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Posted by Shirley Lawson on the 18th August, 2022
During lockdown we were inundated with phone calls and emails from parents and family members who were trying to support young people with Additional Support Needs to access their education online. 'My son needs me to read out a whole web page and then when I ask him questions about it, he has ...
Posted by Craig Mill on the 17th August, 2022
Mark Up provides a variety of annotation features such as drawing tools, adding text, speech bubbles, shapes and more – great for expressing ideas, telling stories and to help develop creative skills. There’s even a ‘Magnifier’ to magnify or enhance parts of a photo. Whi...
Posted by Craig Mill on the 9th August, 2022
The Photos App for the iPad (and iPhone) has been around for a long time. But in a recent update, Photos has a new tool for reading text aloud from images. This is a great new feature for capturing text on classroom worksheets, flyers and other paper-based materials. In a previous blog po...
Posted by Craig Mill on the 29th June, 2022
Microsoft Editor is a built-in spelling and grammar checker available in Word and Word Online. But you can now download it as an extension for the Edge and Chrome browsers. What is Editor and how does it compare to other online spell checkers? Microsoft Editor uses Artificial Intelligence (AI)...
Posted by Shirley Lawson on the 23rd May, 2022
Despite having so many more laptops, chromebooks and iPads in the hands of learners there is still a lack of information and training being provided to teachers on how to make the most of these devices to support dyslexic learners. Do you know what built in accessibility features can revolutionise ...
Posted by Shirley Lawson on the 3rd May, 2022
Delivering our Professional Learning online has allowed us to reach a far greater number of people and have a wider geographical audience. We have been delighted to share our expertise with teachers, Pupil Support Assistants, Support for Learning staff, parents, students and external professionals i...
Posted by Craig Mill on the 15th April, 2022
Most modern phones, including Android and iPhones, have good quality cameras for taking close up and distance snaps. A telephoto lens on a phone can be used for capturing information on flyers, posters, and content on the class whiteboard. Using the free app Microsoft Lens, ...
Posted by Craig Mill on the 7th April, 2022
I’m writing this article in response to a query I recently received. I was asked for some advice on reading online news articles for someone with a visual impairment and struggles using a mouse. They had tried using the free Natural Reader (a text-to-speech tool) but the process of s...
Posted by Craig Mill on the 31st March, 2022
A question we often get asked at CALL is about converting paper or printed worksheets to digital format that can be read aloud using text-to-speech by a device such as an iPad or Android. Digital readable formats can be helpful to learners who have literacy difficulties, who are print disa...
Posted by Craig Mill on the 24th March, 2022
It’s life Jim, but not as we know it, so goes Spock’s famous Star Trek phrase (and song). But for the purpose of this blog, I’m referring to a text reader, but not a text reader as we know it! While preparing for a recent workshop on using ‘Technology to Support Learners with...
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