On the ninth day of Google, we will look into some accessibility features. We are all learners and we all learn differently. Sometimes that means that information needs to be available in different formats or appearances. Did you know…
VOICE TYPING AND TRANSLATIONS IN DOCS
Voice typing in Google Docs has a been around for a couple of years now. However, an aha moment happened for me a couple of weeks ago. We have students who speak English as a second language. For any student that is struggling, they could use voice typing to speak their thoughts in their native language, then use the translation feature to translate into English. Now, I recognize that things won’t necessarily translate perfectly and I know that some teachers don’t want students to take the easy way out, but there is a time and a place where this could prove helpful. What would the work flow be?
- Activate ‘voice typing’ under the ‘tools’ menu
- Change the language in the drop down menu above the microphone button (language that the user would be speaking in)
- Once content is in the document, the student could then highlight and select ‘translate document’ under the ‘tools’ menu
For those that would like a demo on how to use voice typing, click HERE. Keep in mind that there are several prompts you can give to help with formatting. For example: new paragraph, new line, period (to end sentence), stop listening, etc. For more detailed commands click HERE.
I was speaking with a friend and she was talking about how she worked with someone who was hard of hearing in one ear. In many cases, this person is unable to comprehend everything that is said in a staff meeting. This person could open up a google doc and turn on voice typing while the speaker is talking. Perhaps the person who is hard of hearing would be able to read the content in the google doc (keeping in mind that she would have to sit close to the front to have the computer pick up the words). Another word of caution would be to let the speaker know ahead of time so that they are aware that the words being spoken are in fact being translated.
Continue reading “2021 – Day 9 of Google – Accessibility”
On the tenth day of Google, we will focus on accessibility. Google has been focusing a lot on accessibility and making sure that all students are able to learn and grow with the support of a Chromebook. Google has devoted 
Craig M Sheil 