by Larry Magid
Google has been working on an app called Read Along by Google, which it decided to release early because so many children are now learning from home.
The app helps children with their reading skills via a character named Diya who uses Google’s text-to-speech and speech recognition technology “to detect if a student is struggling or successfully reading the passage,” according to a Google blog post.
For now, the app only runs on Android. You can download it from the Play store by searching for Read Along by Google or by clicking here.
I tried the app and it works well. There were a few times when I deliberately made a mistake and it didn’t catch it, but most of the time it let me know if I read it correctly and had me try again if I didn’t, typically having me read one word at a time till I got it right.
There are also stories and games and parents can set up profiles for more than one child.
The app has no ads or in-app purchases and works while offline, so kids can use it without being given internet access, which is a good idea for apps aimed at young children.
Of course, no app is a substitute for parents reading to their children and having children read to them, but — for busy parents – this is an opportunity to engage your young child in learning activities without having to worry about commercialism or them straying into inappropriate places on the internet.
If you want your child to play the game without internet access, be sure to turn off WiFi and any cellular connection.
Disclosure: Larry Magid is CEO of ConnectSafely, a non-profit internet savety organization that receives financial support from Google and other tech companies