Adaptive Technology: Dictation Tools

 

Adaptive Technology: Dictation Tools

Image from Understood.org


    One incredible adaptive technology that I was able to learn from my fourth grade students was the use of a dictation tool. I had never before seen anyone use this until this past year. I tasked my students with creating a research project about severe weather, and they had to create a Google Slides presentation to share what they had learned. One of my students knew that he struggled with writing, typing, and spelling. He asked if he could use his speech-to-text tool, and of course I agreed! What would have taken him ten or twenty minutes to type out and spell, he was able to synthesize into a few great summary sentences and speak them into his presentation instantly! 

    With dictation tools, students are able to speak and the program or tool they are utilizing writes for them. This tool is beneficial for students with dyslexia, spelling issues, apraxia, or limb differences. It is often referred to as "speech-to-text" as it literally converts whatever a person is saying into typed out text. 

    Many programs and devices already come with dictation features available for free! To access this on an iOS device, this can be activated by pressing the microphone icon on the onscreen keyboard. 

Image from AppleToolBox

This video below features a quick and easy tutorial for using voice dictation on an Android device. 


Microsoft Office also has a built-in dictation device called Dictate. It is very similar to the Apple and Android features, and can be accessed in a Word document for note taking, paper writing, and any assignments! 




    There are also some paid apps that can be dowloaded for more extensive use. One is called Dragon Dictation, and it can be used for working, completing documents, writing papers, and more! It boasts that it has a 99% accuracy rate with speech-to-text, and can be used in English and German. However, I feel that it is more useful for businesses, professional writers, or adult students, and not necessarily for elementary students. 




According to this website, Rafal Reyzer says that using dictation apps actually improve his productivity because we are able to speak three times faster than we type! He also suggests these 10 Best Dictation Apps. Some are paid, but most are free and come with the apps we use each day already, such as Apple Dictation, Google Docs Voice Typing, and Siri. 



    In conclusion, dictation apps can be useful for all students! Most are free to access, and students are very capable and able when using them in their writing. They would benefit those that struggle with writing and spelling, but many professional writers also employ this useful tool! I think it would be a great tool for anyone to try on their own and share with students of all ages. 




References:

AARP Online Learning Videos. (2015). Voice Dictation. YouTube. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clkQ1WFGPpU&t=29s. 

Martin, J. (n.d.). Dictation technology for children. Understood. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://www.understood.org/en/articles/dictation-speech-to-text-technology-what-it-is-and-how-it-works 

Microsoft Education. (2018). Use Dictate in the Classroom. YouTube. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trl2NjyLWdA. 

Reyzer, R. (2022, June 12). 10 best dictation apps for writers (to get in 2022). Rafal Reyzer. Retrieved July 9, 2022, from https://rafalreyzer.com/best-dictation-apps-for-writers/ 

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