SpeakIt! and WordTalk: Two more free text to speech resources

Here are two more free text to speech options I have recently learned about:

1) SpeakIt! is an extension for the Google Chrome browser that will read text online in your browser.  It will read from webpages, emails, and most text you can highlight and right mouse click on.  It is free, easy to install through the Chrome Web Store, and offers a pretty good voice for the money (did I mention it's FREE!).   My only complaint is that it doesn't highlight words as it reads, but it still works great for a free tool.  Click here for more info.

2) WordTalk is a free Plug-in for Microsoft Word.  It will read text aloud in a Word document and highlight the text as it goes.  (I have blogged about the Speak tool already built into Microsoft word before, but I like WordTalk better because the Microsoft Speak tool doesn't highlight words as it goes.)  It offers lots of different options to read (by selection, sentence, paragraph, etc.) and even has a nifty talking spell checker and thesaurus.  This is a program you will have to download and install from the website, and you need to make sure to download the version that is compatible with your version of Word.  Once downloaded and installed, it shows up as an extra toolbar option at the to of the program screen.  Click here for more information.

I hope these resources help.  With the scarcity of money nowadays, it is always nice to have access to effective free tools.  Please let me know if the comments if you have a favorite tool we haven't mentioned yet!

Text to Speech Roundup - Pros and cons of 3 Free computer text reader options

In the last few months, I have blogged about some great computer text reader options available for teachers of struggling readers.  The main idea behind all of these options is to have a computer program read text to students who are unable to read it themselves.  This makes them more independent, confident, and successful.  This blog post today is a round-up of some of the free options available.  Each option I will discuss is free, and each has particular advantages and disadvantages.  Here is the list:

1) Free Natural Reader 11.  This is a free computer program that you download from the internet and install on your computer.  It provides 2 ways to read text: 1) a window that you can copy and paste text into from another document or application, or 2) a floating toolbar that  "floats" over any open doc or application.
-Pros: 

• When using the copy and paste window option, text is highlighted as it is read. (multi-modal learning!) 
•  Floating toolbar is convenient
• Can adjust the rate and pitch of the voices

-Cons:

• You may have to put in a tech request to get this installed, as it is an actual software program
• You can only use the digital voices that come pre-installed on your computer, which may be lower quality voices
• It can be a little tricky to change voices or adjust the speed of the voice

2) Read&Write for Google Docs.  This is a free study skills toolbar that is available as an extension to the Google Chrome browser.  It works very nicely, but ONLY works with text in the Google format.  Click this link to see about converting existing docs to Google docs format.
-Pros:

• Highlights words as it reads (multi-modal learning!)
• Better quality voices
• Since it is an extension to a browser and not software, you don't need a password to install it.
• Other study skills options, such as highlighting, dictionary, and collect highlights

-Cons:

• ONLY works with Google docs format
• ONLY works on Google Chrome browser
• MUST be connected to the internet for it to work

3) Speak tool in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.).  Most folks are unaware that Microsoft office 2010 and 2003 come with pre-installed text reader tools. You just have to know where to find them. (NOTE: Office 2007 offers the Speak command in Excel, but not in Word)   To see a tutorial for Office 2003 click here.  To see a tutorial for Office 2010, click here.  To see a video for office 2010, click here. or click here for an alternate video (in case the first one didn't work).
-Pros:

• Don't need to convert your documents to another format
• Students can be trained to do this with any computer they use.  No special software is needed.
• Don't need to access any other program to hear your text read aloud.

-Cons:

• You can't choose your voice or the voice rate
• It does NOT highlight the words as it reads.  This makes it harder for students to follow along.
• Different processes to learn depending on which version of Microsoft Office you have.  Not available in Word 2007.

So there you have it.  I hope seeing these three options head to head will give you some ideas of what would work with your students and situations.  Each tool has advantages, and a savvy user would have more than one option depending on the setting and task.  As always, please provide feedback in the comments section.  


 

Word Prediction Options (I made you a list!)

After some recent discussions with different parents and teachers about word prediction software, I decided to compile a list of some common options that are available for PC/Mac/iPad/iPod/Android.  This list is by no means exhaustive and authoritative, but it lists many of the more common options available today.  I have tried to arrange them  in order by price from "Hey, it's FREE!" to "Holy cow, that's half my mortgage payment!"  I have also tried to include websites for each product so you can do more research on your own.  To see the list, please click this link.

I hope this helps when exploring options.  Please feel free to share this list with anyone who you think would benefit.

A Cleaner and Easier Online Reading Experience with Evernote Clearly and Safari Reader

Here's an interesting experiment to try:  Load just about any webpage you can think of, and count how many different articles, advertisements, animations, menus, lists, pictures, etc. are all calling out for your attention at the same time.  Even on the surprisingly uncluttered Google search page, I counted 17 different options I could click on!

With all those messages competing for your attention, the online reading experience can be difficult and bewildering for somebody with reading, visual perception, sensory perception, or attention deficit challenges.  Lucky for us, there are now tools available for three of the most popular web browsers to filter out all of the annoying clutter and let a reader focus on the main text on a web page.  Aside from making an online article easier to read and understand, it also makes it easier to copy and paste text into another online tool, such as a screen reader or text summarizer.

If you use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, you can download a  tool called Evernote Clearly.  It is available at http://evernote.com/clearly/ .  Evernote Clearly is a plug-in, which means that it simply adds a nifty little feature to your browser.  The good news about this is that you can install this feature yourself without having to call the IT department!!  For Firefox, simply go to the Evernote Clearly website, click the green "Get Clearly for Firefox" button, click the green "Add to Firefox" button, and then click the "Install now" button that will show up in the pop up window.  You will then be prompted to restart your browser to add the feature.  For Chrome, go to the Evernote Clearly website, click the "Get Clearly for Chrome" button, and click the "Add" button on the pop-up window.

Once you have Clearly installed, you will see a little reading lamp icon on your browser toolbar.  If you click that button, Clearly will cut out all of the unnecessary clutter on the webpage and just leave the main text.  WARNING: If you are on a page without an obvious main article, such as the msn.com or yahoo.com home pages, Clearly will have a hard time deciding what the main text is.  But once you click on an article and load that page, the feature will work quite nicely.  You can even highlight text, clip the text to Evernote, adjust the font size, and print the article. 

If you are a Mac or iPad user, then you are already familiar with Apple's Safari browser, because it is the default browser for these devices.  Safari is also available for PC's as a free download.  Safari has a similar "clear away all the unnecessary junk from a webpage" feature called Reader.  When you are on a page that is compatible with the reader function, a little grey Reader button will show up in the left hand side of the address bar at the top of the browser.  Here is a great article to explain more about the Safari Reader:

These tools are easy to set up and use, and I am excited to hear from teachers to see how their students enjoy using them in class and at home, so please spread the word!

Free NaturalReader 11-Screen Reader

A screen reader is a computer tool that will recognize text on a computer and use a digital voice program to read that text aloud.  This is a very helpful tool for students who cannot decode grade level text independently, but are expected to understand it for class projects and assignments.  While there are a variety of great screen reader programs available for a price, NaturalReader has a free version that will allow a student to read grade level text 1 of 2 ways:
1) copy and paste text into the reader window of the program
or
2) use a floating toolbar to read highlighted text

If you have ever used a screen reader program, you know that the experience is vastly determined by the quality of the computer voice available.  While the Free NaturalReader program does not provide the best quality voices out there, they are not bad for a free program.  You can purchase better quality voices and better options for $50.

You can download the free program from the following website:
http://www.naturalreaders.com/download.php

It is available for Windows and Mac.

Note to CCSD teachers:  You should be able to download the install file (it will be called "standardsetup.exe") from the website on your computer, but you will NOT be able to run that file and actually install the program without an administrator code. The best way to get it installed is probably to save the install file on your desktop, and then put in a work order for the tech guys to come install it.  Robert Woodbury can also install software on newer district machines.