myShakespeare
Product by myShakespeare
Facts checked: Not yet checked
Our take (not a Learning Standard rating). This label applies to learning-science judgments throughout this overview.
Our take (not a Learning Standard rating)
While myShakespeare has not yet been formally evaluated by The Learning Standard, its multimodal approach to classic literature aligns well with cognitive theories of multimedia learning. By pairing original text with audio, video, and pop-up annotations, it effectively reduces cognitive overload for students tackling complex early modern English.
Pros
- Integrates audio and video performances directly alongside the text to support dual-channel processing.
- Provides immediate context-specific definitions for archaic vocabulary to reduce working memory strain.
- Uses contemporary character interviews to bridge the gap between early modern English and modern comprehension.
Cons
- Lacks built-in spaced repetition features to ensure long-term retention of historical context and vocabulary.
- Does not provide adaptive formative assessments to test reading comprehension dynamically.
- Relies heavily on self-regulated learning which overwhelms students with low executive functioning skills.
What Do We Know About myShakespeare?
myShakespeare is an effective tool for helping your child decode complex early modern English through targeted multimedia support. Because reading Shakespeare natively imposes a massive cognitive load on modern students, this platform surrounds the original text with modern translations, audio performances, and pop-up historical context. Your child will not just stare at a static page; they will interact with clickable annotations that instantly define difficult words, preventing the frustration that usually accompanies classical literature. The platform uses principles of multimedia learning, combining visual text with auditory performances to deepen comprehension without overwhelming working memory. However, you should know that this is primarily an interactive textbook rather than an adaptive tutoring system. It does not test your child on their retention of the material using spaced retrieval practice, nor does it force them to prove mastery before moving to the next scene. To get the most out of myShakespeare, your child will need to actively engage with the embedded media rather than passively scrolling. It works best as a companion to active classroom instruction or guided home reading where an adult can check for deeper thematic understanding.
How Does myShakespeare Work?
myShakespeare uses a multimodal, scaffolded reading approach to guide students through full-text Shakespearean plays. When a student opens a play, they view the original text alongside a suite of interactive media tools designed to provide immediate instructional support. Clicking on a highlighted word reveals its modern definition or historical context right in the margins, functioning as a worked example of textual analysis. Furthermore, students can listen to high-quality audio recordings of the lines being read, or watch video clips of actors performing specific scenes or explaining their character's motivations in contemporary language. This dual-coding approach ensures that students hear the rhythm of the text while reading it, which reinforces decoding skills. The interface is structured act-by-act and scene-by-scene, allowing educators to assign specific sections easily. While it lacks algorithmic adaptation, the platform relies on learner control, letting students access scaffolding like modern English translations or thematic summaries exactly when they realize a gap in their own comprehension.
Strengths and tradeoffs of myShakespeare
myShakespeare's biggest strength is its excellent use of multimedia scaffolding to reduce cognitive load, while its biggest weakness is the absence of active retrieval practice to cement long-term learning. Dual-coding theory suggests that learners process visual and auditory information through separate channels; myShakespeare leverages this by pairing the written text with professional audio performances and video interviews. This prevents the working memory bottleneck that occurs when students try to decode archaic syntax, translate vocabulary, and parse dramatic meaning simultaneously. The just-in-time annotations act as immediate feedback mechanisms, clarifying archaic terms before student frustration peaks. Conversely, the platform is entirely passive in its assessment. It lacks retrieval practice, meaning students are never forced to recall what a scene meant or what a vocabulary word translates to from memory. Without quizzes or spaced repetition of key thematic elements, students may experience the illusion of competence, believing they understand the play because the modern translation is readily available, but failing to retain that knowledge once the scaffolding is removed.
Who Might Benefit From myShakespeare?
myShakespeare is best for high school students who need multimodal scaffolding to comprehend complex classical texts alongside traditional classroom instruction. Specifically targeting 8th through 12th graders, it serves as a highly effective interactive textbook for humanities classes. It is ideal for learners who struggle with reading stamina or decoding early modern English, as the audio and visual supports keep them engaged. It is not designed for independent, unguided learning; rather, it functions optimally when a teacher or parent assigns specific scenes and leads discussions to assess the deeper thematic comprehension that the platform itself does not measure.
Data Transparency
Does Not Meet Data Transparency Standard
myShakespeare does not meet our data transparency standard. Its privacy policy does not document basic protections, including a commitment against targeted advertising, contractual limits on service providers and a COPPA or FERPA commitment.
12 of 35 checks passed
Evaluated September 2026
Privacy Policy →Level 1 · Basic protections
Does not sell data or target ads at students, limits sharing, and lets parents see and delete their child's data.
Not documented: a commitment against targeted advertising, contractual limits on service providers, a COPPA or FERPA commitment, parents' right to see their child's data
Level 2 · Parent control (meets the standard)
Families can get their data out, know who processes it, and know how long it is kept.
Not documented: self-service deletion
Level 3 · Direct data access
Families or schools can pull their own data through an API, in a stated format.
Not documented: an API for retrieving their own data, a named export format
View all 35 checks
Parent Access2/8
Does the policy mention parents specifically?
“Parents and legal guardians may request deletion of student data.”
Can parents view their child's data?
The policy gives access rights only to the user and does not say parents can view their child's data.
Can parents modify their child's data?
The policy gives correction rights only to the user and does not say parents can modify their child's data.
Can parents delete their child's account?
“Parents and legal guardians may request deletion of student data.”
Is there a dedicated Children's Privacy section?
The policy has no section headed as children's privacy or COPPA; the only related section is headed as a notice to EU users.
Does it reference COPPA compliance?
The policy does not mention COPPA.
Does it reference FERPA compliance?
The policy does not mention FERPA.
Is parental consent required for child accounts?
The policy requires parental consent only for EU users under 16 and states no general parental consent requirement for child accounts.
Data Portability2/5
Can users access their personal data?
“You have the right to request access to the personal information that we have about you by contacting us at [info@myshakespeare.com](mailto:info@myshakespeare.com).”
Can users download/export their data?
“You may also request that we send you a copy of your personal information in an electronic format, which you may transmit in order to use such information in another service.”
Is there a self-service data access tool?
The policy says access requests are made by email and describes no self-service data access tool.
Is a specific data format mentioned for export?
The policy only says "an electronic format" and names no specific format.
Is there an API for data access?
The policy does not describe an API for data access.
Data Minimization2/6
Is data collection itemized?
“When you sign up for an account through the Service, you will be required to provide us with information that is or may be considered personally identifiable information, such as your name - email address - app-generated user ID number - school”
Can the app be used without a real name?
The policy says it collects the user's name at sign-up and from schools.
Can the app be used without an email?
The policy says it collects an email address at sign-up.
Does it state collection is limited to what is necessary?
“We collect only the minimum amount of personal information necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, unless you choose to provide more.”
Is IP address anonymized or truncated?
The policy does not say IP addresses are anonymized or truncated.
Is location tracking explicitly excluded?
The policy does not explicitly exclude location tracking.
Third-Party Protection3/7
Does it explicitly state no selling of data?
“We do not sell or share student data for commercial purposes. We do not sell or share your personally identifiable information with advertisers or marketers.”
Are third-party providers named?
“All myShakespeare site data is stored in Digital Ocean's SFO3 facilities which are located in California, USA.”
Are providers contractually restricted?
The policy says providers get information on a need-to-know basis but describes no contractual restrictions.
No-targeted-advertising commitment?
The policy bars sharing personal information with advertisers but makes no commitment against targeted advertising.
Is AI/ML data sharing addressed?
The policy does not address AI or machine learning.
Child-specific sharing restriction?
“We do not sell or share student data for commercial purposes.”
Cookies/tracking limited or opt-out?
The policy says it uses Google Analytics cookies and does not honor Do-Not-Track, and it offers no opt-out.
Deletion & Retention3/5
Can users delete their account?
“If you would like to delete your account, please contact us at [info@myshakespeare.com](mailto:info@myshakespeare.com) to request account deletion. We will delete the account and its data at our earliest convenience.”
Self-service deletion mechanism?
The policy says deletion is requested by email, not through a self-service tool.
Specific data retention timeline?
“Please note that it can take up to seven days for all personal information to be deleted from our database backups.”
Auto-deletion of inactive accounts?
The policy does not address automatic deletion of inactive accounts.
Post-deletion handling described?
“We will delete the account and its data at our earliest convenience. Please note that it can take up to seven days for all personal information to be deleted from our database backups.”
Advertising0/4
Advertising model explicitly disclosed?
The policy does not disclose an advertising model or state that the product has no ads.
Free from third-party advertisements?
The policy does not state that the product is free of third-party ads.
Children excluded from ad targeting?
The policy does not address whether children are excluded from ad targeting.
Ad-free option available?
The policy does not mention an ad-free option or state that the product has no advertising.
What This Means
The policy review did not meet our data transparency standard. The checks above show the documented findings and unknowns. A missing statement does not establish how the app handles data in practice.
About this evaluation: Based on automated analysis of Privacy Policy against 35 policy-disclosure questions, including questions adapted from the Common Sense Privacy Program's published evaluation questions. TLS is not affiliated with Common Sense Media, and this is not a Common Sense rating. Quoted text is copied from the policy; unquoted notes are our summary. Results describe what the policy documents, not the company's actual practices. Privacy policies can change: this review reflects the version we analyzed and does not determine legal compliance.
Sources and review method
TLS combines product information and editorial analysis to explain how myShakespeare works, its tradeoffs, and the questions to ask before choosing it. Product features, an instructional rationale and evidence of learning outcomes are different kinds of information.
Formal Learning Standard assessment: not yet completed. Data Transparency findings are reported separately and do not establish learning effectiveness. Read our methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions About myShakespeare
Is myShakespeare free?
Yes, myShakespeare is completely free to use. The developer originally offered it for free during the 2021-2022 school year, and it remains accessible online without a paywall, making it a highly accessible resource for public schools and homeschoolers alike.
Is myShakespeare good for middle schoolers?
Yes, but primarily for 8th graders and up. The subject matter and linguistic complexity of full-text Shakespeare plays are generally too advanced for younger middle school students. Eighth graders reading accessible plays like Romeo and Juliet will benefit immensely from the platform's video and audio scaffolding.
What does myShakespeare teach?
myShakespeare teaches reading comprehension and literary analysis of classical Shakespearean texts. It covers several major plays by providing the original early modern English text alongside modern translations, character interviews, audio performances, and historical context notes.
Does myShakespeare test student comprehension?
No, myShakespeare does not include adaptive quizzes or formal assessments. It is an instructional delivery tool rather than an assessment platform. Educators and parents must provide their own quizzes or essays to measure retrieval practice and ensure long-term retention of the material.
Has The Learning Standard evaluated myShakespeare?
TLS has not yet completed a Learning Standard evaluation of how well myShakespeare teaches. Its privacy policy has been reviewed for Data Transparency and does not yet document the basic protections (Level 1).
Is myShakespeare COPPA compliant?
A COPPA reference was not found in the reviewed privacy policy. This does not determine whether the app complies with COPPA. Policy review note: The policy does not mention COPPA.
Is myShakespeare FERPA compliant?
A FERPA reference was not found in the reviewed privacy policy. This does not determine whether the app complies with FERPA. Policy review note: The policy does not mention FERPA.
Does myShakespeare have a children's privacy policy?
No dedicated children's privacy section was found in the reviewed policy. Policy review note: The policy has no section headed as children's privacy or COPPA; the only related section is headed as a notice to EU users.
Does myShakespeare sell student data?
The reviewed policy states that the app does not sell data. This is a policy statement; actual data practices were not verified. Policy review note: The policy says the vendor does not sell student data.
Can you delete your data from myShakespeare?
The reviewed privacy policy describes account deletion. We have not tested the deletion process. Policy review note: Users can request account deletion by email.
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- Pricing
- Free for all users for the 2021-2022 school year.
- Platforms
- Web Browser
- Grade Levels
- 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade
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