Immersive Reader And Microsoft Word For Mac

Posted on by admin

Immersive Reader And Microsoft Word For Mac Free. Microsoft Teams Immersive Reader. Install Immersive Reader For Word. Mar 03, 2020 Immersive Reader in Microsoft apps. Immersive Reader is available in OneNote, in the Windows 10 Store app, the Mac and iPad apps and the OneNote Online web app, or as a free add-in for the desktop. You can use Read Aloud on its own or within Immersive Reader for Word in Windows and MacOS. Immersive Reader is a set of tools that help improve reading fluency and comprehension. For more information about Immersive Reader, see Learning Tools in Word. Speak reads only the text you've selected. Speak is available for Windows only.

Word 2021 for Mac enables you to create compelling content with the addition of capabilities including advanced page color options in Immersive Reader and more rich media content from the Office Premium Creative Content collection. If you're upgrading to Word 2021 for Mac from Word 2019 for Mac you'll still have all the features you're. Immersive Reader in Microsoft apps. Immersive Reader is available in OneNote, in the Windows 10 Store app, the Mac and iPad apps and the OneNote Online web app, or as a free add-in for the desktop. Enable Immersive Reader. To open the tool in Word, Outlook, and OneNote, head to the View tab and click “Immersive Reader.”. To open it in an Outlook email window, select the Message tab, and click “Immersive Reader.”. This displays the application window in a focused view. You can then customize Immersive Reader for text.

If you have talked to me about assistive technology in the last few months, there's a high chance that I have mention Microsoft Immersive Reader and how it can help students with vision impairments and print disabilities. I have been using this tool a lot this semester, so today I'm excited to share my review of Immersive Reader and how I use it in the classroom.

What is Immersive Reader?

Microsoft's Immersive Reader is a free tool that provides a full-screen reading experience. It is designed to increase readability of text in Microsoft applications through the use of assistive technology accommodations for people with print disabilities such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, vision impairment, and more. Immersive Reader can be used alongside the Accessibility Checker to improve the layout of documents, or can be used to make a document more accessible without editing the document further- read more about the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Word here.

Where to find it

Immersive Reader can be found in the following applications on these operating systems. No additional downloads are needed.

Windows

  • Microsoft Edge (web browser)
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft OneNote- read more about Microsoft OneNote here
  • Microsoft Outlook

Mac/iOS

  • Microsoft Office Lens- read more aboutMicrosoft Office Lens here
  • Microsoft OneNote
  • Microsoft Word

How to access Immersive Reader

Immersive Reader And Microsoft Word For Mac

Within Microsoft Word and Microsoft OneNote

Microsoft learning tools in word

Users can access Immersive Reader inside Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook by doing the following:

  • Click the 'View' tab at the top of the screen
  • Click the 'Learning Tools' button
  • Immersive Reader will open

Within Microsoft Outlook

Users can access Immersive Reader inside Microsoft Outlook by doing the following:

  • Open an email in Microsoft Outlook
  • Click on the '...' button to display more options
  • Click 'Show Immersive Reader' on the bottom
  • Immersive Reader will open

Within Microsoft Edge

Users can access Immersive Reader inside Microsoft Edge by doing the following:

  • Open a website or document in Microsoft Edge
  • Click the book icon in the website address field
  • Immersive Reader will open

Within Microsoft Office Lens

Users can access Immersive Reader inside Microsoft Office Lens by doing the following:

  • Scan a document into Microsoft Office Lens
  • Under the 'Share To' section, select 'Immersive Reader'
  • Immersive Reader will open

Supported file types

Immersive Reader supports the following file types:

  • Microsoft Word documents (.doc, .docx)
  • Microsoft OneNote notebooks (.one)
  • PDF files (.pdf)
  • Website/HTML files (.html)

Read more about accessible file types for vision impairment here.

Interface

When a user opens a document with Immersive Reader, they don't have to worry about messing with their previous settings. Instead, the user-enabled settings are applied to the document immediately. Users can use the scroll wheel of their mouse, swipe across a touchscreen, or use the arrow keys on their keyboard to read the document. I appreciate that I can immediately focus on reading a document and not having to manipulate settings every time. It's worth noting that Immersive Reader settings don't synchronize across apps, so users will have to configure Immersive Reader on each individual app listed.

Choosing a background

Users can change the background color of Immersive Reader by selecting the 'page color' option within Immersive Reader in Microsoft Word. For Microsoft Edge and Microsoft OneNote, users can select the 'Text Preferences' option or use the keyboard combination ctrl+shift+O in Immersive Reader. My favorite option is the dark/inverted theme as it is not harsh on my eyes- read more about reducing eye strain here.

Change font size and font type

To adjust the font size and font type in Immersive Reader, use the same Text Preferences menu to adjust the slider and increase the size of the text. Users can also choose a display font- Calibri, Sitka, or Comic Sans. Read more about choosing a font for print disabilities here.

Immersive Reader And Microsoft Word For Mac

Spacing and line blocking

For users that prefer to read one to five lines at a time, users can go into Reading Preferences in Microsoft Word or Microsoft OneNote and select how many lines they want to display at a time. This is helpful for people who only want to focus on a few lines at a time when reading.

Built-in screen reader

For users with low vision or that benefit from having text out loud, the Read Aloud feature acts as a built-in screen reader so that information can be read out loud. This can be activated by pushing the 'read aloud' button, which looks like a speaker. In addition, Microsoft Edge users can have any webpage read out loud with this function, which can be enabled by clicking the 'more options' tab and selecting 'read aloud.'

Highlighting parts of speech

For people that have trouble identifying parts of speech, Immersive Reader can highlight different parts of speech in customizable colors so that they can easily be identified. Syllables can also be separated by pressing the 'syllables' button.

Picture dictionary

Having trouble figuring out the meaning of a word? Select a word by clicking or tapping on it, and a picture illustrating the word will pop up. This service is powered by BoardMaker, so frequent users of assistive technology may recognize a lot of the illustrations.

What I use it for

Here are some of the many ways I have used Immersive Reader:

  • Reading websites
  • Listening to classwork assignments
  • Simplifying the display of a complicated document
  • Scrolling through an online article
  • Focusing on one line at a time in my programming assignments

How my professors have reacted

All of my professors have been fascinated with Immersive Reader and frequently ask me questions about how to use it. One of my professors even uses Immersive Reader to share information on the board- read more about making things on the board easier to see here.

Verdict

Immersive Reader is a free tool that has truly revolutionized reading for students with print disabilities, primarily because it is so widely accessible. Many schools utilize Microsoft products such as Microsoft Office and Windows operating systems, so Immersive Reader can easily be located and used to read a document. I highly recommend trying Immersive Reader and seeing how it can help you!

  • Log in or register to post comments

Adverbs join the Parts of Speech “family” in Immersive Reader Since the original Microsoft Hackathon project, Immersive Reader has had the ability to highlight important parts of speech including nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Immersive Reader (OneNote, Office Lens on iPhone), and Read Mode with Read Aloud (Word) recognizes text from images, then highlights words as they are read out loud. Sound segmentation, which is breaking written words apart into separate syllables, is an important part of decoding. Dictation in OneNote for Windows 10. Adverbs join the Parts of Speech “family” in Immersive Reader. Since the original Microsoft Hackathon project, Immersive Reader has had the ability to highlight important parts of speech including nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

Microsoft’s Immersive Reader is a little-known learning tool introduced earlier this year that aims to improve users’ readingHow to Improve Your Reading Skills and Speed with Learning Tools for OneNoteHow to Improve Your Reading Skills and Speed with Learning Tools for OneNoteIs Learning Tools for OneNote a part of your education? The free add-in for OneNote helps everyone improve reading and writing skills, including students with learning differences or gifted learners.Read More and can help with common learning disabilities like dyslexia. As the app continues to become available on more programs and in more languages, we wanted to offer a breakdown of what exactly it does.

Microsoft's Immersive Reader is helping millions of people with Dyslexia learn to love reading and is. The online, desktop, Mac, iPad and iPhone versions of Word and the online and desktop. Immersive Reader enhances your experience with Microsoft products aiming to improve reading fluency, comprehension, word recognition, and focus. It does this by reading text aloud using text-to-speech technology and highlighting verbs, nouns, and adjectives in different colors so you can get a better understanding of how each sentence is broken.

What Is Immersive Reader?

Immersive Reader enhances your experience with Microsoft products aiming to improve reading fluency, comprehension, word recognition, and focus. It does this by reading text aloud using text-to-speech technology and highlighting verbs, nouns, and adjectives in different colors so you can get a better understanding of how each sentence is broken down.

Microsoft provides the following list of ways in which Immersive Reader can help Windows users:

  • Read Aloud — Reads text aloud with simultaneous highlighting that improves decoding, fluency and comprehension while sustaining the reader’s focus and attention.
  • Spacing — Optimizes font spacing in a narrow column view to improve reading fluency for users who suffer from visual crowding issues.
  • Syllables — Shows the breaks between syllables to enhance word recognition and decoding.
  • Parts of Speech — Supports writing instruction and grammar comprehension by identifying verbs, nouns and adjectives.

It’s available in almost 30 languages including Arabic, English, French, German, and Spanish. Languages that will be available later this summer are Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, and Brazilian Portuguese.

How Can You Use It?

Right now, Immersive Reader is available to use in the following programs:

  • Microsoft Edge
  • Office Lens for iPhone
  • OneNote Desktop (as an Add-In)
  • OneNote Online
  • Outlook Web
  • Word Desktop
  • Word Online

You can actually play around with the tool online before using it in the programs where it’s available. The online Try It Now tool will walk you through the features available.

Immersive Reader And Microsoft Word For Mac Download

Here’s how to use it:

How To Use Immersive Reader

Immersive Reader In Word 2016

  • Word 2016 & Online — Go to View > Read Mode. The interface will change with just three menu items: File, Tools, and View. Immersive Reader tools are under View. You can highlight syllables, have the text read aloud, and adjust text spacing.
  • OneNote Online — Go to the View tab and click Immersive Reader. You will have the same features viewable in the Try it Now tool.
  • OneNote Desktop — After you install the add-in, click Immersive Reader, and you will have the same features viewable in the Try It Now tool.

What do you think of Microsoft’s Immersive Reader tool? What other useful reading, writing, and comprehension tools do you find useful to use online? Let us know in the comments.

Back in February, Microsoft announced that it was bringing its Learning Tools, including Immersive Reader, to Word and OneNote Online. Today, the company announced the availability of Immersive Reader in Outlook.com, Outlook on the web, and OneNote for Windows 10.

Immersive Reader includes a number of features for helping users to read more efficiently. For example, it will read text aloud while highlighting the text. It will also optimize font spacing 'in a narrow column view', show the breaks between syllables, and will identify verbs, nouns, and adjectives.

In Outlook, you can access this feature by right-clicking on a message and selecting 'Show in immersive reader'; or in OneNote, you can select Immersive Reader from the View menu.

Microsoft also announced today that it's expanding the availability of Immersive Reader. Read Aloud is now available in 14 new languages:

  • Arabic (Saudi Arabia)

  • Czech

  • English (Ireland)

  • French (Switzerland)

  • German (Austria)

  • German (Switzerland)

  • Greek

  • Hebrew

  • Hindi

  • Hungarian

  • Indonesian

  • Romanian

  • Slovak

  • Thai

What Is Immersive Reader

The Syllables feature has also been expanded to Hungarian, Indonesian, Romanian, and Slovak, while Parts of Speech is now available for German, Italian, and Dutch with Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Brazilian Portuguese coming later on this summer. Finally, Japanese dictation has been added to the OneNote desktop Learning Tools Add-in.

Last but not least, Microsoft announced a new Try it out feature, which is the new landing page for Learning Tools. It's a way to quickly test out Immersive Reader, and it supports 39 languages. You can check it out at the Learning Tools page right here.