Technical First Aid

Fixing Technical Problems

Like any computer program, Easyread can have glitches. We are currently working on a rebuild of the system, which will make technical problems much less likely.

But in the meantime, rest assured that we can nearly always get problems sorted with one or two simple steps. Contact us if you need more help, but the quickest is often to use the instructions below to fix them for yourself.

Lesson glitching? Run through these steps:

1) Check your browser: Chrome is best

Our system works best on Google’s Chrome browser. If you are using another browser, such as Internet Explorer, Safari or Firefox, the first step is to download Chrome from here.

It will download to the bottom left corner of your Internet browser window. Click it and it should automatically install. You can then open Chrome and log back into the system. It should then work fine.

Please also check you are on the latest version of Chrome. To do that, go to the three dots top right, then Settings, then About Chrome. Ideally it will say it is on automatic updates, but if not, push it to update.

If you still have problems on Chrome, and have tried all the other fixes too, then you can try Firefox.

2) Check your device: Computer, not iPad

You need to be on a computer or a laptop. The current system is not designed for use on a phone or tablet.

3) Hard refresh

If you are already using Chrome on a computer, then it is possible that it has stored a corrupted version of a particular page or activity.

The first step is to do a “Hard Refresh”:

If on a PC, press CTRL + F5.
If on a Mac, press cmd + SHIFT + R.

4) Clear your cache

If Step 3 does not work, then try clearing your “temporary internet files” or “cache”.

How to clear your cache:

Go to the menu in the top right of your Chrome browser (three little dots, or a little up arrow)
Select More Tools, followed by Clear Browsing Data…
Untick everything except “Cached Files”
Use the “Time Range” dropdown menu to select “All Time”
Click “Clear data”

Then go back to the lesson, and perform a Hard Refresh again to see if that has sorted the problem.

5) Enable WebGL

If none of the above works, you need to check that WebGL is enabled on Google Chrome. If you are having issues with Letter Quest then it is usually a WebGL issue.

Open up a new tab in Google Chrome. In the URL search bar at the top, type chrome://flags/ and press enter.

You can either scroll down to the WebGL options or hold down CTRL (or command if you are on a mac) + F to search for WebGL.

Look for WebGL Developer Extensions and WebGL Draft Extensions. From the dropdown, select Enabled. Then click Relaunch.

6) Send us your console log for more help

If you have tried all of the above, some additional info that would be helpful for us to troubleshoot is:

1) What’s the exact url on the address bar when you see the glitch?

2) Then, email us a console log of the your browser when encountering the problem. Just follow the steps below and email it to support@dm-ed.com: https://support.shortpoint.com/support/solutions/articles/1000222881-save-browser-s-console-file

Another problem? Have a look below to find the solution:

Can’t see all of the story

Check that your browser is set to a zoom level of 100% (i.e. no adjustment). The quickest way to reset that is to click on the page and press CTRL and the 0 key at the same time (or cmd + 0 on a Mac).

If the text size is very large, some words may break onto two lines. Go to the Settings at the top to reduce the text size. You can put it back up again afterwards if you like.

Video doesn’t work

School networks often block Youtube, who host our videos. You can either get that lifted by your IT team or watch the video from home.

Sound coding in a word seems wrong

The coding above the words is originally based on Oxford English. In the story you have the option to adjust it regionally (click Settings at the top to check you have the right dialect selected), but it is important to understand that we can only get it closer.

Everyone has their own way of talking and our aim is to help the children to roughly the right pronunciation of each word. There will always be some you disagree with, although we constantly review it so please do send over any that you think are wrong! The key thing is that the huge inconsistencies in English like the words “gas”, “has” and “was” become easily decoded.

You have the option to change the coding of a word in the library by right clicking on it.

Forgotten Learner PIN

If you have forgotten a child’s PIN, go to your Admin Zone, click on the child’s name and you will find you can edit all details including their lesson access password.

Can’t access lessons

These are the possible reasons for being unable to access your lessons:

1) Overdue phone consultation

Your account might be blocked if a consultation call or guided lesson is overdue. Check your messages to see if this is the case and book in a phone call. It may seem odd for us to block lessons, but our job is to make sure you get the right outcome from the lessons. So, we always need to check the lessons are being used in the right way to see the best and fastest result.

2) Payments failing

Another potential reason is that your payments have been failing. Again, check your messages and emails to see if this is the case, and contact us for help.

3) Human error…!

We are a team of real humans supporting you through the Easyread course, so we sometimes forget to remove a lesson limit which was previously in place! If you had an overdue call before, or had previously cancelled lessons and then restarted, we might have forgotten to reactivate your lessons, so you’ll just need to send us a message (or try calling).

4) Failed upgrade

If you’re unable to access your lessons having just set up payments, it is the account upgrade which has not been successfully completed. We can fix that very easily; just give us a call or send us a message.

5) Glitch

If none of the above is a plausible reason, then you must be experiencing a glitch.

First, make sure you are accessing the lessons from the correct page. To be sure of that, click the logo in the top left, followed by “Login”, in the top right. I would recommend bookmarking that page and then always accessing the lessons through your Chrome bookmarks.

If you still have a problem, go through the quick glitch fixes outlined at the top of this page.

“Come back in an hour” message

At the end of a lesson your child’s account is blocked for 1 hour. This is to force a break. Easyread lessons are very short on purpose and the break (ideally overnight) between them is very important.

Try not to log into the learner account until you are definitely ready to do your 15-minute lesson!

If you’re locked out right now, try calling us and if one of our team is available, we can get that sorted for you right away.

Persistent glitch despite other steps attempted

If you have tried the steps at the top of this page to no avail, and are still seeing a glitch, it would be good to see if there is an error code which will help us understand what could be going on.

You will need to do the following:

Click on the Chrome menu in the top right (normally 3 vertical dots, sometimes displays as an arrow)
Click on More Tools, then Developer Tools
Take a screenshot of the code which appears, and especially any areas that appear in red and say Error
Send that over to us at support@dm-ed.com

Here is a video tutorial: https://youtu.be/hKBiYabsJLA

Still having trouble?

Send us a message so that we can help. If the fixes above aren’t working, we can arrange a technical support call.

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Kelly Thoresen Isselhardt

2021-12-24

recommends

As a parent working through the 20/21 school year in distance learning with 3 elementary kids, there were at least some positive upsides. For example, my daughter Laine’s (2nd grade, 8 years old at start) reading ability (when she is such a bright, exuberant, creative, SMART kid) kept me up at night. Something was not connecting. No amount of pressure or more reading was making up for the missing pieces in her ability to read. I was literally awake in the middle of the night, by chance watching Dr. Morgan’s Facebook ad and knew he was talking about my daughter. I started crying and felt I had been given such a gift. By morning in February 2021 she was signed up and on her way to decoding and cracking her reading struggles. It’s not been easy all the time, we have struggled through some lessons with tears and frustration. BUT today, Laine passed her 223 lesson, earned her helicopter (the code words/spy prizes have been a great motivator), and has gone from a 1.5 grade reading level to reading at a 5th grade level with limited assistance in only 10 months. I am so grateful for the Easyread program. Their attention to detail, one on one phone calls and Zoom meet ups, quick response time to questions, and consideration for my kid’s development has made us feel cared for each step of the way. If you have looked into the Easyread program and David’s description of your child’s reading journey hits home, run don’t walk to sign up. It has been one of our favorite blessings of this crazy year and I shout it’s praises to anyone who has a struggling reader.

Laura Stoker

2021-12-21

I was really skeptical about this for my 8 year old, how can 15 minutes a day and video, and games work? He struggled with blending and decoding. He know can use the trainer texts faster then I can figure out the word myself to see if he is correct. The system moves as he needs and the personal support is amazing.

Sara Cunningham-Neuff

What a fantastic programme! Our 8 yr old made such rapid progress I began to doubt myself whether she had had issues in the first place! When we looked at the video recording made at the beginning of the programme, her progress was remarkable within just a few weeks. She asks to do the session every day and complains if I don't have time - a massive difference from a child who used to invent the most incredible excuses to avoid reading before this. She now reads books in her own time and is even starting to get her head around spelling - all in less than 2 months. The personalised support from the Easyread facilitators is much better than I expected from an online course and the prizes are great too! Thank you Easyread!

Jared Amanda Stone

Our daughter has loved the Easyread program. She thinks she is just playing fun games on the computer but she's actually improving her reading and spelling skills. Her Spelling grades have improved from 50% to 90% in only a few months. Thank you Easyread for an amazing program! I would highly recommend your program for any children struggling to read and spell.

Carly Banks

2021-12-14

Wow, this program works! My 9-year old became a more fluent reader within weeks of starting, and she really enjoyed doing the assignments (structured like fun games) every day! She never complained about it once, even 2 months in she was excited to decode the words and play the games in Easyread. And she has so much more confidence now. Thank you Easyread!