Select and Speak review by Paul Hamilton
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UDL - Universal Design for Learning
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The pedagogical framework to designing learning environments to teach and to support ALL learners!
Curated by
Kathleen McClaskey
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Paul Hamilton writes about Speak Selection, a new feature in iOS5 that offers a TTS tool that can be used by learners who struggle with text. He also includes how to use the Define within Speak Selection.
"This will read aloud any selected text — in a web article, a text editor, an email, in Twitter, in text messages, or just about anywhere. It isn’t perfect. For example, Speak Selection won’t read in Facebook.
It is worth noting that Define is another helpful feature that is new in iOS5. This is available whether Speak Selection is turned on or not. Both features, however, are made available in exactly the same way. When a single word is selected, you are offered a Define button. When Speak Selection is turned on, ‘Define’ is offered at the same time as ‘Speak’"
Thank you, Paul! 
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AppWriter by LingApps is the first text editor for the iPad to offer users of all ages with reading and writing disabilities. It includes a set of integrated tools that include TTS, word prediction and a Mobile OCR Kit. What does this mean? Convert any printed text to a readable format from your iPad!
Here are the features:
> No WiFi or 3G needed; everything is embedded and runs directly on the iPad > High quality TTS with highlighting as text is being read > OCR - "Any paper document or image becomes accessible. Through the integration of Mobile OCRKit, textbooks, photocopies and handouts are easily converted into text documents. The text can be spoken out loud by AppWriter with color highlighting or edited. AppWriter OCR is the simplest and most affordable way to get any textbook or handout converted for everyone to read and listen to on an iPad. AppWriter OCR comes in more than 12 different languages." > Word Prediction with the ability to hear each word before selection. > File Management - emailed, copied to clipboard or export to DropBox.
This will level the playing field for millions of students worldwide!
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At the following list you will find 19 Free Text to Speech tools that your students' will appreciate. Some of them you have to install and some you will install on your browser. The most awesome about these tools is that are FREE!
Kathleen McClaskey's insight:
Here is a great list of TTS tools to remove barriers to learning!
Paula Correia's curator insight,
April 29, 2013 3:00 PM
Parece -lhe bem poder converter qualquer texto escrito com o Microsoft Word em palavras faladas? E incluir a narração do texto nos seus slides de apresentação do PowerPoint ? Veja estas 19 ferramentas que o ajudam a fazer isso.
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Paul Hamilton has offered an excellent review of vBookz PDF Voice Reader for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The key app features:
•16 languages aloud. •Open any PDF directly from the mail, dropbox or iTunes sync. •Read almost any PDF aloud. •Reading orientation tools. •Auto text follower mechanism. •High quality male and female voices.
Here are some of Paul's comments: "It could hardly be easier to bring PDF files into vBookz PDF Voice Reader! Simply open a PDF email attachment, or a PDF file in your DropBox account. Then click on the forward icon to be given the option of opening the file in vBookz PDF Voice Reader. Once a PDF file has been opened, it remains on a book shelf in the “Library” for future reference. The process seems to work well with both short files and those that are book-length."
There is also a version of vBookz PDF Voice Reader for Mac computers.
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Paul Hamilton has reviewed the Google Chrome TTS tool that can support all learners. Here is what he had to say about "Select and Speak".
"Select and Speak is a free extension for Google Chrome that provides high quality text to speech for any selected online text. Once installed, and text has been selected, there are three ways of having the text read aloud. You can click on an icon in the extensions toolbar, or right-click and use the context menu. Alternatively, you can use a customizable keyboard shortcut. This shortcut is ctrl + shift + s by default."