Does that make sense? Is language that is spoken and transcribed materially and stylistically different from language that is written….? So my question is: has anyone yet studied the differences between language that is spoken and transcribed rather than written/typed in a first draft? I am trying to balance the realities of the age with the reality that when we write by hand we are forced to slow our brains down sufficiently to make choices about words that we would not necessarily make if we were typing or speaking. In those conversations I sometimes hypothesize that even typing will not be a skill we need for much longer, since by the time the students in our classrooms are in the workforce of tomorrow, I’m thinking they will speak to their devices more that they type on them. I sometimes find myself in conversation with parents (and other teachers, to be honest!) who focus on issues such as spelling and handwriting when I’m trying to get kids to produce ideas. Thanks, Catlin! Great to know about this tool. I’d argue these are important lessons for a generation that is more likely to record their thoughts than write them down. However, when we write we rely on dynamic word choice and proper punctuation to highlight important points. When we speak, we use our tone of voice to emphasize particular words or phrases. Our spoken sentences are often long and benefit from revision. When we speak, our tone tends to be more casual yet academic writing demands a more formal tone.

I’m quick to remind students that anything dictated will require careful editing since our speech patterns do not always translate into strong writing. I have also found this feature very helpful for students with 504 plans or IEPs who benefit from the myriad ways that technology can help them to complete their work. I have students who have never taken a keyboarding class and still hunt and peck when typing an essay, which is an incredibly time-consuming endeavor. I have students every year who injure themselves playing sports and are unable to type for weeks on end. Just like your SmartPhone talk to text feature, it will recognize words like “comma” and “period” and insert the punctuation if you say these words as you dictate. When the microphone is red, anything you say will be written as text. Voila! Voice typing will turn your spoken words to text on the document. Click on the microphone icon and allow Google to access the microphone on your device. Simply, click on “Voice typing” and a microphone will appear on the left side of your Google Document. Last month, I was working on a Google Document and clicked “Tools.” I discovered a new option called “Voice typing.” Just as the name suggests, it allows the user to dictate instead of type.

Use speech to text on google docs