What is an iDoc?
The iDoc, short for interactive document, is the online format that supports Unique Learning System, News2you, SymbolStix PRIME, Positivity and Polaris. The iDoc has several special features that support classroom and individual participation and is accessible on a variety of platforms including computer, laptop, iPad/tablet, whiteboard, etc. The lessons and newspaper materials can be accessed online and supports students by offering customizable views and preferences, interactivity, and text-to-speech capabilities.
The following n2y materials are presented by iDoc:
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Getting Started with the iDoc
The iDoc has several features that support individual student and class participation online. The iDoc is also customizable to support the variety of skill levels and accessibility needs for unique learners.
iDoc features include:
- Accessibility on a variety of platforms including a computer, laptop, iPad/tablet, and whiteboard
- Text-to-speech capabilities
- Speak page or click-to-speak functionality
- Text highlighting and rate of speech options
- Interactive components such as choice selection, drag-and-drop, click to place, and text entry
- Answer incentives that include sound and highlighting, with the option to disable
- Ability to print a hard copy and/or PDF version
- Ability to zoom in, out, and pan for modification and visual support purposes
- Quick navigation to pages and levels with the Go menu
- Hide/unhide symbol support
- Customizable views and settings to modify lessons according to student needs or preferences
- Accessible menus to encourage student participation
Navigating in the iDoc
Viewer Tools
Viewer Tools are provided along the bottom and side of the iDoc. These tools are placed in an accessible area on the screen to encourage student participation. Your student can easily reach this menu to help turn a page or make the activity read aloud.
The Viewer Tools allow you to:
- Turn the page.
- Use the Go button to navigate to pages and levels within the lesson.
- Read text aloud using the speak buttons or stop text.
- Use the View button to zoom in/out of the page, fit the page height/width, or move the page up/down/left/right.
- Use the Pen tool.
- Enter Full-Screen mode.
Switch Devices
Some of these features are supported by key command shortcuts that can be programmed into a simple switch device.
Viewer Tool Buttons
Go Menu
The Go menu allows you to quickly navigate directly to a different page or level in the activity. This menu is designed for service providers to easily navigate to a differentiated level of a lesson, a specific page of a paper, or the communication board, as well as many other areas.
Turn Page Buttons
Select Previous / Next to navigate backward or forward by one page in the iDoc. This is also where you can find the page number of the specific opened iDoc.
Zoom & Pan
Zoom
Zoom features allow for quick zooming in or out of the page, or quickly fit the page to your screen using the Fit Width and Fit Height buttons. A zoom reset button is included to revert back to the default zoom settings.
Pan
Move the page in lateral directions using the arrows. These tools allow you to adjust the view of the page and place it anywhere on the screen or to easily hide part of an activity for example. Lock pan to disable drag panning.
Full Screen
Enter full-screen mode to provide more iDoc space. Full-screen can help hide distractions such as the browser's address bar or the left n2y menu.
Text to Speech
n2y uses a natural-sounding voice for text-to-speech in the iDoc. To make text on the page speak, simply click a line of text in the document. Please note, the text-to-speech voice can be updated from the Classroom Settings on the Students page.
Speak Page
The Speak Page button is available within reading activity pages, such as leveled books, chapter books, and news articles. Pressing the Speak Page button reads the entire page of text aloud without stopping.
Speak
Speak is activated when text or symbols are clicked on within the activity. You can read text aloud by simply clicking or touching text, sentences, or symbols in any activity.
Stop Speaking
When text-to-speech is active, a stop button is available to discontinue reading text aloud.
More Options
Additional interactivity options are available by selecting the "More" button in the bottom left of the iDoc.
Clear Page Responses
The Clear page response will allow students and/or service providers the ability to quickly remove any responses entered into the iDoc activity.
Printing
All Lesson Plans and related activities in Unique Learning System, News2you, and SymbolStix PRIME as well as many Positivity strategies and Polaris additional Resources have the ability to be printed right from the iDoc.
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- Selecting All Pages allows you to print the entire lesson or a section of page ranges.
- Selecting Current Page allows you to print the present page on display.
- Selecting Download PDF saves the PDF to your computer.
Additional Settings
Additional options are included to help customize the iDoc to best match the needs of your classroom. iDocs can also be personalized in Student View for each student under their Accessibility Settings.
These settings include:
- Show Symbols
- Enable text-to-speech
- Reading Speed
- Highlight right/wrong answer
- Play Incentive Audio
- Answer selections
- Show target cue
- Highlight color
- Math problem type
Interactivity
Interactive lessons provide flexibility for students who require additional support. Unique Learning System and News2you provide differentiated level support within each activity to meet the needs of all levels of students, in a print or interactive format. Additionally, the interactive features offer a variety of ways students can interact, accompanied by customizable settings to fit each individual student's skill set and accessibility needs.
Many of the lessons and activities in the monthly unit and newspaper include interactivity on the activity pages. The materials offer a variety of ways that your students can interact online to complete an activity using:
- choice selection of multiple choice answers
- drag and drop to answer questions or complete a puzzle
- click to place to select choices for fill in the blank
- and a text entry tool for writing activities for some of our more advanced learners
Choice Selection
Choice selection allows your student to click or touch on an image or word to select the answer. An answer can be deselected by clicking or touching on the same choice a second time.
Clicking to select the answer can be updated to 1st click speaks and selects or 1st click speaks, 2nd click selects within the settings for the iDoc. This allows for either immediate answer selecting or to have the answer read before clicking a 2nd time to select the answer.
Answer Incentives
Correct answers are highlighted in green and incorrect answers in red. Incentive sounds are also provided for correct or incorrect answers. These incentives can be disabled from the Settings menu.
Drag and Drop & Click to Place
Activities that use a target cue include the option for students to drag a selection to the target in one motion or click and release on a selection to have the iDoc place the answer in the target. These two distinctive options provide accessibility for students who may or may not be able to drag an answer in a side-to-side or up/down motion.
To answer questions with the target cue, click on the target and select from the answer tray.
Drag & Drop
Click on the selection from the puzzle tray and in one motion drag to the target. Release the mouse when the selection is in the desired position.
Click to Place
Click and release on the selection from the answer tray. The selection will automatically place itself into the target. To make the selection speak on the first click and place on the second, change this preference in the Settings menu.
Target Cue
The target cue can be removed from the answer box by changing this preference in Settings.
Text Entry
The text entry tool is indicated by the gray pencil in the advanced levels of writing activities. Click on the gray pencil and type a word or sentence.
Text entered with this tool can also be read aloud by clicking on the text in the activity page. Click on the gray pencil to activate text entry.
Math Problem Type
The Math Problem Type is available in the iDoc Settings for Dynamic Math pages that are accessed from the Teacher Login. Teachers can make changes to this setting to simulate the different experiences available in Student View for Level 1, 2 and 3 learners. This is helpful for classroom group instruction.
System Requirements
It is important that your system meets our requirements and recommended software versions to ensure the iDoc works correctly.
Full Details on n2y's System Requirements