Episode #26 - Use Immersive Reader Chrome Extension

SHOW NOTES:

Use Immersive Reader Chrome Extension: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/use-immersive-reader-on-w/fmidkjgknpkbmninbmklhcgaalfalbdh?hl=en-US 

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TRANSCRIPT:  (full transcript link)

Hello and welcome to episode number twenty-six of the one-five. I am your podcast hostess - Tricia Louis - the self-designated tech goddess and I will be coming to you weekly in this audio podcast format with great edtech tools, tips, and tricks.

In this week’s episode, I will be talking about the Use Immersive Reader Chrome Extension. Immersive Reader is a reading enhancement tool that was invented by Microsoft and is widely available in the edge browser as well as in Microsoft 365 products. But, what if your school is a google school? Can you access all of the great functions of Immersive reader on a chromebook? With the Use Immersive Reader Chrome Extension, the answer is a resounding YES!

Simply install the extension in google chrome and then goto some text on a website. Then, highlight a portion of text and right-click on it (or a two-finger tap on a trackpad on a chromebook). Then in the secondary menu that appears, choose “help me read this” and in a few moments your text will be transported to the immersive reader.  

When you enter the immersive reader interface, you will notice some menus in the upper right corner. In the text options menu, you can change the text size, change letter spacing, change the font (it only has 4 font choices - which in my book is great for kids so they don’t spend too much time trying to pick a font), and you can also change the background color. 

In the next menu that looks like lines with a magic wand, you can utilize the parts of speech option where immersive reader will show the syllables of words and you can change the color of the words to match the different parts of speech: like nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. In the final menu, which looks like a book, you can change your reading preferences. The reading preferences include line focus, picture dictionary options, & translation options. 

Once you have those settings adjusted, you can listen to your text by pressing the play button at the bottom of the screen. Note, there is one other menu next to the play button that has voice settings - there you can change the voice speed and if you prefer a male or female voice. 

What I find most useful about the immersive reader is the translation function and that it also reads aloud the translated text. You have a choice of over 120 language options in the immersive reader. Now, we all know that all digital translation is not perfect, but this goes a long way in helping students be able to access content that they might not have been able to in the past.

If you want to leave the Immersive Reader view, simply click the arrow in the upper left corner and you will return to the regular web content.

The Use Immersive Reader Chrome Extension is super powerful and I highly recommend you add this chrome extension to your collection!

Do you want to learn more about edtech in your learning environment? Check out my website - tricialouis.com. There you can explore my resources, subscribe to my weekly email newsletter, and contact me. And if you like this podcast, consider supporting it by going to buymeacoffee.com/talouis and pledging your contribution to the one-five.

Keep in mind the information shared on this podcast may take additional clearances from your tech department to work properly in your district, school, or classroom. I have vetted all of the information shared on this podcast and it is available and/or correct on the date the podcast is originally published. But, remember that services, sites, or products can change or become unavailable without a lot of notice.  Thanks for listening and join me next week for another episode of the one five!

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