Using Moodle

Navigate to a website or a Google doc you want to hear read aloud.

Make sure the Read&Write Toolbar is visible. You may need to click the purple puzzle piece or the Read&Write tab.

Click where you would like the reading to start or highlight the text you want Read&Write to read aloud. (Try both of these techniques if one doesn't work, as sometimes the functionality of the tool changes based on whether it's reading a website or a Google document.)

Click Play on the Read&Write toolbar.

Read&Write highlights the current sentence and reads it aloud.

By default, Read&Write continues to read from this point. If you want it to stop after each paragraph instead, go to Settings > Speech and clear the Continuous reading check box.

While text is being read aloud, click Pause .

The speech pauses but any highlighting remains visible.

Click Stop . 

Reading stops and any highlighting disappears.

Open Google Chrome, navigate to a website, and make sure that the Read&Write toolbar is visible.

Click Rewordify on the Read&Write toolbar.

A word or phrase that is in italics indicates that it has been replaced.

Hover your cursor over the word or phrase and a tooltip will appear to show the original word.

Click on the word or phrase to toggle between showing the original text, and the simpler rewordified text. 

Open Google Chrome, navigate to a website  and make sure that the Read&Write toolbar is visible. 

Click Simplify Page on the Read&Write toolbar.

The simplified web page includes a Simplify toolbar, shown just below the Read&Write toolbar in the above screenshot.

The Simplify toolbar contains features to make the web page even easier to read. 

Click the button, next to the word Simplify at the left of the toolbar.

The text will change.

Use the and buttons to adjust the amount of text that is displayed.

Simplify the page too much and you may lose important text. Simplify it too little and there may be too much extra text getting in the way.

In Google Chrome, navigate to a website or Google doc. Ensure that the Read&Write toolbar is visible. 

Select a sentence or sentences you want to highlight, then click Highlight Yellow on the Read&Write toolbar.

Try highlighting another sentence in yellow, and then one in pink. 

Click Collect Highlights .

The Collect Highlights dialog appears, enabling you to choose which colors to collect and how to sort them.

Choose to sort highlights by Color, make sure that the check boxes for both Yellow and Pink are selected, and then click OK.

Read&Write creates a new Google Docs document containing all your highlighted sections, and then opens it in a new tab.

You can easily copy the highlighted text to a different document, for example an essay or report, or simply use the highlights document as your start point.

Note: Highlights documents may be saved to your Google Drive as Highlights Untitled. If you intend to keep a highlights document, you should rename it.

Open a Google Doc or website you'd like to use for Screen Masking. 

Click Screen Mask on the Read&Write toolbar.

The button is highlighted to show that Screen Masking is active. By default, a gray tint is applied to the whole of the Chrome window, with a narrow white reading light that moves with your pointer.

In the top left, you will see the Screen Masking controls. 

Click  to open the Screen Masking settings.

When you have found a setup you like, click Save to close the Settings window. 

Many users like either a pale blue tint.

Finally, click , either in the Screen Masking controls or on the Read&Write toolbar, to turn off Screen Masking.

In a website or Google Doc, highlight the word you want to translate.

Click Translator on the Read&Write toolbar.

The Translator window appears, showing possible translations of the current word into your chosen language. By default, Read&Write translates from English into French, but you can change it in this window to any of the other possible languages.

Click the button next to one of the translations.

Read&Write reads the translation aloud, using its default voice for the chosen language.

You can also have the original English word read out to you, so you can check how it is pronounced. 

Open up a website or Google doc in Google Chrome. Ensure that the Read&Write toolbar is visible.

Click a word to position the cursor in that word or highlight the word. 

Click Dictionary on the Read&Write toolbar.

The Dictionary window appears, showing definitions of the current word.

Click the button next to one of the definitions.

Read&Write reads the definition aloud, with highlighting.

You can also have the word itself read out to you, so you can check how it is pronounced.

Click to close the Dictionary window.

Instead of using the talking dictionary, you can use the picture dictionary.

After selecting a word, click Picture Dictionary on the Read&Write toolbar.

The Picture Dictionary window appears, showing symbols or images that represent the current word.

Click the button next to the word at the top of the Picture Dictionary window.

Read&Write reads the word aloud, so you can check how it is pronounced.

Click to close the Picture Dictionary window.