Technology for College Students

Depending on the device, text-to-speech settings are built into most operating systems and can be activated and customized in accessibility settings. Customizing TTS can make it much more desirable for students. You can help them select different voices, accents, speed, and pitch. Here are some links to step-by-step instructions on turning on TTS for different devices: iPhone/iPadTurn on text-to-speech, also known as “spoken content” AndroidText-to-speech outputMacbook/iMacTurn on & use text-to-speechChange voicesChromebookHear text read aloudWindowsHear text read aloud

In addition to using built-in speech-to-text technology, students can install read-aloud programs and apps that work across multiple devices. We recommend the following: Speechify - Speechify is a text-to-speech software program that can be added to any device (e.g., iOS, Android, Mac, PC, Chrome). Individuals can listen to messages (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Messenger, WhatsApp), documents (e.g., Google Docs, PDF, Microsoft), articles (e.g., NY Times, BBC, Medium, Wikipedia), and social platforms (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit) at their own speed and choice of human-sounding voices. Otter.ai - Otter.ai is a free (600 minutes per month) and paid for web-based program that automatically translates speech to text from a live or recorded session. Once translated, an individual can “search, play, edit, organize, and share conversations from any device.” Voice Dream Reader - Voice Dream Reader is a paid-for app that is specifically designed for iOS. This app has the power to read anything by listening with a choice of 200+ voices in 30 languages. It won the 2021 Apple Design Award and we feel it is worth the $19.99 cost to own.

The # 1 source to get electronic copies of textbooks is through Bookshare, a federally funded program through the U.S. Department of Education OSEP (Office of Special Education Programs) initiative. Bookshare® is free and available to “individuals with a qualifying reading or perceptual disability, a visual impairment, or a physical disability that affects their ability to read printed works.” We recommend you work with your disability office to coordinate electronic textbooks for students with the book publisher.

• Create a list of web resources by topic using Wakelet. Students can create private and public collections of online resources and categorize each collection by the desired topic. Wakelet is fully accessible and has a built-in immersive reader for read-aloud experiences There is a myriad of ways Wakelet is being used in education and we recommend you take a look at their blog for inspiration. We suggest instructors and support staff create a board on Wakelet to share resources for students as they navigate their way in inclusive higher education programs.

• Keep track of assignments using the built-in calendar on their computer or mobile device. Some suggestions are to:
  • Create recurring events and make sure to include a start and end date and create alerts that remind the student about the event. This can be anything from the time of the event, 15 minutes before the event, or even a day or week before the event.
  • Color-coding activities in the calendar such as classes or meetings can be especially helpful to students.
    
     
• Use a task management app to create lists of tasks with due dates and checklists. Students can create lists that include tasks (e.g., math homework, daily checklist, movies to watch) with due dates, alerts and reminders. Tasks can be checked off when complete to keep track of progress.
  • Some recommended apps are:
    1. Any.do - Any.do is an easy-to-use simple app that can be accessed across all devices and can be synchronized with Google calendar.
    2. Microsoft Todo - A task management app that is cross-platform and easily integrated with Outlook.
    3. Todoist - This app is easy to use and has powerful features such as creating a task from an email, calendar integration, and sharing capabilities. There are a lot of readily available templates for users to use such as the student planning template that has a list of tasks that can be customized. 

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  • Group Me
  • Remind
  • FlipGrid
  • Kumospace
  • Band