Our latest thoughts from the world of technology in education & the workplace

Texthelp Blog - Our latest thoughts from the world of technology in education & the workplace

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Introducing our brand new software...ReachDeck

These are very exciting times here at Texthelp! We’ve just launched a brand new website. And released the first version of our new enterprise accessibility solution, ReachDeck.

Introducing ReachDeck…

There is a major shift happening in today’s education - one that is geared towards providing the right learning environment, at the right time, offering a virtual platform that grows and adapts along with each school. This new environment often requires new tools. The best way to test if a product is suitable for your staff, students and systems is to try a pilot project. 

You can take an extended trial of Read&Write, EquatIO, WriQ or Fluency Tutor - or even a combination of all of them at the same time.

We talk to a lot of educators who are considering education technology for their students. The same questions come up a lot of the time, so we thought we would put together a blog post on how you can get the most out of a product pilot. We also have some real life examples to share with you, from school districts who have rolled out successful pilots in their areas. 

We offer a free pilot of all our products at a district level, giving you access to all the premium features. That way you can see everything that our technology can do. But before you register for your pilot, let’s take a moment to make sure you are geared up to get the most out of it. 

Many of the school districts we work with have a huge number of students across many school locations. Recently we were involved in a pilot project of our Read&Write literacy toolbar with Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, the 4th largest district in Michigan. There were 18,000 students spread across 14 elementary schools, 5 middle schools and 4 high schools. 

Stacey Banks, Teacher and AT Consultant told us: “We began with a 90 day district pilot to spark use among SE, ELL, GE students, staff and teachers. A full license was purchased for 150 SE students, but as everyone was using the same tools there was no stigma involved”. Access to the free version was maintained for everyone after the pilot to minimize stigma for Special Education students going forward”.

When recruiting colleagues we recommend starting with the decision makers and Principals. Learning to use new tools takes a little time, so colleagues will need to be allowed time to learn and experiment. We have heaps of resources to help with this. 

Choose the schools you are going to run the pilot with, you might like to have one pilot school and one control school to compare with. This is what our friends at Plymouth-Canton school district in Michigan did, we were so impressed with their pilot that we decided to share their experiences with others. Check out the Plymouth-Canton Efficacy Study

4. Make use of all the resources available.

Throughout the trial you will receive emails with tips, tools and resources, this will make sure you have everything you need to get the most out of your pilot. We want to help make sure everyone gets a chance to see what the tools can do! We even have letters for you to send to parents to explain how to use our products at home. 

We have a massive library of resources and how-to videos, you can complete a certificate on Read&Write which would be great for your continued professional development. We’ll be on hand too, with live demos and training for your team- if you need it.

After the initial pilot our friends at Plymouth-Canton added another school for year two, the second school was chosen as it had the highest population of English Language Learners. 

Throughout that year Stacey and her team applied the same methodology with  Read&Write as they had with year one and “saw differences and growth that we felt could be attributed to Read&Write along with solid instructional practices and our great teachers.” Since then the usage of Read&Write has continued to grow within the district.

“We've been pleased to see that our students are continuing to access these tools as they ease in the transition of remote learning and as a district we have found ourselves extremely fortunate to have a solution in place already that addresses accessibility for all of our students”.

We look forward to seeing the project continue to go from strength to strength. 

Sandra Green, is the Assistive Technology Administrator from St Charles Unit Community School District, west of Chicago. The district is a long standing user of Read&Write and self confessed “very Googly district”. 

Sandra shares her experience and advice in this short case study. 

“I cannot tell you what amazing things Read&Write has done for my students! I see their reading and writing develop on a daily basis due to this program”.

If you would like to learn more about Read&Write and how it can help both you and your district, just fill out our Pilot Request Form and we’ll be in touch.

Find out how to make the most of your Texthelp pilot in this new blog.

Six tips for a successful Texthelp pilot

We talk to a lot of educators who are considering education technology for their students. The same questions come up a lot of the time, so we thought we would put together a blog post on how you can get the most out of a product pilot. We also have some real life examples to share with you, from school districts who have rolled out successful pilots in their areas.

Writing is often difficult for educators to teach, challenging for students to do, and hard for administrators to monitor and evaluate. Yet writing well—and the high-quality writing instruction behind it–has become an increasingly important 21st century skill due to online college and job applications, as well as the reliance on email and collaborative documents in many 21st century careers.

Ways to compile and use data to guide writing instruction were explained during an edWebinar sponsored by Texthelp, which featured Joni Degner and Mark Schwartz, a Director and a Product Evangelist for Texthelp. The software automates and accelerates many aspects of the writing-evaluation process, though each teacher’s grading and feedback also remain crucial parts of the process.

Degner emphasized that data about writing should not just be used to inform teachers’ interactions with students, it should also play an important role in the ongoing professional learning and evaluation of instruction across grades and schools.

Compiling and using data about writing instruction

As with other forms of data, the goals with writing instruction data are to identify and amplify what is working well, and improve areas of weakness. These goals can be especially challenging to achieve with writing, however, because much of the evaluation that takes place has traditionally been subjective and key aspects of writing can be difficult to quantify.

Schwartz identified three components of writing that can be analyzed objectively and have proven to be good indicators of writing quality. They are correct word sequences (minus incorrect ones), vocabulary maturity in relation to age, and vocabulary diversity. These three metrics can show how well an individual student is writing in relation to other students, and monitoring over time will reveal the progress the student is making in each of the three areas.

Spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors can also be quantified and used as a basis for follow-up instruction. Sentence structure and the use of writing conventions are also factors that should be considered, and in the upper grades the organization of paragraphs and depth of content knowledge come into play as well, but may rely more heavily on subjective teacher evaluations.

Through the compilation and use of all these types of data, educators can provide more personalized writing instruction, and students can receive positive reinforcement by seeing their progress over time. Administrators can identify best instructional practices and have them shared across classes and grades, or there can be additional professional development and curricular resources where needed.

Focusing further on writing assessment, Degner emphasized the importance of having rubrics for different types of writing, and having the rubrics related to district writing benchmarks. Along with standardized assessment data, the results of the different types of writing evaluation should be available in ways that provide clarity about the performance of each student, class, and grade, and the effectiveness of the writing instruction that each is receiving.

The information can then be used to increase success through effective conversations among teachers and administrators, who can identify best practices and analyze the effectiveness of interventions. This can become a cyclical process that continues to improve schoolwide writing instruction year after year, while also increasing student success.

This sort of process and information can also be especially helpful during case conferences for students who have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Rather than a vague and subjective conversation, educators can share data about key aspects of the writing process, while also looking at different student assignments and how they were evaluated. In this way, all the participants can have a consistent and evidence-based way to monitor a student’s progress and discuss ways to further individualize the student’s writing instruction.

Through the use of writing data in these ways, schools can develop better writers who have the literacy and communication skills needed to succeed in college and in 21st century careers.

Working shoulder to shoulder with learners and educators, Joni Degner is a recognized international expert on the implementation of UDL for schools, districts and institutions of opportunity. A member of the CAST Professional Learning Cadre and now full-time Texthelper, Joni is passionate about Universal Design for Learning, for instructional designers, teachers and leadership. Having previously worked as a UDL facilitator for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation, Joni brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the session.

Mark Schwartz taught a range of social studies and ELA classes for over 15 years at both the middle and high school levels, in both urban and suburban districts in Massachusetts, before joining Texthelp as the product evangelist for WriQ, Texthelp’s online assessment tool. Mark has a passion for making teachers’ jobs a little easier while also improving the writing skills of students at all ages and skill levels. He strives to balance the data analysis of WriQ’s writing metrics with the understanding that successful teaching is an artful mix of science, patience, caring, communicating, and collaboration.

ELA Today is a free professional learning community on edWeb.net that provides educators and curriculum leaders with a place to collaborate on best practices for teaching English Language Arts in K12 today.

This edWeb broadcast was sponsored by Texthelp. View the recording of the edWebinar here.

Interested in learning more about WriQ and its benefits for students and teachers? Click here to take a look at its features. 

Using data to strengthen writing instruction

Writing instruction is notoriously challenging, but educators can use data to help students build better literacy skills.

COVID-19 has placed global education in an unprecedented state of flux. Faced with both new and long-existing challenges, teachers are working harder than ever. They are being called to excel at a job that many of them were not trained for. They’re being asked to create an environment conducive to academic achievement without face-to-face interaction with their students.Many of the difficulties that our educators are facing today have not been directly caused by COVID-19; they were merely exacerbated by it. 

Even before schools closed in the spring, teachers were already grappling with a crisis in student motivation.Student motivation is important because it can be directly linked to attainment. In a survey conducted in 2018, approximately 29 percent of students reported that they were “not engaged” and 24 percent reported being “actively disengaged.” Combined with the added challenge of virtual instruction, motivating students continues to preoccupy educators. In a recent survey on the difficulties of distance learning, teachers cited their biggest challenge to supporting their students was keeping them all engaged. This drop in student motivation is expected to continue as hybrid and distance learning models become normalized.

This “new normal” in education requires meeting old and new challenges with novel solutions. Education leaders should put their focus on giving teachers the tools they need to face the challenge of encouraging engagement and increasing student motivation–even when they are not physically present in the classroom–while also freeing up time for them to focus on one-to-one instruction and support for their students.Technology as an effective tool for student motivationResearch has shown that education technology can help improve student outcomes when executed effectively. 

For example, in a study across grades 1-8 in the U.S., introducing tools such as student response systems devices and computer software improved student motivation and engagement by 9 percent. When deployed along with strategies such as micro-learning, gamification, and effective feedback from teachers, edtech tools can go a long way in inspiring motivation.The use of edtech tools has surged in response to the pandemic-related school closures that began last March. 

With distance and hybrid learning becoming the new norm, our reliance on edtech will only continue to increase. However, in order to truly realize the potential of these tools, we must invest in ones that will allow teachers to support and encourage their students, while decreasing their workload.When determining what tools help to achieve those goals, teachers and education leaders should look for products that:
	

Employ bite-sized exercises and lessons. Research into micro-learning has shown that breaking lessons up into small learning units with micro-assessments can better engage students in online and blended learning environments. In a recent study examining mobile-based micro-learning and assessment homework activities on students’ motivation and learning performance, researchers found that students in an experimental group who experienced micro-learning reported significantly higher perceived autonomy and competence, and higher levels of learner satisfaction and achievement. Interactive exercises like definitions, formulas, small paragraphs, and flashcards with micro-assessment can help encourage student participation and motivation.

Apply elements of gamification. Platforms designed with properties of gamification can also help drive student motivation. Educators can incorporate leader boards or point systems within their lesson plans to help students feel externally rewarded. Although studies into gamification’s impacts are still inconclusive, there are some grounds for optimism: a recent meta-analysis of 30 independent interventions drawn from 24 quantitative studies showed gamification can increase student learning and performance. When used appropriately it can foster enthusiasm, fulfill students’ needs for recognition, and even promote goal-setting, leading to higher levels of engagement. 

Deliver timely feedback. Timely and bite-sized feedback helps students to feel successful as they learn, which acts as a strong motivator for students. However, teachers often have to balance their workload with delivering frequent and high-quality feedback. Technology offers a unique opportunity to ease these challenges. Edtech tools that automate and standardize assessments and deliver instant feedback to students allow teachers to allocate their time on providing individual instruction, support, and deeper feedback instead of grading.  
	
Are domain-specific. Focus on a particular subject area. Reading and math are often key areas of focus, however, achievement gaps in writing are also a particular challenge for educators. Given the scale of achievement gaps in writing, it is important to look at solutions that address this particular problem. Research shows that motivating students to write more, and to do so in longer bursts of time, can improve writing fluency. Performance feedback, such as commenting on the number of words written compared to previous writing, can help students to write more. Technology tools automating performance feedback offer teachers an opportunity to improve student writing fluency and save valuable teacher time. 

Technology can benefit teachers and students alike.

COVID-19 has pushed the rapid adoption of technology into the mainstream and it is likely here to stay. As such, we must leverage its potential to help educators create greater opportunities for academic achievement regardless of the learning environment. With a plethora of choices, thoughtful consideration should go into the decision-making around edtech tools. Those that rise to the top should address challenges like student motivation and engagement while also complementing the work of teachers and lessening their workloads, enabling them to spend time where it’s needed – with the students. 
	

Are you looking for effective tools to motivate students and streamline assessment? Click here for a look into the classroom of the future with our writing tool, WriQ.  

Learn how technology can help  teachers to support and encourage their students, while decreasing their workload

Choosing the right tools to boost student motivation

The COVID-19 pandemic has made online and hybrid learning the norm—but today's reality can have a negative impact on student motivation. 

Jason joined Texthelp back in 2012 as our Professional Development Manager for Western US and Canada. He then moved to Product Marketing to help with the launch of Read&Write for Google Chrome in 2013. From there, he transitioned to product management as our portfolio continued to expand. This is where he really came into his own. Successive promotions followed - from Product Manager to Global Product Manager to Director of Product Management to my announcement of Chief Product Officer today.

Jason will be responsible for our product vision, strategy, and execution for the entire company. He’ll be our head product cheerleader! Responsible for the future of Read&Write for Education, Read&Write for Work, EquatIO, WriQ, Fluency Tutor, Browsealoud and Speechsteam and anything else that follows into the future (watch this space!)

He’ll also head up our innovation process at Texthelp. Something that is extremely important to us.  He’s the guy that will help turn new ideas into brand new products or improvements to our existing ones.

With Jason’s passion for technology and insight to guide us, there is no limit to our ability to help our customers. We’ll be able to help many more people around the globe to understand and be understood. He leads a team of four dedicated product managers and proven technology. His experience and expertise puts us in a unique position to understand and respond to what our customers need, now and in the future. 

Please join me in congratulating him on his new role!

Texthelp appoints Jason Carroll as Chief Product Officer

I’m delighted to announce that Jason Carroll joins our Senior Management team at Texthelp in an exciting new role as our Chief Product Officer. 

Prior to joining Texthelp, Jason spent ten years as an Educational and Assistive Technology Consultant. He’s been with us now for almost a decade. And he’s done a tremendous job for us over the last few years managing our products. 

Release More Education on Making Sites Accessible

My biggest learning from the web accessibility quiz is just how much need there is for it! Oftentimes, when we are designing technology, we don’t keep everyone in mind. It is important that everyone, regardless of their ability, is able to access the information they need, when they need it. The one thing that the industry could do differently is to release more education or courses on how to go about making sites more accessible. That way, we can reduce the learning curve and make more sites accessible to everyone!

If you feel like Jeanne and are searching for some support, check out Texthelp’s web accessibility resources. You’ll find everything from recorded webinars to guides and more.

My biggest learning from taking the quiz was that I need to be more cognizant of web-accessibility for neurodiverse individuals. There are some great questions to think about when providing web-access. There were so many examples of how I can provide a better service.

- Sonja Talley, Principal HR Consultant -

Discover these examples for yourself and take the quiz. Not only will your knowledge be tested, you'll also be given the opportunity to access free resources, to take your expertise to the next level. 

There is a lack of knowledge in our industry. Many don’t realize that these issues even exist, let alone understand that there are simple things they can do to address them. These things should be the required curriculum of every web development and web design course of study to ensure that the next generation of websites is built in a way that makes them accessible to all.    

As a digital marketing company, we’ve always looked at web page headings as an opportunity to help improve technical SEO. Web page headings help website crawlers understand the main sections on a web page, and helps search engines better categorize and index content. But, a consistent web page heading structure also can help readers who have difficulty processing information understand and follow the flow of a piece of content. If you publish blogs on your website, or if you create landing pages as part of a marketing strategy, consider a standardized web page heading structure to help content be consumed more easily. 

We recently did an accessibility evaluation and failed miserably. Our site is hard for screen readers to read, doesn't communicate well to those who are colorblind, has no alt text for images, and so many other accessibility issues that we're now looking into addressing. 

My plan for the new year is to hire a web developer who specializes in accessibility to go over our site with a fine-tooth comb and address these issues. I want to make sure as many people as possible can use our site because our customers come from all walks of life with all different circumstances.

My company is in photography, videography and travel business. In my opinion, what our industry could do better is to understand how to make our visual content pieces more accessible for people with disabilities. This may include learning how to write better alt text for all our imagery, writing our own captions for our videos instead of relying on auto-generated captions, and ensuring our websites work with the most common screen readers. I think this is important because viewing art, whether that is looking at a photograph or watching a short film, is one of the pleasures in life and everyone should be able to enjoy it when they want to.

In our industry, the concept of accessible websites can be very new, even though the Americans with Disabilities Act is not. Not only are developers blindsided by the unexpected requirement of making their sites accessible, but they are also downright frightened by demand letters and lawsuits.

What this industry needs to do differently regarding web accessibility is to gain the right perspective. Stop with the quick fixes and understand what makes a website accessible the right way. Look at accessible issues from someone else's point of view. For example, try using a screen reader yourself or disable your CSS to see how your site looks. Applying the right fixes may not be as hard as some developers think, and once you learn the correct way to do it, the fear can go away.

I am in the travel, tourism, and hospitality sector and there are so many accessibility issues on business websites that are costing sales and sending customers to other businesses. The most common issues are in relation to contact forms using graphical captchas to prevent spam. Additionally, many web designers create inaccessible calendar form fields which make filling out a contact form or doing booking searches impossible.

Form fields should be able to be filled out by keyboard users and people using screen readers — disabled people make up more than 20% of the population. This is a large customer market segment that could be lost by not making these things accessible. I travel with my sighted wife usually but I like to be able to do a lot of the research and price comparison work myself and inaccessible websites cause great annoyance and anger, and lead to me choosing a different business.

Discover more about web accessibility and gain valuable resources to help you become more inclusive. Alternatively, why not test your knowledge? Take our web accessibility quiz.

Terkel creates community-driven content featuring expert insights. Sign up at terkel.io to answer questions and get published. 

In this blog, eight Marketing professionals reflect on web accessibility initiatives that could be done differently. Have a read and let us know what your biggest challenges are in the comments section!

8 web accessibility initiatives that can be done differently

With web accessibility being a big focal topic at the moment, we recently published a web accessibility quiz that allows individuals to test what they know about web accessibility. We then asked our friends in the Terkel community to take the quiz, and reflect on their biggest learning. And share their thoughts on what they feel their industry could do differently.

In this blog, eight Marketing professionals reflect on web accessibility initiatives that could be done differently. Have a read and let us know what your biggest challenges are in the comments section below!

Blog

Introducing ReachDeck…

Six tips for a successful Texthelp pilot

Using data to strengthen writing instruction

Choosing the right tools to boost student motivation

Texthelp appoints Jason Carroll as Chief Product Officer

8 web accessibility initiatives that can be done differently

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