Microsoft offers its AI-powered reading tutor at no cost
January 18 2024
Microsoft has announced the release of Reading Coach, an AI-powered tool aimed at enhancing personalized reading practice, which is now freely available to users with a Microsoft account. This tool, accessible on the web and soon to be released as a Windows app, will also integrate with learning management systems shortly. Building on its predecessor, Reading Progress, Reading Coach allows learners to work on words they find difficult with the help of supportive tools, such as text to speech and picture dictionaries, and provides educators with the ability to track and share student progress. The recent addition of a “choose your own story” feature, which promotes reading through AI-generated narrative adventures and rewards progress, aims to motivate learners. Although Microsoft highlights the potential of AI to revolutionize personalized learning, there is skepticism in the education community regarding the efficacy of such technologies in accurately measuring reading comprehension. Nonetheless, a considerable fraction of educators recognize the value of adaptive over traditional methods in assessing reading levels.
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What does it mean?
- AI-powered tool: A software application enhanced with Artificial Intelligence, which enables it to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as learning and problem-solving.
- Learning Management Systems (LMS): Software applications or web-based technology used to plan, implement, and assess a specific learning process. LMSs help educators manage and deliver educational courses online, and also track student engagement and performance.
- Text to Speech: Technology that converts written text into spoken words. This can be used to assist learners by reading out text for them, which is particularly useful for those who struggle with reading.
- Picture dictionaries: Visual representations of words in the form of pictures or images. They are often used in education to help learners associate words with their meanings more easily, especially for language learners or young children.
- Adaptive methods: Educational approaches that are tailored to the individual learner's needs. These methods adjust the level of difficulty based on the learner’s performance and can provide personalized feedback to support the learning process.