Get Chatty With Your Computer
Dictation Software for Apple Computers
How It Works
Most people know that you can speak text messages or dictate emails when using your iPhone. They make it pretty obvious...there is a little microphone icon built into the phone's keyboard! Even more obvious, holding down the home button activates Siri, everyone's (slightly confused) best friend. What most people don't know is that many of these same voice-to-text features are also available as part of Apple's OS X software for Macintosh computers. Even though iMac users cannot utilize Siri, they can dictate messages and even verbally command their computer to perform certain tasks!
Microphone Icon
The main reason why most Mac users don't take advantage of dictation is because they don't know they can do it! But once users activate dictation, they can create a keyboard shortcut to use it. After pressing the designated key(s) you will see this icon on your computer screen, you can begin to dictate or give your computer commands!
Activate Dictation
Unlike on an iPhone where it's activated by default and readily visible, Mac users must go into the OS X settings menu and activate it! Within this menu there are many more settings. You can choose from 40 different languages and other dialects. There are also 50 editing and formatting commands available for the user. The feature is extremely customizable!
Start Talking!
Once you set up your keyboard shortcut (it can be whatever you want) you can press it and start speaking. There are multiple dictation modes. The more advanced version is called Enhanced Dictation. With Enhanced Dictation enabled, you can use speech-to-text even without an internet connection and your speech is kept completely private.
Using Dictation Software in the Classroom
There are many potential applications for Speech-to-Text software in the classroom, both for students with or without disabilities. Students who suffer from such disabilities as dyslexia can transform the way that they communicate electronically. Students who lack fine motor skills no longer need to spend hours typing their work but can instead rely on dictation. Students without learning or physical disabilities can benefit as well. Students have long experienced a gap between their everyday speech and their formal writing style. The ability to dictate formal writing assignments could help to bridge this gap and make them more conscious of their speaking. This software could also be useful in teaching the differences between English words that sound similar such as their/they're/there and affect/effect. Since the software can often interpret the context and make the right choice, students will have to evaluate the ways in which those constructions are established.
Voice Dictation On Apple Mac