What is Read&Write for Google (RWG)?

Read&Write Google is a product developed by texthelp. https://www.texthelp.com/en-us/ 

It has many tools. Check It is one of them. Hyde Park Day School uses the RWG Chrome extension.  

On a Google doc

What is Check It?

Check It checks for spelling or grammar errors as well as phonetic spelling, homophones or other confusable words.

How does it help students?

• Spelling involves a complex set of skills and can be difficult for some children, but for a variety of different reasons. For example, one student may have difficulty remembering the sounds specific letters make and another may have difficulty staying focused on the topic and rush through spelling. Spell check gives students the ability to overcome these challenges.
• For some students the writing process can be filled with roadblocks; from the anxiety of having to fill a blank page to organizing their thoughts. Often, the last thing students want to do is go back and edit. However, helping students use spell check (or any editing procedure) is critical to helping them demonstrate their actual knowledge and overcoming challenges in written expression.
• Using a strategy like spell and grammar check can decrease the amount of time it takes to complete the editing step in the writing process.
• It can also boost confidence as students are able to demonstrate their knowledge rather than showcase their spelling and grammar mistakes.
• When students struggle with spelling or grammar, their writing might not reflect their actual academic knowledge due to the challenges they experience just to produce writing. Use of a grammar checker helps students demonstrate their actual academic ability by reducing obstacles.

• Reduces the obstacle for students who struggle with spelling (Example - a student wants to use the word “enormous,” but uses the word “big” instead to avoid the spelling challenge.
• Reduces the amount of time it takes to produce writing so thoughts are not lost and the student can maintain the flow of ideas and writing. This may also increase the amount of writing a student produces because their effort is focused less on sounding out words and more on idea development.  (Example - a student may spend minutes trying to spell out the word “enormous” and then lose his/her train of thought, thus losing out on elaborating on another idea).
• There are two forms of memory which are needed in producing language: long-term memory and working memory. Your long-term memory is the storehouse of everything you know about the world and also about your own language.  Your working memory is the ability to hold onto whatever you’ve grabbed from your long-term memory for a short time while that knowledge is actively being used.  Your working memory provides a place for gathering your ideas and organizing them prior to writing.  Long-term memory and working memory work together to support both the initial writing and also the process of editing what you’ve written, when you  recall the spelling and grammar rules that apply to what you’ve written.  A student with memory issues will have difficulty keeping both what they’ve written and what they intended to write in mind for long enough to notice whether they’re different.
• Visual/spatial processing, which means being able to absorb information through our eyes and make sense of it, is used when a student reviews what has been written; when it works well, it means that a student can look at writing and understand it. But if it doesn’t, a student can’t edit errors because he or she doesn't see and recognize them as errors.
• There are two cognitive abilities related to the sounds of language that also contribute writing and editing.  Auditory processing is the basic ability to process sounds and identify them, to give them meaning. An impairment in this area can make it hard to notice errors when something a student has written is read back to him or her.   Phonological awareness is the ability to identify and mentally manipulate the various sound units of language, like individual consonants and vowels, syllables, and parts of words like prefixes and suffixes.  Students’ composition skills are closely related to their degree of fluency in producing letters and words.  A student who has difficulties in this area will find it harder to notice when a word is incorrect or incomplete, and will have to expend more effort and look deeper to locate and make corrections.   So anything that helps a student find and correct errors should improve the quality of their writing.
• The critical reason we teach our students this tool is that it gives them the ability to work towards independence in their writing. There may not always be an adult there correcting or checking for errors at their side, especially when they get into the high school, college and years beyond.

How do I use Check It on the Read&Write for Google toolbar?

On a Google doc

After finishing with a piece of writing, select the Check It icon.

How much does it cost (after transition)?

Read&Write for Google Chrome extension is a product. The cost for HPDS students is rolled into the tuition fee. It requires that we use our domain under our Google Apps for Education account (which is free). Our domain is hydeparkday.org. When a student transitions, there are other options if the district does not have a site license.

Here is the pricing  information to know when a student transitions:

        For schools with a Google Apps for Education account:

1.  Individual student license:  $145 per student per year.  This is for schools who are only looking for a handful of licenses.  Let's say you wanted to provide Read&Write to five students the cost would be 5 x $145 = $725.

2.  Group license: (A group license is any subset of your total student enrollment.  For example, all students with an IEP or all 7th grade students, etc.) Please contact TextHelp for group pricing here - https://www.texthelp.com/en-us/support/license-enquiry/

3.  District license:  This license is a true Universal Design for Learning (UDL) solution and is based on total student enrollment in the district. Please contact TextHelp for group pricing here - https://www.texthelp.com/en-us/support/license-enquiry/

For schools without a Google Apps for Education account

A single license cost is $145 per person per year.  

https://www.texthelp.com/en-us/pricing/

This license supports multiple devices and operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Google Chrome, Office 365, iPad, and Android.  You have the option of getting them all at no additional cost.  This gives our customers  more flexibility to use the literacy support they need, wherever and whenever they need it.

Parents can order a subscription based license directly from our website using a credit card at http://pay.texthelp.com/

Does it work on other devices?

Yes, it does! It works on Windows and Mac computers, iPads and Android tablets, and comes as an extension in the Chrome browser.

What do I need to know when my student transitions?

1. Find out the main word processing tools your student will be using and make sure spell check is turned on and available. Customize as needed.
2. While spell check can catch many spelling mistakes it often does not catch errors relating to subject & verb agreement, run on sentences, improper verb tense, usage (their, they’re, there), or the use of double negatives. More robust and in depth editing software would be required for those corrections, such as Grammarly or Ginger

1. Grammarly - https://www.grammarly.com/
2. Ginger - http://www.gingersoftware.com/proofreading

3. Communicate with your student’s teachers, so they know what the student is using, when, why and work out any processes.
4. Chrome extensions do affect computer processing speed.  (8GB RAM or higher and a SATA Drive are recommended). It is also recommended to keep only the tools that a student needs enabled in the toolbar. If one is needed temporarily, it can be enabled, then disabled after use.

What else is good to know about using the dictionary on the Read&Write for Google Chrome Extension toolbar?

• Technology rapidly changes. When one company makes a change, another one has to adapt. Depending on the source of the digital material there may be pauses in functionality. For example, Google may make a change to their Google Doc product and then texthelp needs to adapt Read&Write Google to catch up. In other words, it usually takes more than one company to make this a seamless solution. Perseverance and problem solving are good practices to use when these technical issues come up.

Where can I find more information?

How Various Learning and Attention Issues Can Cause Trouble With Spelling

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/writing-issues/how-various-learning-and-attention-issues-can-cause-trouble-with-spelling

Read&Write for Google - https://www.texthelp.com/en-us/sectors/education/

Understood.org - https://www.understood.org/en

Learning Technologies Lab - http://www.learningtechnologiesab.com/

*Please note that technology and pricing is always changing. This document reflects the most recent known information as indicated by the Last Updated Date at the top of the page.