Tuesday, January 22, 2013

iSpeech Web Reader


Hope everyone enjoyed a day off for Martin Luther King day! I have been spoiled with breaks due to ice and snow and then a holiday! But I guess it is time to get back to work!
Independent work can be a struggle for many of my students who have difficulty with reading. My special education teachers and I are always on the look at for new resources to help these children. So when I was contacted by Nick about iSpeech Web Reader I was excited to try it out!
 
iSpeech Web Reader is a program that will read what is on the computer screen to you. (Click here for demo.) I must say that it has one of the less robotic sounding voices! I used iSpeech Web Reader by having students listen while they read along. This way they were able to read the stories and answer the questions with less support from me. It worked well for most of my students; however, it read a little fast for some of them. Mostly I enjoyed watching their pride grow as they were able to do more with less help from me.
It took me sometime to learn how to work it, so be prepared to commit some prep time to this product.
It is also has text to speech, which is very helpful for special needs students who have difficulty communicating. You can use it on a desktop or with a mobile app! To learn more please go to the iSpeech website to see if this is something your students could benefit from!




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