A recent update to Read&Write for Google Chrome has brought with it a new, highly requested feature! The Talk&Type button is a shortcut to activating the Voice Typing feature of Google Docs. Prior to this update, this feature only worked in the Speaker Notes section of a Google Slides presentation. Users needed to turn on the Enable Dictation feature in the Accessibility settings of Chrome to dictate directly into a slide. Now, users can use the Talk&Type button in Read&Write for Google Chrome when using Google Slides to use speech to text, essentially cutting down on navigation and providing a consistent experience between applications. This new feature provides learners with yet another option for how to compose text to show what they know! Watch this short tutorial titled Read&Write in Google Slides Speech to Text Update to see how it works.
Category Archives: Writing
Supports for Writing
Audio Recording and Transcription in Google Keep
Google Keep is a note taking application available to any student in Loudoun County Public Schools. One way users can take notes using a mobile device is by recording audio. The recorded audio is both saved and transcribed so the user can access the note again in their preferred modality. They can listen to the recorded audio, read the transcribed text, or do both! Watch this video titled Google Keep: Voice Notes and Transcription.
Create Your Own Mandalorian for May the Fourth
May the Fourth is known as Star Wars day. A fun experience for learners of all ages might be to create their own Mandalorian from the Star Wars universe. Go to https://www.mandocreator.com/ to begin.
Implementation ideas include…
- Collaboratively working with peers to design and color the character by giving directions such as, “Put that on”, “Let’s use green”, and “I choose that one.”
- Practicing the pragmatic function of commenting on the character such as, “It is big”, “I like it”, and “It has many colors.”
- Exporting the picture and adding text to describe the character.
- Exporting the picture, importing it into a slide deck using Google Slides or PowerPoint, and adding additional images around it to create a scene.
- Telling a story about the character.
The universe is the only limit to how it can be used! Whatever the students’ create will be out of this world! This is the way!
A Mandalorian created using https://www.mandocreator.com/
Immersive Reader in Minecraft EDU
Minecraft EDU is a tool which provides learners with the ability to build in a sandbox environment. Learners can create anything using a robust library of building blocks. One aspect of Minecraft is creating signs for other participants to read. Participants can press the letter I on the keyboard to launch Immersive Reader which provides text to speech support for someone who might need to listen to the text displayed on the sign. This video provides a detailed description of how to use Immersive Reader in Minecraft. Have fun exploring a more inclusive virtual world using built-in tools like Immersive Reader!
Signs in Minecraft
The text on the sign in Minecraft displayed in Immersive Reader
Google Keep Voice Notes
Have an idea on the go? Don’t want to forget a task you just thought of? No time to type it all out? NO problem! Use the Voice Note feature in Google Keep! Voice notes taken on your phone are great, but then they just sit in an audio file, on your phone, until you put it to use or type it out somewhere else. Why not have Google Keep do that for you? With the Google Keep iOS app, you can record voice notes on the go and it will put that recording into a sticky note on your virtual wall. What is even better, is that it will translate your audio note into text, in the same “sticky” note! Prefer to jot down notes, but not type? You can also write out a note with your finger or stylus. Google Keep will put that into text as well. Then you can color code, move around, label, and search for your notes like usual. No more forgotten ideas!
Voice Note in Google Keep
Voice Note Listening in Google Keep
90 Different Languages for Voice Typing
You can use Voice Typing in Google Docs in 90 different languages! Students who are learning a new language can speak that language and see it instantly turn into spoken text! Here’s how it is done:
- Open a Google Doc
- Click on “Tools”
- Select “Voice Typing”. A microphone box will then appear.
- Use the dropdown menu above the microphone to select a different language.
To view the full list of languages available, check out the Google Voice Typing Support Page.
Three Ways to Use Text to Speech with Read&Write for Google Chrome
Click on the purple puzzle piece to install the Google extension Read&Write for Google Chrome.
Or click here for installation instructions in English
Or click here for installation instructions in Spanish.
- Click the play button
to listen to text being read aloud in Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Forms, Google Sheets, Schoology, and the Chrome web browser. Try it now to listen to any text in this blog post! - In Google Meet, click the Hover Speech
button to hear the text in the chat read aloud. Place the cursor over text in the chat…no need to click! - Do you see text within a picture? Use the Screenshot Reader
to draw a box around the text to have it read aloud. Try it with the text in the image below.
3 Ways to Access Voice Typing on a Chromebook
Introducing typing/writing options to students gives them the flexibility to choose which modality works best for them. One option that is readily available throughout the Google Suite, Schoology, and built into Chromebooks is Voice Typing. It is also commonly referred to as Speech to Text, Speak to Type, or Voice Dictation. There are multiple ways to access this feature in the Google Suite.
- Dictation Accessibility Feature – Turn on the built-in accessibility feature called Dictation on a Chromebook. This allows a user to use Voice Typing in virtually any digital environment. Watch this video to learn more and/or use the following directions:
-
- Go to Chromebook Settings
- Type “Accessibility” into the search field
- Select “Manage Accessibility features”
- Scroll down to the “Keyboard and Text Input” section
- Click “Enable Dictation (speak to type)”
-
A microphone icon will appear at the bottom of the screen to use in Google Docs, Google Slides, Google Chrome, Schoology, and more!
2. Tools Menu or Keyboard Shortcut in Google Docs –
In Google Docs, under the Tools menu, select “Voice Typing” or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+S. A microphone icon will appear on the screen to turn on and off the voice typing feature.
Voice Typing Icon
3. Read&Write for Google Chrome – Install the Read&Write for Google Chrome extension. Selecting the headphone icon instantly activates Voice Typing in the Google Suite and for web browsing.
Read&Write for Google Chrome Speech Input icon
Read&Write for Google Chrome Logo
Sketchnoting
Sketchnoting is a form of notetaking where the person taking notes draws an image. The visualization is meant to tie concepts together and can be made using a combination of text and pictures. The active process of creating the sketch note along with the visual representation of the concepts helps the learner make connections and remember the content. Beyond paper and pencil, any tool that provides a drawing feature could be used to create a sketchnote including but not limited to the following:
Check out this video from educator and author Carrie Baughcum describing sketchnoting.
Compose Writing With One’s Voice
Speech-to-text can help people produce text without the use of a keyboard. Learners can compose text without the need of fully-developed spelling or typing abilities. Voice Typing is a feature built into Google Docs which allows a user to create text with one’s voice. Read&Write for Google Chrome also has a speech input function which allows users to add text to notes of Google Slides and directly into the chat of a Google Meet.