Supporting Writing: Text-To-Speech and Spellcheck

for All of Us

Ira David SocolMichigan State University

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If you could offer your students technologies which would

support their writing skills, and could do much of this for free,

would you?

Tools which can build confidence,solve small muscle control issues,

speed thoughts to “paper,”improve collaboration,

support the editing process,get past issues of language and accent.

Theory:“Reading is getting information from

some ‘recorded’ source into your head: Writing is getting information from

your head into a ‘recorded’ form which others can access.”

Operational Theory:Focus Cognitive Energy on the

‘Writing’ – the communication, not the 19th Century skillset.

Englert, Manalo, and Zhao (2004): “Without access to these functions,

the memory or cognition of a problem solver might be

overwhelmed (Pea, 1993; Stone, 1998). In this manner, technology serves

as a type of social actor or intellectual partner.

Together the individual-operating-with-the-mediational-technology can participate in a process that, barring this support, might lie beyond his or her attainment

(Pea, 1993; Salomon, 1993; Wertsch, 1998).”

Five years later we can provide this functional support on any internet-

connected computer, and on many “smart” mobile phones. Offering our students the opportunity to use their cognitive efforts for the learning of

writing skills, rather than overcoming capability differences.

Joke:“There are still calligraphers,

but in school we no longer teach students how to chase the duck,

pluck the feather, and cut the quill.”

Punchline:“Effective educators utilize the

technologies of their age – not just to be more inclusive, but to prepare

students for life beyond school.”

Students must have ways to begin writing which do not generate massive frustration. They must have ways to complete writing

which do not exceed their ability to persist in the task.

They must have effective ways to edit even if their reading decoding

skills are weak. And they must discover that writing has a purpose

beyond teacher-defined school success: without this feedback,

engagement and persistence will inevitably wane.

Stop frustration at the start

Vista Speech Recognition

DSpeech

http://www.dial2do.com/

VLingo

Mobile Keypad Input

DKey

Tapir

Interact with Support

Google DocsFirefox plus Add-Ons

CLiCk-Speak, Dictionary Lookup, gTranslate

WordTalkGhotit

The Mysterious Car (first draft)Once a lady was driving a car home from K-

Mart and saw a car that had a sign on it that said, “For Sale.” So she followed the car until it came to a stop. Then she got out of her car and ran up to the other car and looked inside. There wasn’t

anybody in the car. So the lady drove to the nearest police station and told the police the

story. When she and the police got back to the spot where the car was parked the only thing

they saw was a sign that said, “For Sale.”

The Mysterious Car (final draft, edited three times using TTS technology)

Once a lady was driving home from K-Mart, and saw a car that had a sign on it that said, “For Sale.” She was driving a beat up Hyundai and she really wanted a new car, so she followed the car until it came to a stop. Then she got out of her car, ran up to the other car, and looked inside. There wasn’t anybody in it. So she drove to the nearest police

station and told the police about what had happened. When she and the police got back to the spot where the car was parked, the only thing they saw was a

sign that said, “For Sale.”

The changes are significant. It is not simply that grammar seems to improve, but so does

readability, clarity, rhythm and description. In just the first sentence, “Once a lady was driving

a car home from K-Mart and saw a car that had a sign on it that said, “For Sale.”’ The student has

removed the redundant “a car,” a rhythmic repair. The second sentence in the final draft has

been completely added, the student noticing upon hearing that “I didn’t say why she wanted

the car.”

Another major change is the switch from, “So the lady drove to the nearest police station and told the police the story.” to, “So she drove to the nearest police station and told the police about what had happened.” The student re-

listened to her first version of this four times, eventually declaring, “That’s not what stories

sound like.”

Publish with Accessibility

Google DocsBloggerOdiogo

VoiceThread

Additional Free Technologies

Webspiration

Natural Readers Free

ReadPlease

PowerTalk

Multi-Featured DownloadableWindows Text-To-Speech

Microsoft Reader with Text-To-Speech engine and Read in Microsoft Reader (RMR) add-ons - FREE

http://www.microsoft.com/reader/downloads/pc.asp (laptop/desktop PC)http://www.microsoft.com/reader/downloads/tablet.asp (tablet PC, with "write

notes in the margins!")http://www.microsoft.com/reader/developers/downloads/tts.asp (Text-To-

Speech)http://www.microsoft.com/reader/developers/downloads/rmr.asp (RMR,

creates one-click conversions from Microsoft Word)http://www.microsoft.com/reader/downloads/dictionaries.asp (Dictionaries)

On Line Text-To-Speech

http://vozme.com/

http://spokentext.net/

http://www.yakitome.com/

Simple Mac OS TTS

Open System Preferences - it’s the fourth item in the Apple menu. In the “System” section, usually about the fourth line of icons, there is an icon labeled “Speech” which looks like an old fashioned microphone. Click on the Speech icon.

Simple Mac OS TTS

Select any key combination that isn’t already used for something else. Now all you need to do is select some text in an application - I suggest you try it first with Safari or Text Edit - and hit your keys and you should hear Mac OS X read out whatever you have selected!

Non-Free Full Literacy Support Suites

WYNNhttp://www.freedomscientific.com/LSG/products/WYNN.asp

Read and Write Goldhttp://www.texthelp.com/

Kurzweil3000http://www.kurzweiledu.com/

Now you can build skills within the context of confidence and success.

speedchange.blogspot.com

Ira David SocolMichigan State University