Converting Text to Sound

When I read the Wired Campus article "Too Much Reading? Try Listening Instead" my mind began to think off all possibilities for text-to-audio software in learning contexts.

For many years working in academic research I have been focused on finding the best audio-to-text-conversion for transcribing data from recorded devices such as input received from interviews and observations. But reading this article and looking at the Kurweil 3000 software forced me to think how text-to-audio software can benefit learners in the their coursework. It's more like Textcasting as opposed to Podcasting. Why not? Podcasting has great benefits to students using audio. So this type of text-to-audio software could have great potential in schools and college campuses to benefit student learning.

With my students in mind I quickly came up with a short list of how it could benefit them:

• Students who are just tired of reading so much text for so many classes
  
• Students with different learning styles who prefer to 'listen'
• Students with reading difficulties, such as students with dyslexia
• English Language Learners (ELL) are just learning to use the English language
• Listening can assist students who ride on buses to and from school for long hours where reading is difficult over terrain such as bumpy, rocky desert roads
  
• Students who are working on research projects which is 'reading intense'
• Research students collecting data from surveys, questionnaires, and interviews where listening may be used in addition to reading the participants answers to help researchers 'perceive' the bigger picture through the auditory sense
• It would help develop the students working vocabulary of a language without frustrating them or develop students vocabulary within a specific Community of Practice (CoP)
  
• This type software could be used for students in addition to reading, therefore it would offer additional opportunities for learning
  

These were just my initial thoughts. I would be interested to hear others ideas....

Action Research: Creating Change in Education

Being involved in Action Research projects with my students in the UAE for the last 2 years really reinforces the saying that "actions speak louder than words." All the blogs posted and all the time spent saying, "teachers could do this or teachers should be doing that" are not going to make changes happen. "Shift Happens" and teachers are the ones who can make changes teaching a new generation of students by taking action.

I started on the path to taking action when I left grad school. I picked up the mantra "The greatest end of life is not knowledge, but action. "Taking action with my students to make small changes has really been exciting for me as for them.

Teaching my students about Action Research and seeing what they can accomplish reinforces my belief that teachers need to be armed with real tools that they can use to improve their practice, their classrooms. and their schools. Action Research is one tool any teacher anywhere can use to make change.

As an Educational Technologist I know its not about the technology, but rather it is what teachers will do with the technology that will bring about the change in the way we educate the next generations.

This year students' projects are exciting prospects at bringing changes to local schools and public organizations. l will be sharing these with you over the next year as my students move from being in the classroom thinking how teachers could make changes to becoming practitioner-researchers taking action.

Domain Nonsense - A Logic Free Zone

As we said earlier we have been having domain issues, and in talking with others I know we are not alone. It's been a nightmare trying to untangle the mess and just when we thought we were out of the darkness it seems now our archived files are not working at all. We are working on it, so please bear with us.

In the meantime..... I came across this video session recently on Awakening Creativity I wanted to share...



Helping develop students’ creativity is a hard task, finding time for students to do a creative activity is an even harder task for teachers. Teachers often leave this task undone hoping students will find their own creative outlet. However, not all students around the world have ample opportunities to use their creativity, to be challenged to think outside the box or think upside down. Sometimes teachers can make room in the busy day by simply providing a quiet time, along with a stimulating idea, or a challenge to awaken their dormant creativity and give students have the freedom to create.

An easy way for teachers to awaken creativity is to have their students keep a design journal to quickly sketch ideas wherever they are, whenever. Teachers can also start their teaching day by giving the students a quote to draw visually, or simply a “word” for students to visually illustrate, then provide a few quiet minutes for students to create in their design journal. It’s a great way to stimulate students thinking early in the morning.

The future won’t be a world of rote memorization tests; but rather a world where the successful students will be ones who have had chance to awaken their creativity.