Speech Recognition Technology

1. Speech Recognition Technology Carole Bevis ITEC 7445 Dr. Moore July, 2013 Emerging Technology

2. What is speech recognition technology? Speech recognition technology converts speech to text. Speech recognition technology allows oral compositions to be transcribed to text. Dragon Naturally Speaking 12 video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xshb4SmmILA&feature=youtu.be

3. How Does This Technology Support the vision for technology use in our school? • The Vision of Hand in Hand is to use technology to enhance and support student learning. • This technology supports the philosophy of Hand in Hand because it allows the student to be independent. • They can move on without assistance in their writing. • Access is universal for students of all abilities

4. Evaluation of how Well Speech Recognition software Supports Hand in Hand Vision for Technology Use. • Hand in Hand is a Title 1 school with approximately 700 students from the ages of 3 to 7 years old. With 80% of those students on free or reduced lunch. • While the school tries to encourage students to be self directed, there is a gap between students who have had schooling and those coming to kindergarten as their first school experience. • Speech recognition can be used with teacher support to help struggling writers

5. Objectives • To increase student achievement in the writing process through speech to text software. • Meet writing standards. • Allow teachers to spend time on writing process as it frees them from rudimentary spelling

6. Key Benefits • Students of all levels can use and benefit from it. • Used in differentiated instruction. • App can be used at home on smart phone or tablet.

7. Target Population • The speech recognition software is geared for emergent writers. • PSC 2.2/ISTE 2b Research-Based Learner –Centered Strategies. • The best strategy would be to pilot with students in the Lets Play Learn remediation groups.

8. Equipment and software • The technology is soft-ware. • Microphones or Bluetooth headsets are necessary.

9. Technical support • We have an onsite technology coach that can assist with any hardware or software issues. • The software has an extensive technology assistance through telephone and/or email

10. Limitations • Teacher need to loosely monitor for correctness and possible foul language. • Students with speech issues may have difficulty with the program recognizing their voice. • Software needs a quiet environment for accuracy.

11. Cost of technology • Technology is $79.99 per station. • Wireless Headset $29.00 per pair. • (The iPad app is too limited to use with children).

12. How do we use this technology? • Teachers can give assistance on the writing process as this frees her and student from the mechanical demands of handwriting and spelling. • Meets common core writing and technology standards.

13. How do Students use this technology • Students may use this during all the processes of writing. • During pre-planning student can dictate a concept map. • During writing phase student can speak the body of the work. • Students can evaluate their work as software reads their work back to them.

14. How do we use this technology? • Teachers can give assistance on the writing process as this frees her and student from the mechanical demands of handwriting and spelling. • Meets common core writing and technology standards.

15. How does this technology support specific learning goals? • Allows all students to participate in writing projects. • Helps students whose oral language is better than their writing skills get their thoughts to paper. • Helps students whose oral language is better than their decoding skills. • Helps students whose oral language is better than their fine motor skills. • Helps students with physical disabilities that have trouble using a keyboard.

16. How could this technology be used to differentiate instruction? • Can be used for students with fine motor issues. • Can be used for students with visual impairments. • Can be used for students with learning disabilities. • Can be used for students to whom English is a second language.

17. How could this technology promote Communication? • This is technology meets each student where they are and allows them to see “what I say can be written.” • Allows teachers to better understand the communication intended by the student. • Reduces student’s anxiety and allows for better communication with teacher and peers.

18. Tutorials of speech to text software • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jYC1BUK7fo • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW675IlayVg

19. Implementation plan • I think this software should be piloted in a few quiet resource rooms and a report on it’s successes and limitations be published.

20. Evaluation of Research • Many researchers believe using a speech to text technology can build the esteem and confidence of students who may not otherwise be able to fully participate in writing activities. Many of these students “may be embarrassed by the appearance of their writing, whether due to brevity, illegibility, or misspelled words.” (Quinlan 2004). • MacArthur (2009) “The students with LD made fewer errors using speech recognition than handwriting. Most important, students with LD produced higher quality essays using speech recognition than handwriting.”

21. Endorsements • http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/assistive-technology/963-speech-recognition-software-programs.gs • http://www.brainline.org/content/2010/12/speech-recognition-for-learning_pageall.html • http://www.snow.idrc.ocad.ca/content/voice-recognition-speech-text-software

22. Reflections • Using the speech to text feature on my smart phone made wonder why this wouldn’t work with students. I believe all students could benefit from using this tool, however, I believe for some students this may be the only tool that would keep them from giving up on writing all together. • I intend to incorporate this technology next year even if I have to purchase and pilot it myself.

23. Works cited • MacArthur, Charles A. (2009) Reflections on Research on Writing and Technology for Struggling Writers, Retrieved July 11, 2013, from The Division for Learning Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children. • Quinlan, Thomas (2004) Speech Recognition Technology and Students With Writing Difficulties: Improving Fluency, Retrieved July 11, 2013, from Journal of Educational Psychology 2004, Vol. 96, No. 2, 337–346. • Mayer and Alexander (2011) Handbook of Research on Learning and Instruction.