Windows Speech Recognition

Speech Recognition is the computer's ability to distinguish spoken words. As you speak into the computer's microphone, your words will be displayed on the screen in a Microsoft Word document. You can even edit and format a document by speaking or spelling instructions. After a few days of training when the equipment becomes more familiar with your voice, it can become very efficient and accurate.

The tool of Speech Recognition is one that could be of great use in my future classroom. First, it would be ideal for special education students. If an individual is hearing impared, he can get the notes and valuable classroom explanations without the need of an expensive sign language professional. The tool can also be used when students are absent. By having a written copy of everything the teacher said in class, the student would be able to understand the missed material much more easily than by just copying a classmate's notes. Finally, Speech Recognition could be used to keep a record of exactly what was said in class. This can be helpful for the administration to test whether a teacher is meeting her requirements and explaining all of the information adequately. The copy of the lecture could also be kept for the teacher's own personal records. She could answer questions such as "Did I remember to cover this?" and "Did I tell them that?". Even more than a tool for forgetfulness, the teacher could use her printed lecture to reflect if she covered the material well and question how it could be taught better. All of these uses of Speech Recognition can be used as powerful tools of learning in the classroom.