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Audio
/ Talking Text
What it is:
What is talking text or text-to-speech?- Words on the screen can be read by the computer, on command. In most cases, the words need to be highlighted first.
- It allows reading of individual words, phrases, sentences, or whole passages.
- It works with word processors, websites, and more.
- Most text-to-speech utilities allow you to change the voice; male, female, child, adult, android, etc.
- Some applications highlight each word as read, so that students can follow along.
CAST has produced a video clip of students using text-to-speech to support reading, both as a pre-reading device and for confirming their interpretation.
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How does it work:
The easiest way to get the computer to read text is to use speech features within a program such as Kidspiration. Another way is to use a utility, so that text highlighted within any program will talk. A third way is to use a free or commercial talking word processor. Each option has advantages and disadvantages. Instructions for the following software are included on the Digital Text handout available in the materials section.
Speech is a feature of
AppleWorks
StoryBook Reader Deluxe
Kidspiration
Inspiration
KidPix Deluxe
Adobe Reader 7.0 (if accessibility is enabled)
Firefox using a free utility
Microsoft Reader(Free)
TexEdit Plus (Free-Mac Only) Highlights as it reads; allows insertion of audio and pictures; customizable colors.
Speech utilities will read highlighted text within other programs.
Getting better voices- Mac or PC: Cepstral Voices- Listen to demos, download for free trial. $29.95 per voice.
- PC only: AT&T Natural Voices - You can hear a demo of the 16 high quality voices on any computer. Several text to speech programs are sold, beginning at $39.95, that include the AT&T voices.
Commercial products - Not free but can be worth the expense.
Classroom Examples:
Sixth graders are reading a social studies text on ancient Mayan civilization. Three students are reading 2-3 years below grade level for various reasons. One has a learning disability that makes decoding difficult, one has an aversion to reading coupled with high distractability, and a third student is an English Language Learner who is making progress but struggles with comprehension. When these students have access to the text book on the computer, they can use two strategies with talking text in reading. The first is to highlight and listen to just the words they do not know. The second is to listen to an entire paragraph first, and then read it silently to themselves. Both strategies can be helpful depending on the challenges the material presents.
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A class of second graders is interested in researching dinosaurs. By going to the school computer lab, they are able to access Internet resources. On one occasion, they found an online paleontology journal with an exciting story of a fossil hunter. The reading level was 12th grade but by highlighting and using a utility to listen, they were able to follow the story.
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In a one computer classroom, two children or more can preview a story in auditory mode simultaneously by using a headphone splitter ($1.99 at Radio Shack) to allow multiple sets of headphones to be linked to the same computer.
Here are some teacher reports on using text to speech:"I have some of my middle-school kids use text-to-speech to hear their rough drafts. It helps them with revision, especially if there are missing words. It also helps them build fluency."
"The graphics library in KidPix will tell kids what the pictures are, which helps the English learners in 2nd grade to expand their vocabulary."
"Amanda was the quietest 3rd grader I've ever had. I paired her with a 6th grader to put together a short KidPix slide show about her family. She used the talking text along with pictures to do a presentation for the entire class. She was nothing but smiles during the applause at the end of her show and tell."
"There is a group of 4th grade boys that love to change the voices and listen to their words in funny ways. I know they write longer drafts when they know we are going into the computer lab for writing and editing."
Please tell us about your use of talking text! Email techtips@wested.org
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