Tag Archives: writing

Create Your Own Mandalorian for May the Fourth

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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…

  1. 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.”
  2. Practicing the pragmatic function of commenting on the character such as, “It is big”, “I like it”, and “It has many colors.”
  3. Exporting the picture and adding text to describe the character.
  4. Exporting the picture, importing it into a slide deck using Google Slides or PowerPoint, and adding additional images around it to create a scene.
  5. 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/

A Mandalorian created using https://www.mandocreator.com/

Google Keep Voice Notes

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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!

Google Keep Voice Note

Voice Note in Google Keep

Voice Note Google Keep

Voice Note Listening in Google Keep

90 Different Languages for Voice Typing

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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:

  1. Open a Google Doc
  2. Click on “Tools”
  3. Select “Voice Typing”. A microphone box will then appear. 
  4. Use the dropdown menu above the microphone to select a different language.Voice Typing Icon that looks like a microphone

Language Menu for Voice Typing

To view the full list of languages available, check out the Google Voice Typing Support Page. 

3 Ways to Access Voice Typing on a Chromebook

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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. 

  1. 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:
      1. Go to Chromebook Settings
      2. Type “Accessibility” into the search field
      3. Select “Manage Accessibility features”
      4. Scroll down to the “Keyboard and Text Input” section
      5. 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 that looks like a microphone

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 Speech Input icon

Read&Write for Google Chrome Logo

Read&Write for Google Chrome Logo