Read & Write (v6) GOLD allows you to convert your speech to text. You can talk to your computer and it will convert it into text in your chosen document. This tool allows you to quickly set up your computer to recognize your voice. The software includes a simple training program which shows you what you should say in to the computer, providing audible prompts to help.

As most of you know who have struggled with us this year as we have tried to implement the use of Read & Write (v6) GOLD in schools throughout the district, it has not been an easy task - with hardware issues, network issues, logon issues, and other issues. We have also had issues with students trying to train computers to recognize their voices. I have worked with a student at Crawford Middle School and we have yet to be completely successful on this front. We have tried, but the student mumbles, he does not speak slowly, and he does not enunciate his words carefully enough for the computer to pick them up. One thing I have found that helps is to tell the computer that the student is an adult, and have the student actually read the adult passage, if that is possible. It is considerably harder reading, but does allow for more phonemes to be pronounced, and therefore trains the computer a little more accurately.

If any of you have worked with any of the other voice to text software (Via Voice, Dragon Dictate) you know that they are not perfect, but they have come a long way. This software has a lot to offer that it is multi-faceted, and in one package. Please try to continue to be patient and hang in there with  Read & Write (v6) GOLD, and lets try to keep plugging along.

Let me know if I can be a further help to anyone, as we get ready to work with KETS testing soon.

Carol Moffett-EdS/ATP
Resource Specialist in Assistive Technology