Snap & Read Universal is a reading tool that will read aloud text on a computer, and is extremely beneficial to people with dyslexia, English Language Learners, or people with reading or learning differences. Snap & Read will also translate or convert text to several different languages.
Every computer user in my school district has access to Snap & Read as a Google Chrome Extension. Our district purchased licenses so that students who receive Special Education services could have this tool available to them. However, all students can benefit from the reading tool. This tool is extremely helpful for students who require oral administration of assignments and exams. Teachers can upload Word documents, PDF’s, or even worksheets. In addition, teachers can view reports that track reading data such as time, words read, and reading level.
There is a cross hair icon which is the symbol for Snap & Read on the Google Tool Bar Extension. Clicking on that icon takes the user to Preferences which I would suggest setting up or at least previewing upon the first use. The user must sign in to use Snap & Read, which in my case would be my school district Microsoft Office 365 account to gain access. Before sharing links, users must make sure to sign out Snap & Read or else the recipient will have to log into Snap & Read in order to open the link. Text written on images are not automatically read, but the user can select the text to be read aloud.
S & R Overview
Some of the features/preferences include:
- Text leveling – to change the grade level of the text or word for comprehension
- Overlay/Reading guidelines – highlight one word to the entire page
- Speed, speaker, volume, and pitch can be adjusted to the user’s discretion
- Foreign languages – voice choice includes Spanish, French, German, and Italian
- Translate - to/from several languages other than those noted above, but it is only a text translation, no voice
- Change text and background colors
- Notetaking and Outline - Highlight text to populate the notetaking or outline box
- Citations – appear beneath notes, and will create a source page in APA, MLA or Chicago format
- Dictionary - double click on a word to see the definition and a picture
- Print – notes and outlines or save to OneNote
- Remove Distractions – from articles where only the text appears on the webpage
Downloadable instructional resources and tutorials are available through the company’s web page, Learningtools.donjohnston.com under Product Resources at
Now it's time collaborate with the special education teacher to train our teachers and students about Snap & Read!
Sources:
Snap&Read. (2019). Don Johnson, Inc. Human Learning Tools. Retrieved from https://learningtools.donjohnston.com/product/snap-read/
Snap&Read Chrome Extension Directions PDF. (n.d.). Avon Schools. Retrieved from https://pdf.snapandread.com/viewer.html?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.avon-schools.org%2Fcms%2Flib%2FIN01001885%2FCentricity%2FDomain%2F4289%2FSnap%2520and%2520Read%2520Overview.pdf
This sounds like a great tool! I like that it is available as a Google Chrome extension. I have seen many people use Google Translate for a similar purpose, but that usually involves opening up another tab and copying/pasting the text into the box. There is an additional step of choosing the languages if Google Translate is actually being used for translation. This seems much easier and more efficient!
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