The writing surface module is a text editor with the most common different functions for text editing. The teacher can add a custom template to the student. The custom template will be editable for the student when writing the assignment. If you want to add instructions that the student should not be able to edit, it is recommended to add these as a resource instead. All documents you have in Google drive can be uploaded as a resource. Then the document is converted and it automatically becomes a pdf with support so that the student can also listen. Read more about how to do it in the article: Shared view and text to speech.
This is what it looks like from the student's point of view. Feel free to borrow a student's computer and have an overview for all students of how the writing surface works.
From right:
- The magnifying glass - where the student can set how large the writing surface should be.
- A with a tick - here the student finds the spelling checker.
- The icon for a "black man" is the text-to-speech function. Select your typed text and then click on this icon to have the text read aloud.
- Further to the left, the student finds the usual functions for bold, italics, and underscores.
The teacher now has the possibility to restrict the words in the writing space. When the student have exceeded the word limit a warning will be shown.
When using the writing surface in teaching, you can also use split view and add the text-to-speech function. Read more here: Text to speech and shared view.