Week 2: The struggle is real

The Chrome web browser offers a wide variety of web extensions that provide tools to help all learners.  This week we will look at some Chrome extensions designed to assist students with special needs or reading challenges.  While this is not an extensive list, I wanted to highlight some of the tools I found in my research that stood out to me.

Read Aloud is a text-to-speech extension that will read either selected text or entire pages.  It allows the user to set the speed, volume, and pitch to suit their taste.  This tool is very easy to use with simple play/pause controls and a drop down menu for voice adjustments.  The voices played well and did not seem as unsettling and robotic as some I have heard, with a wide range of options available.  I can see this tool being very useful to struggling readers as something they can read along with or even as a limited use tool on specific words.  The ease of use also leads me to believe users of all ages can benefit from its use.

Extensions like Mercury Reader can enhance the readability of any website.  When we visit any web site these days we are bombarded by so many ads and comments it is often hard to focus on the core content.  This extension strips away ads, comments, and other distractions leaving only the core text and images.  It allows the user to adjust the font size and color scheme of the new text as well.  I can see an extension like this being very useful to any reader.  Mercury reader also allows you to export articles to your kindle.

Do you have any experience with Chrome web extensions that you have found useful to assist students with special needs or struggling readers?