Technology Tuesday: Dictation on an iPad

Today's technology is not particularly sexy.  However it is a technology I see teachers overlook constantly.  I was sitting in a conference for a student with autism at a school that had gone 1:1 and every student had a 3rd generation iPad.  They were talking about how he cries and melts down when he has to write. (which probably should be a part of the diagnostic criteria for autism because it is a rare ASD student who doesn't)  I asked if they had tried dictation.  They said "Oh you mean use Dragon Dictate?"  In my mind I shouted, "Are you kidding me?  You gave this child an iPad seven months ago and haven't touched any of the accessibility features."  What I said, "Let me show something."  I have learned a little tact over the years.

The Apple folks started including dictation with the 3rd generation of iPads.  It is simple to use.  Start out in the settings to make sure you have it turned on. 

1. Tap Settings on your Home screen.
2. Tap General, then scroll down and tap Keyboard.
3. Tap the Dictation switch to turn it on.

Also, make sure you are connected to the internet.  Open up any app that allows you to write (Evernote, Notability, Notes, Pages)  We use Pages because we are not a Mac school and Pages allows documents to be exported and emailed as Word Documents.   When the keyboard appears, you will see a microphone next to the space bar.

Tap the microphone and start talking.  Tap the microphone again or the space bar to stop recording.  The iPad will start working and you will see purple and pink circles while it processes.  It will then type out what it heard.  You can dictate spaces and punctuation as well, but we find our elementary students are not that good with punctuation with a pencil in had let along telling a machine where it goes.  They go back in and add the punctuation.  Many times they export as a Word document and finish it in the computer lab along side their peers.

Dictation takes work and students are not often successful the first time.  They have to learn to use a slightly slower rate (but not too slow.)  They have to talk clearly, but not exaggerated.  It generally takes a couple of times before they figure it out.  Speech errors also tend to confuse the iPad especially r errors (see Part 2 of this topic to see how Lady A and I used that to our advantage.)

This is why dictation is a must for students with writing deficits. (Bear with me here...it is a length story.) This year I had a fifth grader with autism who has never wanted to write.  In his wonderful tactless way, he would let you know exactly how he felt about writing. Throughout preschool and elementary many a brave soul tried to get over this hurdle with him. (Princess had him when she student taught...but alas she was unsuccessful as well.)  This year he had a wonderful fifth grade teacher.  Princess and I and another teacher wrote an innovation grant and got iPads for our special ed folks.  This fifth grade teacher let no grass grow under her little feet.  She had those iPads smokin' in her classroom.  She taught this student how to dictate which he loved. (although he complained loudly about how he sounded.)  Once she hooked him, she gently let him know that he couldn't always dictate.  He had to write sometimes too.  One day he came to get the iPad and she reminded him he had to do some writing first.  He looked at her and said in a very exasperated voice (which tends to be how he always talks)  "Well I already did that...jeez."  Being the experienced teacher she is, she asked him to show her.  He said, "I did it at home last night."  Then he pulled out ten pages he had written.  She about fell over.  It was a turning point for him.  He started writing and didn't stop.  Sometimes he used the iPad and sometimes he didn't.  He even wrote  puppet shows and performed them for the class.  His classmates were floored they could not believe he had that much inside him.  Lady A and I were on they floor laughing because the theme of the puppet shows was being rude.   We spent the last two years working with him on tone of voice and what you can and can't say to people and he argued with us at every turn.  Then he has an owl saying to a badger "You can't talk that way, it is rude."

We live in a wonderful age when it comes to serving students with special needs.  Technology has given us so many ways to overcome their hurdles.  For some reason are students with special needs are not accessing that technology. (the iPad also has built in text to speech)  It drives me bonkers....I just try to stay calm and say, "Let me show you something!"