For this exercise, I used the voice typing tool embedded in Google Docs. I chose to describe a narrative of my move from Ontario to Saskatchewan. Immediately following the completion of my narrative, I doubted I would have spent this long consecutively speaking to another person. When I am speaking during my conversations, I often rely on the listener to give me cues about what they are interested in. For example, in certain parts, I may elaborate more on, if the listener wanted to hear more details, or had clarifying questions. In oral storytelling, the information communicated is often collaborative with what the engaged parties want to hear. As a result of my unorganized collection of thoughts on the move from Ontario to Saskatchewan, the facts are included throughout the story, but there lacks organization and critical writing elements.

The voice-to-text tool actually stopped twice, and so I had to backtrack my story and then restart where it left off recording text. I also did not speak at the speed I typically do, my speech was slow, choppy and monotone. I naturally did this, and tried to speak in a more natural tone but kept veering back to a slower speech. Maybe this was because I thought I wanted to be understood by something less intelligent than me (my computer) and for the tool not to miss my message, and ensure it was working. When reviewing the printed text, it is quite evident the punctuation is incorrect, and my text is not academic, as it is a more relaxed and conversational style. It is harder to read because punctuation helps to determine expression, so someone reading it will find trouble reading it aloud. Tenses were not always correct; past, present and future. Another aspect that happened a few times was a word by the voice-to-text program was written out of context, for example, ‘coal’ became ‘Kohl’. However, the text was all spelled as recognizable words.

If I had scripted the story, then I would feel less self-conscious about posting my story below. I feel if I published the story without context attached, then I may be judged for not having effective writing skills. The writing of my story (which still remains unedited) in terms of grammar and punctuation would be compared to a grade 4-5 writing level. As graduate students, we are expected to have exceptional communication skills, so having that expectation placed on ourselves and publishing text that does not deliver a clear and concise message, is difficult. 

It is rare I just speak for long periods of time uninterrupted, recalling an event. This made me think of my childhood, growing up with many siblings, feeling that I had to make my stories short and to the point, or impactful if I wanted to keep the attention of my family members. Along the same lines of keeping stories short and to the point, I find that the majority of us want information received to be timely, as well as pertinent. When it comes to our own stories, shortening our words into slang while texting is common to quicken it for the recipients of our messages. Voice to text is often used when texting others. In these instances, the sayings may come across as abrupt and not as friendly.

My final thoughts on this are that voice-to-text is accessible to most students, but highly encouraged for students who need support to transfer their ideas into writing. This exercise showcases that this tool cannot fully align with transferring oral language into written text that fully transits my intended meaning. Therefore, we as educators should remember that this tool cannot fully transport the meaning of our students’ ideas as well. This is certainly something I will consider in supporting students who use voice to text.

Voice to Text narrative:

“In 2012 I had just finished teacher’s college at Nipissing University I really wanted to have a full-time permanent contract and was hoping to move to Southern Ontario where I grew up in the berry or Bradford area one of my past teachers was a principal at the time and suggested to get experience and then return back and that would help me get a job in the future as often it was quite difficult to make a temporary contract list in different subdivisions without being familiar with the area so other friends at my University also were looking to find jobs elsewhere and actually received multiple opportunities to work at different locations somewhere remote flying vacation locations I even had considered working in England out of school but then after Consulting with family and some friends I realized working somewhere that was easy to get home if he did was the best opportunity so I received a few callbacks for resumes that I gave in Saskatchewan and was offered a couple different teaching contracts and I selected the grade 8 temporary teaching position at st. Mary’s school that is where I currently teach one of the main reasons I selected this location was that it was relatively close to an airport the town seemed like there was a lot of people in it and it was at a Catholic school and a middle grade I prefer high school but I decided that grade 8 would probably be the lowest I’d like to teach so I thought that was a great idea I also really liked the principal and the teachers that interviewed me I found they’re very friendly and we’re willing to help me relocate with any questions that I had and so I accept that position and they helped find me an apartment because at the time it was very hard to find places to rent in Estevan because of the double boom of the oilfield that was curling going on and rent prices were also skyrocketed as usual so it’s interesting because the person’s house that I stayed at and rented a room from is now one of my best friends her mom actually worked at the school and that’s how the school was able to connect me with that contact I love teaching there and stayed there until my almost my end of my contract thinking that I would return home in the summer but instead they extended my contract and later offered me a permanent contract I remember first coming to Saskatchewan on a plane and landing at the airport with my pink suitcase with all my contents in it and I took a taxi to the bus station and waited for a bus to come get me and they brought me to this has brought me to Estevan where my now best friend picked me up and she brought me to her house
I was so grateful that I was able to find a location to live because after moving there I realized that the housing situation was difficult for people to find places to rent to buy and landlords were often dramatically increasing their prices because of the need 4 housing because of the current double boom in for the oilfield that Estevan was experiencing I never guessed that 10 years later I would still be at that same school living in the prairies I was only supposed to work until January for a temporary contract but it was extended till the end of the year and then I was offered a permanent contract I am so lucky to in my first couple years teaching receive a permanent contract because that’s something that’s very difficult to happen knowing coming from Ontario I began teaching create and I’ve had a few other teaching positions but I remained teaching grey date now at the same school Estevan Saskatchewan is in southeast Saskatchewan and is quite different than Northern Ontario and Southern and tear than I’m used to I’m used to Fresh lakes and surrounded by kilometres of forest and here there are many man-made Lakes as well as it is quite industrial where I live I often I saw you always look forward to going home to Ontario on this summer and being reunited with nature I also am so grateful to have two beautiful children that I am now raising in the prairies Saskatchewan was always the hardest Province to spell but the easiest to draw and besides knowing that it was flat I didn’t know too much about Saskatchewan before I moved here and now I am so impressed with what’s the statue on is and really enjoy living here it’s interesting because in pictures you kind of see Fields when they represent Saskatchewan and I live near Farmland so I understood what farmland or flat land look like butt I remember being on that bus travelling to ask a man for the first time and once I left Regina I couldn’t believe how far had I could see and how far down the highway I was able to see versus just being able to see up ahead a kilometre or two because there was a turn in the road or there was buildings but it really is beautiful and one of the best things about Saskatchewan Estevan Saskatchewan is that it said that it’s has the sunniest place in Canada and we have the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises I am always so captivated by them something else that is so awesome is how you can really see the skyline 4 kilometres and kilometres where often I find buildings or pills etcetera are blocking your view from far away but You can truly see clouds and whatever this guy has to offer license plate say living lands of the land of the living skies and I can see why because I know in Northern Saskatchewan the northern lights are so comment but the guy always has something to offer whether it’s Moondogs starry nights but also their Sundogs and the colours that the skies given the end how beautiful the clouds are as well Saskatchewan is a really cool place and I’ve loved exploring the area and just learning about the geography and the important resources for Saskatchewan growing up I didn’t know anyting as much as I know now anyway about the oil field and coal mining our community is based off of coal mining and we currently have clean carbon or carbon capture technology to capture the carbon that is released when Kohl’s process to be used and it’s such a awesome technology that really puts our city on the map I’ve become very involved in their Community as a as even my school Community as well and it’s been really nice to build a community of friends and extended family here.”