Sep 06 2007
Digital Text/Text-to-Speech
Digital text allows for increased flexibility, which helps us to meet the needs of diverse communities of learners in many different instructional contexts. Try this sample of resources for digital text.
Begin with a video vignette from CAST about digitizing text and textbooks.
Here’s a Word doc from CAST (new) describing the TTS Software they support.
FREE tools:
- Awesome Talkster from Awesome Library: Natural Voice TTS for web browsers http://www.awesomelibrary.org/Awesome_Talking_Library.html#loadversion
- Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/speech/speech007/default.mspx
- Natural Reader http://www.naturalreaders.com/download.htm
- Speakonia http://www.cfs-technologies.com/home/?id=1.4
- ReadPlease 003 http://www.readplease.com/ (free trial + purchase software)
Purchase tools:
- AspireREADER 4.0 from CAST http://www.cast.org/products/ereader/index.html
- Kurzweil http://www.kurzweiledu.com/
- Write:OutLoud http://www.donjohnston.com/products/write_outloud/index.html
Visit CAST to watch students use text-to-speech in an elementary classroom.
Here’s a tip on how to utilize the speech tool in the Kidspiration software.
Text-to-Speech Software for Helping Struggling Readers at Reading Online: An electronic j0urnal of the International Reading Association. I like this article because it is very honest about the practical applications of digital text in the classroom. It also gives suggestions for using TTS software and research findings.
Read an article from ISTE, “Writing Tools for Differentiating Instruction.”
This article features technology products that assist teachers to incorporate UDL principles into classroom practice - another excellent choice!
“The Promise for Accessible Textbooks:Increased achievement for all students” a report from The Access Center:Improving Outcomes for All Students. The article contains A LOT of information on intellectual property rights and interpretation for special education students. One of our UDL participants asked about copyright and scanning documents for use with text-to-speech - click here for a copyright follow-up on another post by Kate.
I’ve been experimenting with free TTS downloads in hopes that I would find a favorite. Sigh…I haven’t. There are aspects of each that I like and other parts that I do not prefer. Read my latest thoughts:
I like in Speakonia how you can simply open the program, run it in the backgroud, and use the hot keys “ctrl + c” to read.
I like that ReadPlease will highlight the text as it reads, but I don’t like that you must paste the text into the window. I do like that students are able to change the font size, speed, and voice relatively easily. It’s just the selecting and pasting the text into the box that’s the first hurdle. My younger students have a little trouble operating the mouse and selecting specific text.
AwesomeTalkster is just fun! I like the characters and wit. It doesn’t highlight text as it reads, although it will easily read a browser window without copy/paste. I like the feature to read a selection and I enjoy how the character says, “Speaking the highlighted text” as a preface to reading the actual text. If you turn on the bubbles - the character displays the text as it reads. It is just so cute! I think Awesome Talkster is my favorite so far. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow with second grade.
The free TTS are sort of awkward and there is a learning curve for teaching students to use the copy, paste and read options. The voices are not really that “natural” and kids end up playing while they are waiting for adult assistance. As with any tool to support learning, the students need time to learn how to use the tool before it is useful for helping get at the content.
What do you think?