CHENNAI: The Public School Education Department has partnered with Google to launch “Read Along”, an app to help children practice reading in schools. Chief Minister MK Stalin announced the partnership at an event on Thursday.
The app, developed by Google, helps children have fun while learning to read. With an in-app reading buddy that listens to young learners read aloud, the app offers support when kids struggle and rewards them with stars when they succeed. Once downloaded, the app can be used offline. It supports Tamil and English reading practice.
As part of the partnership, the state will use the app in its ‘Illam Thedi Kalvi’ program – the country’s first and largest volunteer-led initiative – to improve students’ language learning outcomes. The app will also conduct formative reading assessments as part of the “Ennum Ezhuthum Mission” to ensure all children read with comprehension, and learning outcome assessments to understand children’s reading levels . It also works as a tool in English labs for students in grades 4-9 to improve their English reading and speaking skills, a statement said.
State-licensed content will be ingested into the app to support this initiative. “The Read Along app is a testament to how technology can solve critical issues like basic literacy. Together with Diya, the in-app reading companion powered by Google’s advanced text-to-speech technology, Read Along will enable students in Tamil Nadu to develop a love of reading,” the Google statement read.
