Microsoft is reportedly bringing its Immersive Reader to Minecraft: Education Edition. This tool will allow users to expand the text in character dialogue, settings, and boards. Immersive Reader will also be dictating each word as it is highlighted so that users can easily follow along, and it will be adding Minecraft-specific images for words like “Creeper” and “Mooshroom.”
Immersive Reader is an Azure Cognitive Service for developers who want to embed their inclusive capabilities into their apps for enhancing text reading and comprehension for users regardless of age or ability and the best part is it requires no machine learning expertise.
The tool is meant to offer support to students keen on learning to read and/or translate, as well as students with reading challenges. Microsoft had previously put it to use already in other platforms, like Office. The tool should be ready for Minecraft: Education Edition by the start of the school year coming fall. Microsoft has a few other changes in store — like a single sign-on feature which is meant to make the program easier for teachers and students to use. However, if you don’t wish to wait through the summer, you can sign up now to beta test the new features. Microsoft is also enabling schools to download a bunch of new voices in 50 different languages in Narrator and that to without having to download language packs. This is meant to support non-English speakers and English-speaking students learning new languages.
In addition to Immersive Reader, Microsoft is also improving the multiplayer and classroom management experiences in this version of the Minecraft game. Minecraft: Education Edition is being updated to a new UI for educators, additional options for students who want to explore their work in the game, and provides shareable codes so that both students and teachers can control who enters the game’s worlds.