FREE Text-to-Speech Websites for Any Classroom: No Downloading Required

Do you remember the days where you had to read aloud text into an mp3 player for a student to listen to the next day? Or waiting six months for the hard working people in Assistive Tech to hand you a copy of Co:Writer? Those days are GONE GONE GONE (and thank goodness for that!).

But... what do you do if you don't have iPads at your school? What do you do if you share a computer cart with everyone else on your floor? What do you do if you only have two old PC computers in the corner of your room and that's it?

Well, first... go here, Chicagoans go here, or here and get an iPad or Chromebook grant ASAP. Technology belongs in our modern classrooms!

Did you fill out a grant application? Good! In the meantime, I have compiled a list of websites that allow you accessibility in any classroom without needing to download or sign up for anything.

Text-to-Speech Websites:
Read Speaker- reads 250 characters
Text to Speech IM Translator- no character maximum but the webpage is busy
Text2Speech does just that by turning the speech into an audio file 
My Favorite... Natural Reader:


Pros:
  • You can use the demo (white box on the left-hand side of the screen) to read any text aloud.
  • You can use the demo on website without downloading  
  • You can change the voice and speed on the demo
  • Students can use the website at home to read text
If you do want to go with the FREE download, it includes:
 

Cons:
  • Demo will only read 200 characters at a time

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Accommodation and Modification Checklist

Image
Question:  As an Inclusion Facilitator, I am often asked about modifying and accommodating work to meet individual student needs. Whenever this happens, I immediately ask for samples of student work. Modifying and accommodating for students is so individualized in nature that the A/M section on the student's IEP isn't enough information to tell me what the student needs. The reality is that what works for one student in one class with one set of co-teachers (or one teacher) might not work for another student in the same grade in a different classroom. The IEP is the most individualized document in town and we need to remember the specific student every step of the way.  I look at the following: Student IEP goals Student IEP modifications and accommodations Student strengths General education teacher and learning specialist personalities and teaching style Lesson and unit plans Specific activities Student work Resource: Jenn Kurth's unit based approach to
Read more

Support #5: Modified Rubrics

Image
Happy Monday! Here in the Chicago Public Schools, we have ten days left with students. That means ten more supports that can be used in the inclusive classroom. Let's kick it! A great way to grade modified projects, presentations, essays, or any multiple step activity is to use a rubric. I am a big fan of the modified rubric. You are able to incorporate IEP goals (including Independent Functioning goals) into the classroom lesson and unit plans. The picture on the left is an unmodified rubric provided for a seventh grade essay. The one on the right is modified and incorporates modifications and goals that are in the student's IEP. I set up modified rubrics so that a 70% corresponds with the IEP goal or the student's individual unit objectives. If a student meets expectations, they will earn a C. Students that go above and beyond the expectation can earn a B or an A. Students who do not meet the expectations can earn a D or F. Here is an example of a stud
Read more

Co-Teaching Spotlight: Parallel Instruction

Image
I'm continuing with Julia's Rocking Co-Teaching Series . Click here to read more about team teaching. Okay, onto the next model! Model: Parallel Instruction Definition: "Teachers break the class into two heterogeneous groups and each instructs half of the class" ( Collaborative Teaching in Elementary Schools by Wendy W. Murawski ). What does it look like? Groups facing away from one another and teachers facing one another to limit distractions and noise Two teachers teach the same content in the same way OR  Two teachers teach the same content in a different way ( Collaborative Teaching in Elementary Schools by Wendy W. Murawski )  Notice how the two teachers are facing each other and the groups of students are facing away from one another. Both teachers are teaching the same content in the same way. Notice in this video the quick transition from full class to parallel instruction. The teachers are teaching the same content in a different
Read more