After reading chapter 15 the app I am most likely to us is BrainPop. Megan covered that on her blog last week. So I'm going to talk about my 2nd favorite - Dragon Naturally Speaking. It's a speech to text program. It allows users to have their spoken words translated into text. It's gained some popularity, I saw it advertised a few months ago on TV. It was marketed as hands free, time saver. For the classroom it could be used to help students who have problems typing or who find it difficult to place their words on the page. In this case it might make a great 1st draft application. Student gets ideas down and can go back and re-write/ organize in a more standard way. It would also allow students who physically can't type to still write papers.
It could also make an interesting project. Recording speeches it would allow the students to see what they said during their speech and allow them to compare and contrast what was actually said to what they intended to say. Creating an interesting opportunity for examining speeches as written vs. spoken statements.
I also thought dragon naturally speaking was an interesting site. I really like your idea of turning it into a project by recording speeches. So many students probably do not realize how much they use the word "um" or "like" during a speech and this would help them identify that. It would also help them identify if the point they were trying to make was conveyed. I also think it is a great tool for those students who have a difficult time listening and comprehending what was said.
ReplyDeleteDragon naturally speaking seems like a neat site and something that would be fun for some students to use. However, while I think using this speech to text program could be beneficial to some, it could also have a negative impact on others. I am thinking that having the students conscious that what they are saying is being recorded could cause some students to be more nervous and uncomfortable. Speaking in front of a class is hard for some as it is, but knowing that any mistakes they may make are being recorded may be more of a hindrance than an aid. Just looking at the other side for a change. :) Good post Andrew.
ReplyDeleteDragon Naturally Speaking is a product that I have heard about, but have never had the opportunity to use. I agree that it would be great for students who either cannot type or have difficulty typing their assignments. A friend of mine has a difficult time trying to write out her thoughts in the form of a paper. However, it's not because she doesn't know the answer to the question. She just finds it challenging to turn her thoughts into paragraphs. If she had to write a paper, she could easily explain her answer to me, but it took her forever to get it written down. I used to tease her that she just needed to find a friend who could type as fast as she could talk. Then her paper would be done! She would love this software!
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