

Support Tools

When Opportunity and Resources Meet = Success Happens

Posted on January 6, 2015January 2, 2015

newyear2015Connecting a ‘just right’ opportunity to engage in independent deeper thinking and a resource that allows that to happen is a challenge. When the two meet, it’s almost magical, especially when it can include students who struggle with reading and writing. For these, time is spent mostly on the mechanics of reading/writing, leaving little cognitive energy for deep thinking. While some resources require a strong commitment to mastering the tool (I’m thinking Kurzweil 3000 – still the master of all reading/writing supports – click here for information), others may offer similar experiences with less need for front-end learning.

I wrote about Rewordify before in a previous post so I won’t go into the ‘how to’s here.  Upon first blush, the online site may look rather simple. Dig a little deeper and you will find other layers worth exploring. Its basic premise is that any text can be pasted into the box and it will return a simplified version – very quickly I might add. One of the options deserves highlighting. Retaining the original word within the text, while offering a simpler form provides two things: increase of comprehension and increase of vocabulary. Sitting side by side, relationships between the difficult term and easier one is visually connected. As well, the integrated dictionary allows access to almost all of the words in the selection. And finally, the content can be printed and stored.

rewordify_result

If you have not had a chance to explore this application, you may be surprised at how useful it can be for many students. It is free, though it requires access to the internet. (*Note: You do not need to register to use the site.)

Writing is another challenge that some of our students struggle to get their thoughts down on paper. While I believe that access to computers provides a wider range of choices, there is an application using ipads that offer a basic level of support with regards to word prediction and integrated reading (*this is not speech-to-text).  For those of you already using the computer version (you’ll see this as similar), GoQ Software has developed an ipad version. Named iWordQ Ca (I’ve been waiting for the Canadian spelling and French is included!), the cost of $25 may be worth it. iwordq_writeIt offers a very simple text editor (no images) for writing connected with anticipatory word prediction software. Definitions with examples, pop up with a tap of the finger. You can even add your own words into the lexicon thus including any specialized content vocabulary (think science, social studies). Typed words and sentences can be read back giving you a bit of quality control on the actual writing.   Reading mode gives the writer a chance to do some more proofreading as well as revision.  You might also use it for oral practice by speaking alongside the reading mode, if the end goal is a presentation. (*Note: Speech recognition is only found on the newer ipads. Need wifi access for this app to work.)
For those of you who know me really well, you’re waiting for why I like this app over the many that are out there. That can be seen in the Export feature – multiple ways. Writing is a complex form of communication needing opportunities to engage in a variety of other formats. iWordQ Ca can save files in the app, send to a Dropbox account as well as open in many other apps such as Google Drive! Our Google Apps for Education accounts marry nicely with this process, thus allowing for the inclusion of collaboration and dialogue, images, hyperlinks, charts or slides. Oh, did I forget printing too?

question mark personOur goals drive the use of any application. These apps add to the communication realm. However, I wonder if we should be asking wider questions such as… how will these serve to enhance deeper thinking processes, how will they create independence for the student, how will they bring connectedness and collaboration with classmates, how will they support self regulation?
Hope you get a chance to explore these or cause you to ask more questions. I’d love to hear how you’re using these applications or other apps in your classroom.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fast ForWord Login

  • STUDENT LOGIN
  • TEACHER LOGIN

SUBSCRIBE

Name

Email


Content

  • Assessment Practices
  • Growing Readers
  • How To's
  • iLearning with Apps
  • Innovative Teaching and Learning
  • Intervention Strategies
  • Learning Meet-ups
  • News
  • Professional Learning
  • Resources That Make a Difference
  • Uncategorized
  • Yearend Process

District Links

  • Learning Technologies
  • MyED Teacher Resources
  • Portal – SD41
  • Remote Learning Resources – SD41

Resources

  • ARC-BC
  • Assess | Comprehension Mazes Generator
  • Assess | Reading Passage Generator
  • Converter | Any Video Converter
  • CURATION/COLLAB | Wakelet
  • Image Editor | IrfanView
  • Literacy | Rewordify
  • Remote Learning Resources – SD41
  • Thesaurus | GraphWords
  • Thesaurus | Lexipedia
  • Translation App | Microsoft
  • Word Cloud | Jason Davies Word Clouds

Archives

Recent Posts

  • Happy Summer
  • Coming to Yearend
  • It’s October… oops Almost November

Pages

  • Forms-Apply
  • Interventions
    • Elements 1 / Elements 2
    • Foundations I & II
    • Reading Assistant Plus
    • Reading Levels – Reading Comprehension
  • News
  • Program
    • Getting Started
    • Research
  • Words Their Way
©2025 sd41 Fast ForWord | WordPress Theme by Superbthemes.com