Preparing classes, giving presentations, communicating with students and parents, correcting exams, showing videos… being a teacher is not an easy task, but technology can help us eliminate bureaucratic processes and make our work more attractive. Today we want to share with you some tools to facilitate the task. Therefore, continue reading Text-To-Speech And Other Free Online Tools For Teachers.
The constant development of digital technologies and the Internet has caused us to live in a digital context based on connections. The way of learning has changed and, therefore, the way of teaching. Knowledge is online and teachers must be the ones who accompany students in their learning process. Technology alone does not guide; therefore, the work of the teacher is today more important than ever. In this article, we expose the way in which the Digital Age has motivated a necessary rethinking of the role of the teacher in the classroom.
We are immersed in a Digital Age, that is, a technological society, where habits and lifestyles have been transformed by the constant and unstoppable development of digital technologies and the Internet. Technological tools and the virtual space have given rise to new ways of communicating, working, getting information, having fun, and, in general, participating and living in a network society. The educational field and, consequently, the role of the teacher, which is the focus of reflection in this article, has not been able to resist its influence. The adequacy of both the content and the teaching methodologies has become a necessary challenge, and even an urgent one, in a constantly changing social context, in which young people, surrounded by screens from birth, have acquired differentiated features from those of any previous generation.
Text-To-Speech: A Free Online Tools For Teachers
Let’s pick up where we left off: Word’s Text-To-Speech. But First: What is Text-To-Speech? Technically speaking, TTS software are assistive tools. TTS is a technology whose principal goal is to generate audio. Specifically, a text-to-speech interface takes any text-based file and transforms it into a spoken discourse. Most TTS programs allow you to select any language in the range of options that the interface offers. With the advances in this technology, text-to-speech sounds have improved considerably. Plus, they are easy to find online.
Woord
Woord is a text reader platform and API; this free online text-to-speech tool with a variety of useful features might be really helpful. It includes more than 50 languages and dialects, and it allows you to pick between masculine, feminine, or non-binary voices. These characteristics are free to use, so you can test the service before buying a premium version. The free version includes premium voices, a Chrome plugin, an SSML editor, an MP3 download, and up to 20,000 characters per month. You can also change the voice’s speed and format with this software.
Nontheless, purchasing a premium membership for business use may be a good idea, because they are not expensive and have a lot of nice features. Furthermore, with the premium editions of Woord, you have complete intellectual property ownership of your audios.
Its Chrome extension will “read” aloud to you any website or article you visit. Google Chrome has a wide variety of users, and it is the most popular browser in the world. This platform is used by people of all ages and places in the world for its accessibility. For this reason, Woord is an excellent complement; due to its intuitive interface and ability to generate high-quality audio in simple steps, anyone can use it. Learn more here: How To Read Text Out Loud From Any Website With Chrome.
10 Free Online Tools For Teachers
Socrative
A way to engage students with their mobile devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones) in engaging and easily assessable activities, all without leaving the classroom.
Slid.us
One of the best online alternatives to Microsoft PowerPoint and other expensive presentation software. Slid.us comes with elegant default content and an interactive layout panel that you can make the most of with some prior knowledge of HTML.
Slid.es
Another option to create presentations, anyone can use it but those who know something about HTML and CSS will be able to manipulate it completely. In this link you can see how well they look.
Google Forms
The Google forms tool has become essential both to create surveys and to design feedback tests that are easily evaluable.
Kuizza
To create quick quizzes or tests but more than to evaluate them, to share your solution through study cards that are automatically generated with each question.
QuizBean
Also for creating quizzes but with options for instant grades, feedback, mobile viewing, and the ability to embed all kinds of multimedia content.
Duolingo
A benchmark in terms of options to learn English and other languages, from practicing their use to learning them from scratch with its entertaining web and mobile applications.
FlipSnack
A service that allows you to convert PDF files or multiple images in JPG format, into a brand new interactive book (or catalog) characterized by exquisite transitions.
Evernote
An extraordinary notes application with various uses in the academic world, from lesson management to the collection of multimedia content on the web.
EWC Presenter
Very useful for creating infographics and presentations from templates and an easily understandable editing panel. The results can be published and shared on the web.
Also published on Medium.