Auditory Processing Disorder in Children Auditory processing is a term used to describe what happens when your brain recognizes and interprets the sounds around you. Children with auditory processing disorder (APD) often do not recognized the subtle differences between sounds in words because a dysfunction makes it difficult for the brain to interpret the information. Get the basics on symptoms, diagnosis, and current research of APD.
Otteris a web tool and mobile app that allows you to record audio and generate live transcriptions of your recordings. With its AI (artificial Intelligence) capacities, Otter provides automated meeting notes for popular video conferencing services including Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Students can use Otter to" take notes during lectures, transcribe research interviews, capture notes from group study sessions, and process public audio data for research purposes." Otter is also a great note taking option for students with hearing problems. Real time transcription will allow them to follow along audio output without interruption to their comprehension. Similarly, ESL/EFL students will find the tool helpful. Besides taking notes, they can use it to learn new vocabulary and enhance their speaking skills. Otter has collaborative features. Otter users can invite each other to edit, highlight and work on their notes collaboratively. They can also 'start a recording inside a group to share the transcript live'. Other equally interesting features provided by Otter include: the ability to import and transcribe audio recordings, arrange notes into folders, generate word clouds from recorded notes, export notes as PDF, TXT, MP3, and many more.
Read The Words - Convert text to speech, including words you type in, Web pages and upload files. Also can embed in email or Web page.
MAC Features for hearingSiri on Mac lets you quickly find and open files, set reminders, send text messages, and more, making it easy to handle the things you do every day.2 With “Type to Siri” mode, you can make requests using a physical or onscreen keyboard. And Siri can also predict your next word based on what you’ve said before, so you can minimize typing over time.
Accessibility Features built into iPad "Powerful assistive features are built into iPad to complement your vision, hearing, motor skills, learning, and literacy. So you can create, learn, work, play, and do pretty much anything you want to do, wherever you want to do it, more easily than ever.
Accessibility Features built into iPhone "The world’s most personal device was designed for every person. So a person who’s blind can take group selfies. A person who’s deaf can call Mom from overseas. And a person who can’t move from the neck down can send text messages to friends.
TypeIt ReadIt Windows 2000 - W 7 Mac 10.2.x - 10.6.x
VoiceOver To make it easier for the blind and those with low-vision to use a computer, Apple has built a solution into every Mac. Called VoiceOver, it’s reliable, simple to learn, and enjoyable to use.
YakItToMe -Upload documents, cut and paste text or link to feeds. Text reader converts text to speech automatically. Download audio and podcasts.
iSpeech - converts any text on the Web into clear natural sounding audio free. Take your reading on the go
Vocalyze is a service that reads the content of popular websites to you. You can subscribe to popular sites across twelve different categories. Vocalyze works on your computer, Android device, and iOS device. Applications for EducationVocalyze makes news and other content available to students with vision impairments that prevent them from reading online. Vocalyze could also be used to support struggling readers as you use current events stories in your classroom.
Voice4MeWindows 2000 - XP Mac OS 10.0.x - 10.6.x Voice4Me is designed as a quick and simple way to bring speech to users who have difficulty speaking. There are 154 Text-To-Speech areas that can be customized to meet the users needs. Also, there is a text area for the user to type whatever he/she wants the computer to say. Students learning English can use this program to find pronunciations of words.
ReadPlease Windows-based screen text-to-speech reader. It will read text aloud.
VozMe Type in some text, click the Create MP3 button, and it will open a new window and play a male or female voice (your choice) reading the text. You can download the file as an MP3 using right-click save-as (PCs) or CTRL-click save-as (Macs).
Carryout Text - A great way to convert text to speech, good for converting blogs, emails or documents.
HearWho Convert text into an mp3 file by copying and pasting it into the main window on the right. Choose your voice and click on Start Conversion. RIGHT click / Save Target As to save the mp3.
PowerTalk PowerTalk is a free program that automatically speaks any presentation or slide show running in Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows.
Natural Readers The Free version allows you to experience listening to your emails, web pages, reports or any text on your PC.
e-Speaking An easy software solution to enable you to control your computer, dictate emails and letters, and have the computer read documents back to you.
CLiCk Speak is an open source, freely available extension for the Firefox web browser. It features a mouse driven interface, and it reads web pages.
iSpeech - converts any text on the Web into clear natural sounding audio free. Take your reading on the go
Click, speak - reads websites for the improvement of literacy
Read the Words WebsiteWebsite that allows the (registered) user to upload documents in a variety of formats, including Word, Adobe PDF, websites, etc. in order to have the text read aloud. Finished readings can be accessed from the Read the Words website or as an mp3 file or podcast. The site also claims that users can embed the readings onto their own websites, wikis, and blogs. I see this as a powerful tool when dealing with struggling readers or English-language learners.
SpeakIt!-free for the Google Chrome browser. Supports multiple languages.
ClipSpeak - a free, open source program for Windows that does not require installation (so can be run from a USB key!) Once running, just use CTRL-C to have the text read to you. Use the right CTRL key to stop. Use the right Shift+CTRL key combination to toggle on and off. Can also export the selected text as an MP3 file.
WordTalk - a free text-to-speech program for the PC that works within WORD and Outlook and highlights each word that is read. Includes a talking spell checker and a talking thesaurus. WordTalk was upgraded in January 2009 and now includes the ability to save, and you can convert your text file to a wav or MP3 file. Makes this free download even more valuable. (Seems to be trickier with Office 2010 and Vista or Windows 7)
Fox Vox - a free Firefox extension, highlight the text, right click and choose Speak Selected Text
Click,Speak - a free Firefox extension that reads the Internet and highlights phrases and sentences as it reads
SpeakingFox - a free Firefox extension for the Mac which converts text in Firefox to audio
DSpeech- scroll down for a very cool free text-to-speech AND speech-to-text tool. PC only
Balabolka- Free text-to-speech download, can also download a portable version that runs off a USB thumb drive.can save as wav or MP3 file.
PowerTalk - free text-to-speech for PowerPoint presentations
Marlee Signs: Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin wanted to create a simple, visual representation of American Sign Language vocab. Taught through short videos showing Matlin signing each letter or phrase, this app makes it super easy to become a signing pro.
Web Resources Deaf TimesDedicated to Deaf community. Offers applications to make life easier with chat groups, current events
22 Frames is a service that provides a central location for locating captioned videos for learning English and for Internet users who have hearing impairments. 22 Frames provides more than just captioned videos. Along with the videos 22 Frames provides a list of idioms, slang words, and commonly mispronounced words in each video. Viewers can click on any of the words in the lists provided by 22 Frames to find a definition for each word and to find pronunciation tips.