Resources for Online or Virtual Learning

General Technology Tools

  • Text to Speech
    • ReadSpeaker TextAid (available through LSS)

      is a Web-based platform with text-to-speech (TTS) technology to translate written documents into spoken language. It is a tool that helps students overcome accessibility challenges while reading, writing, and studying.

    • Kurzweil 3000 (available through LSS)

      Kurzweil 3000 is a text to speech software that allows a user to have electronic text aloud. It is beneficial for those who learn through auditory means.

    • Natural Reader (free for everyone)

      Reads text out loud from DOC, DOCX, RTF, HTML, and accessible PDF files.

    • Read Speaker (free for all students)

      Users can choose to listen to an audio version of content as they follow along with the highlighted text, enhancing accessibility and making written content available to more people.

    • Microsoft Edge -Read Aloud (free for everyone)

      Microsoft’s Edge browser can read websites out loud for you. Microsoft has added cloud-powered voices that sound less like a 50’s-era robot and more like a modern voice assistant.

    • Read&Write (free for all students)

      Read&Write is an additional text to speech software that allows a user to have text read aloud and that can also be useful for writing and note-taking.

    • WebReader and DocReader within Blackboard (free for current WCC students)

      Allows students to read aloud course content.

      WebReader allows text content on a website (HTML) to be read aloud.

      DocReader is a cloud based tool that displays and reads aloud online documents includes: PDF, PowerPoint and Word

  • E-books and Digital Textbook Resources
    • Red Shelf
      Collaborating with hundreds of publishers and colleges, RedShelf is helping to make digital course materials more affordable.
    • Vital Source
      VitalSource Bookshelf partners with publishers to allow instant access to eTextbooks and study tools both online and offline. The Read Aloud feature allows students to listen as the text is read aloud.
  • Speech to Text (Dictation)
    • Read&Write (free for all students)

      Read&Write is a text to speech software that allows a user to have text read aloud an that also can also be useful for speech to text for writing and note-taking.

    • Google Docs (free for all students)

      Google Docs has many useful built-in features to support students. One to highlight is the speech to text feature. This tool can be used to support the creation of notes, papers, discussion responses, etc.

    • Speech Notes  Chrome Browser (free for all students)
    •  Speech Notes is a voice recognition software that enables speech to be converted automatically into text.
  • Screen Reader (free for everyone)
    • NVDA 

      NVDA is a free, open-source screen reader technology which can be used to read webpages, documents, or applications.

    • VoiceOver

      VoiceOver is the free built-in screen reader available on all Apple computers running Mac OS X Tiger or later.

    • Narrator

      Narrator is a screen reading program built into Windows 10 and 11.

  • Study Tools
    • Quizlet (free for everyone)

      Quizlet allows you to either build your own custom digital notecards or import your notes which can be converted into notecards. Once your note cards have been created you can easily them with fellow classmates.

    • Kahoot (free for everyone)

      You can create a Kahoot (quiz) for yourself off items you think will be asked on an assessment. You can then make Kahoot live and share it with friends to see how everyone does.

  • Screen Recording Tools
    • Loom (free for everyone)

      Loom is a free software that allows you to record your screen, video, or app without the need of a built-in camera. This can be used to screen record your virtual lectures to support note taking or for video responses.

    • Microsoft Voiceover Recorder (free for all students)

      Record your audio and export in multiple formats to make a voice over your videos by adjusting the volume of your video and/or record a custom voice over your video as appropriate.

  • Time Management Tools
    • Remember the Milk (free for everyone)

      This app creates to do lists and set up reminders that link can be linked to other apps such as Gmail, Outlook, and Google Calendar. 

  • Note Taking - Instructor permission is required unless an approved accommodation by LSS
    • Livescribe Smart Pen*  (Loaned by LSS as accommodation)

      The Livescribe Smartpen records what is written, drawn and heard. The pen requires Livescribe paper which is available in a variety of formats. An infrared camera tracks what is written or drawn and the built-in microphone records audio. Using the USB connector, the pen transfers the written notes and audio to the free downloadable Livescribe Desktop software.

    • One Note (free for current WCC students)

      Revise your notes with type, highlighting, or ink annotations. With OneNote across all your devices, you'll never miss a flash of inspiration. Features include the ability to highlight can't-miss notes with important and to-do tags, draw your thoughts and annotate your notes, using a stylus or your finger, share notebooks with classmates, friends, and family, record audio notes, insert online videos, and add files.

    • Note Taking Apps Compare and Contrast (free and reduced cost for all students)
  • Focus Tools
    • Freedom (free for all students)

      This app allows the user to take control of distractions. Freedom can limit websites, desktop apps, or the internet as a whole and can sync these blocks across all devices.

    • Reader View Chrome Extension (free for all students)

      Reader View strips away unnecessary clutter on a webpage and allows you to focus only on the content. It removes all advertisements to help prevent distraction. It also allows you to change the text size, font, contrast and layout for easier reading.

  • Writing and  Grammar
    • Grammarly (free for everyone)

      Grammarly is a browser plugin that runs a grammar check on your content and offers suggestions on how you can improve your wording or punctuation. This can prove especially useful for email correspondence.

    • Spelling and Grammar Check using Google Docs

      Google Docs is a web-based text editor which can be used to create and edit text documents. Google Docs includes tools for identifying and correcting spelling and grammatical errors. 

    • EquatiO *

      EquatiO is a tool designed to support students in mathematics and STEM courses. With this tool the user has the availability to type, write, and dictate expressions and equations. It also can predict expressions and transform handwritten expressions into text. It also allows the user to grab an equation and transform it into digital text. Users can take a picture of a written equation and upload it into a digital format.

    • WordToEPUB (free for all students)

      WordToEPUB is a tool that allows for the converting of Word documents to accessible EPUB files. The EPUB format makes for easier reading on laptops, smartphones, and other devices.

    • Mind Node (free for all students)

      Every great idea starts with a single thought. Which leads to another and another. And then a million more! Whether it's on the beach, at the office or on a walk, Mind Node helps you capture all your thoughts and turn them into a clear picture of your idea.

Additional Resources for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired

  • National Homework Hotline for Blind/Visually Impaired

    The National Homework Hotline for Blind/Visually Impaired Students (NHH-BVI) is a free service for K-12 and college students in the United States who are experiencing school closures due to COVID-19. To request support, email nationalhomeworkhotline.bvi@gmail.com or call 732-835-6672.

  • National Federation for the Blind has a list of distance education resources
  • TapTapSee(free; (Android, iOS)

    Photograph an object and the app identifies the object with a text description.

  • ABBYY TextGrabber

    Photograph printed materials and the app’s OCR (optical character recognition) technology transforms images with text into regular text. The text can be read using VoiceOver, copied into a reading app, or translated to other languages.

  • ezPDF Reader(Android)

    Reads accessible PDF files while maintaining the page layout and allows you to annotate PDF files with various tools.

  • The UM Kellogg Eye Center

    The UM Kellogg Eye Center created a list of iOS apps for students with low vision requirements. The list includes audiobook apps, speech to text dictators, digital zooming programs, and talking calculators among many others.

Additional Resources for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Additional Resources for Students with Learning Disabilities, ADHD, ASD

Resources to Help Manage Mental Health and Wellness

  • WellTrack

    See WCC's  24/7 Support for Students in Blackboard > Student Resources > Personal Counseling.

    WellTrack is designed to help you understand your mental health and to provide you with the help that you need right now. WellTrack is a suite of online tools and courses that uses aspects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help you identify, understand and address issues that you are having.

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (free for anyone)

    The suicide prevention hotline provides free and confidential emotional support to people in a suicidal crisis or emotional distress. By calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255) you will be connected to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area, anytime 24/7. Hearing-impaired TTY users may dial 1-800-799-4889.

  • Trevor Lifeline (free for anyone)

    The Trevor Lifeline is the nation’s only around-the-clock crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. Call 1-866-488-7386. (Note: the lifeline will talk with any individual regardless of sexuality or gender.)

  • What’s Up (Free; What's Up for iOS and What's Up for Android)

    What's up uses Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Acceptance Commitment Therapy approaches to help users cope with depression, anxiety, and stress. The app contains over 100 different questions to help pinpoint what you are feeling and offers thinking patterns to teach you how to stop negative internal thoughts.

  • Mind Shift (Free; Mind Shift for Android)

    Mind Shift is an app designed specifically for young adults with anxiety. Mind Shift helps users change their focus from avoiding anxious feelings to being mindful about how you think about anxiety and process through anxious situations and feelings.

 

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