“Educators have been seeing great outcomes in using Microsoft Learning Tools for their students over the past year. We’ve heard from Lauren Pittman’s class in Georgia, Jeanne Caudill’s students in Kentucky, and an English Teacher in Macedonia. Spurred by their great feedback, our team wants to empower even more students around the world with inclusive and accessible technology, and so we’re excited to announce new capabilities in Office 365 for Education below” (https://educationblog.microsoft.com/2017/08/learning-tools-word-desktop-immersive-reader-update/#7UfrTZ9O5dugLoid.99).
Thus begins a Microsoft blog entitled Learning Tools and Immersive Reader updated for OneNote, Word and Outlook. Jeanne Caudill, teacher at Mullins School in Pike County, KY, is not a newcomer to Microsoft blogs. On June 20, 2017, her blog concerning the value of using OneNote and the Immersive Reader for teaching reading fluency was published:(https://educationblog.microsoft.com/2017/06/struggling-1st-grade-readers-improve-with-the-help-of-onenote-learning-tools/#0WKL6HS3vXde037I.99).
In her blog, Ms. Caudill detailed the value of using OneNote and Immersive Reader for teaching reading fluency due to the software being easy, fast, time saving, repetitive, and research-based. She related these characteristics to the importance of teaching reading fluency by emphasizing that over 50 percent of the words used in print today are the 125 sight words from the first-grade curriculum. She says, “Think about that for a minute. If a child masters sight word reading, he or she will have a firm foundation for a lifetime of reading”.
Concerning the updates to the Microsoft tools, she comments that “this is a tremendous program with new additions today. I saw it in Toronto and they asked my opinion about the development of the new additions to Immersive Reader. For struggling readers, this is an amazing free program. I am very honored that he mentioned me, a lady in Georgia, and someone in Macedonia as people who are important to the development of this program!”
Mrs. Caudill says “I’m very happy and impressed with Immersive Reader for OneNote. A program this easy and powerful doesn’t come along often. That’s why technology is our superpower in my classroom!”
To read the entire Microsoft blog, click on the link:
https://educationblog.microsoft.com/2017/08/learning-tools-word-desktop-immersive-reader-update/
