Tech For All - Adaptive Technology Tools for the Differently-Abled
I love Google. I know it sometimes gets a bad rap for its omnipresence and increasing girth in the business world, but as an educator, I have found it to be so helpful. I used Google Classroom extensively with my classes both on days I was present in class and always on days I had to be absent. We did assignments using Google Docs, collaborated using Google Slides and analyzed data using Google Sheets.
I bring to you today another reason to love Google - Voice Typing in Google Docs/Slides. I had no idea the G Suite had this feature! How sweet!
In education, adaptive technologies are essential for providing equitable access for all learners, regardless of ability levels. Adaptive technology resources can sometimes be pricey to have in every classroom so when there's a free tool available, it makes it so much easier to provide accessibility tools for every learner.
This tutorial from Google Help walks you through the steps for initiating the Voice Typing feature as well as a list of commands that can be used. All you need is a microphone and almost all computers come with microphones embedded these days. It would be a good idea to have an external microphone though because those are a little less restrictive on where the individual needs to be in order for the sound of their voice to be heard. There are even some fancy external microphones that are Bluetooth enabled headsets if you want to go all out for your library or classrooms.
Once you know your microphone is set up and working, all you have to do to initialize the feature is open your Google Doc and go to Tools > Voice typing or in Google Slides go to Tools > Voice type speaker notes. Then just start speaking!
You can add punctuation and can also use voice commands to edit the document's formatting or move the cursor back.
This tool would be extremely helpful for those differently-abled students for which typing is a physical or mental challenge. Assignments could be completed in class at the same or similar pace as other students for which typing is not an issue. It could be used in circumstances where a student has limited mobility in their hands/arms, such as broken bones or sprained wrists. Dyslexia or dysgraphia could be combated through this tool as well. Since it works in 40 languages, it can be used for ELL students struggling with English or English speaking students struggling with other languages.
It would also be a great tool for those who have trouble with hand writing on paper. They could instead dictate their assignments through Google Docs and turn in work digitally or print the documents. Essays, presentations, article responses -- the list is limitless!
Check out this blog for more ideas on using Voice Typing in the classroom: Shake Up Learning
I bring to you today another reason to love Google - Voice Typing in Google Docs/Slides. I had no idea the G Suite had this feature! How sweet!
In education, adaptive technologies are essential for providing equitable access for all learners, regardless of ability levels. Adaptive technology resources can sometimes be pricey to have in every classroom so when there's a free tool available, it makes it so much easier to provide accessibility tools for every learner.
This tutorial from Google Help walks you through the steps for initiating the Voice Typing feature as well as a list of commands that can be used. All you need is a microphone and almost all computers come with microphones embedded these days. It would be a good idea to have an external microphone though because those are a little less restrictive on where the individual needs to be in order for the sound of their voice to be heard. There are even some fancy external microphones that are Bluetooth enabled headsets if you want to go all out for your library or classrooms.
Once you know your microphone is set up and working, all you have to do to initialize the feature is open your Google Doc and go to Tools > Voice typing or in Google Slides go to Tools > Voice type speaker notes. Then just start speaking!
You can add punctuation and can also use voice commands to edit the document's formatting or move the cursor back.
This tool would be extremely helpful for those differently-abled students for which typing is a physical or mental challenge. Assignments could be completed in class at the same or similar pace as other students for which typing is not an issue. It could be used in circumstances where a student has limited mobility in their hands/arms, such as broken bones or sprained wrists. Dyslexia or dysgraphia could be combated through this tool as well. Since it works in 40 languages, it can be used for ELL students struggling with English or English speaking students struggling with other languages.
It would also be a great tool for those who have trouble with hand writing on paper. They could instead dictate their assignments through Google Docs and turn in work digitally or print the documents. Essays, presentations, article responses -- the list is limitless!
Check out this blog for more ideas on using Voice Typing in the classroom: Shake Up Learning
I had no idea this feature existed. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. I also found your recommendations useful as well. My only concern is how background noise might affect its accuracy. That could be a real problem, especially in busy schools. Do you have any ideas about how to combat this?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post! The timing of this is a little crazy because my son just had a meeting (like this week!) with the OT at his school where she taught him to use this feature. Using a speech-to-text device/app is on his newly created IEP to assist with longer writing assignments. He has been struggling with dyslexia and dysgraphia for a few years now but was only diagnosed at the end of last school year. He has a huge imagination and loved to tell stories but his deficits in writing, spelling and decoding letter sounds was holding him back and causing him to hate composing anything. He is so excited about the possibilities of this tool and is already coming up with tons of new stories. It breaks my heart to think how many stories and voices were silenced in our world because they didn't have the tools available to overcome their challenges. Technology can wreak havoc sometimes but in instances like this tool, it really is the panacea that some have been looking for.
ReplyDeleteI was also unaware that Google Docs and Google Slides had this feature and I use them all the time. It is very easy to see how this can be used for universal access as it can be useful for both users with disabilities and everyone else too, both in and out of the classroom. I like that Google Help has a tutorial for this as some other digital tools lack one or have a very basic and unhelpful one. I greatly appreciate you finding and sharing this with us.
ReplyDelete