Students heading back to school this autumn will be able to use Microsoft Teams to help boost their learning thanks to a useful pdate
The video conferencing platform has announced a new free tool that it says can help students improve their reading skills by real-world practice.
The Reading Progress tool will also allow teachers and lecturers to better support the needs of students by offering in-depth analysis, helping aid their progression over time.
The Microsoft Teams Reading Progress tool will be available on all platforms, including desktop, web, Mac, iOS and Android.
Teachers can use the tool by uploading a passage or section of text, which is then made available to all their students. The students then read the text aloud, with Microsoft Teams creating a recording of the speech which can then be stored and accessed by the teachers when needed.
But as detailed in the above pictue, the tool also offers analysis of the pupil’s reading aptitude, examining aspects such as accuracy rate, the number of words per minute, and any mispronunciations or corrections.
Teachers can then give full feedback on the student, offering more in-depth guidance or help directly where the pupil needs it most. Progress can also be tracked over time, with the teacher able to provide updates and suggestions on where improvements need to be made.
Microsoft says the tool could also allow teachers to create tailored assignments for students at different reading levels who might be left behind or frustrated by a blanket test.
Microsoft has worked hard to make Teams a useful and intutitive tool for learning during the pandemic lockdowns, launching several specialized tools and services to the software.
This includes a Class Insights tab that lets educators gain analysis into how their students are performing, including average grades, on-time assignments, average return time and conversation activity over time.
Educators using Teams will now have a single view to observe both individual student and class performance. Using data from the Class Insights tab, teachers will be able to make more informed decisions about their curriculum, pacing and student engagement.
