Tools for Speaking
https://bit.ly/ebspeaking
Google Docs (Free)
Google Docs has a Voice Typing tool when using a computer (with a mic) or a laptop/Chromebook. If students are accessing a Google Doc from a mobile device, the use of the microphone allows for speech to text.
Flip (Freemium)
Their video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRy1F53JeJU
Flipgrid is easy to get started. Educators create Grids of short, discussion-style Topics to share with their users. Grids are collections of topics around a common theme. Each Grid can hold an unlimited number of Topics, and each Topic can hold an unlimited number of user-recorded video responses.
Topics are short text or video prompts that can include basic formatting (e.g., bold, italic) and links to websites or documents for critique and feedback opportunities.
Response videos are limited to a maximum of 90 seconds to promote clarity, organization, and engagement. Individual response videos can be liked and shared (e.g., Twitter, Facebook) or embedded on blogs, learner management systems, or websites.
SeeSaw (Freemium)
Seesaw is a digital portfolio that allows kids to save and submit a variety of work -- videos, photos, text, and drawings. They can reflect on their work in writing or with a voice recording when they submit it, and teachers can offer feedback as well. Teachers can then approve items to make them accessible to parents. When teachers set up their classes, they can print a handout with a QR code to give to parents explaining how to register and download the parent app (which is available online, on Android, Chromebook, and iOS) and in a variety of languages.
SayHi App (Free)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sayhi-translate/id437818260?mt=8
Pick two languages. Tap the screen. Speak into the iPhone in the chosen language, then hear the translation in the other. SayHi Translate is just that simple. The app currently supports 23 different languages (some of which are actually different regional dialects), and users can switch between them at any time.
ChatterpixKids App (Free)
ChatterPix Kids is a photo-editing app that allows students to make photographs talk. A video on the main screen explains how to get started, though the app is so straightforward and clear it isn't really needed. It features two sections: Take Photo (where you create the talking pictures) and Gallery (where work is stored). To get started students take a photo or choose one from the camera roll. A prompt asks students to draw a line on the photo for the mouth and record a 30-second recording. Students then see a countdown and once they're finished can choose to re-record or preview. On the next screen, students can then embellish photos with stickers, text, and so on. Completed projects can be exported to the camera roll, deleted, or saved in the gallery where they can also be revisited and re-edited.
ChatGPT App (Free)
The ChatGPT APP (iOS and Android) can listen to speech, transcribe the original speech, and translate that speech into any of 50 languages. Currently the free version of the app uses ChatGPT 3.5. The AI model is updated usually monthly with new features. Soon the text-to-speech functionality will extend to the desktop website, but it currently exists on mobile devices. ChatGPT is a game-changer in many ways and will change the way we do education.
Vocaroo (Free)
Vocaroo is an online audio recording and sharing platform. It allows users to record their voice or any other sounds using a microphone or upload pre-recorded audio files. The recorded audio can then be shared through a unique link generated by the platform. Language Learning: Vocaroo can be used for language learning activities. Students can record themselves speaking in a foreign language and share it with their teacher or peers for pronunciation practice and feedback.
Pecha Kucha
Pecha Kucha is a presentation format that originated in Tokyo, Japan in 2003. It is a fast-paced style of presentation where speakers share their ideas using a specific format. The name "Pecha Kucha" is derived from a Japanese term meaning "chit-chat." In a typical Pecha Kucha presentation, each speaker shows 20 slides, and each slide is displayed for 20 seconds, resulting in a total presentation time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds. This format encourages concise and focused presentations, allowing speakers to convey their message effectively within a limited timeframe.
Audacity is a free, open-source audio editing software that allows users to record and edit audio files. It can be used for various purposes, including transcribing audio, improving pronunciation, or analyzing speech patterns.
Consider having your students create a "podcast" about what they are learning in your class. This could look (or sound...) like an interview with the author of the book they just read or maybe a radio broadcast from early in the 20th century. You could also make it more like a modern podcast in which students share important information about what they learned in a unit. Think of it like an audio review sheet!
