TrustRadius Insights for Read&Write are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, third party data sources.
Pros
Ease of Access to Features: Users have appreciated the easy access to dictionaries, picture dictionaries, and word collections, allowing them to quickly find word meanings without feeling embarrassed about seeking help. This feature has proven particularly beneficial for language learners and students needing quick reference tools.
Beneficial Read Aloud Setting: Some users found the read aloud setting helpful in increasing focus during classes and aiding in revision by breaking down large chunks of text. It has also been noted as a useful tool for students who struggle with reading comprehension or have learning disabilities.
Valuable Screen Reading Tool: The screen reading tool has been considered the most valuable feature by some users, especially those with limited spelling abilities. Additionally, the word prediction feature was highlighted as beneficial for students facing spelling challenges, providing extra support during writing tasks.
I use Read&Write to help a student with hemiplegia and visual impairment produce written work for class in Google Docs. We work to verbally dictate sentences using the Read&Write extension and then proofread what was typed. Read&Write is user friendly and intuitive.
Pros
allows speech to text
reads aloud typed text
is user friendly
Likelihood to Recommend
Read&Write is well suited to use with Google Docs in the school system
I use Read&Write in my 5th-grade classroom to support students who receive reading accommodations and other literacy supports. The program is primarily used during instruction in reading, writing, science, and social studies to help students access grade-level content independently. Features such as text-to-speech, word prediction, vocabulary support, picture dictionaries, highlighting tools, and speech-to-text allow students to better comprehend text and demonstrate their understanding.
Pros
Making grade-level content accessible for students with reading and writing challenges.
Using speech-to-text allows students to focus on organizing and communicating their thoughts.
Students can independently listen to digital text while following along visually.
Cons
Sometimes cannot focus on the picture that is trying to be taken.
When it decodes, it doesn't always show up in the correct form.
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
As an assistive technology consultant I use Read&Write when I have students that are struggling with reading as their focus or writing difficulty
Pros
Read&Write is easy to use
I like how it pops up and prompts the student if they are having difficulty with accessing the tools
Cons
The cost can be a little confusing for some of our districts and multiple students how to add it on
there was an issue with a size of a laptop screen, and a touchscreen access affected the pinpoint of the system for select/direct selection
Likelihood to Recommend
I think it works well for most if not all students but students that really need assistance with writing and reading. The speech to text is fantastic. The dictionary is wonderful for our student highlighting tool
Our district is very diverse. Our students varying in reading abilities and language abilities. Because I teach upper elementary, those students can sometimes be left our of research projects due to the level of written materials. Read&Write makes these materials, whether it is a website or a teacher created material.
Pros
It gives lower readers access to higher-level written websites.
It allows every student to take notes and organize those notes during research projects.
It can translate for students who speak other languages other than English.
It can collect highlighted sentences for students to use in note taking.
Cons
I would love the "dashboard" to look sleeker.
I wish the free version could do more (the paid version is amazing)
Not every PDF or website can use Read&Write (some instances were district-created materials and the format they chose)
Likelihood to Recommend
It isa way to allow all students to access materials for research. It allows all students to be able to voice their thoughts if written language is hard for them. It allows all students to be able to highligh important information and collect it for notetaking. It allows students to translate sites and materials so they can learn alongside their English-speaking peers.
I have it on all of my students Chromebooks to help them provide with the accommodations that they need to be successful in their grade level tasks.
Pros
I love the read aloud feature, which saves my time from reading it to my students
I love text to speech feature for the students with dyslexia
I also like how it has a magnifier that we use to find out the meaning of the work by looking at the words around that specific word
I also like the line reader tool
Cons
not improvement but I think I need more time to play around with it, I remember one the students having a hard time because she didn't like the voice of the person reading to her and she also wanted me to slow it down a bit. We figured how to change the voice and make the reading slow which was amazing.
Likelihood to Recommend
I have a student that I had to transcribe for all the time, I am happy to use the voice recorder that helps her write.
I am a school-based occupational therapy assistant. I use Read&Write with some of my students. One particular student uses the talk-to-text feature, as they struggle greatly with spelling. We have used other programs in the past, but they do not start sentences with capital letters. This is very important to the student, as they don't always recognize the need or placement of capitals. I find that Read&Write sets my students up for success, where other programs often set them up for failure.
Pros
Easy to install
Many features to choose from
LOVE that it starts sentences with capital letters!!
It is easy to use, so students can easily navigate the program.
Cons
I currently have none
Likelihood to Recommend
Excellent for student use. Especially with students who struggle with spelling or dysgraphia. Excellent for students who lack executive functioning skills. They most often can vocalize details quite well, but when it comes to printing it on paper, they often seem clueless about how to start.
In our PreK-12 public school district, Read&Write is one of the resources used to support reading and written expression for students who need assistance in those areas. The Read&Write representatives have been supportive with collaboration with us when issues have arisen. Most often, the issues have been resolved in a timely manner.
Pros
The text-to-speech is most often accurate and pleasant to listen to.
The word prediction is most often accurate and supportive.
Dictation is most often accurate and supportive.
Highlighting is helpful.
Text leveling and picture/text dictionaries are helpful.
Screenshot reader provides TTS access to PDFs and inaccessible documents.
Cons
At this point, the resource seems to be improving rapidly, and suggestions are being considered and addressed in a timely manner.
Communication regarding updates was not sufficient at the beginning of the school year, but this issue has, for the most part, been resolved.
Embedding Snap&Read and CoWriter into Read&Write has, for the most part, been a good transition, but not all of the CoWriter capabilities have been accessible in Read&Write.
Likelihood to Recommend
It's less appropriate for younger students, but seems to support 3rd-12th grade students fairly well. The ability to toggle on/off features as needed is very helpful because it allows the resource to be customized to fit each student's individual needs. A 3rd grade student may only need the text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and dictation features while older students may need more robust support.
I am a special education teacher who works in a facility school for adolescents with emotional disabilities. A lot of our students have the IEP accommodation of having text read to them, which used to be a big struggle for me to handle. With Read&Write, it makes my life so much easier and the students' lives so much better!
Pros
Specifying which texts to read
Cons
Faster response time
Likelihood to Recommend
Read&Write works great for classroom work, however it works less well for testing situations in small classrooms. It's definitely doable, just not as excellent in that situation.
I teach high school students to use Read&Write to help them independently dictate their writing and listen to emails, web pages, and docs.
Pros
reads web pages out loud
provides definitions of words
Cons
sometime the microphone does not work on chromebooks.
hard to get all of the features to work on my students' chromebooks
I wish it was easier to have it read specific sections out loud.
Likelihood to Recommend
This is the least glitchy extension for students to use to dictate emails and docs. It reads web pages, emails and docs out loud easily and provides definitions of words.
I use Read&Write with some of my students in my Parallel ELA class (Middle School) who struggle with reading and have IEP goals in basic reading and reading fluency. This gives my students access to tools such as text-to-speech, which support them when they read. They can access this tool during certain tests and their other core classes.
Pros
It highlights words as they are read to aid tracking.
Supports students with their comprehension.
Offers word prediction to anticipate words, spell/grammar checks, and a "Talk&Type" dictation tool.
Cons
Doesn't always open or has issues on certain websites.
Likelihood to Recommend
Well-suited for students who have background knowledge and are less appropriate for students who can already read fairly well.
