Development Update

We'll be releasing updates on 11/11/2022 from 9PM to 11PM PT.

1. Enable translation and text-to-speech for an account

We recently added the ability for users to enable accessibility options on their accounts. These options include the ability to translate lesson content to Spanish and have content read out loud in English with text-to-speech.

Here's how to enable and use these new features. First, go to your Account page and click the checkbox next to "Enable accessibility options". See the screenshot below.

On the Account page you can enable or disable accessibility features

Then open a lesson and you should see light gray widgets before any text you can translate or have read out loud. Click the language name to translate the text to that language. Click the speaker icon to have the text read out loud. See the screenshot below.

In lessons, you'll see widgets before any text that can be translated or read

2. New in-app surveys

You may see a new type of content in some curricula: surveys. These surveys are designed to gauge student's thoughts and feelings about coding while having minimal distraction from the learning experience.

As teachers or administrators, data from these surveys will help you get a sense of how Blackbird is affecting student's perceptions and confidence around coding and CS subjects.

3. Other fixes and improvements

We continue to fix bugs and make general improvements to the app.

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Thank you to our teachers! We appreciate you and the amazing, important work you're doing.

Problems or suggestions? Please let us know at support@blackbirdcode.com.