Teaching Reading and Writing with Reading Progress, Diffit, and Padlet

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are reshaping literacy teaching by personalizing practice, streamlining feedback, and expanding opportunities for collaborative reading and writing. This is a practitioner-oriented article that is a synthesis of existing literature and examples of classroom practice. The use of three applications, Microsoft Reading Progress (with Immersive Reader), Diffit, and Padlet, is described, used in oral reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, written response, and multimodal composition instruction. Microsoft Reading Progress can lower performance anxiety and reduce assessment time, while Diffit enables text adaptation and question generation for diverse readers. Although Padlet is not an AI tool, it complements AI-informed analytics by providing a shared space for visible thinking, peer response, and formative assessment. The discussion situates these practices within a humanizing pedagogy that amplifies student voice and encourages critical literacy, while also addressing equity concerns that include device access, data privacy, teacher preparation, and algorithmic bias. Practical guidance for teachers and school leaders focuses on job-embedded professional learning, clear ethical frameworks, and infrastructure planning. Conclusions based on classroom practices are that the purposeful use of AI can support literacy growth when paired with teacher judgment, equitable access, and strong pedagogical design.

               Keywords: literacy instruction, Microsoft Reading Progress Immersive Reader, Diffit, Padlet, Artificial Intelligence