Read&Write vs. VisibleThread VT Writer

Read&Write is especially well-suited to supporting students with reading accommodations during independent work, content-area instruction, and written-response tasks. In my 5th-grade classroom, one of the most effective scenarios is during science and social studies lessons, where students are expected to read complex informational texts independently. There can also be occasional challenges when websites, PDFs, or testing platforms are not fully compatible with all Read&Write features.

Incentivized

Having used VisibleThread VT Writer for both internal knowledge base documentation and external communications, I would highly recommend it to any writer who wants to simplify their content. VisibleThread VT Writer makes content way more digestible for a wider audience. VisibleThread VT Writer is great at identifying passive voice, long sentences and complex words. It will ensure that whatever you write is simple enough that a young kid can read and understand your content.

Incentivized

• Creates vocabulary lists for students that include symbols, definitions, and space to add additional notes or images (a staff favorite)
• Intuitive word prediction that supports spelling, grammar, and reduces the number of keystrokes needed
• Text-to-speech on any digital text using the regular reader or screenshot reader, making almost any content accessible

Incentivized

• Provides a grade level for the complexity of your writing
• Quickly identifies long sentences and passive voice
• Provides alternatives to complex words

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• I would like to use the practice reading aloud tool more, but the kids that I work with have a hard time understanding the concept. I think that, while there are a lot of tools available, sometimes they are hard for younger students to understand.
• The hover to read function is nice as well, but my students struggle with the fact that if you move the mouse once it starts reading it will start all over in a new area. It's not as smooth as I would like it to be.

Incentivized

• More automation, other software in this space is able to completely rewrite content and even provide multiple iterations at once
• Ability to tailor results and desired output based on target audience, i.e. desired grade level might vary based on audience
• Would be nice if VT can start writing content based on bullet points, again more automation

Incentivized

I'm just really impressed with the software and the access it gives to learners who are used to coming up against barriers in education. It's a quick-fix for a learner - something they can access usefully and productively with very little training. I also love that learners can access Read&Write on their devices at home - that really is a game changer.

Incentivized

I am giving this an 9. Not a perfect score because working on PDFs is better but not yet as easy as I need for it to be. Working with many students who have executive function challenges, I need a smooth simplistic access method. We are not quite there yet for writing on PDFs. Overall the toolbar on Read&Write is super easy to access and I love that the suite includes several tools on the toolbar providing a solution to many accessibility challenges.

Incentivized

Seems to be available when Internet is working.

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there are issues with the dictation not running smoothly.

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The support team at Texthelp is excellent. They're all super helpful and open to feedback and new ideas. Still, more importantly, they are ultimately fully committed to aligning with us and ensuring they help us provide the best education possible. Furthermore, they're open to new features and always communicate this incredibly well.

Incentivized

It was easy to learn to use

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It took a solid 2 weeks for R&W to work on our students chromebooks even after reaching out to tech support. The toolbar was greyed out and not accessible to students. Took a long time before tech support helped us solve this problem.

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We are still learning how to use Equatio. I am not a mathematician and therefore I am finding understanding it a bit more difficult. Once I understand how to use it I will be able to cascade it down. My hope is that it will be as useful as Read & Write

Incentivized

VisibleThread VT Writer is better at identifying passive voice, run-on sentences and complex words and actually shows you where the problem in your writing is happening. Wordtune is better at providing suggestions or completely rewriting the content, which can save time but also doesn't give the user the ability to self-correct in the future.

Incentivized

The pricing is reasonable. A lower tier with just screen reading and basic functions would be nice, but not a deal-breaker.

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The product can be used on as many devices at once as needed

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• We are early to deploying Read&Write but hope to see increased test scores
• We are early to deploying Read&Write but hope to see decreases in student behaviors triggered by challenging ELA assignments
• We are early to deploying Read&Write but hope to see improvements in student self perception as a result of increased ELA success

Incentivized

• It has made our content more readable
• It makes us sound relevant to our clients
• Ensures the content everyone writes is consistent

Incentivized