Since its initial release back in 2003, OneNote has gained popularity with some of it attributable to Microsoft making it completely free on both PC and Mac in addition to the free apps for mobile devices. While OneNote is best known for storing and organizing notes, it can now also help everyone, including gifted learners and those with learning differences, improve their reading and writing skills.
After being launched as a preview six months ago, 'Learning Tools for OneNote' is now generally available in English. This version of the add-in includes a number of additions and refinements, including:
- Toolbar localization in over 35 languages
- Dictation support (speech-to-text) for four new languages (Spanish, French, German and Italian)
- New color themes including yellow, green, blue and pink, designed and tuned according to research
- Text reader support (text-to-speech) for multiple languages on the same page
- Improved ease of manual switching between text-to-speech languages
- Simplified speech controls
- Easy download for additional text-to-speech languages depending upon Windows version
These improvements come in addition to the 'Immersive Reader' feature already present in the preview which could break words down into syllables and highlight nouns, verbs and adjectives. The add-in still includes a reading comprehension mode which highlights verbs and their dependent sub-clauses.
Learning Tools for OneNote is compatible with both OneNote 2013 and OneNote 2016 with the add-in available here. Otherwise, those who already have the preview of Learning Tools for OneNote installed can simply click the update button in the Learning Tools tab from within OneNote.
Source: Microsoft Office Blog
