Recently I decided to look into assistive technology apps using speech-to-text recognition. This is especially important for me since I've just had surgery and can't use my right hand. I know that Universal accessibility is very important in a public setting, and now I'm finding it out first hand.
The first tool I looked at is a Chrome extension called Voice Note II. It is very easy to use, similar to using a voice recorder. The speech recognition is so accurate that I hardly needed to make any corrections. Voice Note II allows the user to choose a language, to refining the voice recognition even further. Choices for English included Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, India, United Kingdom, and the United States, this helps the app discern the user's accent to increase accuracy. Voice Note II will pick up side conversation, making it a little tricky to use in a busy classroom. Punctuation can be dictated or chosen from icons on the desktop, similar to using Word. The switch from using voice recognition to using the keyboard is seamless, making corrections fast and easy.
Voice Note II is so easy to use. It is an excellent choice for student use. Most students can say a lot more than they can write or type, so Voice Note II could help them to express themselves in a much more complete way. Using Voice Note II could encourage free flow of thoughts in journalling. Also, spelling is not an obstacle in using this app - and it’s free!
https://www.speechtexter.com/
Speech Texter is another free extension I explored. The English - United States language selection came up automatically. A drop down menu also appears with voice-activated punctuation options. Formatting options are listed across the top of the typing area. Some of these are voice-activated as well. The voice recognition aspect of this app is even more sensitive than that of Voice Note II. However, I found that my accent was more of a problem with Speech Texter. Speech Texter interpreted a word like bold to be bald when I said it.
Speech to text aps for the iPad include Dragon Dictation for which there are several different versions. The speed of dictation is described as being five times faster than typing on the keyboard. At this time the developer needs to update the app so it will work on future versions of iOS.
The first tool I looked at is a Chrome extension called Voice Note II. It is very easy to use, similar to using a voice recorder. The speech recognition is so accurate that I hardly needed to make any corrections. Voice Note II allows the user to choose a language, to refining the voice recognition even further. Choices for English included Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, India, United Kingdom, and the United States, this helps the app discern the user's accent to increase accuracy. Voice Note II will pick up side conversation, making it a little tricky to use in a busy classroom. Punctuation can be dictated or chosen from icons on the desktop, similar to using Word. The switch from using voice recognition to using the keyboard is seamless, making corrections fast and easy.
Voice Note II is so easy to use. It is an excellent choice for student use. Most students can say a lot more than they can write or type, so Voice Note II could help them to express themselves in a much more complete way. Using Voice Note II could encourage free flow of thoughts in journalling. Also, spelling is not an obstacle in using this app - and it’s free!
https://www.speechtexter.com/
Speech Texter is another free extension I explored. The English - United States language selection came up automatically. A drop down menu also appears with voice-activated punctuation options. Formatting options are listed across the top of the typing area. Some of these are voice-activated as well. The voice recognition aspect of this app is even more sensitive than that of Voice Note II. However, I found that my accent was more of a problem with Speech Texter. Speech Texter interpreted a word like bold to be bald when I said it.
Speech to text aps for the iPad include Dragon Dictation for which there are several different versions. The speed of dictation is described as being five times faster than typing on the keyboard. At this time the developer needs to update the app so it will work on future versions of iOS.