Blog 5: Resources for Accessibility - The Envision App
Hello friends!
I am excited to share with you an app that you can incorporate as an adaptive technology in the classroom and in the library. Envision is a FREE multipurpose recognition app that will help your visually impaired students. Older articles may list the app as having a subscription cost but as of July 25, 2022 the app became free with the 3.0 update. The app is available for iOS and Android.
I know that you may be thinking “We already HAVE text readers!” You are correct, and I am not diminishing the value of those, but Envision can do so much more than text reading and your students can use it as an adaptive technology in so many ways in the classroom and beyond. Since there are different degrees of visual impairment not every student will need every feature but I love that this app is so inclusive.
Let me share with you some features. I have taken these directly from the website.
Instant Text -Read any kind of short text with Instant Text. From food labels, café menus to travel notice boards and subway signs. Hear what you need to know, instantly.
Scan Text - Turn any text into speech with ScanText. Be it handwritten notes, newspapers, magazines or even your favorite recipes. Now with even more Smart Guidance and Layout Detection features.
Library - Dive into that book with Batch Scan and listen back at leisure from your Envision Library.
Language detection - Identifies and reads text out in the correct language and voice.
Handwriting recognition - Enjoy reading personal notes and cards.
Layout detection - Detects and speaks out document headings and the correct column order.
Export text -Saves scanned text to your Envision library. Listen back at leisure.
Batch scan- Captures multiple pages of text in one go. Save time and energy.
Describe scene - Get a description of the scene in front of you. Explore your surroundings.
Detect colors - Detect the color of the object in front of you.
Find objects - Identify popular objects and hear where they are.
Find people - Hear when there are people around you and who you know is in the crowd.
Teach a face - Teach faces of people you know so it can recognize them.
Scan barcode- Scan product barcodes in stores to learn more about them.
I am sure that as you read the list you were already thinking of ways that you could use those features in your own subject area. Some general suggestions:
Handwriting scanner can help students share notes
Batch scanning allows students to import larger sets of text for studying.
The library allows them to listen back to notes / stories at their leisure which helps as a study aid
Text scan helps to make all class materials accessible, not just what is loaded on to the device or e-book. Students can easily scan in informational handouts.
Find objects - this allows students to independently gather their supplies rather than having to rely on a buddy or assistant.
Detect colors - this could help students with different degrees of colorblindness more fully participate in classes like art
To me this app’s most exciting feature is that it helps untethers students from the Chromebook or desktop and allows them to rey interact with their whole environment. Imagine how this could help our students navigate the media center more independently. Students could use their smartphone or grab a device as soon as they walk in the media center. A quick scan lets them know where the media specialist / assistant is and if there are other students there. If the media center layout has changed it can help them to locate objects.
Students will get the most benefit from Envision if it is on their smartphone because they will be able to have a more personalized experience and use it outside of school to help in other areas of their life. Of course, not all students have a smartphone, so here are a few ideas on how to ensure equity of access to all students:
Teachers could have it loaded on one or two devices if they have a class set.
The media center could even have it loaded on a few tablets so that it is available to students at all times.
The school could check out a tablet to the student as a 1:1 device and load Envision on the tablet
The Envision App also has the ability to pair with smart glasses, which unfortunately, aren’t free, but do have some amazing features to help make the world easier to navigate for the visually impaired. Since this blog is focused on classroom and media center use I am not going to focus on the glasses as they are quite expensive and cost prohibitive for any students, but I will link more information about them if you would like to research them further.
Do you think Envision is a tool that you might want to use in the future? How do you imagine this working in your class or media center? Let me know in the comments.
Thanks again for reading!
Lauren
Helpful Links:
The Envision App - Product Homepage
5 Reasons Why The Envision App Is Your Best Friend At School
Envision AI and Seeing AI: Two Multi-Purpose Recognition Apps
*Please note Envision is now free
Videos
The Envision App's Describe Scene Feature
Find People
Find Objects
Ingber, J. (2018, September). Envision AI and
Seeing AI: Two Multi-Purpose Recognition Apps. Retrieved from American
Foundation for the Blind: https://www.afb.org/aw/19/9/15059
5 Reasons why the Envision App is your best friend at
School. (2022, July 5). Retrieved
from Welcome to Envision's Blog:
https://www.letsenvision.com/blog/5-reasons-why-the-envision-app-is-your-best-friend-at-school
Envision App.
(n.d.). Retrieved 19 2023, February, from Let's Envision:
https://www.letsenvision.com/app
Spina, C. (2017, May 5). How Universal Design Will
Make Your Library More Inclusive. School Library Journal. Retrieved from
https://www.slj.com/story/how-universal-design-will-make-your-library-more-inclusive
This was fascinating! I love all the applications you mentioned and how to use them effectively in the library. This really is another level of text readers. I also love your solution for having a device the app runs on. Just incidentally, wondering if this would help me find my lost keys, glasses, etc.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this app. I have never heard of it, and it has so many uses. I can see many students using this app for a variety of things. The uses for visually impaired are almost endless and would allow the student to be much more independent. I can also see it being used with other students or even recommending it to parents. For example, a student who can't read cursive could use it to read a handwritten note from a grandparent of someone else they know. Thank you again for sharing, and it was helpful that you included specific ways to use it in classrooms and libraries.
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren,
ReplyDeleteThis app seems like it tackles so much! I can definitely see it being useful in the library and also in general for those with a smartphone as they navigate the school. There are so many text to speech applications out there, and I think this one looks exceptional in its reach - it seems to do a little bit of everything a student would need. Thanks for sharing.
Jennifer
This sounds amazing! I would have never imagined that this app could do so much. I think this could be a gamechanger if used properly in schools. It would allow for more collaboration as well as even the playing field for a lot of students.
ReplyDeleteThis app is a super resource. Not only will it help you with reading, it can even help in art class. I find that point particularly interesting and useful because I have a student who is colorblind and cannot see the color red. I am going to pass your blog and this information over to the art teacher. Other than the detect color feature, I feel that the scan text and language detection are great features for my students especially my ML learners. Excellent analysis, Lauren!
ReplyDelete