Booktrack, a reading technology platform that has been proven by university studies to improve students’ reading comprehension, satisfaction and retention has announced it will be enhancing its platform with Microsoft technology to become more accessible to educators on a global scale.

Specifically, Booktrack "has implemented Microsoft’s single sign-on technology, and will provide integration with Microsoft Office 365 for the Booktrack Classroom platform. Currently, 110 million students and teachers are using Office 365 at school and in the home,” said the company in a statement.

This integration will also make the product accessible to over 1.5 million educators from 235 countries who are part of the Microsoft Educator Network.

So what is Booktrack exactly?

Booktrack, put simply, is a platform that allows you to create soundtracks for books.

"The Booktrack Studio allows you to read and create synchronized soundtracks for e-Books or any kind of digital text by adding background music, ambient sound, and sound effects. Booktrack automatically adjusts the soundtrack to your individual reading speed,” according to the company’s website.

Soundtracks include music, ambience and sound effects to enhance what’s happening in the text and immerse students in the reading experience.

One Booktrack user, Jamie Terry, describes how using the technology transforms the experience of reading.

"My story suddenly turned from words and became something real–I could hear my childhood characters, my friends, moving and I could feel the rise and fall of tension with the music. Never have those two chapters felt more real then at that moment and it was stunning! To all the writers who are hesitant about Booktrack, I suggest you take a piece of your work and try it just like I did and see how you feel when you read it completed! I will count that experience as one of the best in my life as a writer,” says Jamie in this blog post. 

According to Booktrack, the company offers over 16,000 titles in 40 different languages, across all genres of reading as well as over 26,000 free-to-use music and ambient audio tracks.

Find out more about Booktrack by watching the video below or checking out its site here.

Nicole Gorman, Senior Education World Contributor