This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: Education Blog articles.
Today we are excited to announce that the Immersive Reader is launching on Wonderopolis! Wonderopolis is a place where natural curiosity and imagination lead to exploration and discovery in learners of all ages. Each day, they pose an intriguing question—the Wonder of the Day—and explore it in a variety of ways. The excitement of learning that comes from curiosity and wonder is undeniable, and Wonderopolis helps create learning moments in everyday life—ones that fit in with dinner preparations, carpool responsibilities, a stolen moment between breakfast and the bus, or within school curriculum and education programs.
Wonderopolis is a non-profit organization that was created by the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) in 2010, and it has become one of the most popular education sites today. Wonderopolis represents the very first non-profit organization that has integrated the Immersive Reader into their platform. All non-profits receive $3500 in free Azure credits per year, and with the Immersive Reader now part of Azure Cognitive Services, this allows non-profits like Wonderoplis to easily integrate the Immersive Reader.
By integrating the Immersive Reader, all Wonderopolis content is available for learners of all abilities and can help with access content and reading. An example of the Wonderopolis integration is below:
Educators are already getting excited about the new capabilities in Wonderopolis. Christie Wyman, Kindergarten teacher in Weston, MA says "Most of my students will not be reading conventionally until the spring. Even so, non-fiction texts, such as a Wonderopolis post, will not be accessible to even my most accomplished Kindergarten readers. The Immersive Reader feature really is a game changer! My students will now be able to INDEPENDENTLY access all that Wonderopolis has to offer."
Lorie Lyon, 5th grade teacher in Plano, TX - "The Immersive Reader will allow all students in a diverse classroom setting to have access to the extensive Wonderopolis content. This feature will open up doors to support literacy development while still giving students choice in their learning. This will be a game changer for our classroom to differentiate and address all learners!"
According to John MacLeod, Community Manager at Wonderopolis: "For two years, I’ve dreamed of making Wonderopolis more accessible for all readers and English language learners. But there wasn’t a great solution for a nonprofit - until now. Microsoft’s Immersive Reader puts Wonderopolis into the hands of truly everybody and provides the tools to include all learners in wondering and learning together."
Microsoft is thrilled to have Wonderopolis integrate the Immersive Reader to make text and reading accessible to all! We encourage all non-profits out there to explore using your free Azure credits and include Immersive Reader with your text and reading materials to bring inclusive reading benefits to all!
Mike Tholfsen
Principal Product Manager, Microsoft Education