Overview

Use DocsPlus Analytics for insights on how a student has put together a piece of writing: 

• Click the Analytics tool in the Document menu: 
  
  • On the left, the review chart displays a summary of how text has been entered into the document. 
  • On the right, the words in the document are colored according to how they were entered.  

Drill down

Get more detail about how each word was input: 

• Open the tabs on the left to see all the words input from a particular source. 
  
• Click words to view more information. You can see: 
  
  • Original spellings or attempts at a word. 
  • Whether the speech tool was used to listen to a word. 
  • Wordbars that were used. 

More tools in the Analytics ribbon: 

• Open the menu: 
  
  • Choose Statistics to see information on the structure of the writing.
  • Choose Teacher Notes to add or view your notes. 
  • Choose Print to print the Analytics data. 

• Check Print Analytics when printing a document to print Analytics information alongside a student’s work. 

Single Switch

• Choose Single Switch in the Switch Access Tool to access DocsPlus with a single switch.
• Adjust the speed of the scan highlight by using the and buttons.
• Select the Color circle to choose a scan highlight colour.
• Select Sound to turn on auditory feedback.
• In Scan Sound:
  • Toggle on Beep to have a sound played when an item is scanned.
  • Toggle on Speak Cell Content for the content of a cell to be read aloud as it is scanned.
• In Select Sound:
  • Toggle on Beep to have a sound played when an item has been selected.
• Select Restore Defaults at the bottom of the window at any point to restore the default settings.

Two Switches

• Choose Two Switches in the Switch Access Tool to access DocsPlus with two switches.
• Select the Color circle to choose a scan highlight colour.
• Select Sound to turn on auditory feedback.
• In Scan Sound:
  • Toggle on Beep to have a sound played when an item is scanned.
  • Toggle on Speak Cell Content for the content of a cell to be read aloud as it is scanned.
• In Select Sound:
  • Toggle on Beep to have a sound played when an item has been selected.

SuperKeys

SuperKeys is helpful for learners with fine motor control difficulties. SuperKeys is a setting that groups letters in the on-screen keyboard and cells in Wordbars into clusters. Select a cluster to enlarge it, then choose a key.

To turn on SuperKeys:

• Select SuperKeys in the Switch Access Tool.
  • Choose Keyboard to group letters in the on-screen keyboard into clusters.
  • Choose Keyboard and Grids to group letters in the on-screen keyboard and cells in the Wordbars.

Switch Access Icon

• The icon will show Active when switch access has been turned on.
• Select the icon again to reopen the Switch Access Tool.

Help button

• The Help button opens the Help at the Switch Access page.

Save a Document

Save a student’s DocsPlus Document to continue their writing later:

• Click  and choose Save As.
• Choose in which format you want to save the Document.
• Navigate to your local storage or Google Drive in your file explorer to choose where your Document will be saved.
• Click  and select My Files to open a previously saved Document.

Save a Wordbar

Save a Wordbar that you’ve created or edited:

• Click  and choose Save As.
• Navigate to your local storage or Google Drive to choose where your Wordbar will be saved.
• Click  and select My Files to open a previously saved Wordbar.

Save a WorkSpace

Save a WorkSpace that you’ve created or edited:

• Click  and choose Save As.
• Navigate to your local storage or Google Drive to choose where your WorkSpace will be saved.
• Click  and select My Files to open a previously saved WorkSpace.

Share a Document

• Click  and choose Save As.
• Choose in which format you want to send your Document.
• In the file explorer, select Google Drive on the left.
• Browse to a location in Google Drive and click Save.

Share a Wordbar

• Click  and choose Save As.
• In the file explorer, select Google Drive on the left.
• Browse to a location in Google Drive and click Save.

Share a WorkSpace

• Click  and choose Save As.
• In the Files window, select Google Drive on the left.
• Browse to a location in Google Drive and click Save.

Open a Document or Smart Tab from cloud storage

• Click  and choose My Files.
• In the Files window, select Google Drive on the left.
• Browse to your file and double-click to open it.

Print a Document

Print a student’s work to keep a physical record of their progress:

• Select  and choose Print.
• This will then open your print options.

Save as type

• Click  and choose Save As to save your Document in different formats:
  • DocsPlus Documents can be accessed on other Chromebooks and iPads with the DocsPlus App installed and PCs with DocsPlus installed.
  • Save as a DocsPlus Document to retain Voice Notes.
  • Save as a Microsoft Word Document to be able to access and edit the Document on devices without DocsPlus installed.
  • Save as a PDF to be able to access the Document on devices without DocsPlus installed without editing it further.

Save a Document

Save a student’s DocsPlus Document to continue their writing later:

• Tap  and choose Save As.
• Choose in which format you want to save the Document.
• Navigate to your local storage or cloud storage to choose where your Document will be saved.
• Tap  and select My Files to open a previously saved Document.

Save a Wordbar

Save a Wordbar that you’ve created or edited:

• Tap  and choose Save As.
• Navigate to your local storage or cloud storage to choose where your Wordbar will be saved.
• Tap  and select My Files to open a previously saved Wordbar.

Save a WorkSpace

Save a WorkSpace that you’ve created or edited:

• Tap  and choose Save As.
• Navigate to your local storage or cloud storage to choose where your WorkSpace will be saved.
• Tap  and select My Files to open a previously saved WorkSpace.

Share a Document

• Tap  and choose Send As.
• Choose in which format you want to share your Document.
• In the iPad sharing popover, choose Mail or your regular email app.
• A blank email should appear with your file attached.

Share a Wordbar

• Tap  and choose Send As.
• In the iPad sharing popover, choose Mail or your regular email app.
• A blank email should appear with your Wordbar file attached.

Share a WorkSpace

• Tap  and choose Send As.
• In the iPad sharing popover, choose Mail or your regular email app.
• A blank email should appear with the WorkSpace file attached.

Once you have cloud storage installed on your devices, saving a file using one device will automatically sync it to the others. You’ll need to install the cloud provider’s app on your iPad and link the cloud app to the Apple Files app. Ask the person responsible for IT in your organization to set this up.

• To share via cloud storage, choose the Save As option from the menu in the DocsPlus app.
• This will open the Files app. Navigate to your cloud folders using the options in the sidebar.

Share a Document

• Tap  and choose Send As.
• In the iPad sharing popover, choose AirDrop and choose the device to send to.

Share a Wordbar

• Tap  and choose Send As.
• In the iPad sharing popover, choose AirDrop and choose the device to send to.

Share a WorkSpace

• Tap  and choose Send As.
• In the iPad sharing popover, choose AirDrop and choose the device to send to.

Open a Document or Smart Tab from Cloud Storage

• Open your iPad’s Files App.
• In the top-left corner tap < until you see the sidebar.
• Select your cloud app.
• Browse to your file and tap to open it.

• You can also open files from within the DocsPlus App. To do this, tap  and choose My Files.
• Browse to your file and tap to open it.

Print a Document

Print a student’s work to keep a physical record of their progress:

• Select  and choose Print.
• This will then open your print options.

Save as type

• Tap  and choose Save As to save your Document in different formats:
  • DocsPlus Documents can be accessed on other Chromebooks and iPads with the DocsPlus App installed and PCs with DocsPlus installed.
  • Save as a DocsPlus Document to retain Voice Notes.
  • Save as a Microsoft Word Document to be able to access and edit the Document on devices without DocsPlus installed.
  • Save as a PDF to be able to access the Document on devices without DocsPlus installed without editing it further.

General

Adjust the General settings to change general DocsPlus App Settings:

• Select    to open the App Settings. It will open the General page:
  • Change the Document Default settings to apply new settings to any new Document you create:
    • Select Font to change the default font style and size.
      
    • Select Font Color to change the default font color in the document.
      
    • Select Background Color to change the default background color of the document.
  • Change the Language setting for different regional options.
• Select Restore Defaults at the bottom of the window to restore the default App Settings.
• Select    in the lower Toolbar to change text formatting options in the document you currently have open.

Speech

Adjust the speech settings to change the voice and when DocsPlus speaks:

• Select    and choose Speech:
  • Adjust the slider to change the speed of the voice.
  • Select Highlight Color to change how text is highlighted when it’s read out.
  • Open the Voice drop-down box to change the voice DocsPlus uses and download new voices.
  • Try Voice lets you hear a sample of the voice you currently have selected.
  • Use the Speak As You Write and Wordbars & Suggestions switches to change when DocsPlus speaks.

Tools & Controls

Adjust the Tools & Controls settings to change which tools are available and to improve accessibility:

• Select    and choose Tools & Controls:
  • Use the Document Tools switches to change which tools are offered while writing in the Document.
  • Use the Accessibility switches to turn on SuperKeys and to choose whether clicks or taps are displayed on the screen.

Suggestions

Adjust the Suggestions settings to change the level of support provided by the Predictor and Spell Check:

• Select    and choose Suggestions:
  • Change the number of words offered by the Predictor and Spell Check.
  • Use the Size drop-down box to change the size the Predictor and Spell Check are displayed on the screen.
  • Use the Spell Check switch to choose whether Spell Check is turned on or off.
  • Turn automatic capitalization for first letters of sentences and names on or off with the switches.
  • Use the Predict Next Word switch to change whether the Predictor offers words before any letters are typed in the document.
  • Use the SoundsLike Prediction drop-down box to change the priority given to phonetic spellings of words.
  • Use the Vocabulary Database drop-down box to change the size of the database the Predictor uses for vocabulary.

Create a Wordbar

Create grids to support students’ writing:

• Go to    and choose New Wordbar.
• Go to    and select Add Multiple Grids. Choose whether to sort vocabulary into Topic grids or Alphabetical grids.
• Type or paste text into the text box to make your Wordbar and choose whether to filter out the 100 most common English words. Add brackets around words to group them in a cell.
• Click Create Grids to create your Wordbar.
• Click Done to use your Wordbar.

Edit a Wordbar

Edit a Wordbar to provide different levels of support for students:

• Go to    to open Edit View.
• Add or delete vocabulary offered in a grid by typing in the Words text box.
• Select the Order drop-down box to change the order cells appear in the grid.
• Change the Cells setting from Standard to Maximize Height or 1st Cell Across Top to change the appearance of cells in the grid.
• Select the Columns drop-down box to change the number of columns in a grid.
• Select    and choose from the color palette to change the color of a grid.
• Select a cell to change its appearance or to add other text to the Document when the cell is selected.
• Go to    and choose Add New Grid to create a new grid.
• Select Edit and then drag grids in the sidebar to reorder them.
• Choose Apply Settings to All Grids if you want changes to be applied to the whole Wordbar.

Record Voice Notes

Record writing ideas using Voice Notes:

• Click  to open the speech recorder. Click to start recording and click it again to stop recording.
• Click Done when you’ve finished.
• Up to six Voice Notes can be added to a Document.

Play Voice Notes

Play Voice Notes at any time while writing:

• Each Voice Note appears as a colored speech bubble to the left of the document.
• Select a Voice Note to hear it.
• Right-click or long-tap a Voice Note to re-record or delete it.

Create a WorkSpace

Use a WorkSpace to help students plan and develop ideas before writing:

• Select the WorkSpace tab.
• Select  in the top toolbar, then choose New WorkSpace.
• Choose a template to get started.
• There are different ways to add a cell to your WorkSpace:
  • Drag  on to the WorkSpace.
  • Double-click on the WorkSpace.
  • Drag from the round handles highlighting a previously placed cell to create a new cell linked to the first.
  • Drag  on to the WorkSpace to add a Voice Note. Select  in the top toolbar to make a recording.
• Double-click a cell to add text.
• Link two cells by dragging from the round handle on to another cell.
• Select  to add a new page to the WorkSpace:
  • Move between the tabs to create or access more content.
  • Double-click a tab to rename it.
• Send your mind map to the Document to support writing in different ways:
  • Go to  .
  • Choose Send to Document to send your mind map to the Document as a diagram or text.
  • Select Create Wordbar to turn your WorkSpace into a Wordbar.

Edit a WorkSpace

Edit a WorkSpace to organize ideas more clearly:

• Drag the square handles to re-size a cell.
• In the left toolbar:
  • Click  with a cell selected to choose a new shape for the cell.
• In the top toolbar:
  • Go to  with a cell selected to add a picture to the cell.
  • Go to  with a cell selected to change the color of the cell.
• Select multiple cells to change their appearance or move them at the same time. To do this:
  • On a Chromebook, click cells while holding ctrl.
  • On an iPad, tap Select in the top toolbar, tap cells to select them, and then tap Select again.

Open a document

Open a PDF in the DocReader for support accessing text:

• Go to    and select My Files.
• Navigate to the document you want to open. The file must be a PDF file type.
• It will open in the DocReader tab.

Use the DocReader

Navigate the document in the DocReader and use speech to hear the text:

• Highlight a section of text and select to hear it.
  
  OR
  
  
• Click or tap where you want the DocReader to start reading and then select .
• Select to stop the speech.
• Listen to one word at a time by using the previous and next arrows.
• Use the arrows in the top-right of the screen or scroll to move between pages.
• Move between the Document and the DocReader with the tabs at the top of the screen.
• Adjust the page view with    .
  • Toggle on Dual View to view both the DocReader and the Document at the same time.
  • Toggle it off to return to the full-page view.
  • Zoom in or out on the page with
• Select editable text boxes to type in interactive PDFs.
• Select    to access the Predictor while writing in an interactive PDF.
• Go to    and choose Save As to save changes to an interactive PDF.